The impact of generative AI on perceived trust in news media
A recent study by Seungahn Nah, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Dianne Snedaker Chair in Media Trust and research director for the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology, sheds new light on the ramifications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) use in newswriting. It found that articles written by a combination of generative AI and human journalists were considered more trustworthy than articles just written by AI and found a correlation between one’s consumption of AI-generated news and their willingness to discuss the impacts of AI on the field of journalism.
To conduct the study, Nah and co-authors Fanjue Liu, Ph.D. 2024, an assistant professor in digital technology and culture at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Mo Chen, a UFCJC adjunct professor, created a conceptual model linking AI-related news consumption, public discussion and social trust to perceived news credibility. They then tested this model using a survey of over 1,200 participants that roughly mirrored the U.S.’s population structure, evaluating the frequency of engagement with AI-related news and the attention they gave it.
According to Nah and his team, their findings “point to a beneficial synergy where the analytical capabilities of AI are enhanced by the ethical oversight and contextual understanding of human journalists, thereby boosting the overall credibility of the news.”
Their findings also suggest that a collaborative approach between human and machine could “mitigate concerns about misinformation and bias, while highlighting the need for news organizations and AI developers to actively involve audiences in conversations about ethical AI use.”
Category: College News
Tagged: Artificial Intelligence Seungahn Nah Trust
Subscribe to our News Digest
