AI Helping to Protect Journalists in Venezuela

Venezuela Retweets is an anchored news show powered by artificial intelligence (AI), which was created by media organizations. The show has two presenters, vaguely referred to as La Chama (the Girl) and El Pana (the Dude). While the presenters aren’t real, the content they present is high quality, verified and created by actual journalists.

The use of artificial intelligence in this way is innovative, especially considering that in other parts of the world AI is viewed as a threat to livelihoods.

Carlos Eduardo Huertas, a media operator who helped launch the show, stated that the objective wasn’t to replace but to protect journalists. This comes after Nicolas Maduro’s government rolled out a crackdown on journalists following the recently held elections. Nationwide protests erupted after the elections, with global monitors noting that the crackdown was neither fair nor free.

Many claim that the incumbent administration controlled most institutions and repressed the opposition after, during and even before the election.

Data from Espacio Publico, an organization that tracks freedom of the press in Venezuela, shows that about 16 journalists were detained during this period. All except 4 are still behind bars, with some facing charges that range from incitement to hatred and terrorism. Others are yet to be told what they are accused of while some have had their passports suspended.

Little has been done by the government to dissipate the fear. To cope, many journalists based in Caracas have begun sharing their whereabouts with loved ones and working in pairs, some even going as far as memorizing their lawyers’ numbers.

Even after transferring all conversations to Signal, an encrypted messaging app, and removing bylines, some journalists are still afraid. Restrictions on freedom of speech in the country aren’t new, however, as government has long monitored TV and radio programs, with some individuals receiving threats to be taken off air if they voice any content that’s anti-Maduro. Local internet providers also blacklist URLs of news portals that aren’t aligned with the government.

Due to these and other restrictions, Venezuelans mostly receive information from social media. WhatsApp is considered the most useful channel for information in the country. Venezuela Retweets has an upper hand in this regard, because it is designed to be shared on social media.

The digitally generated avatars read the news in videos that can be posted on sites such as Facebook and Instagram or even downloaded and forwarded on messaging services, including WhatsApp from Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ: META). While this means it is hard to monitor the traffic this AI show generates, it also offers an additional layer of security because it makes tracking the clips’ origin more difficult.

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