Generative AI is increasing media literacy and making people vulnerable, according to new research.

New research from the University of Western Sydney shows that media literacy in Australia is not keeping pace with rapid advances in AI, putting individuals at risk and potentially creating new divides in society.

of Digital News Report: Australia 2024 It shows that only 26% of Australians trust the news and 18% trust news from social media platforms. This, according to the research, is a consequence of the increasing levels of misinformation in these media platforms.

While mistrust is high, the report highlights that the ability to critically evaluate media content has not improved much in recent years.

The university's associate professor Tanya Notley said the slow progress in the media is particularly relevant given the ability of generative AI tools to produce high-quality, deep fakes and disinformation.

“AI will definitely make media intelligence more complicated because it's getting harder and harder to identify where the expected AI is being used,” he said. It will be used in more sophisticated ways to control misinformed people, and we can already see this happening.

It takes regulation to combat this, Notley says, and that's happening slowly, as seen recently with the U.S. Senate. Pass the bill Outlawing deep fakes of pornography.

However, learning, AI-generated material that helps individuals identify potentially dangerous objects is also important. The concern is the growing social divide over whether AI-generated material can improve literacy, Notley said.

Young Australians aged 18-29 show a strong correlation with high media literacy skills. People in higher education or digitally savvy jobs are more familiar with how AI is being used and the problems it can cause.

Older generations—those with lower levels of education and lower socioeconomic backgrounds—are much less likely to develop media literacy.

Notley said she was “concerned” about the implications of the growing gap between those who are prepared to navigate the digital landscape and those who are not, given the lack of a program specifically aimed at bridging the gap in Australia.

“Australia is one of the few backward democracies that currently has no national strategy. “The National Media Literacy Strategy provides clear targets and funding to improve these skills in the population,” she said.

To address these challenges, media literacy efforts, especially for adults, need to be more accessible and inclusive, the report suggests.

Online platforms where misinformation abounds must play a role in promoting media literacy.

In addition, it helps Australia's public cultural institutions, such as public broadcasters and national libraries, to reach wider audiences and build confidence in media literacy.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair.