Dr. Gregory Murad Reis is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences, an Environmental Finance Fellow at FIU’s Environmental Finance & Risk Management (EFRM), and an Affiliated Faculty in the FIU Institute of Environment. With over 20 years of experience teaching Mathematics and Computer Science courses, Dr. Reis is a highly respected educator with expertise in early, elderly, and special education.
Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences (KFSCIS) Assistant Professor, Gregory Murad Reis, led a thought-provoking artificial intelligence AI presentation titled “AI in the Newsroom: Risks & Rewards” at the annual National Association Hispanic Broadcasters (NAHB) convention presented by NBC Universal.
Reis shed light not only on the exciting advancements in AI, but also the reasons behind the increased concerns surrounding its integration into our daily lives. Reis took the audience on a journey through the history of AI, revealing how it has transitioned from a concept confined to labs, universities, and big tech companies to a ubiquitous presence in our households, eliciting mixed emotions and sparking discussions on its implications.
“AI was once solely portrayed through videos, TV shows, movies, and confined to research laboratories,” says Reis. “It was often seen as an exciting concept, integrated into our lives through cool features like grammar checks in Microsoft Word or facial recognition on smartphones. However, recent advancements have introduced AI systems capable of engaging in voice conversations and generating lengthy texts, such as the example of ChatGPT. This transformation has brought AI directly into our homes, raising concerns and uncertainties among individuals.”
With AI systems becoming more conversational and capable of autonomously generating content, questions arise regarding the limits of their capabilities, potential biases, and ethical considerations.
“The main focus of the panel was journalism,” says Reis. “The integration of AI in the news and journalism brings both opportunities and challenges. While AI technologies have the potential to enhance efficiency in news gathering, fact-checking, and data analysis, they also pose risks such as the proliferation of fake news and misinformation. As AI becomes more sophisticated in generating content, there is a pressing need for journalists and news organizations to critically evaluate and verify information. It calls for responsible usage of AI tools to ensure accurate reporting and uphold journalistic integrity.“