Several recent studies have shown that the application of AI in communications can bring both benefits and harms, not just positive things.

According to a recent report by Bentley University and Gallup, 56% of Americans believe that AI has both benefits and harms. However, the number of people who believe that the harms of AI outweigh the benefits is still higher than the group who believes that the harms outweigh the benefits.

In the European Union, the view is quite different. The Eurobarometer report “Digital Decade” published in July found that 73% of Europeans believe that digitalization has made their lives easier, while only 23% believe the opposite. However, concerns about misuse of personal data (46%) and fake news or disinformation (45%) persist.

A global survey of journalism and AI from POLIS found that newsrooms are primarily using AI to gather, produce, and distribute news. While AI frees up journalists to produce better work, it also poses significant editorial and ethical responsibilities.

Meanwhile, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism surveyed nearly 100,000 people in 47 countries about their perceptions of AI in the news industry. The results showed that readers were more comfortable with AI assisting behind-the-scenes tasks like translation or transcription, rather than replacing journalists entirely. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism report noted that opinions about AI in journalism come amid a public trust in the media that is only around 40%.

So while AI is clearly having a significant impact on how information is delivered, media professionals need to be equipped with the tools and knowledge to make the most of the technology. As Charlie Beckett, director of media consultancy at the London School of Economics, notes in his report on AI and journalism: “If we think of journalism as a social good, delivered by people for people, then we have about two to five years for news organizations to catch up with this technology.”

Viet Anh (t/h)