Reality Check: Exposure to Hyper-Realistic Ai-Generated Content and its Relationship on Media Literacy among Computer Engineering Students of Bulacan State University

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been developing in several ways that can generate new content, which has animpact on the media industry and the community. This study uses a quantitative research approach, whichaims to determine the relationship between levels of exposure to hyper-realistic AI-generated content andlevels of media literacy of computer engineering students at Bulacan State University. A total of 40respondents answered the validated online questionnaire, containing the demographic profile, assessment ofAI exposure, and an evaluation of media literacy using Likert scales and a human-AI identification test. Thecollected data were gathered using frequency distribution, weighted mean, standard deviation, andSpearman’s rho correlation at a 0.05 significance level. The results revealed that students often encounteredhyper-realistic AI-generated content (overall weighted mean = 4.07). The respondents reported that theyoften encountered the diversion of AI formats (overall weighted mean = 4.12). The students highlyunderstand the concept of AI-generated content and how to use it in other ways (overall weighted mean =4.66). They also have a high sense of digital responsibility in determining the authenticated content acrosssocial media platforms (overall weighted mean = 4.54). Spearman’s rho indicated a weak relationship (ρ =0.299) between exposure to hyper-realistic AI-generated content and media literacy. Their relationship is notstatistically significant (ρ = 0.061). This research concluded that the digital experiences of the respondentsare part of their everyday lives, revealing that they are frequently exposed to AI-generated images, videos,and music. This also fosters the media analytical and technical skills development. The findings revealedthat the computer engineering students have a high level of media literacy as they can recognize algorithmicpatterns and validate sources effectively. Keywords: hyper-realistic AI, media literacy, AI-generated content, AI exposure, computer engineeringstudents