IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v10y2023i1d10.1057_s41599-023-02282-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘What they’re not telling you about ChatGPT’: exploring the discourse of AI in UK news media headlines

Author

Listed:
  • Jasper Roe

    (James Cook University)

  • Mike Perkins

    (British University Vietnam)

Abstract

This study analyses the discursive representation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT in UK news media headlines from January to May 2023. A total of 671 headlines were collected and analysed using inductive thematic analysis, theoretically informed by Agenda-Setting theory and Framing theory. The results offer an initial picture of how recent technological advances in the fields of AI have been communicated to the public. The results show that there is a complex and at times paradoxical portrayal of AI in general and ChatGPT as well as other Large Language Models (LLMs), oscillating between promising potential for solving societal challenges while simultaneously warning of imminent and systemic dangers. Further to this, the analysis provides evidence for the claim that media representations of AI are often sensationalised and tend to focus more on warnings and caution to readers, as only a minority of headlines were related to helpful, useful, or otherwise positive applications of AI, ChatGPT, and other Large Language Models (LLMs). These findings underscore the pivotal role of media discourse in shaping public perceptions of AI. The study prompts reflections on news media practices in the United Kingdom and encourages future research to further examine the influence of social, cultural, and political contexts on AI representation during a period of technological change. This research provides relevant insights for policymakers, AI developers, and educators to support public engagement with AI technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Jasper Roe & Mike Perkins, 2023. "‘What they’re not telling you about ChatGPT’: exploring the discourse of AI in UK news media headlines," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02282-w
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-02282-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-023-02282-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-023-02282-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:cup:judgdm:v:16:y:2021:i:2:p:484-504 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Faheem Aslam & Tahir Mumtaz Awan & Jabir Hussain Syed & Aisha Kashif & Mahwish Parveen, 2020. "Sentiments and emotions evoked by news headlines of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Andreas Veglis & Theodora A. Maniou, 2019. "Chatbots on the Rise: A New Narrative in Journalism," Studies in Media and Communication, Redfame publishing, vol. 7(1), pages 1-6, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Aslam, Faheem & Aziz, Saqib & Nguyen, Duc Khuong & Mughal, Khurrum S. & Khan, Maaz, 2020. "On the efficiency of foreign exchange markets in times of the COVID-19 pandemic," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    2. Juwon Hwang & Porismita Borah & Dhavan Shah & Markus Brauer, 2021. "The Relationship among COVID-19 Information Seeking, News Media Use, and Emotional Distress at the Onset of the Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-13, December.
    3. repec:jdm:journl:v:17:y:2022:i:4:p:745-767 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Su, Chi-Wei & Rizvi, Syed Kumail Abbas & Naqvi, Bushra & Mirza, Nawazish & Umar, Muhammad, 2022. "COVID19: A blessing in disguise for European stock markets?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    5. Aassve, Arnstein & Capezzone, Tommaso & Cavalli, Nicolo' & Conzo, Pierluigi & Peng, Chen, 2022. "Trust in the time of coronavirus: longitudinal evidence from the United States," SocArXiv vwzk7, Center for Open Science.
    6. repec:cup:judgdm:v:17:y:2022:i:4:p:745-767 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Hyehyun Hong & Hyun Jee Oh, 2020. "Utilizing Bots for Sustainable News Business: Understanding Users’ Perspectives of News Bots in the Age of Social Media," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-16, August.
    8. Jyoti Choudrie & Shruti Patil & Ketan Kotecha & Nikhil Matta & Ilias Pappas, 2021. "Applying and Understanding an Advanced, Novel Deep Learning Approach: A Covid 19, Text Based, Emotions Analysis Study," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 1431-1465, December.
    9. Celia Andreu-Sánchez & Miguel Ángel Martín-Pascual, 2022. "Scientific illustrations of SARS-CoV-2 in the media: An imagedemic on screens," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-6, December.
    10. Billah, Mabruk & Hadhri, Sinda & Balli, Faruk & Sahabuddin, Mohammad, 2024. "Exploring the dynamic links, implications for hedging and investment strategies between Sukuk and commodity market volatility: Evidence from country level analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 350-371.
    11. Kason Ka Ching Cheung & Ho-Yin Chan & Sibel Erduran, 2023. "Communicating science in the COVID-19 news in the UK during Omicron waves: exploring representations of nature of science with epistemic network analysis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Dylong, Patrick & Koenings, Fabian, 2023. "Framing of economic news and policy support during a pandemic: Evidence from a survey experiment," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    13. Hua Guo & Yang Zhang & Yanling Peng & Tong Luo & Hong Wang, 2022. "Does COVID-19 Affect Household Financial Behaviors? Fresh Evidence From China," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(3), pages 21582440221, August.
    14. Theodora A. Maniou & Andreas Veglis, 2020. "Employing a Chatbot for News Dissemination during Crisis: Design, Implementation and Evaluation," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-14, June.
    15. Lingli Yu & Ling Yang, 2024. "News media in crisis: a sentiment and emotion analysis of US news articles on unemployment in the COVID-19 pandemic," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, December.
    16. Anila Arif & Kashif Shafique & Khuram Ahmad Khan & Shahida Haji, 2021. "Analysis of Water Policy & Sustainable Development in Pakistan," International Journal of Agriculture & Sustainable Development, 50sea, vol. 3(4), pages 87-93, November.
    17. Tao, Ran & Li, Jianing & Shen, Liwei & Yang, Sijia, 2023. "Hope over fear: The interplay between threat information and hope appeal corrections in debunking early COVID-19 misinformation," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    18. Gupta, Vedika & Jain, Nikita & Katariya, Piyush & Kumar, Adarsh & Mohan, Senthilkumar & Ahmadian, Ali & Ferrara, Massimiliano, 2021. "An Emotion Care Model using Multimodal Textual Analysis on COVID-19," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    19. Cyril Atkinson-Clement & Eléonore Pigalle, 2021. "What can we learn from Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on human behaviour? The case of France’s lockdown," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-12, December.
    20. Evangelos Lamprou & Nikos Antonopoulos, 2023. "Ranked by Truth Metrics: A New Communication Method Approach, on Crowd-Sourced Fact-Checking Platforms for Journalistic and Social Media Content," Studies in Media and Communication, Redfame publishing, vol. 11(6), pages 231-243, September.
    21. Wenbo Wang & Hail Park, 2021. "How Vulnerable Are Financial Markets to COVID-19? A Comparative Study of the US and South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-18, May.
    22. Wang, Lu & Guan, Li & Ding, Qian & Zhang, Hongwei, 2023. "Asymmetric impact of COVID-19 news on the connectedness of the green energy, dirty energy, and non-ferrous metal markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-02282-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.