AI-Generated Content in Spanish Media: Transparency, New Uses, and Defined Strategies

In this paper, we describe and analyse the characteristics of news articles published in Spanish media which were written with assistance, of different types and to varying extents, from generative AI. We pursue three objectives: to identify how AI is being used, to examine the formal and textual characteristics of articles produced in this way, and to determine the degree of transparency with which the use of generative AI is communicated to readers. Using content analysis techniques, 120 articles published in different newspapers were studied, including articles written entirely by AI, written with the help of AI, and resulting from other uses of AI. Our analysis shows different results depending on the use of AI. The first group exhibits standardised writing, repetitive structures, and fewer sources. The second group shows less standardisation, more contextual information, and more journalistic errors. Despite relying on a repetitive structure, the third group does not display standardised writing. Regarding transparency, this study reveals that not all texts disclose AI use, and when they do, it appears separately from the byline or within the text. This study is pioneering due to the breadth of the analysed sample and our examination of different uses of AI in the Spanish news media.