Fellow T.J. Thomson: Visual Communication and the Future of AI in Journalism

Reflecting on his fellowship in 2023, Thomson highlights how international research stays can create the conditions for new ideas, collaborations, and innovative scholarship. He describes the Weizenbaum Institute as providing both the time and environment for focused research, as well as valuable opportunities to build lasting international collaborations. His work on generative AI and journalism benefited significantly from the Institute’s support, while his stay in Berlin helped strengthen his academic networks across Europe.Thomson particularly highlights the combination of structured exchange and informal collaboration at the Institute. Regular discussions, research meetings, and spontaneous conversations created an environment in which new ideas could develop naturally. He also credits colleagues including Annegret Kunde, Christoph Neuberger, Jakob Ohme, and the Digital News Dynamics research group for fostering a welcoming and intellectually stimulating atmosphere.

During his fellowship, Thomson explored the growing role of generative AI in journalism at a time when public awareness and adoption of the technology were rapidly accelerating. His research focused on how journalists and editors perceived the opportunities and challenges of visual AI in newsroom practice. This work resulted in several journal articles and laid the foundation for his book Generative AI and Journalism: From Production to Perception (co-authored with Ryan J. Thomas and Hannes Cools), which traces the long history of automation in journalism and acknowledges Joseph Weizenbaum's pioneering work and enduring influence on debates surrounding artificial intelligence.

Looking back, Thomson notes that his time at the Weizenbaum Institute broadened his understanding of both the historical roots of generative AI and the evolving role of visual journalism. Examining how news organizations approached AI-generated imagery reshaped his perspective on the purpose and function of news images in contemporary journalism and reinforced the value of interdisciplinary research on the societal implications of emerging technologies.

T.J. Thomson is the author and co-author of several books on visual journalism, misinformation, and news images, including Generative AI and Journalism: From Production to Perception (co-authored with Ryan J. Thomas and Hannes Cools, Routledge, 2026), The Routledge Companion to Visual Journalism (2025), and To See and Be Seen: The Environments, Interactions and Identities Behind News Images (2019).

About “Weizenbaum & Friends”

Since 2018, more than 350 fellows from 47 countries have worked at the Weizenbaum Institute, contributing to joint publications and lasting research collaborations. The “Weizenbaum & Friends” series explores their research, collaborations, and experiences at the Institute.