INDIANAPOLIS — As National News Literacy Week wraps up, WRTV and Scripps News are taking a closer look at how AI-generated content is changing the way people consume information.
At UIndy, Rick Dunkle's podcasting course focuses on AI and is part of the conversation weekly.
"AI is a hot topic issue right now," he said. "There’s one school of thought that it’s the enemy, and there’s the other that which is my end it’s here you have to teach them to use it responsibly.”
Students are already using AI as part of their creative process.
"I think it’s really important and I’m grateful to have that,” said Caden Colford, a senior at UIndy. “It went from, OK, Chat GPT is cool to I’m doing this assignment, this assignment, and AI, all through AI. It’s going to organize my entire process, I'm going to pour all my thoughts into this and that’s the majority of a lof the school work or a majority of penmanship we’re putting out.”
At Carmel High School’s TV studio, students are not yet using AI for the stories they produce, but the topic is very much on their radar. Student Gigi Smock is exploring the issue through reporting.
“I’m interviewing my computer science teacher about the effects of AI and how its been affecting technology and our society over the past couple of years,” Gigi said.
Students also acknowledge the risks AI can pose, especially when it comes to misinformation.
“It’s just processing so much, but sometimes just by looking at it you can tell when things are off or not human, but now it’s becoming harder so sometimes just fact checking what you see” said Smock.
“AI can be a paradox for many journalists because it's helpful in some ways. I think so many journalists are using AI in some ways to maybe automate some menial tasks or sometimes they can identify human blind spots,” said Taeyoung Lee, a professor at Indiana University's Media School
Lee says reliance on AI for news and information is growing.
“More and more people rely on AI to get news," he said. "They just ask what they need to know, what they need to be informed about.”
While AI is far from perfect, educators say adoption is accelerating.
“This is as prevalent to them as it was learning to edit digitally for us or learning social media. This is their social media and google all in one,” said Dunkle.
Professor Dunkle is also working to develop an AI class at the University of Indianapolis specifically for media and communication students, focusing on what AI should and should not be used for.
