What are the possible futures for news? Could AI help engage news outsiders? These questions and more were explored in a recent creative workshop with the Swedish Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand, government officials, and IN/LAB collaborators!
Photographer: Amanda Lindgren
On February 1st, IN/LAB hosted the Swedish Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand along with government officials from the media and democracy unit, young adults from IN/LAB’s News Changemaker Program and Beyond Experts in a co-creative workshop. This diverse group was invited for an open discussion and shared ideation, with the goal of understanding current challenges and together exploring new ideas for news media.
The workshop started with a presentation by Agnes Stenbom (Founder and Head of IN/LAB) about the value of imagining possible futures for news media. The group also learned about challenges related to today's news media identified through IN/LAB's co-creation projects and research.
The group engaged in a co-creative workshop led by Belenn Bekele (Program Manager) and Molly Grönlund Müller (Community Researcher). The overarching focus was on the potential of emerging technologies serving as a means to connect different demographics with independent news outlets. The group ideated based on the following How Might We-statement:
How might news media include and highlight diverse narratives about the outer city areas?
The group was prompted to explore emerging digital opportunities when ideating solutions. Can we use AI-generated media (e.g. text, images, or videos) to highlight diverse narratives? Can we empower users to participate in news creation through digital infrastructures? Can we facilitate a digital dialogue between news consumers and journalists?
In their collaborative session, the group generated product ideas including but not limited to using AI to support transparent citizen data sourcing and generate content based on different points of views.
After wrapping up the workshop, the Minister concluded that there is indeed value in exploring the possible routes ahead for media, and especially, doing so in co-creative processes with people with diverse perspectives.
“It is both enjoyable and commendable to see the work happening within the framework of IN/LAB, aiming to contribute to increasing people's trust in media, which is a fundamental part of our democracy”, said Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand.
We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to all participants for joining us in exploring possible news futures!