Representations of the Ethical Risks of Artificial Intelligence in the Media and University Students’ Responses: An Analytical and Field Study Based on Media Framing Theory

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how ethical risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI) are represented in news content published by Arab and international platforms and newspapers, and to examine the relationship between levels of media exposure and university students’ risk perception, anxiety, and trust in AI. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining content analysis of 92 purposively selected news items from eight Arab and international media outlets identified through an initial scan as the most active in covering AI ethical risks with a survey administered to a simple random sample of 365 students from King Abdulaziz University and the University of Jeddah to measure media exposure, risk perception, anxiety, and trust. The content analysis results indicate that 47.8% of the analyzed items adopted a negative or cautionary tone, reflecting a general media tendency to emphasize ethical risks in AI-related coverage. At the field level, the findings show that 91.8% of students perceive privacy violation as the most salient ethical risk. The results also reveal statistically significant relationships between media exposure and risk perception, between risk perception and anxiety, as well as an inverse relationship between anxiety and trust, in addition to significant demographic differences by gender and academic year.These findings highlight the importance of understanding representations of AI within journalistic and digital content in relation to students’ perceptions, and they underscore the need for developing more balanced media and educational approaches that promote ethical and informed engagement with AI technologies.