Faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Journalism and Mass Communications were panelists on Civic Nebraska’s “Democracy in the Age of AI” Community Summit on Feb. 24, 2024.
Matt Waite, professor of practice in journalism and Bryan Wang, associate professor in advertising and public relations, discussed the public’s urgency and responsibility in the face of advancing technologies and their implications for democracy.
In an article from the Nebraska Examiner, Wang shared how various intricacies in social media can complicate AI use:
AI is already changing the production, dissemination and reception of information, Wang said, such as users in a “high choice environment” — where they may choose to avoid political information — incidentally being exposed and sharing information within their bubble.
He also explained the importance of media literacy and examining the societal distrust that’s fed by a person’s curated social media algorithms:
“We also need to work on restoring that trust to build more empathy among us, to build more data and understanding among us,” Wang said. “Research does show that having that empathy, having that dialogue, does bridge gaps, does help us understand each other and does see others’ views as more legitimate that way.”
Waite, who taught an AI and journalism class during the fall 2023 semester, shared how lawmakers have entered an unwinnable arms race with AI.
In the same Examiner article, he explains that legislating technology has always been tricky, often too closely encroaching on the First Amendment and AI brings a whole another set of complexities.
“It’s not the AI that’s the problem,” Waite said. “It’s the disruption of a fair and equitable election.”
Waite also discussed the benefits of AI in democracy, such as its potential to increase community news in areas where it’s currently dwindling. He also encouraged the public to try AI for themselves to see how it can be used as a tool.
Read more on the summit from Zach Wendling at the Nebraska Examiner. Wendling is a 2023 CoJMC journalism graduate and took Waite’s course last fall.
