Recognize the bias? News media partisanship shapes the coverage of facial recognition technology in the United States

Media exists as the primary route through which the public learns about new technologies and thus plays an important role in shaping public sentiments. This article examines the influence of news media partisanship on the coverage of the controversial artificial intelligence (AI) technology facial recognition. A mixed-methods content analysis of news articles (N = 451) from 23 US-based news outlets highlights the emergence of several frames in coverage of facial recognition pertaining to issues of privacy and surveillance, bias, technology’s ability to provide solutions, and its problematic development and implementation. Coverage was differentiated by partisanship, whereby left-leaning media focused more on ethical problems associated with the technology compared to their right-leaning peers who highlighted its abuses by foreign governments. Right-leaning media also referred more to technology’s positive uses, such as helping law enforcement, compared to left-leaning media. Finally, AI companies were the most dominant suppliers of information to the media regarding the technology.