The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) at American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) successfully hosted an engaging and timely webinar on Monday at 1:20 PM at the Media Studio, Annex 2, AIUB.

The webinar, titled “Revisiting the Political Economy of Mass Media in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” featured distinguished scholar Dr. Anisur Rahman, Assistant Teaching Professor from the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, USA.

The session addressed critical transformations in global media systems driven by artificial intelligence, platform capitalism, data governance, and shifting power structures within the media industry. Dr. Rahman provided insightful analysis on how AI is reshaping media ownership, production, distribution, and audience engagement, while also raising important questions about ethics, regulation, and democratic communication. He emphasized that media ownership structures significantly shape what counts as legitimate news and whose voices are amplified in public discourse. He further discussed how financialization, advertising dependence, and political patronage influence newsroom autonomy and the democratic mission of journalism. Highlighting the rise of platform capitalism, Dr. Rahman explained how artificial intelligence is restructuring global media power through data control, infrastructure dominance, and algorithmic governance. Drawing on the example of Bangladesh, he illustrated how the politico-commercial nexus linking business conglomerates, party politics, and media licensing plays a decisive role in shaping news production. Overall, he encouraged a critical political economy approach to ask deeper structural questions about power, inequality, and the future of democratic communication systems.

Pro-Vice Chancellor of AIUB, Prof. Dr. Abdur Rahman, and Advisor to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Prof. Dr. AJM Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan, attended the webinar as special guests.

Prof. Alam Bhuiyan reflected on how new technologies like AI interact with digital platforms and traditional media, and how human beings—artists, scholars, and media practitioners—are using these tools in ways that are transforming creative processes and impacting the world of work.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor remarked that technology is evolving rapidly, presenting significant challenges for mass communication and journalism, especially in addressing multigenerational audiences across print, electronic, and new media platforms. He noted that with the proliferation of tools and channels, information flows at unprecedented speed, often in the form of misinformation and disinformation. Therefore, familiarity with AI and responsible application of knowledge can support both teachers and students in navigating this complex media landscape.

The event was hosted by Dr. Pradip Kumar Panday, Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at AIUB. Faculty members and students from various departments actively participated in the session, engaging in a vibrant discussion during the Question & Answer segment.