LAHORE: An initiative, the Standards for AI in Journalism, with claims to be the first locally grounded effort in Pakistan to define responsible AI use in newsrooms was launched at the closing of the three-day Sahafi Summit 2025 here on Thursday.

The initiative by a group of the media professionals convened by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) was launched in the conference held in collaboration with the Department of Media and Development Communication, Punjab University, with the support from the European Union and Unesco.

The standards were developed through a hands-on co-creation process with industry leaders. They are designed to help newsrooms uphold journalism’s core values by strengthening accountability and transparency while keeping human oversight, integrity, and accuracy at the centre of AI adoption.

“We hope that these principles will provide a pathway for integrating AI tools in a way that strengthens, rather than replaces, journalistic practice,” said Asad Baig, the founder of the MMfD.

“The standards view AI not only as a tool for content production but as a technology that will reshape labour, sustainability and the editorial culture.”

Mr Baig emphasised the importance of grounding the standards in practical newsroom experience.

“These standards draw on the collective experience and insights of editors from national and international newsrooms, and we look forward to supporting their practical implementation.”

“Our media students will define the future of journalism in Pakistan and it is essential for us to create opportunities for them to engage in these critical discussions about AI,” said Dr Ayesha Ashfaq, the chairperson of the Department of Development Communication. “We hope that the discussions and capacity-building efforts in the summit will help the students better define their own directions in future,” she added.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2025