The Changing Views project forms part of wider research questions that are looking at how AI systems can assist informed decision-making in news production and consumption, particularly in consideration of the ethical, societal, and democratic implications of these technologies.

We investigated how participants engage with information during a self-identified view change. Our research found that participants deliberately sought a diverse range of information sources, motivated by a need of stepping outside their media and social “bubbles.” In this way, while many participants frequently used (and valued) personalised content, recognised potential algorithmic bias and looked for opposing viewpoints.

We raise the ethical implications of personalisation by advocating for flexible features that give users agency and control for engaging with a plurality of perspectives.

Funded by: Google News Initiative

Project outputs

Turn and Face the Strange: Investigating Filter Bubble Bursting Information Interactions (2022) Mckay, D., Owyong, K., Makri, S., and Gutierrez Lopez, M. Accepted for publication in ACM Conference on Human-Information Interaction and Retrieval CHIIR 22.

We are the Change that we Seek: Information Interactions During a Change of Viewpoint (2020) McKay, D., Makri, S., Gutierrez-Lopez, M, et al. ACM Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval CHIIR 20: 173-182.

Designing for personalisation: Looking beyond relevance and filter bubbles. Gutierrez Lopez, M. and Missaoui, S. Poster at the Critical Perspectives on AI Ethics Conference CPAIE 2020, Edinburgh, UK.