15th AUB GENERAL ASSEMBLY 03 - 06 September 2024

DRAFT CONCEPT NOTE

The African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) will hold its 15th Session Annual General Assembly in Botswana, from September 03 to 05, 2024. The event will bring together key players in African broadcast media to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to content in African broadcasting. The Main Theme concerns the challenge of content in African broadcasting. (The future of African media facing the challenges of new technologies and climate changes .)

During this General Assembly, members of the Union will work to assess the state of content in the media, identify the main threats, opportunities, and finally explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the area.

After the AUB-UNESCO summit on artificial intelligence and media held in Yaoundé in March 2024, the Union aims to analyse how AI can transform the creation and distribution of broadcast content in Africa as well as discuss the contribution of African broadcasting to global initiatives to combat climate change.

Several panels focusing on the contribution of artificial intelligence to the transformation of African broadcasting, the creation of AI content, the exploration of AI technologies for the production of original and engaging broadcast content, cost reduction, AI solutions for the optimization of production processes, the contribution of data, the role of Africa in the generation and management of metadata for audiovisual content and the transformation of professions in the broadcast sector thanks to the impact of AI on skills and professions in the audiovisual sector, will give more concrete context to the overall information received in Yaoundé.

Members at the end of this General Assembly should be better equipped to make more relevant decisions on all questions relating to artificial intelligence in their media.A special presentation on the fight against climate change will focus on the role of the audiovisual industry in raising awareness in the fight against climate change and will take stock of the AUB-UNDRR project which in four years has made it possible to train journalists on climate change and disaster risk reduction.

During this meeting, the Union will also focus on the issue of content exchange, which constitutes its core business. Discussions will focus on the best way to boost countries' participation not only in sharing content on the AUBvision platform, but also to make it the main source of supply, given the limited means of members.

The 2024 AUB General Assembly in Botswana aims to provide a platform for discussion and exchange for broadcast professionals in Africa, with a particular focus on the integration of artificial intelligence and contribution to fight against climate change. The expected results include practical recommendations and strategies to overcome current and future challenges in the sector.

Topic proposal for panel discussions

1- Resilience of African media in the face of climate change, media advocacy for citizen engagement in climate action

2- AI solutions for the optimization of production processes and data collection for audience measurement: evaluation and feedback.

3- Contribution of content exchange in news and programme development