Oct. 8 — Artificial intelligence can generate text, analyze data and even mimic creativity, but it cannot replace the empathy, imagination and care that define journalism, said Vilas Dhar, president of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, during a recent episode of the Newsroom Robots podcast.
The conversation, hosted by journalist and data scientist Nikita Roy, explored the profound ways AI is reshaping the media industry. Roy, who founded Newsroom Robots at the Harvard Innovation Labs, regularly interviews leading voices on the intersection of technology and journalism. In this episode, she sat down with Dhar, who leads one of the world’s largest philanthropies focused on advancing artificial intelligence for the public good.
Dhar, whose foundation oversees a $1.5 billion endowment and has invested more than $500 million in global projects spanning climate action, public health, education and democratic governance, said that while technology is accelerating at unprecedented speed, it must remain accountable to human needs and democratic values. “Technology should advance dignity, equity and democracy—not just profit,” he told Roy.
He outlined a three-part framework for ethical AI adoption in newsrooms: responsible data practices, clear boundaries for machine involvement, and transparency about how tools are used. These principles, he argued, can help translate abstract ethical concerns into concrete editorial decisions. “Journalism is built on trust. If we bring AI into the newsroom without accountability, we risk undermining the very foundation of that trust,” he said.
To operationalize those principles, Dhar introduced his “LISA framework”—Listen, Involve, Share, Assess—an approach that places audiences at the center of AI experimentation. By listening to their concerns, involving them in the process, sharing how tools are tested and assessing the outcomes publicly, newsrooms can make AI adoption an extension of their reporting mission. “Transparency around AI isn’t a burden; it’s an opportunity to build trust,” he told Roy.
Dhar also challenged a long-held assumption in journalism: that media outlets can remain solely content organizations in a digital age. “There is no way to be a media organization today without also being a technology organization,” he said. He warned that leaders must confront not only whether to buy or build AI tools, but also how these decisions redefine organizational identity and purpose.
The discussion touched on dilemmas facing newsrooms, including how to handle voice and attribution in AI-generated content, how to weigh the environmental costs of large-scale AI models, and how to maintain accountability when machines participate in editorial work. Dhar suggested smaller, more targeted AI systems could be more sustainable, while collective newsroom action could reduce both costs and risks.
Even as he outlined these challenges, Dhar emphasized that the heart of journalism cannot be replicated by algorithms. “AI can find patterns, but it will never understand vulnerability, empathy or love,” he said. “Those are the uniquely human traits that will define the future of journalism.”
Roy closed the conversation by noting Dhar’s broader vision for AI, which he frames as moving from technology being done “to us,” to being done “for us,” and ultimately “by us.” Dhar explained how he even applies these ideas in his personal life, using AI to help tell family stories and to serve as a Socratic partner in sharpening his thinking.