Pilot project on imaginaries of AI

Real or fake?

AI technology is being used in ever new areas, and one of the places we most often encounter it is through AI-created content in traditional and social media. Sometimes we know that the images and text we see are created by artificial intelligence, but often we can't know for sure. Recently, we have seen examples of debates about manipulated images moving from social media to becoming front page material in media worldwide, as in the so-called #kategate. What do these uncertainties do to our perceptions of a shared reality and shared frames of reference?

KIME - Artificial Intelligence and Authentic Media Content

In the research pilot project KIME, professor of media studies Brita Ytre-Arne will study how young media users on platforms such as TikTok, X and Instagram together interpret digital media content and assess what appears authentic. The project will explore the meaning attached to different types of cultural and viral ideas about AI, whether these are taken from art or science, memes or science fiction. This will prepare the ground for later research on folk theories about AI and digital folklore.

- This project means a lot to the Department of Information and Media Science, and supports our ambition to create a comprehensive understanding of artificial intelligence, both the technical aspect and the societal implications, says head of department Marija Slavkovik after the award was announced.

The project is carried out in collaboration with researcher Gabriele de Seta and the Center for Digital Narrative, and uses social science and humanistic perspectives to understand AI. The project is financed by the Humanities Strategy at UiB.