Supporting News and Quality Information and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence

Recorded at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in Halifax, this “Supporting News and Quality Information and the Impact of Artificial Intelligence” presentation features a panel of experts on journalism, media law, and the role of digital platforms and artificial intelligence in the news ecosystem: Courtney Radsch, Open Markets Institute, Kim Kierans, University of King’s College/Massey College, and Danielle Stone, senior legal counsel at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and President of the Canadian Media Lawyers Association, and is moderated by Alessia Zornetta, UCLA.

The panel explores how highly concentrated control of digital advertising, search and recommendation systems shapes the economics of news, fuels disinformation and undermines public-interest reporting, while highlighting Canadian and international policy tools such as competition law, copyright and fair dealing, tax credits, collective bargaining, and platform regulation. The speakers assess the impact of generative AI systems that train on and summarize journalistic content without clear licensing or compensation, discuss the importance of plural and independent funding models for local and investigative reporting, and outline practical steps for lawyers, policymakers and media organizations to support press freedom, protect journalists from harassment and strategic lawsuits, and design legal and business frameworks that keep high-quality, trustworthy information at the center of democratic life in an AI-driven media environment.