• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, June 17, 2024

Readers worldwide are suspicious of news produced by AI, judging by this year’s Digital New Report released on Monday by the Reuters Institute for the Study Journalism.  

Reuters surveyed 100,000 people across 47 countries.

Of the U.S. respondents, 52% are uncomfortable with news produced mostly with AI. The number rises to 63% in the UK. 

And people are leery of fake news, with 59% saying they are worried, an increase of 3% from last year’s study. 

That concern rises to 72% in the U.S. and 81% in South Africa, both of which have elections this year.  

"It was surprising to see the level of suspicion," says Nic Newman, senior research associate at the Reuters Institute and lead author of the Digital News Report. "People broadly had fears about what might happen to content reliability and trust."

News influencers are also playing a greater role. Of 5,600 TikTok users who turn to the app for news, 57% mostly pay attention to individual personalities and 34% to journalists or news brands. 

This proves that newsrooms must build a direct relationship with audiences while "strategically using the platforms to connect with people who are trickier to reach, like younger audiences," Newman adds. "We see that these influencers have a bigger role on the platforms."

Meanwhile, 17% of those surveyed in 20 countries pay for online news, a figure that has been flat for three years.  

In the U.S., 46% are paying less than the full price for subscriptions.