The fall of Nixon, the term of Donald Trump, the position of the United States in the world today and, of course, the rapid development of artificial intelligence told the BBC two legends of american journalismWatergate leaders, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
As artificial intelligence increasingly permeates everyday life, many fear its impact on personal and social life, from job loss and privacy threats to the potential for widespread misinformation.
As Bernstein notes, artificial intelligence is “a huge force challenging the future of journalism.”
He reiterates that “truth is essential to everything in life” and adds: “We need to know what is true and what is false. And the press is a key element of a community that can achieve this goal.”
When asked why anyone would become a journalist today, he replied, “To find the best version of the truth available.”
When BBC reporter Amol Rajan read the text from the GPT chat about the two, Bernstein said he was unimpressed by the passage, which he called “a mixture of things written about us”.
He learned some of this from a text included in the pamphlet of a conference they attended.
Bernstein and Woodward in May 1973, when it was announced that The Post had won the Pulitzer Prize for investigating Watergate. Photo: AR
“Artificial intelligence is a huge force that we will have to deal with in this world,” he said.
Bernstein drew parallels between the dramatic events that preceded and followed Nixon’s resignation over Watergate and those that unfolded at the end of Trump’s tenure in the White House.
“We never thought we would see something like this with another president. With Trump, it has become more and more dangerous,” he said.
Regarding AI limitations, Woodward gave a telling example: “I can call the Pentagon and say, ‘I want to talk to the head of the military department,’ and he either talks to me or he doesn’t. AI can’t do that.”
Left to right: Hoffman, Bernstein, Woodwarne and Redford at the premiere of All the President’s Men, April 5, 1976. Photo: AR
Washington Post reporters at the time began their investigation after the break-in of the Democrats’ office located in Washington’s Watergate Building. A journalistic investigation led to the uncovering of a surveillance network, a case that will go down in history as the Watergate scandal.
The two have since been honored for their revelations, and their book about the case has been featured on the big screen in All the President’s Men, starring Robert Redford (as Woodward) and Justin Hoffman (as Bernstein).
“Woodward, Bernstein. Both of you are part of this story. Now don’t screw up.”
All the President’s Men (dir. Alan J. Pakula) premiered today, 1976.
(by using @Sergiofords)pic.twitter.com/6zddQkS1Zw
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla) April 9, 2019
Source: BBC
Source: Kathimerini
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