Alain Dominique Starke
MediaFutures asked team members to answer a couple of questions about their work and thoughts on media and AI in 2023. These interviews have been first published in MediaFutures Annual Report 2023.
What was your task/position in MediaFutures last year?
– I am an associate professor II, being part of WP2. I co-supervise PhD students Ayoub and Jeng, and am involved in projects related to news recommender systems and healthy eating.
Which media related topics were the hottest ones in 2023?
– The biggest impact on academic and educational work is related to generative AI. Text-based LLMs have led to a lot of new procedures concerning plagiarism and such. Generative AI for imagery, recently for video, has not only led to a range of possibilities, but also a need for regulation, reflection, etc. How can we structure our work and societal mechanisms, facing such uncertainty about the authenticity of media?
What motivated you in 2023 to do research/invest in projects related to MediaFutures?
– I work remotely, so having no immediate threat of Christoph in my vicinity proves that I have been very intrinsically motivated. What motives me in general is to educate people about how to do different things, but also about my research. My role feels like a privilege, that I get to do smart stuff and get paid for it.
What media related event/research/result shocked you the most last year and why?
– Nothing really “shocked” me
How did your view of the media industry/academia change during the last year and why?
– Living in the Netherlands, Dutch TV media has received a lot of scrutiny for unsafe working environments. In the end, it turned out that many of the institutions that deliver trustworthy content can still be the subject of bad management practices and treatment of employees. I’ll be happy to assume things are better in Norway.
What was your greatest achievement and challenge in 2023?
– Becoming a father.