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Editorial Note
AI is transforming how information is created, discovered, and consumed. For news publishers, this shift brings both disruption and opportunity. Generative systems can summarise and distribute content at scale, but their rise also underscores why trusted journalism remains irreplaceable.
In moments of uncertainty, audiences do not seek speed alone—they seek credibility, context, and accountability. These are the enduring strengths of publishers. The challenge ahead is not only to guard against misuse but also to embrace technologies that protect originality, amplify reach, and reinforce trust. Publishers remain the bedrock of truth in society. The path forward is twofold: first, to acknowledge the threats AI poses to originality, economics, and credibility; and second, to invest in technologies, alliances, and strategies that safeguard journalism’s value chain.
The Pressures of AI on Journalism
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly reshaping the information ecosystem. While it introduces efficiencies, it also brings existential risks. Generative systems, often trained on journalism without permission, now produce summaries that act as substitutes for original reporting, diverting audiences away from the source. As AI becomes the first touchpoint for readers, the stakes for publishers have never been higher.
A central concern is how publisher content is scraped, reprocessed, and presented back to audiences without attribution. This practice reduces clicks, undermines traffic, and dilutes the credibility that publishers have built over decades. Worse, AI-generated responses frequently omit references to original sources, eroding visibility and recognition.
The rise of synthetic content deepens the challenge. AI-generated articles, images, and videos are flooding the digital space, competing with professionally reported journalism. For audiences already navigating information overload, distinguishing trustworthy content from low-cost imitations is becoming increasingly difficult.
The economic consequences are immediate. AI-driven discovery systems, often controlled by global platforms, weaken publishers’ ownership of their audiences. Advertising value shifts to the platforms, while subscriptions face pressure as free AI-generated substitutes proliferate. Layered on top is a trust crisis: deepfakes and AI-powered misinformation spread faster than they can be corrected, threatening the visibility of verified, accountable journalism.
From Challenge to Roadmap
Yet these disruptions also present an opportunity for renewal. The first step is to establish a clear principle: journalism is not raw material for machines. It is intellectual property created through investment and accountability, and it must be licensed and compensated when used in AI systems. Global precedents—such as the Associated Press licensing deal with OpenAI and lawsuits by Japanese publishers against Perplexity—show that frameworks for fair value are both possible and necessary. Indian publishers, too, can play a leading role in shaping these norms through collective action.
Technology can also be turned into an ally. Watermarking, provenance protocols, and cryptographic signatures help preserve attribution and authenticity, while scraper-blocking tools give publishers control over how their work is accessed. These measures not only protect intellectual property but also reassure audiences that what they are consuming is genuine.
Equally vital is strengthening direct reader relationships. Newsletters, apps, and membership communities create loyalty and reduce reliance on search or platform referrals. Leveraging audience intelligence tools enables publishers to personalise offerings, deepen engagement, and build sustainable revenue streams.
Finally, collaboration will be the cornerstone of resilience. No single newsroom can match the scale of global technology platforms. But together, publishers can develop shared standards for attribution, explore consortium-led AI models trained on licensed data, and influence how journalism is presented in AI-driven environments. This collective voice is essential to both protect and reimagine the role of publishers in the digital age.
Case Study Highlights
Onet Czat with AI: Simplifying News for Readers
Ringier Axel Springer Polska has launched Onet Czat with AI on its flagship news platform, creating a more intuitive and efficient experience for readers. The tool offers three core features — interactive chat for instant answers, article summarisation, and daily news round-ups — all built on trusted, in-house editorial content.
Since launch, article summarisation has become the most popular feature, accounting for over half of all interactions. Engagement among subscribers is significantly higher than that of regular users, highlighting its appeal to loyal audiences. For the newsroom, the tool has also streamlined workflows by automating repetitive tasks like summaries and keyword searches.
The project demonstrates how AI can enhance user engagement, improve efficiency, and strengthen the role of editorial trust, offering key lessons for publishers on how to innovate while staying rooted in journalistic credibility.
Onet Czat with AI by Ringier Axel Springer Polska simplifies news with chat-based answers, article summaries, and daily round-ups. Summarisation now drives 57% of all interactions, with subscriber engagement several times higher than regular users - showing how AI can boost efficiency while reinforcing editorial trust.
News Media Alliance (US) – Confronting AI Scraping
The News Media Alliance (NMA), representing more than 2,000 organisations, has taken a leading role in confronting AI firms accused of training models on copyrighted journalism without consent. By filing lawsuits and demanding recognition of journalism as intellectual property, the NMA is shaping a global debate on fair use. Its actions have already inspired publishers in Japan, Europe, and India to consider similar legal and policy strategies.
Read more - https://www.newsmediaalliance.org/news-media-alliance-announces-industry-lawsuit/
The Times of India Group - Beyond Newsrooms
The role of Artificial Intelligence in Human Resources is shifting from fears of job loss to recognition of its potential as a partner that amplifies the human element. AI is increasingly used to automate tasks like screening, analyze employee sentiment, predict attrition, and personalize learning. However, its real value lies in complementing human judgment rather than replacing it.
At BCCL (The Times of India Group), AI is applied to decode attrition trends, support manager communication, and improve engagement, but always with human oversight and empathy.
The company emphasizes building AI-literate HR teams, focusing on both functional fluency (using tools effectively) and ethical fluency (ensuring fairness, guarding against bias, and protecting privacy).
The future of AI in HR is about shaping inclusive, transparent, and wellbeing-focused workplaces. Examples include tools that can predict burnout or provide support in local languages. Yet, leaders caution that not every efficiency gain is worth the trade-off in trust.
Ultimately, AI in HR is not a plug-and-play solution but a mindset shift: HR must remain human-led, tech-enabled, and values-driven — ensuring AI is used responsibly to serve people better, not just processes faster.
Technologies Publishers Must Embrace
Publishers are increasingly turning to new tools to secure content and build resilience:
- Content Watermarking & Provenance (C2PA, Adobe Content Credentials) to establish authenticity.
- AI-Blocking Tools (Cloudflare AI Scraper Shield) to limit unauthorised scraping.
- Authentication Protocols (Project Origin, News Provenance Project) to verify legitimate journalism.
- Audience Data Platforms (BlueConic, Zeotap) to deepen direct reader intelligence.
- Publisher-Led AI Models trained on licensed datasets to balance innovation with protection.
Resources for Strategic Leaders
- Podcast: Your undivided attention, The Business of News, Tech Wont save us
- Books: Ghost Work (Mary Gray), The Death of Truth(Michiko Kakutani) ,
Policy & Regulation Developments
- EU AI Act: Transparency rules on training datasets now in force.
- US: Draft bills propose mandatory licensing of publisher content for AI training.
The Path Ahead
The rise of AI is not just a disruption; it is a turning point. Publishers must act decisively to secure fair value, protect originality, and strengthen their bond with readers. Journalism’s strength lies in investigation, context, and trust—qualities no machine can replicate.
AI can mimic style and speed, but only publishers can uphold ethics, accountability, and the public’s right to truth. By turning challenge into roadmap, the industry can ensure journalism not only survives in the AI era, but thrives at its very centre.
Few Important Updates -
1. Privacy
a. Govt to make no changes in DPDP Act; FAQs to be issued soon: Sources – Economic Times
b. Overlapping concerns, multi-sector impact delaying data protection law – Business Standard
c. DPDP Act, 2023 Upholds Privacy While Preserving Transparency Under RTI - PIB
2. AI
a. ChatGPT exposes personal chats of users on Google Search, OpenAI reacts – Money-Control
b. Grok Imagine under fire for explicit Taylor Swift deepfakes: Report – Economic Times
c. How MakeMyTrip’s AI Assistant Myra Raises New Competition Concerns – Medianama
3. Broadcasting
a. I&B Ministry forms task force to combat rising piracy threat – ET CISO
b. Breaking: Parliament to question MIB on TRP system overhaul on August 20 – Story-Board
c. IAMAI welcomes MIB’s anti-piracy task force to safeguard India’s creative economy – Story-Board
4. Advertising
a. ASCI updates code; media companies must label paid posts on social handles – Story-Board
b. Ad & Media agencies under ED scanner over surrogate marketing of gambling sites – Story-Board
5. Competition
a. Parliamentary Report Traces How Ex-Ante Rules for Digital Competition Bill Lost Momentum – Medianama
b. Media cartel probe: Publicis challenges CCI in Delhi HC over denial of case records – Story-Board
c. How CCI Views Data Access as a Competitive Edge in Digital Markets – Medianama
