Dhaka : The Media, Communication and Journalism (MCJ) Program at North South University (NSU), in collaboration with UNESCO and Digital Rights Nepal, successfully hosted a hybrid seminar in its regional series titled “AI and Journalism: Future Directions in Media Education.” The event was jointly partnered with Kathmandu University (Nepal) and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (India) and held at the NSU Syndicate Hall, according to a press release.
The seminar focused on the evolving intersections between artificial intelligence and journalism education in South Asia, spotlighting regional trends, curriculum gaps, newsroom transformations, and ethical challenges.
Delivering the keynote, Shawkat Hossain Masum, Head of Online at Prothom Alo, discussed his newsroom’s ongoing integration of AI. “We use AI tools for mechanical tasks, transcription, tagging, and formatting but never for roles that require a human touch. Decision-making in journalism must remain a deeply human process,” he emphasised.
Masum also announced Prothom Alo’s upcoming AI-driven features: “‘Shorts’ will soon be available via our app, quick, digestible stories tailored for mobile users. We're also launching a customizable interface so readers can decide what kinds of news they see.” He further added that Prothom Alo has recently implemented a formal AI policy, underscoring transparency and accountability in the use of generative technologies.
The event featured a presentation of a Scoping Report on AI-informed journalism curricula in South Asia, by Dr. Samiksha Koirala, Assistant Professor and Ms. Zarin Tasnim, Lecturer of MCJ, NSU. Dr. Koirala stressed the need for ethical grounding in AI practices: “As we adopt AI in journalism, Ethics must not follow innovation—they must guide it., AI is not just about content automation—it’s about how audiences are shaped, manipulated, and segmented. Journalism programs must reflect this shift,” Ms. Tasnim added, “There’s growing student interest and a scattered presence of AI topics across our courses, with NSU’s multidisciplinary depth, we need to focus on faculty upskilling and resource sharing and point the way towards promising and actionable opportunities.”
Dr. Soumik Pal, Assistant Professor of Media, Communication & Journalism (MCJ) and moderator of the session, remarked, “We need to bridge the gap between theory and newsroom practice. The ethical, legal, and audience-side implications of AI must become integral to journalism curricula, not optional add-ons.”
Providing closing remarks, Dr. Rizwanul Islam, & Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at NSU, stated: “We are proud to facilitate timely conversations that will shape journalism education across the region. AI is a transformative force, and we must prepare our students to engage with it critically and ethically. The future of journalism education is interdisciplinary. We must move toward cross-departmental collaboration someday, even hybrid degree programs combining media, computer science, law, and policy.”The seminar concluded with an open discussion among students, faculty, and regional university representatives.
