In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), media companies and other businesses alike continue to find themselves entangled in a web of lawsuits and public criticism, shining a spotlight on the issue of ethical transparency. Journalism has long been plagued by issues around deception — consumers often wonder what’s sensationalism and what’s not. However, with the latest casualty in the ongoing Sports Illustrated debacle, whose reputation greatly suffered after being accused of employing non-existent authors for AI-generated articles, a new fear among consumers was unlocked.

To further illustrate AI’s negative implications, early last year Gannett faced similar scrutiny when its AI experiment took an unexpected turn. Previously, the newspaper chain used AI  to write high school sports dispatches, however, the technology proved to be more harmful than helpful after it made several major mistakes in articles. The newspaper laid off part of its workforce, which was likely in hopes AI could replace human workers.

How to Improve Transparency Around AI Usage

Tom Rosenstiel, a professor of journalism ethics at the University of Maryland, emphasized the importance of truth and transparency in media specifically. He argues that experimentation with AI is acceptable, but attempting to conceal it will inevitably raise ethical red flags for consumers. “If you want to be in the truth-telling business, which journalists claim they do, you shouldn’t tell lies,” Rosenstiel asserted. Lies, consumers have asserted, include failing to share how articles are being written, such as with the use of AI.

The media landscape’s ongoing transparency struggle with AI is further highlighted by a lawsuit filed by The New York Times against Microsoft and OpenAI in December. The Times alleges intellectual property violations related to its journalistic content appearing in ChatGPT training data. This ongoing legal battle illuminates a slew of other AI-related copyright suits, with experts noting a more focused approach to the causes of action.

In an era where consumer trust has the power to make or break a business, all publicity is not necessarily good publicity. This is evident by the continuous negative attention large corporations continue to receive, months after these incidents take place. But it’s not all doom and gloom for AI. A recent study found that 31.8% of respondents think generative AI and/or machine learning will help their business a lot this year. The ethical use of AI remains a challenge to accomplish across the board, however, lawsuits and public backlash, as detrimental as they may be, are undoubtedly paving the way for a more harmonious future.

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