News consumers are the most opposed to the use of AI for sensitive topics such as politics, according to a report.
Most news consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom would be uncomfortable with journalism produced mainly by artificial intelligence (AI), according to a survey.
Only 23 percent of respondents in the US and 10 percent in the UK would be comfortable with news produced by AI, and consumers are especially suspicious of the technology being used for sensitive topics such as politics and crime, according to a survey by the Reuters Research Institute. of Journalism showed on Monday.
More than half of US respondents and 63 percent of UK respondents said they would feel uncomfortable with AI-based news, respectively, and 18 percent responded that they would feel neither comfortable nor uncomfortable.
Respondents were less averse to using AI to generate text-based content, stylized illustrations and graphics, and more strongly opposed to using AI to create realistic-looking photos and videos.
“Our findings show that audiences are more open to behind-the-scenes uses of AI and to areas where AI can help improve their experiences using news, providing more personalized and accessible information,” the institute said in its Report. Annual Digital News accompanying the survey.
“They are less comfortable when it comes to public content, sensitive or important topics, and synthetic videos or images that may appear real and where the consequences of error are considered more important. “There is general consensus that a human should always be in the loop and that full automation should be off-limits.”
The findings come as newsrooms around the world are embracing AI amid falling revenues and sharp job cuts.
Numerous media outlets around the world have deployed AI tools for tasks ranging from research to interview transcription and content creation.
Last year, News Corp Australia chief executive Michael Miller revealed the media company was producing around 3,000 articles a week using AI.
Announcing a €100 million ($107 million) cost-cutting program last year, German tabloid Bild warned its staff that it expected to make further cuts due to “the opportunities of artificial intelligence.”
