Where is AI being used in news organisations?

Workflow automation tops the list, followed by video and image optimisation, according to a survey of 108 publishers and broadcasters undertaken by Digiday and Arc XP.

But here’s some food for thought: If you look at which tools aren’t working well for publishers, the list is led by video and image optimisation, content recommendation and distribution, and real-time data and alerts.

“As for the ways publishers and broadcasters are using AI so far, improving workflow efficiency tops the list (94%), followed by automating scheduling and distribution of content (82%) and automating video editing (i.e., social clips, adding subtitles) (82%),” the report said.

As many as three-quarters of news organisations are using their AI budgets on editorial and content creation, the report said. In fact, 93% of respondents said they had the editorial/content team handling AI initiatives, with an overlapping 90% said they had a dedicated AI-focused team that collaborated with many departments.

How about using AI for customer-facing products? The top use cases were automated creation of accessible content (88%), personalised content delivery (85%), and automated fact-checking (84%).

News publishers are also using AI to deepen engagement with their audiences via tools that monitor and moderate comments (88%) and predict emerging topics (85%).

“As AI automates tasks and works on menial items that require a lot of time, publishers are dedicating more efforts to strengthening editorial oversight (86%), spending more time connecting with local communities and audiences (85%), and focusing on innovation and experimentation (76%).”

But what is also significant is what they are generally not moving resources into: an increased focus on training and upskilling (19%), amplifying underrepresented voices (18%), or building revenue and growth strategies (12%).

This sentiment was echoed in another survey, which pointed out that the media industry is largely playing it safe and using AI for tactical functions rather than for bold, ambitious purposes.

“AI can save time and reduce friction, but it hasn’t yet earned trust as a creative or strategic tool,” according to the other survey, of 131 professionals undertaken by The Rebooting and BlueConic. “Teams are using it to reduce repetitive tasks, accelerate production timelines, and support experimentation without hiring. Still, most see it as a supplement, not a replacement.”

“There’s no AI strategy,” the report cites an executive as saying. “There’s just trying to do more with what we have.”

The focus is on utility, it points out, as the media industry settles into a permanent state of doing more with less.

“The teams that are gaining traction are those that have found alignment between what audiences value and what the business can support. They’re not building flashy features to impress stakeholders — they’re building useful products that deepen engagement, capture first-party data, and support sustainable revenue.

“If there’s a prevailing mood around AI inside media companies, it’s one of cautious optimism strained by operational disarray. Nearly every publisher we surveyed or spoke with acknowledged that AI has the potential to reshape their business, but most also admitted they haven’t figured out how to turn potential into execution.”

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