Audience Attitudes toward the Future of International Journalism in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Survey Study

Save Article 3 0 0

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate Saudi audience attitudes toward the future of international journalism in the age of artificial intelligence, measuring their awareness of AI deployment in international news content production, their perception of the ethical challenges it generates, and their attitudes toward the future of the human journalist amid the growing prevalence of robotic journalism. The study employed a descriptive survey methodology using an electronic questionnaire distributed via social media platforms to a purposive sample of 104 Saudi individuals who regularly consume international news content through digital media, with the actual sample used in statistical analysis comprising 79 respondents. The study yielded the following findings: Regarding international news consumption behavior: • More than three-quarters of the sample (75.6%) relied on social media platforms as their primary source of international news, while the proportions of those following online news websites and specialized news applications did not exceed 50% and 37.8% respectively. • More than half of the sample (53.7%) relied on a single news source only, reflecting a limited-source exposure pattern that renders audiences more susceptible to algorithmic influence. • The rate of daily news consumption was relatively low, not exceeding 32.9%, while weekly consumption was predominant at 37.8%. Regarding awareness of artificial intelligence in journalism: • Audience awareness of AI deployment in journalism was rated as high, with an overall mean of (3.81) and a relative weight of (76.27%), though notable knowledge gaps were identified regarding the ability to distinguish between human-produced and AI-generated content (70.13%), limited awareness of deepfake technologies (67.85%), and insufficient understanding of AI's role in news verification (72.15%). • Audience awareness that AI algorithms determine what news content appears on digital platforms was notably high, with a relative weight of (83.54%), as was awareness of personal data collection for content personalization (82.53%). Regarding audience attitudes and trust in AI-generated content: • Audience attitudes toward and trust in artificial intelligence in journalism were rated as high, with an overall mean of (3.94) and a relative weight of (78.84%). • The audience demonstrated a dual stance combining conditional acceptance with cautious skepticism. The overwhelming majority demanded explicit disclosure of AI-generated content (85.32%) and emphasized that such content lacks analytical depth and human contextual sensitivity (82.53%), while equal trust in AI-generated and human-produced content registered the lowest score (67.34%). Regarding perception of ethical challenges: • Audience perception of ethical challenges was rated as high, with an overall mean of (3.82) and a relative weight of (76.54%). The necessity for transparent disclosure of AI deployment topped the list of perceived ethical challenges (82.53%), followed by awareness of algorithmic bias in news personalization (82.28%). • The spread of misleading information and fake news emerged as the primary concern regarding the future of journalism (38%), followed by the declining role of the human journalist (31.6%), privacy violations (16.5%), and the absence of transparency and accountability (13.9%). Regarding the future of the human journalist: • The dimension addressing the future of the human journalist ranked highest among all four dimensions, recording the highest overall mean (4.18) and relative weight (83.59%), reflecting a broad audience recognition of the irreplaceable value of the human element in journalism and the inability of artificial intelligence to fully substitute for it. • The audience strongly endorsed the necessity of training journalists in AI tools (87.34%), embraced an integrative model combining artificial intelligence and human journalists (85.06%), and expressed a clear preference for content produced by human journalists (84.56%). Regarding hypothesis testing results: • The first hypothesis was confirmed, revealing a statistically significant positive correlation between audience awareness of AI deployment in journalism and their level of trust in digital news content (r = 0.602, Sig. = 0.000). • The second hypothesis was not confirmed, as no statistically significant differences emerged in the perception of ethical challenges attributable to differences in educational level, suggesting that informal learning may exert greater influence than formal education in this domain. • The third hypothesis was partially confirmed, with statistically significant differences appearing in the dimension addressing the future of the human journalist according to age group (F = 2.668, Sig. = 0.039), with the age groups of (55 years and above) and (35–44) demonstrating higher levels, while the (45–54) age group showed a notable decline. • The fourth hypothesis was confirmed, revealing a statistically significant positive correlation between the level of exposure to international digital news content and audience perception of the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence in journalism (r = 0.592, Sig. = 0.000).

Related Articles