IT is often said that we are living in the age of information.
Every day, our phones buzz with notifications, social media feeds refresh endlessly with breaking news, videos and opinions, and before we have even finished reading one story, another appears demanding our attention.
Never before have we had access to so much information, produced by so many people and delivered so quickly.
Yet, despite this abundance, one question seems to have become increasingly difficult to answer.
What, or perhaps more importantly, who do we trust?
That question lingered in my mind throughout the third Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC) 2026, which brought together journalists, media practitioners, academics and policymakers under the timely theme, ‘Media, Trust and Governance in a Rapidly Evolving Digital World’.
At first glance, the theme appears to centre on journalism and the media industry.
But as the discussions unfolded over the course of the conference, it became clear that the conversation was never just about journalists or news organisations.
It was about all of us.
After all, we no longer live in a world where information is produced solely by newsrooms.
Today, anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection can livestream an event, publish an opinion, edit a video, generate an image using artificial intelligence (AI), or share a piece of information with thousands of people within minutes.
In many ways, technology has democratised communication, giving voices to communities and individuals who may never have had a platform before.
That is, without question, something worth celebrating.
But every technological advancement brings with it a new responsibility.
Among the many speeches delivered during the conference, one analogy shared by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg stayed with me long after the final session had ended.
Describing AI, he compared it to a knife.
A knife, he said, is indispensable in the kitchen.
It allows us to prepare meals, cut fish, slice vegetables and feed our families.
Yet the very same knife, when placed in the wrong hands or used without responsibility, can also cause immense harm.
The same principle, he suggested, applies to AI.
It is not the technology itself that determines whether it becomes a force for good or ill.
It is the ethics of the people using it.
His closing remark was simple.
“Freedom and ethics must come together.”
Those few words, I thought, perfectly captured the essence of this year’s conference.
Much has been said about AI in recent years, and understandably so.
We have all marvelled at its ability to generate essays within seconds, create realistic images from simple prompts and even produce videos and voices convincing enough to blur the line between reality and fabrication.
Deepfake technology has become so sophisticated that, at times, even trained eyes find it difficult to distinguish what is genuine from what has been digitally created.
The technology itself is remarkable, but it is also a reminder that while innovation continues to accelerate, ethics cannot afford to lag behind.
Perhaps that is why trust emerged as the recurring thread throughout the conference.
Trust is, after all, the invisible foundation upon which journalism has always stood.
Readers rarely witness the hours spent verifying facts, making phone calls, seeking another source or delaying publication because one important detail has yet to be confirmed.
They only see the finished story.
Yet it is precisely those unseen decisions, repeated day after day, that determine whether a news organisation earns credibility over years or loses it in a single careless moment.
The same principle extends beyond journalism.
Good governance depends on public trust.
Communities place their confidence in institutions when they believe decisions are made transparently, responsibly and in the public interest.
Likewise, technology companies, content creators and, increasingly, ordinary social media users all share a role in shaping the information ecosystem.
Every forwarded message, every repost, every AI-generated image and every headline shared without first checking its source contributes, in one way or another, to the environment in which trust is either strengthened or slowly eroded.
Ironically, the more advanced technology becomes, the more valuable distinctly human qualities appear to be.
AI can process data at astonishing speed, summarise lengthy reports and generate content within seconds.
What it cannot do is exercise moral judgement, accept accountability or understand the consequences that misinformation may have on an individual, a family or an entire community.
Those responsibilities remain ours.
Perhaps that is why the theme of SMeC resonates far beyond the walls of a conference hall.
Media, trust and governance are not three separate ideas placed together for the sake of a conference title.
They are deeply interconnected.
Remove trust from the equation, and journalism loses its credibility, governance loses public confidence, and even the most sophisticated technology becomes something people approach with scepticism rather than optimism.
Technology will continue to evolve, just as it always has.
AI will become faster, smarter and more capable than anything we see today.
New platforms will emerge while others fade into history.
But amid all that change, I hope one thing remains constant.
That we continue to value truth over virality, accuracy over speed, and ethics over convenience.
Because, in the end, long after the algorithms have changed and the technology has evolved beyond our imagination, trust will still be the one thing that cannot be generated by a machine, downloaded from an application or created at the click of a button.
It must still be earned.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at sarahhafizahchandra@gmail.com.
