AI in Journalism: How Data Poisoning Risks Misinformation

September 10, 2026 | 05:53 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs, Nezar Patria, highlighted the risk of data poisoning from AI usage in news production, which can lead to misinformation.

Nezar explained that some journalists currently rely on AI to create news without conducting direct on-the-ground reporting. AI, in turn, relies heavily on secondhand data.

"AI cannot work without data, and that data can be wrong. There's something called data poisoning," Nezar said on Thursday, referring to corrupted or invalid data used by AI to generate incorrect information.

According to Nezar, AI poses a challenge to the media industry, since its growth results in journalists forgoing direct observation and verification.

"So, this poses a serious challenge in journalism. Besides being a blow to business, it also affects the most fundamental principle of the number one code of ethics for all journalist organizations worldwide: reporting the truth," he said.

Journalists, he said, used to go outside, observe events, and interview sources and verify information before processing it into news. AI streamlines the process by gathering information from various sources without verification.

To prevent the risk of misinformation, Nezar said the government urges AI users to ensure the accuracy of the information generated by artificial intelligence. 

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has issued a circular regarding the ethical use of AI and directs journalists to use AI in accordance with guidelines formulated by the Press Council.

"How we ensure the accuracy of the information received by the public, so they don't fall victim to misinformation, disinformation, or hoaxes," Nezar said.

Read: What Do Claude Security Breaches Mean for Anthropic's AI Safety?

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News

Anthropic Researcher Resigns Over Fears AI Could Threaten Humanity

34 menit lalu

China Rejects Claims That Its AI Companies 'Copied' US Technology

2 jam lalu

Finland: Google Announces 13 billion Euro AI, Energy Investment

10 jam lalu

Apple Event 2026: Apple Unveils Foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and AI Upgrades

10 jam lalu

What Do Claude Security Breaches Mean for Anthropic's AI Safety?

1 hari lalu

Indonesia, US Expand Pacts on AI, Child Protection in Digital Space

1 hari lalu

Are AI Data Centers Depleting Earth's Water?

1 hari lalu

Apple Rumored to Roll Out AI Home Security Service in 2027

5 hari lalu

Are Data Centers Really Bad for the Planet?

5 hari lalu

Fact Check: AI-Generated Clips of Rented Rooms Under Toll Roads

6 hari lalu