People trust artificial intelligence more than the news. And that's bad news not just for journalism

Imagine a world where artificial intelligence algorithms elicit more public sympathy than traditional newsrooms, while the press's reputation has fallen nearly as low as that of defense corporations. This is not the plot of a science fiction novel, but a reality, documented in a September survey by YouGov. Media analyst Thomas Baekdal wrote about this on his LinkedIn page.

Two major shifts in reputation are reshaping the media landscape right now:

1. AI companies are trusted more than news media

Despite the endless debate about deepfakes, AI hallucinations, and the threat of job losses, к AI-компаниям позитивно относятся 13% респондентов. By comparison: only 11% view news media companies favorably.

Общество, столкнувшись с выбором между человеческой редакцией и алгоритмом, начинает отдавать предпочтение технологиям. И хотя у ИИ-сектора всё ещё высокий уровень негатива (59% неблагоприятных отзывов против 50% у СМИ), по уровню положительного восприятия ИИ уже обходит традиционную журналистику.

2. The press is in the same category as arms manufacturers

The study’s most dramatic finding is that, in terms of public favorability, news companies are now virtually on par with arms manufacturers (Arms manufacturers).

• Arms manufacturers: 9% positive ratings and 52% negative.
• News media: 11% positive ratings and 50% negative.

Journalism, historically built on public trust, now finds itself in the same reputational “high-risk category” as the defense industry and the tobacco or gambling industries.

What about the rest of the IT sector?

• Big Tech maintains a 12% positive rating—slightly higher than news media, but on par with AI.
• Social networks ( Social media ) провалились еще глубже: им позитивно относятся лишь 8%, а 64% опрошенных выражают прямое недовольство.

We are witnessing a fundamental crisis in the news industry. Readers are so tired of bias and clickbait that the neutral (albeit imperfect) code behind AI services seems like a more reliable and less toxic source of information than professional media outlets.

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