Growing reliance on AI news summaries raises questions over accuracy, media bias
Washington: The use of artificial intelligence to summarise news has expanded rapidly which has reshaped how readers consume and interpret daily information. Major technology companies have introduced AI-powered summaries across platforms, including tools that analyse scanned newspaper clippings and condensed search results. These are positioned as quicker alternatives to traditional news reading.
Earlier this year, a study highlighted by The Guardian warned that AI-generated summaries could have a “devastating impact” on digital news outlets, citing evidence of up to an 80 per cent drop in click-through traffic as readers increasingly rely on AI-generated answers instead of visiting original news websites.
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Beyond economic consequences, experts have raised alarms about factual accuracy and embedded bias. Tim Graham, Director of Media Analysis at the US-based Media Research Center, recently argued that AI news summaries cannot be fully accurate because they depend on source material that may itself be biased, even if such sources are categorised as credible by AI systems. Speaking on the programme No Spin News with American journalist Bill O’Reilly, Graham said this limitation applies across platforms, including Grok, ChatGPT and Gemini.
Echoing these concerns, media scholar Dr. Mrinal Chatterjee, professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in Dhenkanal, told Hinduatan Times that current AI systems lack the contextual understanding and common sense required to identify and filter bias. He further claimed that artificial intelligence reflects the opinions encoded in its training data. It cannot independently identify prejudice or narrative.
Dr Chatterjee stresses that discerning bias is a human responsibility that requires awareness, education, and critical engagement with news content. He points out that media bias can result from either deliberate influence or unintentional errors, and that while not all media organizations are biased, the risk is always there.
To address these challenges, while some readers and institutions are turning to analytical tools designed to assess media bias, platforms such as AllSides are providing comparative analysis of news outlets across ideological spectrums.
In the United States, the White House has also launched an online portal aimed at tracking media bias and misinformation. The platform catalogues what it describes as false or misleading reports, maintains a public list of repeat offenders.
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Deepika Kumari leads Indian recurve archery team to dramatic World Cup gold
Shanghai (PTI): The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.
In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4.
The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021.
Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.
It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023 where Ankita was a member of the winning team.
India's campaign in Shanghai has thus already yielded two medals after compound archer Sahil Jadhav opened the country's account, securing a bronze on Saturday.
India also remained in contention for another podium finish later in the day with recurve archer Simranjeet Kaur set to compete in the semifinals. She is a win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the continuing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).
Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India edged the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.
Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.
The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.
India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.
China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.
Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, leaving 18-year-old Yu Qi needing a 9 for victory in front of the home crowd.
But the youngster shot an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
The Indians peaked at the right moment in the decider. Ankita opened with a 9, Kumkum followed with a superb 10, and Deepika calmly delivered a 9 when only an 8 was needed to seal the title.
