Artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, ethics, and newsroom integration took center stage at a workshop held on Aug. 20, 2025, organized by the Uganda Editors Guild in collaboration with the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). The session brought together editors and media professionals to discuss how newsrooms can responsibly adopt AI tools while addressing legal, policy, and ethical challenges.

Legal and Policy Landscape

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) highlighted the lack of AI-specific legislation in Uganda but pointed to several existing laws that indirectly govern AI use. Key among these is the Uganda Data Protection and Privacy Act of 2019, which regulates personal data processing and includes provisions on automated decision-making under Section 27.

Other legal instruments discussed included:

• Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act — Protects intellectual property and authors’ rights.
• National Payment Systems Act — Grants the central bank oversight over payment systems.
• National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) Act — Establishes NITA-U to enhance public service delivery and drive digital transformation.
• Uganda Communications Act (2013) — Establishes the Uganda Communications Commission, responsible for regulating AI use within the communications sector.
• Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (2010) — Requires telecom providers to install AI-enabled systems for lawful interception of communications.
• Anti-Terrorism Act and Computer Misuse Act — Provide frameworks for security, cybersecurity, and AI-assisted monitoring of digital threats.

National Strategies and AI Integration

The workshop also reviewed Uganda’s broader digital policy frameworks:

• Vision 2040 — Aims to transform Uganda into a middle-income economy by 2040.
• National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Strategy (2020) — Positions Uganda as a continental hub for emerging technologies.
• Third National Development Plan (NDP III) — Outlines development priorities, including AI and machine learning integration into national projects.

These strategies underscore Uganda’s recognition of AI as a driver of economic growth, though implementation remains fragmented without a dedicated regulatory framework.

AI in Newsrooms: Opportunities and Risks

CIPESA’s Programmes Manager-Legal, Edrine Wanyama, cited findings from the Artificial Intelligence in Eastern Africa Newsrooms report, noting that AI can enhance newsroom productivity through faster reporting, automated fact-checking, and improved detection of misinformation.

However, the workshop also highlighted several risks:

• Spread of disinformation and misinformation
• Reduced accuracy due to speed-driven reporting
• Over-reliance on AI at the cost of creativity
• Erosion of journalistic ethics and integrity
• Potential job losses among journalists and editors

Ethics and Transparency

Dr. Peter G. Mwesige, Chief of Party at CIPESA, urged editors to cover AI critically rather than focusing only on its capabilities. He emphasized the need for explanatory, evidence-based reporting and called for transparency when using AI in editorial tasks.

“AI can assist with brainstorming, editing, and transcription, but journalists must still put in the hard work,” Mwesige said.

Recommendations for Responsible AI Use

CIPESA concluded the workshop by presenting key recommendations for integrating AI ethically and effectively in newsrooms:

• Align with international standards like the Paris Charter on AI.
• Respect copyright and intellectual property rights.
• Develop internal newsroom policies for AI adoption.
• Collaborate across media houses to create best practices.
• Invest in journalist training on ethical AI usage.
• Strengthen fact-checking systems to combat misinformation and deepfakes.
• Prioritize human oversight when deploying AI-driven tools.

The workshop underscored the urgent need for Uganda to balance AI-driven innovation with data protection, ethical journalism, and regulatory safeguards to ensure responsible adoption within the media industry.

It seems like Gen Z employees- all around the country- have earned a reputation of being rather ‘unadjustable’. Social media is full of older generation employees ranting about Gen Zs and their work ethics. Adding another incident to the list, a woman recently shared a rant on the internet, where she expressed her disappointment over a young employee walking out– after the company refused to pay him for ‘additional hours’. As per the post, the employee was new and began to demand additional pay after working for two months or so. As soon as the post on the same was shared online, it went viral; however, it ended up backfiring! Most netizens sided with the employee and lauded his attempt to ask for ‘fair pay’. As per the post, the woman also spoke on how new employees should be willing to ‘struggle’ and learn to have more patience.

Times Now could not confirm the details and the authenticity of the post.

Check out the viral post:

“Met a GenZ guy recently who had just landed a job at a tier 1 company. Within no time, he started demanding extra pay for every additional hour, and when he didn’t get it, he walked out. This is the mindset now! No willingness to struggle, no commitment to putting in the hours, no patience to prove themselves. Just quick money, quick increments, and zero accountability. The work ethic gap between generations is becoming too real,” the post read.

“It’s very easy to sit behind a screen and glorify “taking a stand.” But in the real world, the same GenZ folks with this “don’t want to struggle, don’t want to adjust” mindset will walk into your office tomorrow for jobs & will get rejected instantly because of this attitude. Let’s be clear: I’m not against asking for fair compensation. Everyone deserves it! but timing and maturity matter. If you’ve barely completed 2 months at a company and already start throwing tantrums over extra hours, that’s not professionalism, that’s entitlement. Every workplace has policies. If you go against them, the company won’t think twice before showing you the exit. That’s the reality,” the post further read.

“Growth comes when you first prove yourself, build credibility, show commitment , then you negotiate from a position of strength. Without output, without patience, without discipline, asking for increments or demanding special treatment doesn’t make you bold. It just makes you replaceable. So instead of cheering this as ‘courage,’ better to call it what it is , ‘immaturity’ that will cost them more in the long run,” the post concluded.

The post was shared on X (formerly Twitter), by the handle ‘AyushiiDoshiii’. The post was shared yesterday and pulled more than 172K views from people.

Here’s how social media reacted:

“They know that they are not going to get anything even after the struggle and commitment, as most who are sitting above are basically exploiters. This is from where the mindset is coming,” a user said.

“No willingness to struggle??? Struggle unfairly? Why? It’s not worth it. If a company is unfairly treating you, why treat it fairly, this is not the era of slavery,” added a second person in the comment section.

“Finally, someone is trying to bring first world work culture to India where its own citizens are exploited and paid peanuts and then the companies boast about it,” added another person. “He was right,” said another.

JAKARTA – The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Kemkomdigi) has begun to strengthen the governance of national artificial intelligence (AI) by preparing a special evaluation mechanism. The goal is that every innovation in the AI sector continues to run in accordance with the principles of ethics and social responsibility.

The evaluation mechanism is contained in the draft Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence (KA) Ethics, which allows incident reporting as well as encourages self-assessment from AI developers.

“Gradually, the evaluation of the application of ethical guidelines will continue to ensure ethical and responsible train ethics governance,” said Director of Artificial Intelligence and New Technology Ecosystem of the Ministry of Communication and Industry, Aju Widya Sari, as quoted by ANTARA.

In addition to ethical guidelines, the government is also preparing the White Book of the National AI Roadmap which is designed to go hand in hand with the preparation of these guidelines.

According to Aju, this step is important so that AI development in Indonesia is in line with the development of AI ethics at the global level, as well as strengthening collaboration between stakeholders.

In the draft guidelines, ethical aspects are emphasized as an important basis because the development and utilization of AI can have a direct impact on basic human rights.

The principles raised include inclusiveness, humanity, security, accessibility, transparency, credibility, accountability, personal data protection, environmental sustainability, and intellectual property protection.

The application of AI ethics is believed to provide three main benefits, namely economic sustainability, social and environmental. From an economic perspective, AI has the potential to create innovations while at the same time encouraging growth. For social, ethical AI can expand access to public services to be more equal. As for the environment, this technology can help optimize the use of resources so that it is more efficient and sustainable.

The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language.
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