By Pita Ligaiula
Pacific newsrooms should adopt short, public rules on the use of generative artificial intelligence, with clear boundaries on what journalists can use AI for and what must remain off limits, says Pasifika AI creator and Kanaky Tech founder Kevyn Wahuzue.
Wahuzue told PACNEWS that AI policies should be simple enough for every journalist and editor to understand and follow.
“Yes. Short, written, public. One page, not a 40-page policy nobody reads,” he said.
He proposed a three-tier system to guide newsroom use of generative AI.
Under the green category, journalists could use AI without seeking additional approval for tasks such as transcription, first-draft translations that are checked by the speaker, summarising documents already read by journalists and searching newsroom archives.
The orange category would require editorial approval and disclosure to audiences. This could include publishing an AI-assisted translation without further editing or using AI-generated graphics.
The red category would prohibit certain uses, including invented quotes, generated images or voices of real people, and AI-written stories about communities or cultural matters where there is no journalist reporting and verifying the information.
Wahuzue also warned newsrooms against putting confidential material or source identities into external AI systems.
“That last one gets forgotten.
“Protecting your sources now includes where you paste their words,” he told PACNEWS.
He said news organisations should publish their AI policies so audiences understand how the technology is being used.
“And publish the rules. Readers trust a newsroom that tells them how it works,” he said.
Wahuzue said Pacific media organisations should begin training journalists now as AI becomes part of routine newsroom work.
“Train people now. Not a one-off workshop: practice, on real newsroom tasks, with someone who can say ‘this output is wrong, and here’s why,’” he said.
He said newsrooms also needed to be realistic about the tasks AI was likely to change.
“Transcription, routine first drafts, formatting, monitoring: those will shrink,” he said.
But he said time saved through automation should be redirected towards reporting that requires journalists to engage directly with communities.
“Use the time saved to put journalists back where machines can’t go: in the village, at the court, at the council meeting, with the people.
“If AI is only used to cut staff, the region loses reporters it cannot replace. If it’s used to free reporters, the region gets more journalism,” Wahuzue told PACNEWS.
Wahuzue said verification would remain one of the most important skills for Pacific journalists as AI-generated material becomes more common.
“Verification first: reading sources, checking claims, spotting a generated image or an invented quote. That was always the job. It’s now the most valuable part of it,” he said.
He said journalists also needed to understand how AI systems fail, particularly in Pacific languages and when dealing with different cultures.
“They sound sure when they’re guessing, they’re weaker in our languages, they blend peoples together.
“You can’t catch a mistake you don’t know is possible,” he told PACNEWS.
Wahuzue said journalists should also strengthen skills that cannot easily be automated, including building trust and working directly with communities.
“The human skills that don’t automate: building trust, talanoa, knowing who to ask and how to ask, being there,” he said.
He also highlighted the importance of Pacific languages as AI becomes more widely used.
“And language.
“A journalist who writes and speaks a Pacific language well is becoming more valuable, not less, because that’s exactly where the machines are weakest,” he said.
