An overwhelming majority of TV viewers want clear disclosure when content or hosts themselves are powered by AI, according to Futuri’s AI in Media Study, unveiled at NAB Show in Las Vegas on Monday.
Co-presented by Futuri CEO Daniel Anstandig and Ameca, an advanced AI-powered humanoid robot, the study is billed as the most comprehensive ever conducted on AI’s role in media.
In collaboration with CMG Custom Research, it surveyed nearly 5,200 media consumers, including 2,500 TV news consumers across the U.S. Among its key insights are that 59% of respondents have knowingly used AI and the vast majority are using at least one AI-powered solution in a typical week, ranging from virtual assistants like Siri, Google, and Alexa to traffic, health and fitness apps, search engines, and social media platforms that personalize or customize content.
Despite far fewer than 49% of newsrooms actually adopting artificial intelligence, 49% of TV news viewers surveyed believe they’ve already seen humans on the air delivering news or information generated by AI.
The study found audiences are more receptive to AI-generated content in certain news categories, including entertainment, technology, sports, and local news. Regular local TV news viewers demonstrated a seven to 12% higher favourability towards AI news anchors compared to those who don’t frequently watch television news. TV news viewers indicated low preference for AI’s use in international affairs, politics, and opinion or editorial commentary. Survey respondents presented with AI avatars presenting news, weather, and sports agreed that the technology is close, but not quite ready for primetime.
Trust and Bias
While 45% of TV news viewers believe AI can assist in selecting better stories, many respondents commented that news and information being delivered using AI anchors or AI newsroom technology is good so long as it’s accurate and factually correct.
When asked whether they preferred to customize their ideal AI host, 61% of viewers in favour of customization preferred a politically neutral point of view. Half of respondents expressed concern about the potential for bias in AI-delivered news content.
“AI will transform the journalism landscape as we know it,” said Anstandig. “AI fundamentally enhances the way we gather, curate, and deliver news. With AI, newsrooms have the opportunity to streamline their operations and connect with audiences more efficiently on more platforms. The demand for content is at an all-time high, and AI promises to make broadcast teams capable of generating the volume of content across multiple platforms that audiences demand.”
“We chose to present the findings of this comprehensive consumer study with Ameca, because we wanted to demonstrate embracing AI as a co-creator and co-presenter in pursuit of helpful insights and audience engagement. AI is inevitable, and wise adoption and integration in the newsroom will be key in the industry’s resilience and growth in a time of unprecedented competition.”
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