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…
Many publishers aspire to be data driven. But with her background in subscriptions marketing, Reneé Doegar, publisher of London Review of Books, is arguably more enthusiastic – and, perhaps, better positioned – than most.
At the heart of a successful transformation is the ability to ask the right questions, set clear goals and take the organisation with you. Ciar Byrne talks to Rebecca Miskin about the changes she is making at DC Thomson.
Product development teams, with their focus on meeting user needs, play a key role in publisher success. Liv Horner looks at current priorities.
Acast, a podcast platform, has announced the launch of new Conversational Targeting capabilities for advertisers.
BMJ has announced that it is an official participating member of the STM Integrity Hub.
The digital advertising industry is facing a period of upheaval as the world emerges from the pandemic and grapples with the increasing focus on consumer privacy & consent. A new mindset is critical for success in the changing advertising landscape.
Dotdash’s acquisition of Meredith’s magazine division in December came as a surprise to many. Karlene Lukovitz mulls over the implications for Meredith’s iconic magazine brands and the future direction of magazine publishing.
Le Monde has launched a new English language digital edition, as part of ambition to double its subscriber base to one million by 2025.
Publishers don’t get their fair share of ad revenue. What can be done about it? Lauren Dick, co-chair of the AOP Commercial Group, answers our questions about the key issues and challenges facing publishers’ commercial teams.
One important decision publishers need to make is whether to build their community on their own platform or on a third party one.
The Guardian Australia has launched a machine learning tool which automates story evaluations for contextual ad targeting, seeking to move beyond cookies and other identifiers.
Meta Platforms, parent company for Facebook and Instagram, said it took down more than 28m pieces of content which violated hate speech policies on Facebook and Instagram across the third quarter.
IP protection company White Bullet and ad tech platform Smart AdServer have announced a global partnership designed to help eradicate the scourge of piracy from the global media landscape.
The way publishers create, manage and distribute content is changing rapidly. How can publishers avoid getting left behind? We grab five minutes with Tom York, general manager at Atex, to find out.
Welcome to our first publishing workflows special, an extended feature taking an in-depth look at all aspects of the content creation process. All of the insights and opinions come from leading suppliers of publishing software & from senior editors.
