Generative AI and Disinformation| A Beacon of Trustworthiness in a Sea of Disinformation: Does News Coverage About the Dangers of Generative AI Cause People to Flock to Journalism?

Abstract

Despite its merits in advancing and simplifying information flows, generative AI is often framed in the news as a formidable tool for advancing disinformation. Through the lens of truth-default theory, this study argues that negatively framed coverage about generative AI makes people more uncertain about what is true. Subsequently, people attempt to resolve that uncertainty by relying on verified information: journalism. This study investigates how differentially framed news articles about the disinformation potential of generative AI can cause people to flock to journalism. Contrary to our expectations, an online experiment (N = 658) among Dutch participants indicates that those exposed to a negatively framed (alarmist and loss) article about generative AI do not become uncertain but do become less trusting toward journalism overall. The results suggest that people do not perceive journalism as a trustworthy solution to the potential disinformation problems caused by generative AI. Moreover, our findings suggest that emphasizing the risks of AI-driven deception affects how people perceive the information environment as a whole, rather than explicitly distinguishing between journalism and nonjournalistic content.