Representation of Artificial Intelligence in VKontakte News Groups: Critical versus Apologetic Discourses

Abstract

The widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) is reflected in the mass media, with social networks playing a special role as public spaces for constructing social reality. AI representation varies ranging from skeptical assessments to complimentary. The purpose of this article is to assess the nature and relationship of AI coverage strategies in VKontakte news groups using discourse analysis, which allows us to identify the specific features of AI representation in social media. Research revealed that the representation of AI is asymmetrical. The discourse of technophobia (images of AI as a criminal, a substitute for humans, and a fool) is more pronounced and appears as a more complex phenomenon than the discourse of technophilia (images of an assistant, a high-status holder, and a student), which does not form a sufficient body of meanings to counteract the panic narratives. While critical rhetoric relies on strategies of "deligitimization," "criminalization," and "catastrophization," apologetic discourse resorts to "normalization," "personalization," and "quantification," which are insufficient to establish stable positive narratives and overcome societal anxieties.