December 6, 2025

ARIJ held a specialized training workshop entitled “Beyond the Hype: How to Report on AI Responsibly?” in the Jordanian capital Amman on December 5 and 6, 2025, with the support of the German Embassy in Amman, on the sidelines of the ARIJ18th Forum.

The workshop, which targeted ِjournalists from MENA addressed how to cover topics and issues related to artificial intelligence from an accountability perspective. It focused on building a journalistic narrative from a human rights perspective and addressed issues related to the expansion of the AI industry, such as privacy violations, surveillance, and labor exploitation in this sector. It also included presentations of leading journalistic investigations, along with an explanation of ARIJ’s methodology for conducting AI investigations.

The 2-days training led by Ethar Azem, Executive Editor – Member of Editorial Committee at ARIJ, and investigative reporting supervisor, included practical training on how to apply ARIJ’s methodology for investigative reporting on AI. 

The journalist from Palestine, Ansar Tamiza, emphasized the importance of the workshop, noting that it was “useful and important and opened the door to new investigative ideas on the use of AI tools, and it is possible to come up with great ideas on the subject.”

One of the trainees from Syria said that the training taught her how to think critically about AI issues and how to write investigative stories that question the actions of authorities and companies.

ARIJ also organized a parallel training supported by the German Embassy in Amman, titled “AI and Humans: How Do We Tell the Story?”. The training covered topics and issues related to artificial intelligence from an accountability perspective, clarifying fundamental technical concepts and common errors in this type of coverage. The trainer, Ethar Al-Azem, also provided tips for finding ideas for journalistic stories in this context during the training, which was attended by 17 journalists.

The Egyptian journalist, Souhad El Khodary, expressed her gratitude for participating in the digital training, praising that it “allowed me a deeper understanding of how to integrate AI into journalistic work in a responsible and ethical way, which enhances the quality of the story and preserves its human dimension”. 

It is worth noting that ARIJ launched the “ARIJ Methodology for Artificial Intelligence Investigations,” which addresses investigations into artificial intelligence technologies and their impact on humans and the environment. In this type of investigation, AI is the subject of the investigation, not the tool.