Forging the Future or Perpetuating the Past? How Artificial Intelligence Imagines Journalists

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing journalism. New AI tools are not only changing how journalism is done, but how journalism is perceived. AI image generators will serve as meaning makers in the public understanding of who a journalist is and what a journalist looks like. Using the lens of metajournalistic discourse theory, the current study employs a content analysis of the images generated by different kinds of journalists by different AI image generators. Findings suggest AI image generators tap into sexist and racist tropes in their visualizations of different kinds of journalists. Implications of these findings and ideas for future research are discussed.