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 
Xinlei Wu: 0009-0001-6396-3758
Ernest C. Makata: 0000-0001-6425-0306
Jun Luo: 0009-0007-1418-9835
Ian Koratsky: 0009-0002-5694-680X
David J. Park: 0000-0001-5693-1689
Seungbae Kim: 0000-0001-5667-3560
Recommended Citation
Nah, S., Wu, X., Makata, E. C., Luo, J., Koratsky, I., Park, D. J., & Kim, S. (2025). The algorithmic public sphere: AI-generated news site as a conduit to social capital. Human-Machine Communication, 11, 237–264. https://doi.org/10.30658/hmc.11.12
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