International public literature of the use of GenAI in news

The public has a knowledge gap about generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), especially when it comes to its use in news media, according to a recent survey of residents in six countries. Young people across countries are more likely to have used GenAI tools and to be more comfortable and optimistic about the future of GenAI than older people. And a higher level of experience using Gen AI tools appears to correlate with more positive evaluation of their usefulness and reliability.

Over two thousand residents in each of the six countries were surveyed for the May 2024 report What do audiences in six countries think about generative AI in the news? (Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism). The countries surveyed were Argentina, Denmark, France, Japan, Great Britain and the USA.

Young people most optimistic about GenAI

Overall, younger people had higher familiarity and comfort with GenAI tools. They were also more optimistic about the future use and more satisfied with the use of GenAI tools in news media and journalism.

• People aged 18-24 in all six countries were more likely to have used GenAI tools like ChatGPT, and to use them regularly, than older respondents. On average across countries, only 16% of 55+ respondents report using ChatGPT at least once, compared to 56% of 18- to 24-year-olds.
• Respondents 18-24 are most likely to expect GenAI to have a major impact on ordinary people in the next five years. Sixty percent of people 18-24 expect this, while only 40% of people 55+ expect this.
• In five of the six countries surveyed, people aged 18-34 are most likely to expect GenAI tools to have a positive impact on their lives and society. However, Argentines aged 45+ break the ranks, expressing more optimism about GenAI improving their lives and society in general than younger generations.
• Many respondents believe that GenAI will improve scientific research, healthcare and transportation. However, they express much more pessimism about its impact on news and journalism and job security.
• Young people, although still skeptical, have more confidence in the responsible use of GenAI by many sectors. This trend is particularly pronounced in sectors seen with the greatest skepticism by the general public such as government, politicians, social media, search engines and news media.
• In all six countries, people 18-24 are more likely than average to say they are comfortable using news produced in whole or in part by AI.

Even the younger generation surveyed report infrequent use of GenAI tools. However, if the correlation between young people using GenAI more and feeling more optimistic and trusting about it holds true on a larger scale, it is likely that as more people feel comfortable using GenAI tools regularly, they will have less fear around him.

• Between 20-30% of the online public across countries have not heard of any of the most popular AI tools.
• While ChatGPT was by far the most popular GenAI tool, only 1% of respondents in Japan, 2% in France and the UK, and 7% in the US say they use ChatGPT daily. Eighteen percent of the younger age group report using ChatGPT weekly, compared to just 3% of those aged 55+.
• Only 5% of people surveyed in the six countries report using GenAI to get the latest news.

It is worth noting that the surveyed populations were in affluent countries with higher than average levels of education and internet connectivity. Less affluent, free and connected countries are likely to have even fewer people experienced with GenAI tools.

The jury is out on public opinion of GenAI in the news

A great deal of uncertainty prevails around the use of GenAI among all people, especially those with lower levels of formal education and less experience in using GenAI tools. In all six countries, over half (53%) of respondents did not answer or do not know when asked whether GenAI will make their lives better or worse. Most, however, think it will make news and journalism worse.

When it comes to news, people are more comfortable with GenAI tools being used for background work like editing and translation than using them to create information (writing articles or creating images).

There is skepticism about whether humans are adequately controlling the content produced using GenAI. Many believe that news produced using GenAI tools is less valuable.

• Users are more comfortable about using GenAI to produce news on soft topics like fashion and sports, much less to produce hard news like international affairs and political topics.
• Thirty percent of respondents in the US and Argentina trust the news media to use GenAI responsibly. Only 12% in the UK and 18% in France agree. By comparison, over half of respondents in most countries trust healthcare professionals to use GenAI responsibly.
• Most of the public believes that it is very important to have people in the loop to oversee the use of GenAI in newsrooms. Almost half of the respondents do not believe this is happening. Across the six-country average, only a third believe that human editors always or often check GenAI output for accuracy and quality.
• A cross-country average of 41% says news generated primarily by AI will be worth less to pay for, and 19% don't know. 32% answered the same.

Opportunities to lead

These findings present a difficult path for news leaders. However, they also provide an opportunity to fill the knowledge gap with information that is educational and reassuring.

Research shows that the international public in general values ​​transparency in the news media as a general practice, and blames news owners and leadership (rather than individual journalists) when it is lacking. However, some research shows users claim they want transparency about GenAI tools in the news, but trust the news less once they are aware of their use.

The fact that the general public is still wavering presents an opportunity for media executives to come forward on this issue. Creating policies and ensuring transparency around the use of GenAI tools in news and journalism is critical. News leaders should especially educate the public about their standards for human oversight around content produced using GenAI tools.