A couple of years ago, the AI question for most publishers was whether to experiment. That has been settled. AI is now at work in newsrooms, archives, ad sales and production, and the harder conversation is about what it is doing to the business around it.
Search is the pressure point. Answer engines summarise journalism without sending the reader on, and referral traffic is falling as a result. Publishers are split between signing licensing deals and blocking crawlers, with more of them now looking to negotiate collectively. Before any contract is signed, it is worth knowing which of your content is genuinely hard to replace and exactly what rights are being sold.
AI might be able to knock out something quickly, but speed isn’t the same as value and fluency isn’t the same as truth.
Toby Wiseman AI in practice: Hearst UK
Inside the business the picture is brighter. Regional groups use AI-assisted reporting for routine local stories, which frees other reporters to get out of the office. B2B publishers have turned deep archives into search tools that answer readers' questions, and at least one has sold subscriptions off the back of it.
Whether the human checks survive cost pressure is the open question. So far, the industry's bet is that original, specialist journalism and a direct relationship with readers will hold their value however the technology moves.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on AI in publishing, from licensing strategy and search to newsroom case studies and editorial policy, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
Before rushing in to make deals with AI companies, publishers need to properly evaluate the value of their content, says Sajeeda Merali, CEO of the Professional Publishers Association.
The biggest puzzle for publishers today is where to find audiences and how to keep them. How to meet this challenge was the focus of the latest AOP CRUNCH event, writes AOP’s Richard Reeves.
emap’s Nursing Times was quick to explore the potential of AI when it launched its LLM search service last year. Sixteen months on, Robin Booth tells us what they’ve achieved so far and how they plan to use AI next.
Newsquest has published over 10,000 articles with the aid of AI. Jody Doherty-Cove, head of editorial AI, tells us how and why Newsquest is deploying AI across its newsrooms.
Toby Wiseman, MD, content, tells us how Hearst UK is using AI now and where he sees the best opportunities for future development.
Most publishers are trialling AI tools to some degree, but how many are actually seeing quantifiable benefits from their efforts? Meg Carter talks to Ana Jakimovska, head of AI strategy at Mediahuis, about their approach to AI adoption.
Steve Pinches, chief product and technology officer at Which?, looks at the tech opportunities and challenges facing his company and the wider consumer publishing sector.
Peter Barr-Watson, chief technology officer at The Independent, looks at the tech opportunities and challenges facing his company and the wider news media sector.
Reuters Institute’s ‘Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2026’ report shows how publishers are reacting to the twin threats from AI answer engines and human creators, writes Nic Newman.
Having humans involved in the process has been what’s given publishers the license to explore all that artificial intelligence has to offer…
Every year, the AOP surveys digital publishers and their solutions providers to get a cross-section of the industry’s outlooks and priorities. Richard Reeves looks at the key trends from this year’s survey.
Dynamic paywalls that adapt and respond to user behaviours are far more effective than a hard and fast, rigid barrier, says Vicky Macey, product and strategy specialist at Full Fat Things.
The Independent has announced two new launches at Advertising Week Europe: Independent Studio and Bulletin.
Artificial intelligence is transforming the work of art departments, improving image quality and saving large amounts of time. We grab five minutes with Pixometry’s Derek Milne to find out more.
Oxford University Press has announced it is building its digital offering with a new interdisciplinary research collection.
The News/Media Alliance has urged the US to encourage responsible AI innovation by protecting intellectual property rights.
Mail Metro Media launches Getting Real with AI research.
Elsevier has announced the launch of ScienceDirect AI to transform research with insights from trusted content.
FT Strategies, the Financial Times’ specialist media consultancy, has launched a new Data and Insights Practice.
IOP Publishing has released its 2024 Highlights Report, showing a year of significant transformation and growth all while maintaining high standards in peer review and research integrity.
Hyper local newspaper publisher Gary Cullum is a director of The Newspaper Awards and has been chairman of the event’s judging panels for 28 years. Ahead of the upcoming awards, he answers our questions on newspaper industry trends.
IAB UK: The traditional marketing funnel will be obsolete in five years as channel definitions crumble.
Reimagining FAIR for an AI World: Frontiers introduces FAIR Squared Data Management.
It’s been a whirlwind start to the year and who knows what the future holds? James Evelegh shares his five wishes.
In a rapidly changing sector, it is vital to safeguard research quality and prevent misinformation, says BMJ Group’s Anca Babor.
