What Does the Public Think of Generative AI (in the News)?

Many news and media organizations have jumped on the AI
bandwagon, using it in a range of production processes. But they
have largely failed to look at, let alone factor in, how
audiences perceive the technology in the context of journalism.
How do people think AI is being used in journalism compared to
how it is actually being used? What are people comfortable with
and what not? And how does its use – or perceived use – affect
trust in the media? Felix Simon answers all these questions and
more in this episode. A communication researcher at the Reuters
Institute for the Study of Journalism and a research associate at
the Oxford Internet Institute, Simon has long focused his
research on AI in news and public reception. He was a lead author
of the Reuters Institute’s Generative AI and News Report 2025,
and he presented the key findings at the 2025 b° future festival
ahead of the report’s release.


The episode was recorded live at the b° future festival on
October 3, 2025. More information about the b° future festival
can be found here: https://www.b-future.org/


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user-centered approaches to journalism. Through applied research,
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Credits:


Editor: Paula Rösler (Bonn Institute)


Host: Cristina Burack (Bonn Institute)


Producer: Hannes Kappler (Bonn Institute)


Director: Ellen Heinrichs (Bonn Institute)


Contact: hello@bonn-institute.org


2026 Bonn Institute (cmb/xx)


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