Automated journalism: The effects of AI authorship and evaluative information on the perception of a science journalism article

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

External Research Organisations

  • Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM)
  • University of Tübingen
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number107445
JournalComputers in human behavior
Volume138
Early online date20 Aug 2022
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2023
Externally publishedYes

Abstract

Texts produced by artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly prevalent in digital journalism. Research suggests that these texts do not differ from human-written texts in their perceived credibility or trustworthiness where simple and short text types are concerned. However, it is unclear how AI-written texts beyond simple fact reporting are perceived. Therefore, this research aimed to expand upon the existing literature on automated journalism by investigating the influence of AI authorship (vs. human authorship) and evaluative information presentation (vs. neutral information presentation). The results of three preregistered experimental studies revealed no differences in perceived credibility and trustworthiness between AI-written and human-written texts. However, presenting information in an evaluative way decreased the perception of credibility and trustworthiness. Moreover, the AI was perceived as less anthropomorphic than the human author. The belief in the machine heuristic was stronger for an AI than for a human author, particularly when participants had actually read an article allegedly written by an AI. A pooled analysis across the data of all three studies underpinned the main effect of information presentation. Concluding, we discuss the findings against the background of AI perception theory and suggest implications for future research.

Keywords

    Algorithm, Artificial intelligence, Automated journalism, Credibility, Information presentation, Trustworthiness

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

Automated journalism: The effects of AI authorship and evaluative information on the perception of a science journalism article. / Henestrosa, Angelica Lermann; Greving, Hannah; Kimmerle, Joachim.
In: Computers in human behavior, Vol. 138, 107445, 01.2023.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Download
@article{5fcd8d1f04ba45ca8b1a4013248e4891,
title = "Automated journalism: The effects of AI authorship and evaluative information on the perception of a science journalism article",
abstract = "Texts produced by artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly prevalent in digital journalism. Research suggests that these texts do not differ from human-written texts in their perceived credibility or trustworthiness where simple and short text types are concerned. However, it is unclear how AI-written texts beyond simple fact reporting are perceived. Therefore, this research aimed to expand upon the existing literature on automated journalism by investigating the influence of AI authorship (vs. human authorship) and evaluative information presentation (vs. neutral information presentation). The results of three preregistered experimental studies revealed no differences in perceived credibility and trustworthiness between AI-written and human-written texts. However, presenting information in an evaluative way decreased the perception of credibility and trustworthiness. Moreover, the AI was perceived as less anthropomorphic than the human author. The belief in the machine heuristic was stronger for an AI than for a human author, particularly when participants had actually read an article allegedly written by an AI. A pooled analysis across the data of all three studies underpinned the main effect of information presentation. Concluding, we discuss the findings against the background of AI perception theory and suggest implications for future research.",
keywords = "Algorithm, Artificial intelligence, Automated journalism, Credibility, Information presentation, Trustworthiness",
author = "Henestrosa, {Angelica Lermann} and Hannah Greving and Joachim Kimmerle",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 Elsevier Ltd",
year = "2023",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1016/j.chb.2022.107445",
language = "English",
volume = "138",
journal = "Computers in human behavior",
issn = "0747-5632",
publisher = "Elsevier Ltd.",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - Automated journalism: The effects of AI authorship and evaluative information on the perception of a science journalism article

AU - Henestrosa, Angelica Lermann

AU - Greving, Hannah

AU - Kimmerle, Joachim

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2023/1

Y1 - 2023/1

N2 - Texts produced by artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly prevalent in digital journalism. Research suggests that these texts do not differ from human-written texts in their perceived credibility or trustworthiness where simple and short text types are concerned. However, it is unclear how AI-written texts beyond simple fact reporting are perceived. Therefore, this research aimed to expand upon the existing literature on automated journalism by investigating the influence of AI authorship (vs. human authorship) and evaluative information presentation (vs. neutral information presentation). The results of three preregistered experimental studies revealed no differences in perceived credibility and trustworthiness between AI-written and human-written texts. However, presenting information in an evaluative way decreased the perception of credibility and trustworthiness. Moreover, the AI was perceived as less anthropomorphic than the human author. The belief in the machine heuristic was stronger for an AI than for a human author, particularly when participants had actually read an article allegedly written by an AI. A pooled analysis across the data of all three studies underpinned the main effect of information presentation. Concluding, we discuss the findings against the background of AI perception theory and suggest implications for future research.

AB - Texts produced by artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming increasingly prevalent in digital journalism. Research suggests that these texts do not differ from human-written texts in their perceived credibility or trustworthiness where simple and short text types are concerned. However, it is unclear how AI-written texts beyond simple fact reporting are perceived. Therefore, this research aimed to expand upon the existing literature on automated journalism by investigating the influence of AI authorship (vs. human authorship) and evaluative information presentation (vs. neutral information presentation). The results of three preregistered experimental studies revealed no differences in perceived credibility and trustworthiness between AI-written and human-written texts. However, presenting information in an evaluative way decreased the perception of credibility and trustworthiness. Moreover, the AI was perceived as less anthropomorphic than the human author. The belief in the machine heuristic was stronger for an AI than for a human author, particularly when participants had actually read an article allegedly written by an AI. A pooled analysis across the data of all three studies underpinned the main effect of information presentation. Concluding, we discuss the findings against the background of AI perception theory and suggest implications for future research.

KW - Algorithm

KW - Artificial intelligence

KW - Automated journalism

KW - Credibility

KW - Information presentation

KW - Trustworthiness

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144015476&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107445

DO - 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107445

M3 - Article

VL - 138

JO - Computers in human behavior

JF - Computers in human behavior

SN - 0747-5632

M1 - 107445

ER -

By the same author(s)