Artificial Intelligence
Many news consumers are uneasy about AI, and they bring that discomfort—and often distrust—into how they view the use of AI in journalism. New Trusting News research confirms that reality: Audiences are skeptical, cautious and, in some cases, firmly opposed to AI being used in news content.
So, how can journalists be transparent about their use of AI in a way that doesn’t lose — and maybe even builds — audience trust?
Our research and newsroom experimentation offer both caution and opportunity. Most people want AI use disclosed, but disclosure alone doesn’t guarantee trust. In fact, some news consumers expressed less trust after learning that AI had been used, even when the AI use disclosure included details they said they wanted, including the involvement of human oversight and commitment to accuracy and ethics.
Based on new and previous research, Trusting News is recommending journalists take these steps, which we walk you through in this Trust Kit.
Journalists should disclose their use of AI and find ways to explain why AI was used and how humans fact-checked for accuracy and adhered
to ethical standards.
Quick AI resources
In this Trust Kit, you’ll find resources to help you:
- Listen. A survey to learn how your community feels about AI and your use of it. A community interview guide to dive deeper into those feelings. Questions to ask to get regular community feedback on your use of AI.
- Be transparent. A worksheet to create an AI use policy. A worksheet to create in-story AI use disclosures. Sample language to copy/paste into AI use disclosures and policies. Newsroom examples of AI policies, AI use disclosures and other AI transparency initiatives.
- Be ethical. A resource to help spot and disclose AI in content you don’t control. A collection of research to help you understand how the public feels about AI.
Goals
This Trust Kit helps you:
- Learn how your audience feels about journalists using AI and what they expect from you when you do use it.
- Be transparent about your use of AI by creating public-facing AI policies, in-story disclosures and other transparency elements.
- Consider how to educate your audience about AI and demonstrate responsible and ethical AI use.
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Trusting News: About Us
We inspire and empower journalists to evolve their practices in order to actively earn trust.
Trusting News inspires and empowers journalists to take responsibility for demonstrating their credibility and actively earning trust. We equip journalists to listen and engage with humility and to explain their integrity through day-to-day transparency. We use research-backed, newsroom-tested strategies to support journalists in building a better relationship with the people they aim to serve. We work in a continual cycle of research, learning and sharing to make sure the work evolves.