MEDIA CREDIBILITY IN THE AGE OF AI: A CASE STUDY OF PAKISTAN

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing the ways in which media is produced, disseminated, and consumed, with major concerns related to media credibility, misinformation, disinformation, deepfakes, and public trust in news sources. The growing prevalence of AI-generated content in the country, where traditional media and digital platforms have an influential role in building public opinion, poses information verification and journalistic integrity problems in Pakistan. The present study is focusing on the perceptions of credibility of the media in the era of AI in Pakistan, and how AI-generated content, misinformation and information-verification practices affect public trust in media. The study has two objectives and two research questions with two hypotheses. The approach used is the quantitative approach, the design of the research is survey research and data collection technique is survey. The study population consists of human rights activists, maritime lawyers, journalists and researchers, and 250 respondents are randomly selected from this population. Data are analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics and results presented in Frequency and Percentage tables, pie charts and appropriate statistical tests to determine relationships between the study variables. The expected outcomes should be designed to make the respondents understand their perception of artificially created media, their trust in the news source and importance of verifying the news source. The final conclusion of the study states that there is a need to establish clear policies for the use of AI, in improving the fact checking process, in enhancing media and information literacy and in the professional ethics of journalists in order to keep the media credible in the country’s changing scenario. It urges collaboration among all stakeholders, including the media, academic institutions, technology creators, and relevant regulatory bodies, in a responsible manner, increasing public awareness and the development of effective tools for identifying fake and misleading content. The Keywords are: Artificial Intelligence, Media Credibility, Pakistan, Journalism, Misinformation, Media Trust, Survey Research.