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Abstract

A growing body of scholarship on AI-generated news has examined its impact on various outcomes. However, less attention has been paid to the actual implementation of AI-generated news sites and their effectiveness on civic consequences. This study examines the effects of an AI-generated, community-centered, nonprofit news site on civic outcomes such as trust in nonprofit organizations, trust in AI-generated news, social capital, and civic engagement. Data was collected from participants at a large southeastern university who visited the AI-generated news site over a four-week period and responded to a series of open-ended questions weekly. A total of 721 open-ended responses were analyzed using content analysis, thematic analysis, and textual analysis. The results indicate that participants’ trust in nonprofit organizations and AI-generated news increased following exposure to the AI-generated news site. Furthermore, social capital and civic engagement levels also increased due to the AI-generated news site. Theoretical, methodological, practical, and policy implications are discussed.

DOI

10.30658/hmc.11.12

Author ORCID Identifier

Seungahn Nah: 0000-0002-7182-2015 ORCID logo

Xinlei Wu: 0009-0001-6396-3758 ORCID logo

Ernest C. Makata: 0000-0001-6425-0306 ORCID logo

Jun Luo: 0009-0007-1418-9835 ORCID logo

Ian Koratsky: 0009-0002-5694-680X ORCID logo

David J. Park: 0000-0001-5693-1689 ORCID logo

Seungbae Kim: 0000-0001-5667-3560 ORCID logo

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