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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Belagavi youth’s murder case projected as road accident, cracked in Uttara Kannada; Three arrested
Karwar: Uttara Kannada police have cracked a murder case in which a Belagavi youth was killed and his body burnt inside a car to make it appear like a road accident.
Addressing a press meet in the city, Superintendent of Police Deepan M.N. said three accused from Old Hubballi have been arrested in connection with the case. The crime was a pre-planned act driven by personal enmity, he said.
The case came to light on April 8 morning when a car (KA-04/MJ-8996) was found completely burnt in a roadside ditch near Talekumbri bus stand in Yellapur. Only charred human remains were found inside the vehicle. Initially, it was suspected to be an accident caused by overspeeding, and a case was registered at Yellapur police station based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s father, Jagannath Dhapale.
However, the father later expressed suspicion that his son’s death was not accidental, prompting a detailed investigation.
Taking the matter seriously, two special teams were formed under the leadership of Yellapur Inspector Ramesh Hanapur. On analysing technical evidence and CCTV footage, police found that it was a planned murder.
The accused have been identified as Abdul Raheem Basheer Ahmed Mujawar (32), Maulasab Bavahan Wada (36) and Dadapeer alias Aftab Mehboob Saab Balasangi (22), all chicken traders from Old Hubballi.
Police have seized the car used in the crime along with two scooters. The accused have been remanded to judicial custody.
Investigations revealed that the accused killed Nitesh Dhapale due to personal enmity and later set the car on fire along with the body to project it as an accident.
SP Deepan M.N. appreciated the efforts of Inspector Ramesh Hanapur, PSIs Rajashekhar Vandali and Siddappa Gudi, and the entire team for solving the complex case.
