Xinhua News Agency on Monday released a think tank report highlighting challenges and risks for the media industry caused by misuse of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

The report, titled “Responsibility and Mission of News Media in AI Era,” was released by the think tank under Xinhua News Agency during the ongoing sixth World Media Summit in Urumqi, capital city of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The report states that the misuse and abuse of AI have contributed to the widespread production and dissemination of misinformation, undermining the social trust that is essential for news organizations and triggering a global crisis in the credibility of the information landscape.

It also points out that the pervasive use of AI in information dissemination has introduced significant variables into the global public opinion landscape.

The inherent biases in data and algorithms, coupled with the “filter bubble” phenomenon, present challenges to independent, rational, and healthy cognitive development and value formation, the report reads.

Additionally, the report warns of the growing risks of public opinion manipulation and information warfare enabled by AI.

It notes that with AI’s support, methods of opinion manipulation are constantly evolving, and tools are being continuously upgraded, leading to an increasingly complex and opaque public opinion ecosystem.

African Times has published this article in partnership with Xinhua News Agency