Seungahn Nah serves as co-editor and co-author for Human-Machine Communication special issue
Seungahn Nah, Dianne Snedaker Chair in Media Trust and research director for the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC), served as co-editor for the Human-Machine Communication Vol. 11, 2025 special issue on “Generative AI: Another Chapter of Human-Machine Communication.”
Nah, and co-editor University of Central Florida Professor Patric R. Spence, explored how generative AI reshapes the communicative relationship between humans and machines. The special issue highlighted emerging research on technology use, education, interpersonal dynamics and trust in AI-generated content, emphasizing that generative AI’s significance lies not in novelty but in the social negotiations around meaning, authority and credibility.
In the issue, Nah was also the lead author for “The Algorithmic Public Sphere: AI-Generated News Site as a Conduit to Social Capital.” The pioneering study was completed by Nah and UFCJC doctoral students Xinlei Wu, Ernest Makata, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor Jun Luo, University of South Florida webmaster Ian Koratsky, Florida International University Professor David Park and University of South Florida Assistant Professor Seugbae Kim.
They examined the potential of AI-empowered nonprofit news sites to contribute to the democratic public sphere by enhancing trust in news and news media, while also reversing a declining level of trust in community organizations, interpersonal trust and civic engagement.
The authors found that participants’ trust in nonprofit organizations and AI-generated news increased following exposure to the AI-generated news site. Furthermore, social capital and civic engagement levels also increased due to the AI-generated news site.
According to the authors, “The concept of the ‘algorithmic public sphere’ or the ‘algorithmically networked public sphere’ can serve as a conduit for generating social capital, providing an alternative public sphere within the context of community-focused nonprofit journalism and democracy. AI-driven, credible nonprofit news sites powered by generative AI can help mitigate concerns surrounding the creation and dissemination of fake news and disinformation.”
They add, “Future studies on AI-generated news should expand to include diverse communities, cultures, and ethnic and racial groups within the evolving news ecosystem, examining how and under what conditions AI news sites can transform local community communication landscape.”
Category: AI at CJC News, College News
Tagged: Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology Generative AI human machine communication Seunghan Nah
Subscribe to our News Digest
