Digital design and communications specialist Te Ata Rikihana told delegates at the Pasifika TV Conference in Auckland that the pressing challenge for the region is not that artificial intelligence will replace jobs, but that those who learn to use AI well will have the advantage. Speaking on Day Three of the multi-day gathering, Rikihana urged media and other professionals to move beyond fear and develop a working understanding of how AI functions and how it can support their work.
Rikihana highlighted a central technical point: AI systems do not possess independent thought but operate by learning patterns from the data supplied to them. That, she warned, makes the quality and accuracy of data a governing factor in outcomes produced by AI tools. Poor, biased or inaccurate datasets will be mirrored by systems built on them, she said, and that has direct implications for organisations that rely on AI for content production, audience analytics, or newsroom automation.
Her remarks were delivered to a conference that has drawn media representatives from across the Pacific, including delegates from the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation, Fiji Television Limited and Mai TV, underscoring the message’s regional relevance. Rikihana framed AI literacy as a cross-industry priority: not just a technical issue for IT teams but a skill set editors, producers, managers and policy-makers must develop to guide responsible adoption.
The emphasis on data quality dovetails with wider national and regional conversations about digital readiness. Fiji’s recently published National Digital Strategy 2025–2030, for example, prioritises digital literacy and the creation of ICT jobs as part of a broader push to digitise services and expand connectivity. Rikihana’s intervention at the conference brings that policy-level ambition down to practical terms for media organisations: without investment in data governance and staff capability, the benefits of AI are likely to be uneven.
For Pacific broadcasters, the risks Rikihana outlined are tangible. Automated content tools or algorithmic curation can amplify errors or entrench biases if training datasets are not carefully managed; conversely, well-governed AI could help newsrooms with story discovery, localisation and audience engagement. Her message positions training, transparent data practices and cross-disciplinary collaboration as immediate priorities for media houses and regulators alike.
As the Pasifika TV Conference continues, Rikihana’s comments add to a growing chorus calling for targeted upskilling and clearer standards around data stewardship. For Fiji’s media institutions in attendance—already navigating budgetary and capacity constraints—her remarks signal that technical adoption must be matched by institutional investment in people and processes if AI is to be a tool for strengthening, rather than undermining, journalism and public information in the Pacific.
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