Vast majority of Canadians think news organizations should have clear policy on AI technology: poll
Posted May 2, 2023 8:37 am.
With the rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, a new survey found the vast majority of Canadians, 92 per cent, believe that news organizations should have a clear and transparent policy on how they use AI to produce news and information.
The new poll from Maru Public Opinion also found that 85 per cent are concerned the use of AI in journalism will produce or spread misinformation and another 86 per cent could bring the potential for inaccuracy.
Another significant number, 85 per cent, believe that a Canadian governing body should have strict oversight of journalism AI practices/ethics that would also dole out fines/professional penalties for breaches.
Just over half of those polled said they were concerned that the use of AI to produce news for mainstream and digital media.
It also found the youngest Canadians, 24 per cent of those who are aged 18-34 and 29 per cent of the Gen Z population, are the most excited about the prospects of AI journalism compared to their older counterparts.
RELATED: What responsibility do social media platforms have in filtering AI-generated content?
Meanwhile, over half of Canadians don’t believe that AI is “just another tool” for journalists and 68 per cent say the future of journalism won’t be better with AI. But continuing along the generational divide, 54 per cent of those from Gen Z believe the future of journalism will be better with the use of AI.
The use of AI has become more mainstream in recent months with the introduction of applications like ChatGPT and other similar services.
The poll was conducted on Apr. 3-4 using 1,516 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Editor’s note: CityNews currently does not utilize AI technology in any capacity to produce journalism.
