Trusted media is more important than ever as disinformation and misinformation increase in society. The rapid development of AI has created an urgent need for transparency and ethics. UNESCO highlighted this in its 2021 recommendation on AI ethics, which emphasizes the importance of AI protecting human rights, such as freedom of expression and equality, and ensuring that decision-making processes in AI systems are transparent.
Agnes Stenbom’s and Olle Zachrison’s work aligns with UNESCO’s values regarding AI ethics, freedom of expression, and press freedom. Through the Nordic AI Journalism initiative – which has around 500 members across the Nordic region – they have helped the Swedish media industry create voluntary recommendations to promote openness and accountability in the use of AI in journalism.
“The winners have shown how AI can be integrated into journalism in an ethical and transparent way. Through their work, they build trust in the media at a time of significant challenges for press freedom, and we are proud to reward their efforts with the Swedish UNESCO Prize,” says Maria Wilenius, Secretary-General of the Swedish UNESCO Council.
Olle Zachrison is Head of AI & News Strategy at Sveriges Radio and co-founder of Nordic AI Journalism. He has previously been Head of Ekot and Editorial Director at Svenska Dagbladet.
“It is fantastic that our industry-wide collaboration on the ethical application of AI in journalism is receiving such recognition from the Swedish UNESCO Council. Swedish media holds a unique position, both in its tradition of collaboration and in being at the forefront of the digitalization necessary to work with AI”, says Olle Zachrison.
Agnes Stenbom is the Head of Inclusion Lab (IN/LAB) and responsible for trust issues at Schibsted. She is also an industrial Ph.D. candidate at the Royal Institute of Technology and co-founder of the Nordic AI Journalism network, where she advocates for responsible AI development in journalism.
“The recognition from the Swedish UNESCO Council is both joyful and honorable. Nordic media has excellent conditions to develop journalism responsibly with the support of AI, and with this prestigious award, I look forward to continuing to work toward that goal!”, she says.
Award Ceremony:
The prize consists of a diploma and will be presented during the Publicistklubbens 150th anniversary celebration in Stockholm on November 7.
Publicistklubben (The Publicist Club) is a non-profit organization that protects freedom of the press and expression and promotes debate. Thousands of members across the country create a concrete platform for public discourse in Sweden. Since 1874, the Publicist Club has been an important space for journalistic debate and discussion.
Background of the Swedish UNESCO Prize:
The Swedish UNESCO Prize has been awarded since 2016 and goes to individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions within UNESCO’s areas of focus: education, science, culture, and communication. The theme of the 2024 prize is AI and ethics, based on UNESCO’s global recommendation on AI ethics, which underscores the importance of AI in promoting human rights and sustainable development.
