Wide-ranging opinions and concerns about AI came up on the last day of the “You Have the Floor” town hall series. The technology-slanted topic came as no surprise considering Pittsburgh’s Public Source hosted the town hall through a Zoom meeting.
The virtual meeting brought voices from Uptown, Shadyside, Collier, Greensburg, the North Hills and even as far as Baltimore and Lawrence County. With such a wide group of neighborhoods came discussion of a broad swath of issues, including public transit, diversity, disability, housing, AI, the environment and the role of local journalism.
The Zoom call, originally scheduled for last Saturday morning but postponed due to widespread power outages, gathered about 15 people.
Some attendees would be pleased if AI makes journalists’ work more streamlined, but the group had real concerns about AI both in society writ large and in newsrooms. If AI removed the human element of journalism by, for example, generating sensational headlines, it would make local journalism worse, commenters agreed. The construction of data centers and their impact on the environment were concerns, and one participant said that because AI is fundamentally problematic, conversations about “ethical usage” are moot.
Editor’s note
For our town hall series, Public Source is asking participants to speak from their own experience and listen to understand. To preserve that openness, this recap doesn’t include names or attributed quotes.
The virtual discussion brought out many questions about journalism’s evolution.
Several people discussed whether local journalists should act as objective observers or active engagers of current events. Is it enough to summarize what’s happening, or should journalists be getting the public involved in figuring out solutions? Should local outlets put more effort into compiling accurate listings for events and resources? Is conventional, written journalism with photography sufficient, or should news organizations do more with video, audio, social media and physical fliers? Is print obsolete or still an effective way to reach communities commonly missed by digital media?
The media’s portrayal of people with disabilities also came up in the town hall. News writing can often use dehumanizing language that stigmatizes disabled people, one participant said. News coverage also tends to focus only on bleak and tragic aspects of the lives of disabled people, something also problematic in coverage of other marginalized groups, the participant added. Showing how people of various identities experience joy can not only make for enjoyable reading material but also present a more comprehensive, accurate view of reality.
Prompted to share some sources of joy in their lives, group members provided a lot, including gardening, natural beauty, community activities, advocacy groups and more. Clear sources of joy also included the two cats in attendance in the Zoom windows of two participants. One person astutely noted: “I bet you didn’t have cats at the in-person town halls!”
Matt Petras is a visiting lecturer of English at the University of Pittsburgh and a freelance reporter and can be reached at matt456p@gmail.com and on Bluesky @mattapetras.bsky.social.
