Are Journalists no Longer Needed? Comparative Analysis of the Perceived Quality of Real News and ChatGPT News

The main objective of this study was to analyze the perceived quality of news generated by algorithms by Portuguese students of journalism. This is a first approach focused on the audience's perception of automated journalism in Portugal. A survey (N = 99) was used, in which future journalists evaluated the quality of news created by humans and generated by ChatGPT-3 using three indicators: readability, informativeness and style. The results demonstrated that news written by generative AI were considered to have better quality than news written by journalists. News created by ChatGPT-3 received better scores in virtually all analyzed parameters. External factors such as age, interest in and confidence in news, as well as other news consumption habits and practices had no effect on the students’ assessment. This study thus raises serious questions about what the future holds for journalism.