Epistemic Dislocation in AI Journalism: Fragmented Authority and the Reconfiguration of Knowledge Production

This study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes epistemic authority in contemporary journalism. Drawing on 75 in-depth interviews with journalists, editors, media owners, and AI developers in the United States, it argues that AI does not simply automate journalistic tasks or redistribute professional roles. Instead, AI produces a condition of epistemic dislocation, in which the production, validation, and control of knowledge become fragmented and misaligned across human actors, technological systems, and organizational structures. The analysis identifies three interrelated dynamics: (1) the externalization of epistemic authority despite centralized organizational decision-making, (2) the coexistence of increasing epistemic delegation to AI and the performative reassertion of professional journalistic authority, and (3) the decoupling of knowledge production from accountability through fragmented governance structures. The present study advances a new conceptual framework for understanding AI journalism and offers implications for professional authority, ethical governance, and accountability in increasingly AI-mediated news production.