A new report based on a survey of more than two thousand people reveals that media users in Chile show a notable reluctance towards news generated by Artificial Intelligence. The report indicates that 59.1% of those surveyed say they are not willing to consume news generated by artificial intelligence systems, while only 22.9% think otherwise.
These are just some of the results of the “Special Report: Artificial Intelligence and Audiences in Chile”, led by the professor of the PUCV School of Journalism, Claudia Mellado, together with academics from other universities.
“Our report shows that AI in Chilean journalism faces a discouraging initial outlook. The results reveal that the majority of the public (almost 60%) distrusts news generated by AI. However, it has transformative potential in journalism, for example, offering data analysis or identification of trends. The key lies in a responsible and transparent development of AI, in collaboration with journalists, to guarantee ethics, quality and trust in this new information context. The report then calls on journalists to address public concerns and take advantage of the opportunities these technologies offer in a positive and responsible manner,” said Mellado.
This report, one of the first worldwide to analyze the perception of audiences about the future of journalism within the framework of Artificial Intelligence, also indicates that 57.7% of those surveyed believe that its use will lead to an increase in the production and dissemination of fake news.
“Concerns about algorithmic bias, the threat to credibility, the proliferation of misinformation and other problems promote this negative perception. That is why this study is so important, because it highlights that, if the Chilean media proactively addresses these concerns and guarantees both responsible and transparent development of these technologies, this trend could be reversed and positive integration achieved in the journalism,” added Alexis Cruz, a PUC academic.
Regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on the work of the media and journalists, in general, respondents indicate that the implementation of this tool will have a negative effect. 67.8% and 60.5% do not believe that the use of AI by the media improves the credibility and quality of the news, respectively, while 57.2% do not believe that the integration of AI AI technologies in the media improve the work of journalists.
“AI systems are not called to not make mistakes. On the contrary, these systems are called to try to answer and create the content that users request. This is the context that makes many of our respondents believe that automated systems and generative AI can be used to generate more misinformation. What is interesting is not only whether people believe that artificial intelligence is going to increase fake news or not, but how confident they are in their ability to distinguish misinformation,” said Tomás Dodds, an academic at Leiden University.
Finally, it can be observed that there is a low capacity on the part of the audience to identify the use of Artificial Intelligence in the news. Of those surveyed, only 25.5% say they feel capable of detecting the use of AI in the generation of news content.
“The results presented in this report indicate that media literacy can be a useful tool to combat misinformation and biases that are today associated with Artificial Intelligence. Greater media literacy is expected to promote a more nuanced understanding of it. However, the public perception of AI will also depend on the responsible evolution of systems based on it, the accessibility of technological education and the transparency in the training of algorithms. Today we understand that to reverse the negative perception and build a future where AI is positively integrated into society, a joint and multifaceted effort by different actors is needed,” added Mellado.
The data in the report was compiled by the Mercado Feedback research company and focused on analyzing the consumption, evaluation and perception of Chilean audiences of the use of Artificial Intelligence in the media and journalism. The respondents, over 18 years of age, belong to the Metropolitan, Biobío and Valparaíso regions, which together represent 60% of the country’s total population.
By Sebastian Paredes
Strategic Communication Department
