A Tool, a Threat, or Both? How Quality News Media Frame Generative AI

Generative AI (GenAI) is rapidly establishing itself as a key topic in societal, political, and scholarly debates. From a news and information perspective, relatively little attention has been devoted to how GenAI is framed in reporting by influential news outlets, with most coming from globally recognized English-language titles. This study operationalizes a framing analysis of 516 articles published by a quality newspaper in Belgium between 2020 and 2024. Findings reveal that the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 signified a notable shift in the quantity and ways in which GenAI was approached and framed, extending the scope beyond technological stories to focus more on regulatory and societal ramifications. We establish a typology of 12 different positive, neutral, and negative frames in how GenAI is positioned and discussed in reporting. Combined, they highlight the complex nature and practice of reporting on an emerging technology that is taking the world by storm, while also retaining traditional journalistic values and tenets intact. We extend the body of research on AI news framing beyond the English language and to quality news outlets specifically.