An AI‑enhanced illustration shows severe air pollution in Hà Nội. —  Photo nhandan.vn

By Minh Hằng

HÀ NỘI — What began as a simple attempt to improve holiday photos has become a glimpse into a much larger transformation. As artificial intelligence (AI) takes on tasks that once required hours of human effort, the technology is increasingly reshaping not only everyday life but also the way journalism is produced and consumed.

After returning from a long trip, Nguyễn Thị Kim Dung spread a heap of photos across her kitchen table, from blazing blue skies to dusty street corners and a few awkward frames spoiled by poor lighting.

Instead of spending hours editing them, the 62-year-old turned to an AI tool.

A few clicks later, noise was reduced, exposure corrected, stray passers-by removed and even the sky reconstructed. Imperfect yet vivid moments were transformed into a polished album.

“Now I can edit dozens of photos in minutes thanks to AI. It’s convenient and amazing, but sometimes I find it hard to tell which parts I really edited and which were done by the machine,” Dung said.

Her experience is more than a lifestyle anecdote. It is a metaphor for a pivotal moment in the newsroom. If a single user with no technical training can automate a dozen tedious tasks in minutes, the same forces are now reshaping how news is gathered, verified and presented.

As AI compresses production time and floods information channels with competent copy, the news organisations most likely to endure may be those that offer more than speed: verified facts, timely analysis and storytelling that only humans can deliver.

“Artificial intelligence is reshaping journalism worldwide, forcing newsrooms in Việt Nam and beyond to rethink core values,” said Lê Hoàng Linh, head of the Political–Economic Desk at Vietnam Television’s External Division.

Lê Hoàng Linh, head of the Political–Economic Desk at Vietnam Television’s External Division. — Photo courtesy of Linh

The rapid rise of systems capable of synthesising data and generating copy had narrowed the gap between machine output and human craftsmanship, he said, raising questions about accuracy, timeliness and originality.

“Why do audiences still choose to listen, watch or read the news? Fundamentally, they seek emotional connection, narrative craft, empathy and the human detail that journalists bring to their reporting,” he said.

Linh acknowledged that AI could now transcribe, summarise and flag hours of footage and interviews, accelerating work that once took days. Algorithms could parse statements, compare wording and generate rapid insights following major events.

“AI is fast, but accuracy is uncertain. We prioritise authoritative reporting; speed and presentation come next,” Linh said.

In his view, accuracy is becoming increasingly multidimensional. Tools can help verify facts, yet human oversight remains essential to place information in a broader context and guard against errors.

“Timeliness now means more than speed of reporting. It also means delivering prompt analysis with at least some depth," he said. “AI can mimic styles and produce evocative prose, even echoing writers like Nam Cao or Nguyễn Tuân, but it cannot recreate lived experience, subtle metaphors or the small human details that give a story authenticity.”

The demand for instant yet meaningful analysis is already reshaping newsroom workflows.

Following Party General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm’s recent speech at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, for example, analytical systems began processing the content as soon as the address concluded, parsing the language, comparing it with previous statements and identifying potential implications. This enables newsrooms to publish rapid analytical pieces rather than simply straight news reports.

According to Linh, the concept of timeliness has expanded. Rapid headlines must now be accompanied by an initial layer of interpretation that meets audience expectations.

Newsroom shift

Inside newsrooms, the operational shift is already tangible.

Nguyễn Hoàng Nhật, deputy head of Digital News Desk at Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper. — Photo from Nhật's facebook

"Journalism is shifting from mobile-first to AI-first,” said Nguyễn Hoàng Nhật, deputy head of the Digital News Desk at the Nhân Dân (The People) newspaper.

He points to a real-world test of speed and scale. A comprehensive microsite on President Lâm’s keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which once would have required 10 people and 10 days to produce, was published in Vietnamese the day after the event, followed by an English version the next day.

“Humans must remain in the loop. Humans set standards, supervise each stage and are the final gatekeepers. Let AI do the repetitive; let journalists do the irreplaceable," Nhật said.

He added that newsrooms should delegate spell-checking, SEO keyword generation, outlining, data gathering and interactive modules to machines, then reinvest the time saved in research, in-depth explainers and long-form reporting.

“We won’t beat AI on speed. Our edge is depth, verification and human emotion,” Nhật said.

For Linh, that advantage stems from both process and positioning. He said his unit and other VTV newsrooms were shifting towards analysis and data journalism, while continuing to rely on official, verified information as their core strength.

That repositioning is already visible on air. Coverage of Hà Nội’s construction boom now goes beyond project launches to explain why development is needed, assess impacts such as dust and congestion and compare projects with similar efforts elsewhere. According to Linh, the goal is to move beyond raw updates towards contextualised storytelling with greater lasting value.

The audience is also changing rapidly. People consume information instantly and expect not only headlines but immediate analysis. Yet their interests extend beyond breaking news.

At many news organisations, there are days when breaking news stories attract only a few thousand views, while non-breaking features reach hundreds of thousands, Nhật noted.

It is time to recognise that audiences are not simply drawn to shock or sensation, but to content rooted in everyday life, according to Nhật. The value of news is measured less by raw page views than by shares and engagement.

Illustrative image of an AI-powered system generating news content. — Photo courtesy of Digital Speaker

Audience value

Đỗ Văn Thụy, a civil engineer, said a must-read article would answer a practical question, present data and methods clearly, including their scope and limitations, and earn trust through transparent sourcing and balanced argument.

“Visuals should add evidentiary value through on-the-ground images, primary documents and charts that illuminate claims,” Thụy said.

AI can help him scan and sort information, but he continues to rely on outlets that prioritise evidence.

The same logic guides Vũ Thu Hà, a communications officer, who gets most of her news from social media, followed by established news outlets and, lastly, AI tools.

“I use AI to summarise, check facts and filter noise, but I click because the topic fits my interests,” she said.

Amid an information glut, she values accuracy and balance on issues that attract significant public interest.

“Prioritise the quality of information. AI can speed workflows, but it cannot replace verification, fairness or the ability to interpret so the public can understand and act,” Hà said.

At a recent forum on journalism and communications in the age of AI, Professor Nguyễn Đức An of Văn Lang University said the latest data showed that only about 16 per cent of journalists had not used AI.

Even so, he argued that AI remained a support tool. While useful for data analysis, interviewing, transcription and translation, it could not replace human journalists. Its use, he said, must remain under journalists’ supervision, be transparent to users and be guided by the public interest.

Human edge

In the near future, technology will be essential to the survival of journalism. As processing power and data capabilities continue to grow, new tools will enhance storytelling and help audiences experience context more vividly.

According to Linh, journalism must preserve distinctly human strengths: accurate verification, timely analysis and genuinely original storytelling.

“It is like a high-speed train. Get on or be left behind," Linh said.

"A segment of the audience will still want slower, crafted work, but it is small. The flow of information moves fast, and the question is how to shape the audience experience within it."

AI-generated visual of the schedule at Lumen Field stadium in Washington, US. — Photo VietnamPlus

In other words,"if information feeds move faster, journalism must become smarter, not by flooding the space with content but by curating, verifying and interpreting information with purpose," he added.

Translating that principle into practice, Nhật said: “AI solves tasks we couldn’t do before, creating a wider variety of products for journalism, but speed without rigour is a false economy.”

He also emphasised a human advantage that machines cannot overcome: AI operates only on data supplied by people. That is why creativity, curiosity and genuine emotion remain critical differentiators.

"The sweat journalists shed on the ground is worth more than anything AI can produce with a few lines of code. When that effort is reinforced by data visualisation and clear visuals, the resulting journalism gains greater value," he said.

Back at her kitchen table, Dung’s careful revisions serve as a quiet reminder that while technology can refine and expand content, it is ultimately people who decide what matters and what will stand the test of time.

The future belongs to newsrooms that can steer the high-speed train towards work that machines cannot replace.

"AI is testing journalism’s core values: accuracy, timeliness and originality. Rather than let them erode, we should upgrade them for a new era and preserve the deeply human work that technology, at least for now, cannot do," Linh said. — VNS