Bernama Empowers Northern Region Media Practitioners With AI Skills Course

BUTTERWORTH, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The ‘AI In Action: Revolutionising News in the Digital Age’ course organised by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) for media practitioners here provides exposure to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism, in line with efforts to strengthen the country’s digital transformation agenda.

The two-day course, which began today and was attended by 20 media practitioners from the northern region, particularly Penang, Perlis and Perak, is also seen as relevant amid the rapid growth of digital media.

Trainer Nitra Sari Omar said the programme introduced strategies for using AI to enhance work efficiency, ensure reporting accuracy, and broaden the reach of news content to more diverse audiences.

“News organisations need to view AI not as a replacement, but as a tool. Automation can help with routine tasks such as transcription, news summarisation or data analysis, allowing journalists to focus on core work — investigating, telling stories with local context and ensuring factual accuracy.

“The relevance comes when media can combine technology with authentic human touch,” she told Bernama at the course here.

Meanwhile, Mutiara Media Club president Mohd Iskandar Othman said journalists in today’s digital era must master AI effectively as the news industry moves at high speed, with an overwhelming flow of information that needs to be filtered and verified.

“AI is no longer just an additional tool, but a necessity to boost productivity. Journalists skilled in AI can produce news faster, analyse big data, identify trends and reduce the burden of repetitive technical tasks,” he said.

However, Mohd Iskandar, a Sinar Harian journalist, stressed that such mastery must go hand in hand with ethics and journalistic principles to ensure news reports remain of high quality and integrity.

The course also served as a networking platform for journalists from various agencies in the northern region, while raising awareness that the adoption of new technologies must be integrated with journalistic ethics and integrity.

The ‘AI In Action: Revolutionising News in the Digital Age’ course in Penang is the 10th in the series of AI training programmes for media practitioners. Previous sessions have been held in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah, Johor, Terengganu and Pahang.

Bernama is the coordinator of AI courses for the media under the allocation for National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) 2025.

On Aug 12, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim outlined five pillars under the National AI Framework to ensure AI benefits every Malaysian — forward-looking policies; a dynamic, digitally literate workforce; secure and trusted digital infrastructure; empowerment of digital trust; and strategic investments to build a sustainable AI ecosystem through public–private partnerships and global cooperation.

-- BERNAMA