From AI Access to AI Influence: Who Uses AI for News, Who Is Concerned About It, and What Are the Implications for the Multi-Level Digital Divide

Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models, is increasingly shaping how people access and engage with news. Guided by a multi-level digital divide framework, this exploratory study examines patterns of AI use for news consumption (AI-access) and perceptions of AI influence on social and political attitudes (AI-influence). The analysis is based on a quantitative online survey conducted among a diverse national sample of 515 participants in Israel. Measures captured self-reported AI-enabled news practices, including consuming, summarizing, and identifying fake news, as well as perceived influence and concerns about bias. Demographic indicators included age, gender, education, and income. The findings indicate a nuanced pattern that diverges somewhat from conventional digital divide expectations. Bivariate analyses suggest that older individuals, women, and those with lower levels of education report somewhat higher levels of AI use for news-related practices. However, multivariable regression analyses show that only age, gender, and education remain significant predictors, while income does not show consistent independent effects. Overall, the observed associations are relatively limited, suggesting that demographic variables explain only a small portion of the variance. At the same time, perceived AI influence shows a limited association with demographic characteristics. These results provide empirical insight into digital divide processes in the AI context and suggest that future research should examine additional explanatory mechanisms, including AI literacy, trust, perceived usefulness, and digital skills.