AI-GENERATED JOURNALISM: ETHICAL DILEMMAS AND AUDIENCE PERCEPTION IN THE DIGITAL AGE

Abstract

The increasing use of artificial intelligence in journalism has transformed news production through speed and automation, but it has also raised serious ethical concerns related to accuracy, bias, transparency, and accountability. This study aimed to examine the ethical dilemmas associated with AI-generated journalism and to analyze how such content affected audience trust, credibility, and emotional engagement. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with journalists (n=10) and a quantitative online survey of university students (n=350). Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data, while statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS and R for survey results. The findings indicated that although AI enhanced efficiency in news production, audiences showed lower trust and emotional engagement with AI-generated news compared to human-written content. Ethical concerns, particularly bias, lack of transparency, and unclear accountability, significantly influenced audience perceptions and media credibility.