Covering technology risks and responsibilities: Automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms in the media

• The rapid diffusion of automation, algorithms, robots, and artificial intelligence is accompanied by risks such as loss of jobs, ethical concerns, bias, and security threats. This leads to questions regarding the responsibility for damages and the development of solutions. Since media play a central role for public representation and perception of risks and responsibility, this paper explores how automation is covered in the news. While existing studies typically focus on particular technologies, this paper analyses the automation debate comprehensively and covers reporting on automation, algorithms, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Longitudinal media content analysis of three decades of Austrian news reveals an increasing and overall optimistic coverage of automation. However, algorithms are more frequently associated with risks and treated less positively than robotics and AI. Analysis of the attribution of responsibility shows that responsibilities are less covered than risks and that industry stakeholders are at the center of the responsibility networks.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

automation

artificial intelligence

robotics

algorithms

responsibility

risks

media coverage

content analysis

Media and Communication Studies

Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)