Teaching Journalism in an AI Age: Human–Technology Fit,Creativity,and Judgment

Abstract

This study examines how journalism educators can integrate generative artificial intelligence (AI) into curricula while preserving the human capacities that define the craft. Drawing on 15 interviews with international scholars and practitioners, this research employs a human–computer interaction framework to analyze where AI effectively augments journalistic work and where it undermines creativity, ethics, and judgment. Findings suggest that AI is best positioned as a catalyst for efficiency, background research, and templated work, not as a creative substitute. The study proposes practical pedagogical tools, including a specific rubric that assesses four irreplaceable characteristics: curiosity, emotion, cultural perspective, and originality.

Keywords

artificial intelligence journalism human–computer interaction media ethics journalism education creative practice

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Al Masum Molla

Manjurul Ahsan

. (2025). Artificial Intelligence and journalism: A systematic bibliometric and thematic analysis of global research. arXiv e-prints, arXiv: 2507.10891.

Amponsah

P. N.

Atianashie

A. M.

(2024). Navigating the new frontier: A comprehensive review of AI in journalism. Advances in Journalism and Communication, 12(1), 1–17.

Beckett

(2019). New powers, new responsibilities. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/polis/2019/09/11/what-role-will-ai-play-in-the-future-of-journalism/

Boateng

S. L.

Anning-Dorson

Kwame Adzaku Penu

(2025). AI and the creative economy: Transforming content creation and influencer entrepreneurship. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003595717

Booth

(1989). An introduction to human-computer interaction [Book]. Psychology Press.

Brannon

Beeferman

Jiang

Heyward

Roy

(2024). AudienceView: AI-assisted interpretation of audience feedback in journalism. Companion Publication of the 2024 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing.

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.

Cokley

(2024). Journalism is software. In Barkho

Lugo-Ocando

J. A.

Jamil

(Eds.), Handbook of applied journalism: Theory and practice (pp. 21–42). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48739-2_3

Demmar

Neff

(2023). Generative AI in journalism education: Mapping the state of an emerging space of concerns, opportunities, and strategies. Journalism Education, 12, 47–58.

10.

Dinger

Byun

S. E.

Park

. (2026). Integrating AI into curricula: Project-based learning in digital entrepreneurship. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 19(1), 133–142.

11.

Guha

(2025). Close the gap: Preparing journalism students in Gen AI skills for the industry. Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication, 15(2), 65–69.

12.

Gutiérrez-Caneda

Lindén

C.-G.

Vázquez-Herrero

(2024). Ethics and journalistic challenges in the age of artificial intelligence: Talking with professionals and experts. Frontiers in Communication, 9, Article 1465178.

13.

Hewett

T. T.

Baecker

Card

Carey

Gasen

Mantei

Perlman

Strong

Verplank

(1992). ACM SIGCHI curricula for human-computer interaction. Association for Computing Machinery.

14.

Hollanek

Peters

Drage

Hernandes

(2025). AI, journalism, and critical AI literacy: Exploring journalists’ perspectives on AI and responsible reporting. AI & SOCIETY, 1–13.

15.

Iqbal

Rafique

Tapiwa Jona

Seo

(2025). GenAI in mass communication education: Interviews with instructors. Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication, 15(2), 11–22.

16.

Jia

Appelman

Bien-Aime

(2024). News bylines and perceived AI authorship: Effects on source and message credibility. Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans, 2(2), 100093.

17.

Lockhart

E. N.

(2025). Creativity in the age of AI: The human condition and the limits of machine generation. Journal of Cultural Cognitive Science, 9(1), 83–88.

18.

Londoño-Proaño

Buele

(2025). Can Artificial Intelligence replace journalists? A theoretical approach. Frontiers in Communication, 10, Article 1537146.

19.

McCracken

G. D.

McCracken

(1988). The long interview (Vol. 13). Sage.

20.

Mehmood

(2025). Journalism, media, and Artificial Intelligence: Let us define the journey. Media, 6, 122.

21.

Meir

(2024, November 22). Automated earnings stories multiply. The Associated Press. https://www.ap.org/the-definitive-source/announcements/automated-earnings-stories-multiply

22.

Nakov

Corney

Hasanain

Alam

Elsayed

Barrón-Cedeño

Papotti

Shaar

Martino

G. D. S.

(2021). Automated fact-checking for assisting human fact-checkers. arXiv preprint arXiv:2103.07769.

23.

Opdahl

A. L.

Tessem

Dang-Nguyen

D.-T.

Motta

Setty

Throndsen

Tverberg

Trattner

(2023). Trustworthy journalism through AI. Data & Knowledge Engineering, 146, 102182.

24.

Patton

M. Q.

(2014). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice. Sage.

25.

Pavlik

J. V.

(2023). Collaborating with ChatGPT: Considering the implications of generative artificial intelligence for journalism and media education. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 78(1), 84–93.

26.

Rogers

E. M.

(1995). Diffusion of innovations New York. Simon and Schuster.

27.

Rolfe

. (2006). Validity, trustworthiness and rigour: Quality and the idea of qualitative research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(3), 304–310.

28.

Santos

V. B.

Jordão

C. O.

Ibiapina

L. J.

Silva

G. M.

Santana

M. E.

Garrido

M. A.

Farias

L. R.

(2025). IDEIA: A generative AI-based system for real-time editorial ideation in digital journalism. arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.07278.

29.

Seneadza

J. S.

Arku

Kumi

D. K.

Boateng

S. L.

Boateng

(2025). AI and content creation research: A snapshot of what we know and what we don’t know. In AI and the creative economy (pp. 36-62). Productivity Press.

30.

Sonni

A. F.

(2025). Digital transformation in journalism: Mini review on the impact of AI on journalistic practices. Frontiers in Communication, 10, Article 1535156.

31.

Sonni

A. F.

Hafied

Irwanto

Latuheru

(2024). Digital newsroom transformation: A systematic review of the impact of artificial intelligence on journalistic practices, news narratives, and ethical challenges. Journalism and Media, 5(4), 1554–1570.

32.

Sundar

S. S.

Liao

(2023). Calling BS on ChatGPT: Reflections on AI as a communication source. Journalism & Communication Monographs, 25(2), 165–180.

33.

Veenstra

A. S.

Wilder

Shimu

Schlauder

Dousdebés

(2024). Journalism students’ use, expectations, and understanding of generative AI tools. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 80(1), 115–128. https://doi.org/10.1177/10776958241296474

34.

Wang

McKinnon-Crowley

Long

Lua

K. L.

Henderson

Crowston

Nickerson

J. V.

Hansen

Chilton

L. B.

(2025). The role of human creativity in the presence of AI creativity tools at work: A case study on AI-driven content transformation in journalism. arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.05347.

35.

Wenger

Hossain

M. S.

Senseman

J. R.

(2025). AI and the impact on journalism education. Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, 80(1), 97–114.

36.

Zhang

Long

(2025). Evaluation of the effectiveness of AI-enabled journalism education based on empirical research. 2025 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Multimedia Technology (EIMT 2025).