Media publishers plan to further embrace generative AI this year, new RISJ report finds

A vast majority of media publishers - 87% - say newsrooms are being fully or somewhat transformed by the embracing of generative AI.

This is one of the key findings of the Reuter’s Institute for the Study of Journalism’s annual ‘Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions 2025’ report.

The report is based on a survey of 326 media leaders from 51 countries and explores key areas news publishers are planning to focus on in the year ahead, any challenges they envisage and how well equipped they are to face them.

And it showed that in the next year, publishers will be focusing more on audience-facing features such as translating text into audio (75%), automated story summaries (70%) and translations (65%)

However, concerns were raised by most publishers over a potential and significant fall in referrals from search engines as AI generated summaries drive audiences away from traditional news sources. The data shows referral traffic to news sites from, Facebook (67%) and Twitter (50%) have declined rapidly over the past two years.

Other key findings include that publishers are also seeking to up their game on video platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, where their content often struggles against alternative sources such as personalities and influencers.

The report also found that publishers are split over whether the trends towards influencers is a positive or negative step for journalism.

Nic Newman, Senior Research Associate and author of the report, said: 

“News publishers face another uncertain year amid polarised politics, increased competition from alternative media including creators and influencers, and a new wave of disruption from AI.

“The way audiences access news is likely to change significantly in the next few years and that will require publishers to rethink their strategies around content, products and distribution”

The report is authored by Nic Newman and the Institute’s Director of Leadership Development Federica Cherubini.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism is dedicated to exploring the future of journalism worldwide.