Amy Watson
Research expert covering news and publishing
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in publishing in the U.S. - statistics & facts
Artificial intelligence in publishing is not new. But the release of ChatGPT marked a new era. The release led to global hype, panic, and burning questions about how and why AI could be used across all industries. A survey held at the end of 2021 revealed that publishers anticipated using AI for a number of tasks in the newsroom in 2022. By the end of that year, ChatGPT had launched and amassed millions of users across the globe. ChatGPT’s number of monthly active users is expected to soar, and the service has rendered itself useful to students, working professionals, journalists, and book authors alike. That is not to say however that generative AI tools have not been met with skepticism. So, what do the industry and their audiences think?
Over in the book industry, there is also tension. The explosion of AI-written books has caused alarm among authors and led to calls for better regulations and more transparency. Among those whose books were used to train AI, compensation is also a point of contention. The U.S. public are equally concerned about the effect of AI-written books on the book industry, with around 40 percent of adults believing the results would be negative.
New technology is generally met with mixed reactions, and certainly in the case of AI use in news, falling trust in the news media could be one reason for consumers’ concerns. Meanwhile, newsrooms around the world are already investing in and using AI for their work.
AI use in news will inevitably increase as publishers experiment with new ways to streamline staff workflow, improve efficiency, and speed up or simplify day-to-day tasks. In books, it is highly unlikely that AI will replace human authors anytime soon. However, transparency will be key for creators in order to help consumers differentiate between what is written by AI and what is not, as devout book readers resistant to artificial intelligence versus those keen to experiment with such publications will likely fall into two camps. All in all, attaining and retaining consumer trust is important in driving media engagement, a factor which AI-native creators and traditional media outlets using AI to enhance their products must bear in mind during this new era.
Key concerns about AI in publishing
The leading concerns about using AI in news among publishers were inaccuracy of information and quality of content, and plagiarism was also a worry. Indeed, in an increasingly concentrated news landscape where consumers are at risk of encountering mis- and disinformation, biased content, and deepfakes, journalists are under pressure to deliver accurate, trustworthy, and reliable information. A survey revealed that the attitude towards the impact of AI-written news on the news industry among U.S. adults was mostly negative, regardless of political affiliation. Given that party ID tends to heavily affect perceptions of the news medias’ objectivity, that all voters felt the same way about AI in news is somewhat surprising and suggests a general lack of readiness.Over in the book industry, there is also tension. The explosion of AI-written books has caused alarm among authors and led to calls for better regulations and more transparency. Among those whose books were used to train AI, compensation is also a point of contention. The U.S. public are equally concerned about the effect of AI-written books on the book industry, with around 40 percent of adults believing the results would be negative.
New technology is generally met with mixed reactions, and certainly in the case of AI use in news, falling trust in the news media could be one reason for consumers’ concerns. Meanwhile, newsrooms around the world are already investing in and using AI for their work.
AI use in newsrooms: the state of play
According to a global study, over 30 percent of newsroom executives believed that between five and 15 percent of journalists in their newsrooms were using ChatGPT on at least a weekly basis. The same report revealed that publishers see a good deal of potential in generative AI tools in the newsroom and over 50 percent were already using generative AI for text creation, whilst more than 30 percent were using it for content creation, topic ideation, and translation. Close to 40 percent of publishers intend to utilize GenAI tools in a supportive role and to improve quality and only four percent said they would not be using AI for either of these tasks.AI use in news will inevitably increase as publishers experiment with new ways to streamline staff workflow, improve efficiency, and speed up or simplify day-to-day tasks. In books, it is highly unlikely that AI will replace human authors anytime soon. However, transparency will be key for creators in order to help consumers differentiate between what is written by AI and what is not, as devout book readers resistant to artificial intelligence versus those keen to experiment with such publications will likely fall into two camps. All in all, attaining and retaining consumer trust is important in driving media engagement, a factor which AI-native creators and traditional media outlets using AI to enhance their products must bear in mind during this new era.
