Artificial Intelligence and the Hamster Wheel of Journalism
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we create, access, and make sense of information—with profound implications for journalism. This talk explores what AI means for journalists, audiences, and the future of news, while examining broader questions about creativity, platform power, and democratic accountability. The talk builds on a forthcoming co-authored book, Journalism in the Age of AI: From Acceleration to Reimagination (Polity Press, 2026), in which we argue that the status quo of journalism and AI development is only leading to an acceleration of the hamster wheel that has characterized (and diminished) news work in this century. However, it doesn't have to be this way: AI can serve as a catalyst for improving journalism—a constitutive moment that offers an off-ramp to that hamster wheel. Taking advantage of that requires making deliberate (and difficult) choices, and maybe even reimagining what we want from journalism and what it means to practice and engage with it.
Bio: Rodrigo Zamith is Associate Professor and Chair of the Journalism Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of journalism and technology, with a focus on understanding the social implications of emerging technologies for how news is produced, distributed, and consumed. His book, Journalism in the Age of AI (with Seth C. Lewis and Tomás Dodds), will be published by Polity Press in 2026.
