The Narrative Construction of Generative AI Efficacy by the Media: A Case Study of the Role of ChatGPT in Higher Education

2025-07-12

AI Summary

This study investigates the narrative construction mechanisms employed by U.S. mainstream media regarding ChatGPT’s application in higher education from November 2022 to October 2024, grounded in agenda-setting theory. Using computational text mining—specifically LDA topic modeling and fine-grained sentiment analysis—we analyze 198 news articles, identifying six core thematic clusters. Results reveal predominantly positive framing of ChatGPT’s contributions to curriculum design, pedagogical innovation, and student skill development; however, coverage expresses significant negative sentiment concerning its potential disruption to entry-level academic positions and threats to admissions equity. This work constitutes the first systematic empirical demonstration of thematic fragmentation and affective polarization in generative AI education discourse. It empirically substantiates how selective media framing shapes public perception, thereby offering critical evidence to inform AI-in-education policy formulation, risk communication strategies, and technology ethics governance.

Technology Category

• Natural Language Processing: Sentiment Analysis, Stylistic Analysis, and Argument Mining
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Humans and AI: Game Design — Procedural Content Generation & Storytelling

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Generative AI / large language models and their impact on social systems
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Trust and reliance of crowd workers and data experts on GenAI
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Sentiment analysis and opinion mining

Abstract

The societal role of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), is often shaped by sociocultural narratives. This study examines how U.S. news media construct narratives about the efficacy of generative AI (GenAI), using ChatGPT in higher education as a case study. Grounded in Agenda Setting Theory, we analyzed 198 articles published between November 2022 and October 2024, employing LDA topic modeling and sentiment analysis. Our findings identify six key topics in the media discourse, with sentiment analysis revealing generally positive portrayals of ChatGPT's integration into higher education through policy, curriculum, teaching practices, collaborative decision-making, skill development, and human-centered learning. In contrast, media narratives express more negative sentiment regarding their impact on entry-level jobs and college admissions. This research highlights how media coverage can influence public perceptions of GenAI in education and provides actionable insights for policymakers, educators, and AI developers navigating its adoption and representation in public discourse.

Problem

• How media constructs narratives on generative AI efficacy
• Impact of ChatGPT narratives in higher education
• Media influence on public perception of AI

Innovation

• LDA topic modeling for media discourse analysis
• Sentiment analysis on ChatGPT integration narratives
• Agenda Setting Theory applied to AI efficacy