‘AI Sometimes Lack Cultural Reality’: Trust, Verification, and Constraint in Nigerian Newsrooms

Amaka P. Onebunne and Moses U. Okocha (Ph.D. student), “'AI Sometimes Lack Cultural Reality': Trust, Verification, and Constraint in Nigerian Newsrooms,” paper to be presented at the 51st AEJMC Southeast Colloquium, University of Tampa from March 12–14, 2026. Abstract: The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in journalism has created new dependencies on tools whose development and governance are unevenly distributed. This study examines how Nigerian journalists work with AI tools developed outside their cultural and economic contexts. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 18 journalists across Nigerian newsrooms, it analyzes how trust, verification practices, cultural context, resource constraints, and power relations shape everyday AI use in news production. Findings show that journalists did not treat AI as an authoritative source. However, trust was seen as conditional and closely tied to verification practices. Participants described the need to correct AI outputs that misrepresented local names, language, political dynamics, and social meaning, often noting that AI sometimes lacks cultural reality. Rather than reducing labor, AI introduced additional work related to checking, rewriting, and contextual repair. Resource constraints, including limited staffing, funding, and institutional support, further shaped reliance on AI while shifting responsibility for risk management onto individual journalists. Concerns about data extraction, platform control, and embedded bias also influenced decisions about when AI could be used. The study shows that AI use in Nigerian journalism reflects negotiated practice under constraint rather than straightforward technological adoption or efficiency.