Imaginaries about Artificial Intelligence in the Brazilian digital debate

By: FGV Comunicação Rio

By: FGV Comunicação Rio

To understand the landscape of the discussion about Artificial Intelligence on social media, FGV Comunicação Rio conducted an analysis covering key themes, stigmas, fears, and expectations surrounding the tool, as well as perceptions of ethical challenges, everyday applications, and the transformative potential of AI. The study analyzed Facebook, X, and Instagram, with a total of 365,000 posts across the three platforms on the topic, focusing on major profiles. The analysis was carried out from January 1 to May 31, 2024.

On Instagram, approximately 40.9 thousand posts showed a more optimistic tone. These posts were classified into six thematic areas: 1) AI-related services (47.48%); 2) Culture and Entertainment (19.04%); 3) Fraud, misinformation, and violence (16.84%); 4) Commercial products (9.53%); 5) AI regulation (3.55%); 6) AI and Health (3.26%). The results suggest a certain acceptance of AI as a tool, highlighting its utility in both public and private sectors.

On Facebook, 12,000 pages were mapped, with around 3.7 million interactions. News websites (9.1%) and media/news companies (8.7%) had the highest engagement, with entertainment-related pages also standing out. Digital creators and personal pages also discussed AI, but with less prominence compared to Instagram.

On X, 139,761 posts were analyzed, identifying 16 categories, with seven priority areas in an analysis of 144 thematic clusters: 1) Products and services (20.40%); 2) Personalities (6.59%); 3) Chatbots (5.28%); 4) AI-generated content (4.34%); 5) Tech companies (2.78%); 6) Humanoids (1.96%); and 7) High-tech aesthetics (1.59%). The topic with the most interactions was advertising, focusing on commercial images of electronic devices and the frequent use of bots to promote sales.

In addition to themes, the study also examined who talks about AI. Across all social media platforms, news pages and content creators stood out. On Instagram, more than 14,000 pages were mapped, categorized into seven groups: 1) Media and News; 2) Companies and Services; 3) Influencers and Content Creators; 4) Institutions and Other Organizations; 5) Culture, Sports, and Entertainment; 6) Freelancers; 7) Politicians.

Finally, the study delved into the tone of the AI discussion, divided into three categories: Optimistic, characterized by a strong link between technology and AI’s utilitarian and commercial aspects; Pessimistic, driven by fear and concerns about topics like the future of labor relations; and Neutral, making up 42% of interactions, which did not express any value judgment on the subject.

 

Access the full study here.