On 27 May 2026, Dr. Kevin Baum, our researcher and Executive Board member, joined Presseclub Saar in Saarbrücken for an evening on artificial intelligence and journalism.

Under the title “AI and Journalism: Between Tool, Weapon and Competitor”, the discussion explored how AI technologies are already affecting information quality, opinion formation, and trust in media.

Baum made clear that AI can be highly useful for journalism. It can support the analysis of large amounts of data, transcribe interviews, or translate texts. At the same time, he warned against using AI uncritically: “Tools are useful, but never neutral.” Those who rely too strongly on AI assistance risk losing their own skills. In addition, the effort required to use AI effectively is often underestimated, while its efficiency is sometimes overestimated.

The evening also addressed the use of AI as a weapon. According to Baum, journalists are among the main target groups of deepfakes and strategic disinformation campaigns. Such attacks can have negative effects even when journalists are not directly targeted. Awareness of these threats may lead journalists to avoid certain topics or censor themselves.

Baum also referred to the strategy known as “flood the zone”, in which public attention is overwhelmed with constant outrage, half-truths, and scandals. AI could significantly accelerate this dynamic, making it even harder to keep sight of the bigger picture.

Finally, the discussion turned to AI as a competitor to journalism. Baum warned that AI systems could increasingly become central interfaces for news and information. If chatbots summarise content and provide answers without users visiting the original journalistic sources, media organisations may face new challenges around visibility, relevance, and trust.

The evening showed how important it is to discuss the role of AI in journalism openly and critically — and to ensure that technological progress strengthens, rather than weakens, informed public discourse.