Journalists have been urged not to surrender human judgement in the news content they produce to Artificial Intelligence (AI), but to retain firm editorial control at all times.

The Managing Editor for Radio and Podcasts at Sputnik Africa, Alexander Kuzyk, who gave the advice, said that while AI could be a tremendously useful tool in media production, it should only be used to enhance journalistic work and not to replace human judgement, creativity and ethical decision-making.

He stressed that AI, though increasingly indispensable in modern newsrooms, must never become a substitute for professional editorial oversight.

He therefore cautioned that under no circumstances should AI-generated content be presented to audiences as a final product, insisting that editors must always manually fact-check and align such content with their editorial policies and audience expectations. Failure to do so, he warned, would result in what he described as “AI slop”.

“You should never publish AI generated content without human editing. AI is a tool and not a real actual living journalist. Remember that the quality of AI output depends entirely on how well you craft your prompts,” he said.

Mr Kuzyk was speaking at a Sputnik international training programme on the pros and cons of AI-generated news content, organised for selected journalists.

The training, which was held both in person and online and marked its second edition, was facilitated by the Ghana-Russia Centre for Commerce and Relations and hosted by the Centre for Public Diplomacy in Ghana, with support from the Russian Embassy in Ghana.

Touching on cultural context, Mr Kuzyk said AI could not replace local knowledge, which he noted was often critical in avoiding cultural insensitivities in news reporting.

“If AI is trained on western media sources, it may perpetuate stereotypes about Africa or give disproportionate weight to western perspective. It lacks cultural context. AI might not understand why a particular phrase is offensive in Ghanaian context and so there is a real risk of over-reliance leading to actually losing your journalistic skills,” he said.

He observed that AI was rapidly transforming how journalism is practised, adding that the most successful journalists in the years ahead would not disappear but would be those who learn to use the tool effectively while upholding core professional values.

According to him, principles such as accuracy, fairness, accountability and service to the public interest must remain non-negotiable, even as technology reshapes newsroom practices.

Mr Kuzyk urged journalists to stay updated on developments in the AI space, noting that the field evolves quickly and requires constant learning to understand both its capabilities and limitations.

He also warned journalists to be cautious about data protection, pointing out that many users rarely read terms and conditions or fully understand how their data is used.

He advised that journalists should never disclose personal or confidential information when interacting with AI systems, in order to protect their sources.

The Consular of the Russian Embassy in Ghana, Natalia Muzhennikova, briefly touched on the significance of the training and highlighted how AI could greatly benefit the world, particularly by making the work of Ghanaian journalists easier, faster and more accessible.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana-Russia Centre for Commerce and Relations, John Aggrey, said those who felt threatened by AI were often those who viewed it as destructive, arguing instead that the technology could be harnessed for positive outcomes.