Cambodian Information Minister: AI Can Enhance Efficiency, but Responsibility Remains Human

The Minister of Information, Net Pheaktra, has emphasized that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology with great potential to facilitate work and enhance efficiency in the media sector. However, he stressed that fact-checking, source evaluation, and accountability for disseminated content remain the responsibility of humans. This statement was made during an occasion where the Minister met and provided recommendations to 15 officials from the Ministry of Information who will participate in a two-week "Certificate Course in New Age Media & IT" in New Delhi, India, under the ITEC program, with support and coordination from the Indian Embassy in Cambodia. Mr. Net Pheaktra stated that in a context where digital technology and AI are rapidly evolving, journalists must learn to use these technologies as tools to increase work efficiency, while also maintaining professionalism, ethics, and accountability for the information they produce and disseminate. The Minister highlighted, "AI can help you, but AI cannot take responsibility on your behalf." Therefore, journalists and AI users must possess AI literacy to understand the capabilities and limitations of AI, and they should not accept results generated by AI without review and verification. He continued that maintaining accuracy and trustworthiness of information is a crucial factor for the media sector, especially in an era where information can be created, processed, and shared very rapidly. In this regard, humans still play a core role in deciding which information should be disseminated and how. Concurrently, Mr. Net Pheaktra expressed gratitude to the Indian government and the Indian Embassy in Cambodia for their continued support in building human resource capacity, particularly in the media and information technology sectors, which are essential for institutional development and responding to the evolution of digital technology. The Minister advised the 15 officials to diligently study, understand, and absorb new knowledge, experiences, and creative ideas from the training course in India to apply and share them further within the Ministry of Information. He affirmed that the Ministry of Information focuses on human capital development and strengthening the capabilities of its officials, enabling the ministry to be more effective in disseminating information, serving the public, combating fake news, and promoting the quality and trustworthiness of information in the digital society. India's support through the ITEC program is considered part of the long-standing cooperation between Cambodia and India, which has contributed to human resource development and capacity building in journalism, information technology, and related fields.