New research reveals who young adults choose to deliver news when AI gives them control
Ever since a Chinese news agencydebuted AI news presenters in 2018, media outlets across the world have experimented with humanlike avatars with synthetic voices. Many journalistsare skeptical that AI presenters can replace them. Entrepreneurs see a future where fully AI-produced newscasts are the norm andusers can customize anchors that deliver them news. Companies are pinning their hopes onyoung audiences who don’t connect with traditional newscasts and culturally diverse audiences who feel underrepresented on the news.
Researchers are increasingly studying audience perceptions of AI presenters. I wanted to know how young adults would go about creating a customized presenter, and what mental shortcuts, or heuristics, they would use to evaluate appearance and voice. So, I recruited a diverse sample of 46 undergraduates at my university (57% female, 39% male, 4% nonbinary; 59% students of color) to use an AI-generated video platform that creates talking avatars from still images.
Related Knowledge Center: Artificial intelligence
On top of a failing business model, newsrooms must navigate the powerful — and not fully reliable — new capabilities of artificial intelligence and the deployment of large language models.
State of the business model | Copyright and intellectual property