EXAMINING THE ADOPTION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PEACE JOURNALISM: A STUDY OF KADUNA STATE MEDIA CORPORATION AND NTA KADUNA

Abstract

The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into editorial workflows is reshaping journalistic practice across the globe. Yet, empirical documentation of AI deployment in peace journalism within Nigeria remains limited. This study examined the extent and outcomes of AI adoption for peace journalism in Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC) and NTA Kaduna between 2022 and 2025. Given Kaduna’s persistent farmer–herder and ethno-religious conflicts, broadcasters face mounting pressures to deliver timely, accurate, and linguistically appropriate peace-oriented content. However, evidence concerning the uptake of AI tools and their contribution to peace reporting is still scarce. Anchored in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by Davis (1989), the study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The target population of 163 editorial and technical staff generated a sample of 128 respondents selected through stratified and purposive sampling procedures. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, 16 in-depth interviews with purposively selected editorial staff, and content analysis of 60 peace-related broadcasts aired between 2022 and 2025. Quantitative data were processed using SPSS v27 with descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analyses. Qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis in NVivo 14. Findings reveal moderate AI adoption, concentrated primarily in transcription and news gathering, with comparatively limited use for personalization and analytics. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly predicted adoption intention. AI-assisted content outperformed non-AI content in production speed, language diversity, and audience reach. Key constraints include inadequate training, infrastructural shortfalls, ethical concerns regarding bias, and the absence of an institutional AI policy. The study concludes that AI holds substantial potential for strengthening peace journalism, but that realizing this potential requires sustained structural and capacity investments. Recommendations include the development of ethical guidelines, targeted training interventions, and policy alignment with the Nigerian Broadcasting Code.