Newsrooms and creators test AI tools and wearables as trust lags

In short: Media companies and creators are experimenting with AI features and AI wearables, but many people still do not trust them and want clear disclosure.

What's going on

Newsrooms are testing audience-facing AI, including chatbots that help readers navigate coverage or look up details. These tools use “generative AI” (software that writes text or makes images by predicting what comes next, like an advanced autocomplete). A Poynter and University of Minnesota study found nearly half of Americans surveyed did not want news from generative AI, and more than half had little or no confidence in newsrooms using AI to write articles or create images.

There is also a new push for AI wearables, meaning small devices you can wear, like a pendant, that can take notes, set reminders, or summarize your day. Companies showed more of these devices at CES after the Humane AI Pin was widely criticized and later discontinued. Privacy concerns keep coming up because some of these devices rely on microphones and cameras, which can feel like carrying a recorder into everyday life.

Creators and brands are testing AI for marketing and social media content, but the reputational risk is clear. Vogue reported survey results from 250 readers showing 71% said they would never trust an AI influencer (an account run by software, not a real person). Respondents also raised worries about creativity, jobs, human interaction, and privacy.

What to watch

A key issue is disclosure, meaning telling people when AI was used. Surveys show strong demand for clear labels, and that could become a standard expectation, similar to food labels that list ingredients. How companies handle privacy for always-on microphones and cameras, and whether audiences feel they can opt out, will likely decide how far these experiments go.

Source: NYTimes