AI and the News: Challenges Arisen From the Adoption of AI in News Production

George  Pleios; Michalis  Tastsoglou

doi:10.46324/PMP2501003

George Pleios Communication & Media Studies Departmеnt, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3633-7786
Michalis Tastsoglou Communication & Media Studies Departmеnt, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3651-6215

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46324/PMP2501003

Keywords: journalism, Artificial Intelligence, AIGC, media sociology, disinformation

Abstract

It is premature to assess the impact of AI technologies on the media ecosystem. Nevertheless, a preliminary approach may be proposed, provided that it is founded upon verifiable facts, discernible behaviors, tangible constraints, and practical limitations. In considering the potential contribution of AI to the field of journalism, it is important to adopt a patient and critical approach. The deployment of AI should be assessed following its intended purpose, the nature of the data employed, and the degree of impartiality exhibited by the algorithms and intelligent computing systems. This paper presents a concise overview of the implications of integrating Artificial Intelligence-generated content in news production. The essence of this paper is to present a case for the necessity of human guidance, specifically that of professional journalists, in the deployment of AIGC in news production. In this vein, the article offers an outline of the most significant aspects of the utilization of AIGC in journalistic practice. It focuses on six pivotal concerns, which, thus far, seem to undermine the potential that AI has regarding information management. These issues, representing what in this paper is called as negative side of AI, have to do with: i) data incompleteness, ii) copyright and originality, iii) the opacity of sources, iv) the role of agenda-setting and framing in AIGC, v) the lack of a critical approach, and vi) its relation to fake news.

References

Aleessawi, N. A. K., & Alzubi, S. F. (2024). The implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the quality of media content. Studies in Media and Communication, 12(4), 41-51. https://doi.org/10.11114/smc.v12i4.7058

Altay, S., & Gilardi, F. (2024). People are skeptical of headlines labeled as AI-generated, even if true or human-made, because they assume full AI automation. PNAS nexus, 3(10), 403-411. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae403

Ballardini, R. M., He, K. & Roos, T. (2019). AI-generated content: authorship and inventorship in the age of artificial intelligence. In T. Pihlajarinne, J. Vesala & O. Honkkila (Eds.), Online Distribution of Content in the EU, (pp. 117-135). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788119900.00015

Brewer, P. R., Cuddy, L., Dawson, W. & Stise, R. (2024). Artists or art thieves? media use, media messages, and public opinion about artificial intelligence image generators. AI & Society,40 77-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-023-01854-3

Broussard, M. (2014). Artificial Intelligence for investigative reporting: Using an expert system to enhance journalists’ ability to discover original public affairs stories. Digital Journalism, 3(6), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.985497

Chan-Olmsted, S. M. (2019). A Review of Artificial Intelligence adoptions in the media industry. International Journal on Media Management, 21(3–4), 193-215. https://doi.org/10.1080/14241277.2019.1695619

Coleman, S. & Ross, K. (2015). The media and the public:" them" and" us" in media discourse. John Wiley & Sons.

de-Lima-Santos, M. F. & Ceron, W. (2022). Artificial intelligence in news media: current perceptions and future outlook. Journalism and media, 3(1), 13-26. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia3010002

Diakopoulos, N. (2019). Automating the news: How algorithms are rewriting the media. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Dorr, K.K. (2016). Mapping the field of algorithm journalism. Digital Journalism, 5(4), 700-722. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2015.1096748

Dunnell, K., Agarwal, G., Pataranutaporn, P., Lippman, A. & Maes, P. (2024). AI-Generated media for exploring alternate realities. In Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 28, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3650861

Elkhatat, A.M., Elsaid, K. & Almeer, S. (2023). Evaluating the efficacy of AI content detection tools in differentiating between human and AI-generated text. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 19 (17) https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-023-00140-5

Entman, R. (1993). Framing: toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication 43(4), 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1993.tb01304.x

Eurobarometer, 2023. Media and news survey. Retrieved November 11, 2024, from https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3153 [].

Gamson, W. A. & Modigliani, A. (1987). The changing culture of affirmative action”. Research in Political Sociology, 3, 137-177. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2246916

Gardikiotis, A. & Piliousis, A. (2024). The psychology of misinformation: Acceptance and correction. Science and Society, 43, 101-133. https://ejournals.epublishing.ekt.gr/index.php/sas/article/view/33155/27812

Grossmann, M. (2018). Partisan media and political distrust. Knight Foundation.

Retrieved November 11, 2024 from, https://kf-site-production.s3.amazonaws.com/media_elements/files/000/000/273/original/Topos_KF_White-Paper_Grossman_V2.pdf

Gunter, B. (2013). Responding to news and public affairs. In J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (Eds.), Responding to the screen: Reception and reaction processes, (pp. 229-260). Routledge.

Habermas, J. (1991). The structural transformation of the public sphere: An inquiry into a category of bourgeois society. Boston, MA, MIT Press.

Hallin, D. & Mancini, P. (2004). Comparing media systems: Three models of media and politics. Cambridge University Press.

Harcup, T.(2015). Journalism: principles and practice. London, SAGE.

Heim, S. & Chan-Olmsted, S. (2023). Consumer trust in AI–human news collaborative continuum: Preferences and influencing factors by news production phases. Journalism and Media 4(3), 946-965. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia4030061

Herrity, J. (2023, 17 March). Laid off vs. fired: What Are the Main Differences? Indeed.com https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/laid-off-vs-fired [retrieved November 11, /2024].

Heyl, A., Joubert, M., & Guenther, L. (2020). Churnalism and hype in science communication: Comparing university press releases and journalistic articles in South Africa. Communicatio: South African Journal of Communication Theory and Research, 46(2), 126-145. https://doi.org/10.1080/02500167.2020.1789184

Hunney, G., Jyoti, S. & Akash, R. (2023). AI plagiarism: a comprehensive analysis of automated content. Proccedings of the XLVI Indian Social Science Congress 11, 99-105. Retrieved November, 19, 2024 from https://issaindia.org/data/Proceedings%20of%20XLVI%20ISSC.pdf .

Jaakkola, M. & Skulte, I. (2022). Reporting like there was no pandemic cultural journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic in Finland, Sweden, and Latvia. MedieKultur, 8(73), 28-49. https://doi.org/10.7146/mk.v38i73.128154

Jenkins, J., & Nielsen, R. K. (2018). The digital transition of local news. In the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. https://doi.org/10.60625/risj-ee0h-x309

Jungherr, A. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and democracy: A conceptual framework. Social Media + Society, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/205630512311863

Kertysova, L. (2018). Artificial Intelligence and disinformation: How AI changes the way disinformation is produced, disseminated, and can be countered. Security & Human Rights, 29, 55-81. https://doi.org/10.1163/18750230-02901005

Kiggins, R. D. (2021). Social production and artificial intelligence. In T. Keskin & R. D. Kiggins (Eds.), Towards an international political economy of Artificial Intelligence, (pp.3-16), Palgrave Macmillan.

Kitzinger, J. (2009). Risk, news coverage, and public responses. Managing the Social Impacts of Change from a Risk Perspective. https://www.kent.ac.uk/scarr/events/beijingpapers/Kitzinger.pdf /

Kolo, C., Mütterlein, J. & Schmid, S.A. (2022). Believing journalists, AI, or fake news: The Role of trust in media. Proceedings of the 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.24251/HICSS.2022.393

Labajová, L. (2023). The state of AI: Exploring the perceptions, credibility, and trustworthiness of the users towards AI-Generated content https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mau:diva-61215> Retrieved November 14, 2024.

Ladd, J. M. (2010). The role of media distrust in partisan voting. Political Behavior, 32, 567-585. https://doi.org/10.1007/slll09-010-9123-z

Ladd, J. M., & Podkul, A. R. (2020). Sowing distrust of the news media as an electoral strategy. In E. Suhay, B. Grofman & A. H. Trechsel (eds.), The Oxford handbook of electoral persuasion (pp. 427-454). Oxford University Press.

Lambrou, I. (2024). AI and challenges to journalism. Annual Review of the Research Institute “Promitheas” at Nicosia-Cyprus, 10, 125-139.

Lee, S. (2024). Fairness and biases in AI algorithms and interfaces. Proceedings of the ALISE Annual Conference. https://doi.org/10.21900/j.alise.2024.1701

Lund, B. D., & Naheem, K. T. (2024). Can ChatGPT be an author? A study of artificial intelligence authorship policies in top academic journals. Learned Publishing, 37(1), 13-21. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1582

Marcellino, W., Beauchamp-Mustafaga, N., Kerrigan, A., Navarre, C. L. & Smith J. (2023). The rise of generative AI and the coming era of social media manipulation 3.0: Next-generation Chinese astroturfing and coping with ubiquitous AI. https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA2679-1.html [retrieved 2024 19/11].

Missaoui, S., Gutierrez-Lopez, M., MacFarlane, A., Makri, S., Porlezza, C. & Cooper, G. (2019). How to blend journalistic expertise with Artificial Intelligence for research and verifying news stories. Paper CHI 2019 ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 04 - 09 May 2019, Glasgow, UK. Retrieved November 19, 2024 https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/22996/].

Mosco, V. (2009). The political economy of communication. SAGE.

Nerone, J. (2015). The media and public life: A history. John Wiley & Sons.

Newman N., Fletcher R., Eddy K., Robertson C.T. & Kleis R. (2023). Reuters Institute, Digital News Report 2023. Oxford University Press. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2023 [retrieved 19/11/2024].

Ouchchy, L., Coin, A., & Dubljević, V. (2020). AI in the headlines: the portrayal of the ethical issues of artificial intelligence in the media. AI & Society, 35, 927-936. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-020-00965-5

Pariser, E. (2011). The Filter Bubble: What the internet is hiding from you. Penguin.

Patil, M. N., Angadi S. & Kumar, T. (2024). Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Media. International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i01.13673

Pleios, G. (2021). Fake news: The transformation of propaganda in the information society. Athens: Gutenberg.

Pleios, G. (2024). Referendums and the media. Athens: Topos

Plenković, M. (1980). Demokratizacija masmedija. Zagreb: Centar za informacije i publicitet.

Praprotnik, T. (2016). Digitalization and new media landscape. Innovative Issues and Approaches in Social Sciences, 9(12), 85-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.12959/issn.1855-0541.IIASS-2016-no2-art5

Samuelson, P. (2020). AI authorship? Communications of the ACM, 63(7), 20-22. https://doi.org/10.1145/3401718

Saridou, T., Spyridou, L. P. & Veglis, A. (2017). Churnalism on the rise? Assessing convergence effects on editorial practices. Digital Journalism, 5(8), 1006-1024, https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1342209

Sarısakaloğlu, A. (2021). Framing discourses in Turkish news coverage regarding artificial intelligence technologies’ prospects and challenges. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi, 37, 20-38. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.803338

Spohr, D. (2017). Fake news and ideological polarization: filter bubbles and selective exposure on social media. Business Information Review, 34(3), 150-160. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266382117722446

Stephens, M. (2007). A history of news. Oxford University Press.

Tankard, J.W. (2003). The empirical approach to the study of media framing. In S. Reese, O. Gandy & A. Grant (eds.). Framing public life: perspectives on media and our understanding of the social world (pp. 95-106). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Terzis, P. (2024). Law and the political economy of AI production. International Journal of Law and Information Technology, 31, 302–330. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijlit/eaae001

Thurman, N., Moeller, J., Helberger, N. & Trilling, D. (2019). My friends, editors, algorithms, and I: Examining audience attitudes to news selection. Digital journalism, 7(4), 447–469. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21670 811.2018.1493936

Trajtenberg, M. (2018). Artificial Intelligence as the next GPT: A political-economy perspective. A. Agrawal, J. Gans & A. Goldfarb (eds.), The Economics of Artificial Intelligence: An Agenda (pp. 175-186). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Trattner, C., Jannach, D., Motta, E., Costera Meijer, I., Diakopoulos, N., Elahi, M., Opdahl, A. L., Tessem, B., Borch, N., Fjeld, M., Øvrelid, L., De Smedt, K. & Moe, H. (2022). Responsible media technology and AI: challenges and research directions. AI Ethics, 2, 585-594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00126-4

van Dalen, A. (2012). The algorithms behind the headlines: How machine-written news redefines the core skills of human journalists. Journalism Practice, 6(5-6), 648-658. https://doi. org/10.1080/17512786.2012.667268

Verdegem, P. (2022). Dismantling AI capitalism: the commons as an alternative to the power concentration of Big Tech. AI & Society, vol. 39, 727–737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-022-01437-8

Vyas, B. (2022). Ethical Implications of Generative AI in Art and the Media. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2022.v04i04.9392

Wang Y. (2023,August 18). “Synthetic realities in the digital age: navigating the opportunities and challenges of AI-Generated Content. TechRxiv.. DOI: 10.36227/techrxiv.23968311.v1

Wittenberg, C, Epstein, Z., Berinsky, A. J. & Rand, D.G. (2024, March 27). Labeling AI-Generated content: Promises, perils, and future directions. An MIT Exploration of Generative AI. https://doi.org/10.21428/e4baedd9.0319e3a6

Wu, E. Y. (2023). Media transformations in people’s daily lives against the background of media convergence in the AI era: presenting “generation Z” as an example of the behaviour in connecting with mass media and online platform content. Academic Journal of Science and Technology, 7(1), 104-108. https://doi.org/10.54097/ajst.v7i1.11187

Zagorulko, D. I. (2023). CHATGPT in newsrooms: adherence of AI-generated content to journalism standards and prospects for its implementation in digital media. Соціальна Інформатика. 34(73), 319-325. https://doi.org/10.32782/2710-4656/2023.1.2/50