Critical Discourse Analysis of Media Discourse Related to the Impact of AI on Jobs: Corpus-Assisted

Abstract

This study employs Fairclough's three-dimensional model through corpus methods to analyze media discourse on the impact of AI on jobs, by uncovering themes and modality that affect the audience’s perception. A corpus of BBC YouTube channel interviews discussing AI and jobs was compiled, with a size of 16486 words. Quantitative-based thematic analysis is conducted to determine the most common themes introduced using n-grams, concordance, and frequency analyses, using AntConc. The findings reveal the common modal verbs used, analyzing the epistemic and deontic, to represent the impact of AI technology through a balanced narrative of optimism and caution, emphasizing ethical responsibilities for governments and individuals. The analysis also highlights both the potential of AI in the workplace and the need for regulations, with a focus on the impact of technological advancements on public understanding, using modality to engage audiences with AI’s implications. CDA of media discourse also highlights how discourse reinforces power dynamics and ideologies, promoting equality in skill development while addressing risks of AI and opportunities. It is recommended to conduct further analysis of other linguistic items and other frameworks that discover ideologies behind discourse in different news and social media platforms related to AI in different fields.