Disinformation and Artificial Intelligence: the Case of Online Journalism in China

Abstract

AI has been identified as a factor that can amplify disinformation, which is information similar in appearance, but created and distributed with a malicious intent. Despite its potential negative effects, AI is transforming the media landscape along with other technologies. This article explores the relationship between AI and disinformation in the context of Chinese online journalism. The Chinese cybersphere can be explained through opposing definitions. For example, China is a country where mass media, especially news media, is under government surveillance, and where there is no polarized media, unlike Western democracies. After conducting a systematic literature review on the relationship between AI, journalism, and disinformation in China, gaps detected in the literature include the self-regulated initiatives performed by AI within media outlets, the impact of AI on specialized journalism, the assessment of texts produced by AI, and the effects of echo chamber campaigns and products among the Chinese population.