BCD0001

Written evidence submitted by Felix M. Simon

(Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar, Oxford Internet Institute and Balliol College, University of Oxford)

1.              Personal background and expertise

1.1              Felix M. Simon is a Leverhulme Doctoral Scholar at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) at the University of Oxford and a Knight-News Innovation Fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University. He also works as a research assistant at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) and as a journalist for various international outlets. As a member of the Leverhulme Doctoral Centre “Publication beyond Print”, he is currently researching the implications of AI in journalism and the news industry, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and OII Dieter Schwarz Foundation Award. His research focuses on digital media, political communication, and the transformation of the news.[1]

1.2               I make this submission as part of the inquiry ‘BBC Digital’ lodged by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. This submission focuses on one aspect of the overall question on the BBC’s digital transformation:

1. ‘The robustness of the BBC’s plans for digital transformation’

I will comment on this aspect with respect to the BBC’s development and use of AI.

1.3              This submission is based on research I am currently conducting into the use of artificial intelligence in the news. For my research, I have conducted research interviews with BBC staff from various divisions and levels of seniority who work on the digital transformation of the organisation (e.g., as journalists, editors, data scientists or in research and development). Furthermore, I have conducted interviews with similar sources at other commercial and public service news organisations in the UK, Germany, and the US and have analysed secondary, public material from the BBC and other industry sources which focus on the digital transformation of news organisations in general. To protect my sources, I am only providing aggregate insights from this data.

2.              The Digital Transformation of News and the Role of AI

2.1              According to research from e.g., the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, the digital transformation of news organisations is important because news audiences are increasingly moving online, with the consumption of news and entertainment content increasingly shifting to digital offerings.[2] This shift presents both challenges and opportunities for organisations such as the BBC, as they must adapt to these changing audience behaviours and preferences. One key aspect of this transformation is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the production, distribution, and consumption of news.[3] AI can help news organisations to better understand their audiences and tailor their content to meet the needs and interests of diverse audiences. It can also potentially help to streamline some production and distribution processes, allowing journalists to focus on high-value tasks such as investigative reporting and analysis. Overall, the use of AI in the digital transformation of news organisations is likely to play a central role in the future of journalism and public service media.

2.2              It is my expert view that the BBC’s plans for the digital transformation of the organisation with respect to AI are well-advanced and in line with what the best available evidence suggests what news organisations, especially publicly funded news organisations, should be doing. The BBC is strongly engaged in the research, development, implementation, and use of AI solutions across the organisations with the aim of increasing efficiencies, building new or improving existing products, aiding its journalistic and non-journalistic staff, as well as better understanding and serving existing and new audiences with content and new formats.

2.3              Furthermore, thanks to its work in this area the BBC is seen as one of the leading organisations when it comes to the development of ethical AI approaches and best-practice guidelines for the use and deployment of AI[4]—guidelines which have inspired similar efforts at other broadcasters and news organisations across Europe and internationally. The BBC’s AI experts are in high demand and frequently invited to advise on AI-related projects at other broadcasters and news organisations or to contribute to ongoing research on this topic.

2.4              My conclusion from my work is that in the space of AI—an integral part of the corporation’s digital transformation—the BBC’s efforts and plans are robust and just as, if not more advanced than those of some its competitors. The government can play a crucial role in supporting the BBC in this space and I provide some recommendations for this in the next section.

3.              Recommendations

3.1              The government should consider strengthening the BBC’s budget to enable the organisation to continue providing vital information, education, and entertainment services to the population and to aid its efforts in moving the corporation’s offers into the digital realm and strengthening the corporation’s digital transformation.

3.2              The BBC’s research and development work are well regarded across the news industry both within the UK and abroad. Enabling the corporation to build on and extend these efforts and to integrate them with other parts of the corporation would be advisable.

3.3              The BBC should be encouraged to continue its existing close engagement with industry partners, the technology sector, academia, and commercial news organisations when it comes to the development and maintenance of new and existing formats, technological standards, and best-practices in the digital space.

3.4              The government should aid the BBC in its efforts to ensure that the digital transformation of the organisation does not lead to a widening of existing inequalities[5] when it comes to the access of BBC content across different socio-economic groups and minority backgrounds.

3.5              By investing in AI, the BBC can enhance its ability to produce high-quality and relevant content that meets the needs and interests of its diverse audiences, while also increasing its competitiveness in the increasingly digital media landscape. Additionally, by further developing its own AI capabilities, the BBC can reduce its reliance on platform companies—who have become central players in the domain of AI—and retain more control over its operations as well as the production and distribution of its content.[6] This will likely not only benefit the BBC, but also have spill-over effects on other news organisations and ensure that the BBC will be able to fulfil its public service mandate. The government should support these efforts.

4.              Declaration             

4.1              This submission mainly draws on research I conducted at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. The author has no conflict of interest to declare. These comments represent my personal views, and I am not here commenting in any official or representative capacity for any of the organisations I am affiliated with.

January 2023