INMA today released AI-First User Journeys: A Strategic Framework for Publishers, a new report examining how AI is reshaping how audiences discover, consume, and act on news.

Authored by Jodie Hopperton, INMA’s Product & Tech Initiative lead, the report outlines how the shift from search to conversational interfaces is transforming audience behaviour and redefining the role of news organisations.

Set against a backdrop of rapid experimentation across the news industry, the report synthesises insights from conversations with media leaders across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

The report identifies three emerging AI-first journeys — text-first, audio-first, and agentic — and argues news publishers must design coordinated experiences across all three to remain relevant.

It also highlights key priorities for publishers, including investing in structured, modular content systems, redefining success metrics beyond traffic, and strengthening first-party relationships.

“This report is an attempt to make sense of what we are consistently hearing across the industry,” Hopperton said. “If we start from the user — their routines, needs, and moments of attention — we can begin to understand what an AI-first news journey should look like.” 

The shift represents a critical inflection point for the news industry, according to INMA Executive Director and CEO Earl J. Wilkinson.

“Publishers that design around real human needs, not technology cycles, will be best positioned to lead in this next era,” Wilkinson said.

The report concludes that the future of news will be “user-first and AI-orchestrated,” requiring publishers to rethink how journalism fits into daily life across text, audio, and action.

AI-First User Journeys: A Strategic Framework for Publishers is available for free to INMA members and for purchase at INMA.org.

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