The 2025 Digital News Report highlights a news landscape rapidly adapting to AI. Newsrooms are beginning to invest in automation and personalisation. However, public skepticism remains high, especially regarding trust, transparency, and accuracy.
While AI is making news more accessible and tailored, audiences still value human editorial oversight and credible news brands.
Hello and welcome back to the AI SIX podcast, I’m Joanne Sweeney and I am embracing AI, so I thought I’d take you along with me by gifting you this daily six-minute podcast.
How AI Is Changing the News: Key Takeaways from the 2025 Report
In the Newsroom
Big investments in AI: Major media brands like Reuters are investing heavily (e.g. $200M/year) in AI to streamline production and distribution.
AI is being used for: summarising articles, translating content, and personalising news feeds, aimed at boosting efficiency and relevance.
Public Perception
Trust is shaky: People think AI can make news faster and cheaper, but also less trustworthy, less accurate, and less transparent.
Human oversight matters: Most audiences want AI to support, not replace, human journalists.
AI Chatbots for News
Usage is growing but still modest: 7% globally used an AI chatbot for news last week, jumping to 15% among under-25s.
Top tools: ChatGPT (4%), Gemini and Meta AI (2%), with India showing far more adoption and comfort than countries like the UK.
Personalised News
Mixed feelings: Nearly half are okay with news being personalised by AI, especially when it helps summarise or translate.
But…many still fear missing important stories due to algorithmic filtering.
What This Means for News Brands
Platform shift: Younger audiences prefer social, video, and podcasts, weakening traditional journalism’s grip.
Transparency is key: Outlets are leaning into transparency and editorial standards to stand out in an AI-driven, fragmented news landscape.
Despite the rise of AI in journalism, audiences strongly prefer human involvement in news production. Here’s why:
Trust Matters: People trust news written by humans far more than AI. When AI writes the news alone, trust drops sharply, especially for serious topics like politics or global affairs.
Human Judgment Counts: Audiences believe human journalists bring essential moral judgement, ethics, and analytical thinking that AI can’t match, especially when interpreting complex events.
Accountability Is Key: People want a real person in charge, someone who can take responsibility if something goes wrong. Human oversight is seen as critical to journalistic integrity.
Transparency Helps: Readers are more comfortable with AI behind the scenes (e.g. summarising, translating), as long as the final editorial decisions are made by humans and AI content is clearly labelled.
Context Matters: People are more open to AI in light topics like sports or lifestyle, but want humans handling hard news where accuracy and nuance are essential.
We Still Value Human Creativity: Audiences respect the skill, insight, and experience of human reporters and want AI to support, not replace, them.
The 2025 Digital News Report reveals that while AI is rapidly reshaping newsrooms and the ways audiences access information, trust and credibility remain top concerns. Audiences appreciate the efficiency and convenience AI brings but strongly prefer human oversight to ensure accuracy and accountability. As the news landscape evolves, the enduring value of trusted journalism and editorial integrity stands out as more important than ever.
About the Podcast Host
Joanne Sweeney is a specialist in public-sector marketing and digital communications. She’s the author of Public Sector Marketing Pro and the creator of the Professional Diploma in AI for Public Sector Marketing. With years of experience in training, consulting, and advocating for digital transformation, Joanne provides insight and guidance for government agencies navigating the digital landscape. She is also the host of the award-winning Public Sector Marketing Show podcast.
