The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University has released its annual mammoth survey of almost 100,000 people in 48 different markets across the world. 

Friends, I read through all 171 pages of their report so that you don’t have to and pulled out some key insights on where AI applications can be helpful.

1. AI chatbots are being used as a source of news for the first time, particularly among younger audiences, the report notes. “As the largest tech platforms integrate AI summaries and other news-related features, publishers worry that these could further reduce traffic flows to Web sites and apps. But we also show that in a world increasingly populated by synthetic content and misinformation, all generations still prize trusted brands with a track record for accuracy, even if they don’t use them as often as they once did.”

2. Video continues to grow in importance as a source of news. (You can use GenAI for text to video.) Across all markets, the proportion consuming social video has grown from 52% in 2020 to 65% in 2025. In the Philippines, Thailand, Kenya, and India, more people now say they prefer to watch the news rather than read it.

3. Podcasts are an increasingly important way to reach younger, better-educated audiences. (You can use GenAI for text to podcast.) To attract the next generation of subscribers, publishers have started to experiment with a range of payment options that include early access, extra content, and even separate subscriptions at a lower price point. About 42% of news podcast listeners across 20 countries say they would be willing to pay a reasonable price for news-related podcasts they like. A high proportion of people (73%) also say listening to podcasts helps them understand issues at a deeper level; 71% of news podcast listeners are extremely or very interested in news compared to 45% of non-podcast listeners. 

4. Personalisation of content is gaining traction. “There is some enthusiasm for making the news more accessible or relevant.” (You can use GenAI for personalisation.)

5. Addressing news avoidance. Take a look at this chart. Look at all the reasons people avoid the news:

Now, think of how AI can help tackle these problems:

• A solutions journalism bot can suggest positive ways to write a story. 

• A personalised, AI-driven feed or alerts strategy can cut down on the amount of news we push to people, particularly on certain topics they are exhausted by. 

• Data-driven insights powered by AI and using GenAI to change the format of the news can make it more relevant to the consumer’s needs. 

• GenAI can certainly rewrite the news to make it more comprehensible to people from different educational and linguistic backgrounds.

“We asked respondents about their interest in eight different potential AI applications that could be used to better suit their individual needs. We found the interest in AI personalisation to be highest when it comes to approaches that make news content quicker/easier to consume and more relevant, such as summarised versions of news articles (27%) and translations of news articles (24%),” the report said.

In other words: Many of us are still writing articles that are too long and that assume the reader knows the essential context of the news story. We can use GenAI to present the same information in different formats so our audience has a choice in how they consume and process the news.

“More broadly, we find that interest in options for adjusting the format and style of news is higher than options for personalising the selection of stories likely linked to those concerns about missing out.” 

This is interesting because, let’s face it, the news industry has spent at least 15 years working on recommendation engines that select which articles should be placed in front of readers.

What else are we getting wrong? 

“The danger is that publishers will use automation to cut costs and chase new AI algorithms. Some of that is already happening, but it is clear that people don’t want more content. They already feel overloaded,” the report said, adding: 

“Advances in AI come at a time when human connection seems more important than ever in terms of other trends highlighted in this report such as personality-led news. The task for publishers is how to adjust to these new realities, to embrace technology where it makes sense while keeping humans in the loop — and to make the news more engaging and personal without losing sight of the values that attract people to their brands in the first place.”

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