The Image of Artificial Intelligence in Dutch Newspapers
- Student: Janneke van der Zwaan
- Onderdeel afstudeerproject: literatuurscriptie
(PDF)
- Afgerond: Juni 2008
- Begeleiding: Dr. K. Rebel en Dr. B. Bredeweg
Samenvatting
Artificial intelligence is the academic discipline concerning itself with the automation
of tasks that require intelligence, often by building computer programs.
Since artificial intelligence is a complex, broad, and abstract field, it is
hard to give a precise description. At the moment, artificial intelligence is already
applied in many common devices and computer programs, such as traffic
lights, medical equipment, video games, and Internet search engines, but the
application goes largely unnoticed. However, the impact of artificial intelligence
on society will most likely increase in the future.
This study explores the way newspapers write about artificial intelligence
by making a content analysis of newspaper reports. Reports are selected from
Dutch national newspapers between 2005 and 2007. 52 reports contain substantive
information on artificial intelligence, and are analyzed, based on a framework
that was constructed from several issues concerning artificial intelligence
and newspaper reports about science in general.
The small number of reports discovered, confirm that the subject is unknown
and difficult. Also, the reports contain little explanation about artificial intelligence.
Explanations found are general, and restricted to specific applications
and disciplines.