Readers more likely to distrust news from AI articles – study
A University of Kansas study suggests people are more likely to doubt news from AI-generated articles than man-made ones.
Higher AI involvement led to more distrust, regardless of the disclaimer, “written by staff member.”
READ: CEO replaces 90% of support staff with AI chatbot
Article continues after this advertisementLead researcher Steve Bien-Aimé told The Debrief, “The big thing was not between whether it was AI or human. It was how much work they thought the human did.”
How did the researchers test AI articles?
Study finds readers trust news less when AI is involved, even when they don't understand to … – Appelman and Steve Bien-Aimé, assistant professor in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications, helped lead an … – https://t.co/9suN1kOWno
— The Postdoctoral (@thepostdoctoral) December 9, 2024
Steve Bien-Aimé and his team provided volunteers with five bylines, categorized by artificial intelligence involvement:
- Written by a sole staff writer
- A writer who received help from an AI tool
- AI-assisted writer
- Collaboration between a staff writer and AI
- Fully written by artificial intelligence
He discovered that when a byline mentions an AI credit, it negatively impacts people’s views of the source, author, and credibility.
Article continues after this advertisementAdding the phrase “written by staff writer” had no effect. Readers thought that it was partially written by AI, as no human name was accredited to it.
On the other hand, adding a name netted a more positive outlook. Steve Bien-Aimé explained in his email to the news site “The Debrief”:
“Humanness contains intelligence and traits such as agency, empathy, and fairness,” he wrote.
“Readers expect journalists to be guided by the facts to put issues into the correct and fullest context.”
Moreover, he cited an old industry axiom regarding what it means to be a journalist:
“Human beings telling stories about other human beings.”
Overall, the University of Kansas study shows how news publications can maintain credibility in the age of artificial intelligence.
Bien-Aimé says they must be transparent about using AI to build better trust with their audience.
“Right now, AI is not normalized in journalism, though it’s been utilized for about a decade in various ways. The big question is determining how much the public wants AI involved in news production,” he stated.
The writer wrote this article without the involvement of artificial intelligence tools.
