June 17 (Reuters) - Global concerns about the use of AI

in news production and misinformation are growing, a report

published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

found, posing fresh challenges to newsrooms already struggling

to engage audiences.

The institute's annual Digital News Report published on

Monday, which this year is based on surveys of nearly 100,000

people across 47 countries, offers a picture of the hurdles news

media faces in lifting revenue and sustaining business.

Newsrooms globally are working to address a new challenge

with generative artificial intelligence, as tech giants and

startups like Google and OpenAI build tools that can offer

summaries of information and siphon traffic from news websites.

But the report found that consumers are suspicious about the

use of AI to create news content, particularly for sensitive

subjects such as politics.

According to the survey, 52% of U.S. respondents and 63% of

UK respondents said they would be uncomfortable with news

produced mostly with AI. The report surveyed 2,000 people in

each country, noting that respondents were more comfortable with

behind-the-scenes uses of AI to make journalists' work more

efficient.

"It was surprising to see the level of suspicion," said Nic

Newman, senior research associate at the Reuters Institute and

lead author of the Digital News Report. "People broadly had

fears about what might happen to content reliability and trust."

Concerns about false news content online rose by three

percentage points from last year, with 59% of survey respondents

saying they were worried. This figure was higher in South Africa

and the U.S. at 81% and 72%, respectively, as both countries

hold elections this year, the report said.

Another challenge facing news organizations is the general

unwillingness of audiences to pay for news subscriptions.

Following some growth during the pandemic, 17% of respondents

across 20 countries said they paid for online news, a figure

that has been unchanged for the past three years, the report

said.

A significant proportion of news subscribers in the U.S.

were also likely to be paying discounted rates due to trials or

promotions, with 46% paying less than the full price for their

subscriptions.

TURNING TO ALTERNATIVES

News influencers are playing a bigger role than mainstream

media organizations in delivering the news to users of popular

online platforms like TikTok.

In a survey of more than 5,600 TikTok users who said they

used the app for news, 57% said they mostly paid attention to

individual personalities, versus 34% who said they mainly

followed journalists or news brands.

The findings show that newsrooms need to build a direct

relationship with their audiences while also "strategically

using the platforms to connect with people who are trickier to

reach, like younger audiences," Newman said. "We see that these

influencers have a bigger role on the platforms."

Vitus "V" Spehar, a TikTok creator with 3.1 million

followers, was one news personality cited by some of the survey

respondents. Spehar has become known for their unique style of

delivering the top headlines of the day while laying on the

floor under their desk, which they previously told Reuters is

intended to offer a more gentle perspective on current events

and contrast with a traditional news anchor who sits at a desk.

The Digital News Report surveyed people in the U.S., UK,

France, Argentina and Brazil, asking them to name up to three

mainstream or alternative accounts they follow for the news.

The top 10 individuals cited by respondents in the U.S. are

most known for offering political commentary rather than

original newsgathering, the report noted. These personalities

included Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News anchor, Joe Rogan,

who hosts the top podcast on Spotify and David Pakman, a

progressive talk radio host.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is funded

by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the philanthropic arm of

Thomson Reuters ( TRI ).