Shifting the Gaze? Photojournalism Practices in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In this article, we explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on photojournalism in less-researched contexts in Botswana and Zimbabwe. We aim to understand how AI technologies, proliferating aspects of news production, are impacting one of journalism’s respected and enduring trades- photojournalism. We answer the question: In what ways are AI-driven technologies impacting photojournalism practices? Furthermore, we investigate how photojournalists perceive their roles and the ethical considerations that come to the fore as AI begin to technically influence photojournalism. We deploy an eclectic analytical framework consisting of the critical technology theory, disruptive innovation theory and Baudrillard’s concept of simulation to theorise how AI technologies affect photojournalism in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Data were collected using in-depth interviews with practising photojournalists and analysed through thematic analysis. We argue that AI technologies impugn the authenticity of photojournalism products, considering photography as an art form, based on its “naturalness”. Ethical questions emerge when algorithms and other AI-driven technologies “manipulate” photojournalism with the acquiescence of photojournalists themselves. Boundaries between AI-generated, AI-manipulated, and real images increasingly become blurred, mimicking Baudrillard’s simulacra concept. Critically, in countries that are largely net importers of AI technologies, power imbalances and power dynamics in using AI technologies are acutely felt.