AI distorts news content in 45% of cases - regardless of language and country: study

Artificial intelligence seriously distorts the content of news in 45% of cases - regardless of language and country, according to research conducted at the initiative of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and 22 public broadcasters in 18 countries, including Public Broadcasting in Ukraine.

"This study convincingly proves that these shortcomings are not isolated cases. They are systemic, border- and language-independent, and we believe that this poses a threat to public trust. When people don't know who to trust, they end up trusting no one, and this can weaken participation in democratic processes," said Jean-Philippe De Tender, EBU Director of Media and Deputy Director General.

Professional media journalists who participated in the study evaluated more than 3,000 ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini and Perplexity responses based on key criteria: accuracy, sources, distinguishing between facts and opinions, and providing context.

It turned out that 45% of all responses had at least one significant problem.

Most often (31%), the answers had serious problems with sources: missing, false or incorrect references. In 20% of the responses, there were significant inaccuracies, including fictitious details or outdated information. 14% of responses had significant problems with providing sufficient context.

Gemini showed the worst result, with serious problems in 76% of responses. Other AI models have slightly better, but still poor results: Copilot - 37%, ChatGPT - 36%, Perplexity - 30%.

Many problems are exacerbated by the self-assured tone of artificial intelligence, which gives a misleading impression of a reliable answer. Artificial intelligence is ready to respond even when it cannot provide quality information.

Comparing the results of this study with BBC data from earlier this year shows some improvement, but the error rate is still high and does not depend on language.

According to BBC, AI assistants are already gradually replacing search engines for many users. According to the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2025, 7% of all online news consumers receive information using AI, and among people under 25, this figure rises to 15%.

• According to a Mastercard study, 42% of small and medium-sized companies in Ukraine use artificial intelligence in their work.
• In early 2025, a similar survey was conducted by KIIS among ordinary Ukrainians. Almost two-thirds said that they had no experience using artificial intelligence. Only 26% of respondents at that time had experience in the practical use of AI.