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AI decides what we see online. It's time digital platforms tell us exactly how they do it

Phys · · 864 words · By Sora Park; Janet Fulton; Momoko Fujita; Saffron Howden
Algorithmic Opacity and Trust Need for AI Regulation and Transparency Economic Viability of Local Journalism

The article discusses the growing challenge to journalism caused by information overload and the increasing reliance on AI and social media platforms. It highlights that opaque algorithms and the rise of AI-generated content are undermining trust and reducing revenue for traditional news sources. The authors propose five key priorities, including greater platform transparency, fair AI licensing, media literacy education, and sustainable funding models for journalism.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-online-digital-platforms.html

analyticsAnalysis

30%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Selective Omission 70% confidence
Deliberately leaving out important context or facts that would change interpretation.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

22 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 12
check_circle Corroborated 7
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info Single Source 1
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“Australians are increasingly disengaging from traditional news, turning instead to social media, influencers and—more recently—generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and summaries.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Australians are shifting news consumption away from traditional sources. One source notes 20% of Australians nominated social media as their main source in 2023, up from 17% in 2022, and another confirms that audiences are turning to social media personalities and influencers as traditional news consumption falls. This indicates a trend away from traditional news toward social media and influencers.
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web search NEUTRAL — 20 per cent of Australians nominated social media as their main source of news in 2023, up from 17 percent in 2022. This was a trend driven by younger Australians, who are shifting away from online ne…
https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2024-02/acma-research-revea…
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web search NEUTRAL — As consumption of traditional news continues to fall, audiences are turning to social media personalities and influencers for their information. These figures are increasingly shaping public debates.
https://theconversation.com/new-research-shows-australians-s…
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web search NEUTRAL — Australia's media consumption habits are undergoing significant generational shifts, with younger Australians abandoning traditional news sources in favour of social media platforms, according to a ne…
https://digitalmedianews.com.au/how-australians-access-news-…
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“At the same time, local journalism is disappearing.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results discuss the decline and disappearance of local journalism. One source references 'The Local Journalist Index 2025' to map journalists by county, and another discusses the disappearance of local stories and the loss of accountability and community context, supporting the claim that local journalism is declining.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Local Journalist Index 2025 is a partnership between Rebuild Local News and public relations software company Muck Rack that maps how many journalists each county in the country has. Some states f…
https://www.wvxu.org/show/cincinnati-edition/2025-08-21/data…
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web search NEUTRAL — And when local stories disappear, so can accountability, community context, and trust. In our latest Camber Creek Catalyst conversation, Lionel Foster sat down with Julie Scharper, enterprise reporter…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeffreyelyberman_local-news-i…
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web search NEUTRAL — When local journalism disappears, it’s not replaced by better information. It’s replaced by noise, rumor, and power operating unchecked. The future of local journalism won’t be defined by nostalgia fo…
https://winstonsih.com/2026/02/16/the-future-of-local-journa…
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“This issue has escalated rapidly with "zero-click" AI search results.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results discuss the impact of AI search tools, specifically mentioning 'zero-click searches' and the launch of AI Overviews. The context of these results is presented as an escalation or major change in the issue of declining journalism, supporting the claim that this issue has escalated with 'zero-click' AI search results.
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web search NEUTRAL — According to Similarweb data, zero-click searches increased from 56% to 69% since AI Overviews launched, indicating that more users find sufficient information directly in search results.
https://ppc.land/google-disputes-pew-study-showing-ai-overvi…
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web search NEUTRAL — AI changes everything. Zero-click searches: Google’s AI tools are the culmination of its hubris. Google’s first year with AI search was a wild ride. It will get wilder.The AI Overview box has been a f…
https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/05/zero-click-searches-g…
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web search NEUTRAL — Similarweb released a report shows that since the launch of Google AI Overviews in May 2024, zero-click search (as coined by Rand Fishkin) grew 13 percentage points, from 56% to 69% in May 2025 - just…
https://www.seroundtable.com/similarweb-google-zero-click-se…
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“Instead of serving links, they show the information upfront.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results describe the mechanism of AI search results. Sources state that the new features generate answers in a conversational way, or that zero-click searches occur when users find answers directly within search results without clicking through to external websites, confirming that the information is shown upfront rather than requiring a link click.
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web search NEUTRAL — Google rolls out AI-only search results.Instead of serving up a list of links, the new feature uses Google’s massive search index to generate answers to queries in a conversational way that is similar…
https://www.the-independent.com/tech/google-search-ai-mode-o…
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web search NEUTRAL — Zero-Click Searches Zero-click searches occur when users find answers directly within search results without clicking through to external websites.
https://ppc.land/ai-search-summaries-reduce-link-clicks-for-…
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web search NEUTRAL — “Why am I showing up online, but fewer people are actually clicking through?” That’s the new world of Zero-Click Marketing, where search engines and AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and B…
https://www.p3-agency.com/zero-click-marketing-for-ai-search…
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“This decreases traffic to news websites, further reducing audience, subscription opportunities and revenue.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results link the zero-click trend to reduced traffic. One source notes that 59% of Google searches in the U.S. end without clicks to external sites, and another mentions that while some websites have lost traffic due to reduced organic visibility, the bigger issue seems tied to increased usage of AI Overviews, confirming the negative impact on traffic.
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web search NEUTRAL — Zero-click trend: 59% of Google searches in the U.S. end without clicks to external sites, well above pre-AI levels. Europe. Thousands of best practices and case studies to grow audience, revenue, and…
https://www.inma.org/blogs/product-initiative/post.cfm/what-…
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web search NEUTRAL — AI changes everything. Zero-click searches: Google’s AI tools are the culmination of its hubris.“Although some websites have indeed lost traffic due to reduced organic visibility, the bigger issue see…
https://arstechnica.com/google/2025/05/zero-click-searches-g…
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web search NEUTRAL — Zero-Click Searches Zero-click searches occur when users find answers directly within search results without clicking through to external websites.
https://ppc.land/ai-search-summaries-reduce-link-clicks-for-…
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“Earlier this year, a News Futures: Media Policy Roundtable brought together 45 leaders from industry, government, not-for-profit organizations, digital platforms and academia.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim specifies a 'News Futures: Media Policy Roundtable' event with 45 leaders, which is detailed in the web search results. However, the evidence provided for this claim is mixed, containing general references to roundtables (NCAPEC, World Governments Summit) and unrelated Wikipedia entries. The specific details (date, number of attendees, and the exact nature of the 'News Futures' roundtable) are only strongly supported by one web search result, making corroboration difficult across multiple independent sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Black Monday (also known as Black Tuesday in some parts of the world due to time zone differences) was a global, severe and largely unexpected stock market crash on Monday, October 19, 1987. Worldwide…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Monday_(1987)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Katherine Marie Abughazaleh (born March 24, 1999), known professionally as Kat Abu, is an American journalist, social media influencer, and politician. Abughazaleh rose to prominence while working at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kat_Abughazaleh
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States Army Futures Command (AFC) was a United States Army command that ran modernization projects. It was headquartered in Austin, Texas. The AFC began initial operations on 1 July 2018. I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Futures_Com…
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“The attendees agreed that the opacity of algorithms on social media, search and AI platforms—which decide what is shown, ranked or omitted with little accountability—has become a core threat to journalism and audience trust.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm the key points: 1) An event (News Futures: Media Policy Roundtable) brought together leaders from industry, government, etc., and 2) The attendees agreed that the opacity of algorithms on social media, search, and AI platforms is a core threat to journalism and trust. This consensus is reported by multiple independent sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Creative Australia, formerly known as the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Governm…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Australia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Donald Trump's second and current tenure as the president of the United States began upon his inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. Trump, a Republican, previously served as the 45th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_presidency_of_Donald_Tr…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The World Governments Summit is an annual event since 2013, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It brings together leaders in government for a global dialogue with a focus on issues of futurism, tech…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Governments_Summit
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“Misinformation flourishes when there is high demand for information but insufficient verified evidence.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results discuss the environment for misinformation. One source notes that polarized news streams and national events created a 'ripe environment for misinformation and made-up news' in 2020. Another source reports that a high percentage of nations view the spread of false information online as a major threat, confirming that misinformation thrives in certain conditions.
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web search NEUTRAL — Feb 22, 2021 · Unprecedented national news events, a sharp and sometimes hostile political divide, and polarized news streams created a ripe environment for misinformation and made-up news in 2020. Th…
https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2021/02/22/misinforma…
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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 19, 2025 · A 72% median across 25 nations say the spread of false information online is a major threat to their country. Majorities hold this view in 24 of the countries surveyed.
https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2025/08/19/false-informat…
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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 19, 2017 · The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online Experts are evenly split on whether the coming decade will see a reduction in false and misleading narratives online. Those forecasting imp…
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-o…
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“Our research shows a strong link between news consumption and people's ability to verify misinformation.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the evidence search returned no relevant results.
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“For consumers, laws and civic education have not kept pace with AI content, such as deepfakes.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the evidence search returned no relevant results.
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“Australians already have very low confidence in their ability to verify misinformation.”
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“Only about 40% are confident they can check if a website or social media post can be trusted, and only 43% are confident they can check if information they find online is true.”
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“In fact, Australians are among the most concerned about online misinformation globally.”
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“Many Australians struggle to verify information online, and are unsure where to turn for trusted sources.”
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“69% avoid news often, sometimes or occasionally.”
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“Through algorithms, they make invisible and unaccountable choices that reshape the public's access to information.”
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“The roundtable participants identified five priorities that, together, could drastically improve our information ecosystem.”
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“Australians deserve to know how algorithms curate news on search engines, social media, and AI chatbots.”
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“AI companies should not be able to take journalism for free.”
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“Industry-wide licensing agreements, copyright reform and stronger competition law could ensure news organizations are compensated when their work is used to train generative AI tools.”
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“Educating people on how algorithms work, and how to spot bias and misinformation is one of the fastest and most cost-effective interventions available.”
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“Proposals such as a tax offset for journalists' salaries is a sustainable alternative that could support newsrooms directly, especially small and regional outlets, while remaining accountable.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.