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…
This headline – meant to be sung to the tune of “Old McDonald Had a Farm” – is inspired by publishers’ growing, and totally valid, angst around chatbots’ implications for the business, says US columnist Karlene Lukovitz.
Media businesses are brilliant at producing content, with deep expertise in their subject matter. But, writes Tom Jackson, they haven’t always been as brilliant at categorising that content to make it as discoverable as possible on digital platforms.
Across the Channel is a vibrant publishing scene but because of language barriers, it is not one that UK publishers are overly familiar with. As Carolyn Morgan discovers, there’s lots that we can learn from our European neighbours.
Artificial intelligence is not new – publishers have been doing innovative things with it for years. But, writes Charlie Beckett, generative AI does represent a step change...
Will columnists be replaced by ChatGPT et al? Ultimately, that will be decided by who writes better. Dickon Ross has submitted two versions of his column, one by ChatGPT, one by himself. Compare & contrast…
Obvious now, but less so twenty years ago when Lorna Tilbian was advising media companies who were banking on it doing just that. Tilbian has a long track record of getting it right. Ray Snoddy meets her.
Digital Content Next, a US-based trade body, has issued seven principles for the development and governance of generative AI.
James Evelegh looks at the impact AI is likely to have on the publishing sector.
In an announcement from the publisher and CEO Fred Ryan, The Washington Post has outlined its next steps in AI innovation.
ChatGPT says the iOS app syncs conversations, supports voice input, and brings their latest model improvements to users' fingertips.
Publishers have to work hard to convince brands to spend their advertising budgets with them. A key part of this is being able to demonstrate brand uplift whatever the size of the campaign.
AI looks set to play a big role in all our futures, but there are some things it can’t do…
Bloomberg has announced an expansion of its artificial intelligence coverage across platforms, including video, events, TV, radio, podcasts, and print.
The results of our mediashapers poll are in, with Elon Musk and Sam Altman taking centre stage in a media business that seems to be spinning out of control. Jim Bilton analyses the responses.
The IPA Council is split after a deepfake debate on the threat of AI to adland.
