Research Roundup · 2026

AI in Journalism Statistics You Need to Know in 2026

By Owen Hughes Founder, Pub.cat Last updated: 3 June 2026

Artificial intelligence has moved from the edges of the newsroom to the centre of how journalism is made, distributed and consumed. This page pulls together the most-cited 2024 and 2025 research on AI in journalism, from audience attitudes to newsroom adoption, the impact of AI search on traffic, and the size of the market. Every figure is attributed to a named source and a year, so you can quote it with confidence.

Key AI in Journalism Statistics

The headline numbers in one place, sourced from the Reuters Institute, Pew Research Center, WAN-IFRA, JournalismAI and leading market analysts.

  1. Just 12% of people are comfortable with news made entirely by AI, versus 62% who are comfortable with news made entirely by a human journalist. (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)
  2. Around 75% of newsroom professionals across the US and EU have used generative AI in some form. (Source: WAN-IFRA, 2024)
  3. When a Google AI Overview appears at the top of results, only 1% of users click a link cited inside it. (Source: Pew Research Center, 2025)
  4. 96% of publishers say using AI for back-end efficiencies is very or somewhat important. (Source: Reuters Institute, Journalism, Media and Technology Trends and Predictions, 2025)
  5. A combined 87% of senior news figures say their newsrooms are being transformed by generative AI: 63% somewhat and a further 24% fully. (Source: Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025)
  6. The global AI in media and entertainment market was worth USD 25.98 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach USD 99.48 billion by 2030. (Source: Grand View Research, 2025)
  7. Weekly use of AI to get the latest news has doubled, from 3% in 2024 to 6% in 2025, rising to 8% among 18 to 24 year olds. (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)
  8. Only 33% of people believe journalists always or often check AI outputs before publishing. (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)

Newsroom Adoption

How widely journalists and news organisations have taken up generative AI, and how fast.

Around 75% of newsroom professionals across the US and EU have used generative AI in some form, up from roughly half a year earlier. — WAN-IFRA, 2024
  1. 85% of journalists, technologists and managers surveyed had at least experimented with generative AI for tasks such as writing code, generating images and authoring summaries. (Source: JournalismAI, Generating Change, 2023)
  2. 73% of news organisations believe generative AI tools present new opportunities for journalism. (Source: JournalismAI, Generating Change, 2023)
  3. 80% of respondents expect an increased use of AI in their newsrooms. (Source: JournalismAI, Generating Change, 2023)
  4. The Generating Change survey gathered more than 120 editors, journalists and technologists from 105 newsrooms across 46 countries. (Source: JournalismAI, Generating Change, 2023)
  5. In 2023, 49% of newsrooms were already using tools like ChatGPT, but only 20% had management guidelines on when and how to use them. (Source: WAN-IFRA, 2023)
  6. 52% of news executives are optimistic or very optimistic about how AI will affect their organisation over the next three to five years, while 37% are concerned or very concerned. (Source: WAN-IFRA, 2024)

How Publishers Use AI

Where news publishers are putting AI to work, and what it has meant for jobs and strategy.

96% of publishers say using AI for back-end efficiencies is very or somewhat important, ahead of personalisation, content creation and newsgathering. — Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025
  1. Publisher AI priorities, ranked by importance: back-end efficiencies (96%), personalisation and recommendations (80%), content creation (77%) and newsgathering (73%). (Source: Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025)
  2. 67% of publishers say AI efficiencies have not saved any jobs so far, while 16% have slightly reduced staff numbers and 9% have added new roles and costs. (Source: Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025)
  3. On balance, publishers plan to boost investment in original investigations (net +91%) and contextual analysis (net +82%), while cutting back on general news that chatbots can easily reproduce (net −38%). (Source: Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025)
  4. Just 41% of editors, CEOs and digital leaders say they are confident about the prospects for journalism in the year ahead. (Source: Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025)
  5. A combined 87% of respondents feel newsrooms are being transformed by generative AI: 63% somewhat and 24% fully. (Source: Reuters Institute, Trends and Predictions, 2025)

Audience Comfort and Trust

What readers and viewers actually think about AI in the news they consume.

Comfort rises sharply with human involvement: 12% are comfortable with news made entirely by AI, 21% with some human oversight, 43% when a human leads with AI help, and 62% with entirely human-made news. — Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025

Comfort with AI in news, by level of human involvement

Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025 (% comfortable)

  1. Comfort with AI varies sharply by task: editing spelling and grammar (55%), translation (53%), rewriting content for different audiences (30%), creating a realistic image when no photo exists (26%) and artificial presenters or authors (19%). (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)
  2. 51% of people believe AI is used always or often in news media. (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)
  3. Only 33% believe journalists always or often check AI outputs before publishing, ranging from 25% in the UK to 44% in Argentina. (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)
  4. 60% of people do not regularly see AI features on news sites or apps; 19% notice AI summaries and 16% notice AI chatbots. (Source: Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025)
  5. Audiences rate news made by AI as less trustworthy (a net score of −18) and less accurate (−8) than news made by humans. (Source: Reuters Institute, Digital News Report, 2025)

Comfort with AI in news, by use case

Reuters Institute, Generative AI and News Report, 2025 (% comfortable)

Public Sentiment on AI

The wider mood that frames how audiences receive AI in journalism.

  1. 95% of US adults have heard at least a little about AI, and 47% have heard a lot. (Source: Pew Research Center, 2025)
  2. 50% of Americans are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life, up from 37% in 2021; just 10% are more excited than concerned. (Source: Pew Research Center, 2025)
  3. 57% of Americans rate the societal risks of AI as high, compared with 25% who say the benefits are high. (Source: Pew Research Center, 2025)

Market Size and Growth

How large the AI-in-media market is today and where analysts expect it to head. Estimates vary by firm and by exactly what is measured, so the range is shown in full.

The AI in media and entertainment market is forecast to roughly quadruple, from USD 25.98 billion in 2024 to USD 99.48 billion by 2030. — Grand View Research, 2025
  1. AI in media and entertainment was valued at USD 25.98 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 99.48 billion by 2030, a compound annual growth rate of 24.2%. (Source: Grand View Research, 2025)
  2. Generative AI in content creation was valued at USD 14.8 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 80.12 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 32.5%. (Source: Grand View Research, 2025)
  3. The AI in media market is projected to grow from USD 8.21 billion in 2024 to USD 51.08 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 35.6%. (Source: MarketsandMarkets, 2024)
  4. North America held the largest share of the AI in media and entertainment market, at 33.6% in 2024. (Source: Grand View Research, 2025)
Forecast (analyst firm) Base value Forecast value CAGR
AI in media & entertainment (Grand View Research)USD 25.98bn (2024)USD 99.48bn (2030)24.2%
Generative AI in content creation (Grand View Research)USD 14.8bn (2024)USD 80.12bn (2030)32.5%
AI in media (MarketsandMarkets)USD 8.21bn (2024)USD 51.08bn (2030)35.6%
AI in media & entertainment (Straits Research)USD 24.03bn (2025)USD 153.85bn (2033)26.12%

Frequently Asked Questions

Are people comfortable with AI-generated news?

Largely not. Just 12% of people are comfortable with news made entirely by AI, rising to 43% when a human journalist leads with some AI assistance and 62% for news made entirely by a human (Reuters Institute, 2025).

How many newsrooms use generative AI?

Around 75% of newsroom professionals across the US and EU have used generative AI in some form (WAN-IFRA, 2024), and 85% of respondents to a 46-country survey had at least experimented with it (JournalismAI, 2023).

How are Google AI Overviews affecting news traffic?

When a Google AI Overview appears at the top of results, only 1% of users click a link cited inside it, and traditional link click-throughs fall from 15% to 8% (Pew Research Center, 2025).

How big is the AI in media market?

The global AI in media and entertainment market was worth about USD 25.98 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach USD 99.48 billion by 2030 (Grand View Research, 2025).

What do news publishers use AI for?

Mainly back-end efficiencies (96% of publishers call this important), followed by personalisation and recommendations (80%), content creation (77%) and newsgathering (73%) (Reuters Institute, 2025).

Sources

Every statistic above is sourced from one of the following organisations or publications:

  1. Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
  2. Pew Research Center
  3. WAN-IFRA
  4. JournalismAI (LSE)
  5. Grand View Research
  6. MarketsandMarkets
  7. Straits Research