DNPA Conclave 2025

About The Event

The Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, held in New Delhi on 27th February, brought together leading voices from journalism, technology, policy-making, and digital media to deliberate on the pressing issues of digital publishing, AI-driven disruption, copyright protection, and the future of news in India. With the theme “Trust, Technology, and Transformation”, the conclave provided a robust platform for dialogue between publishers, policymakers, and innovators.

Key Highlights

The Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, held on February 27 in New Delhi, brought together policymakers, journalists, publishers, marketers, and global AI leaders to deliberate on one of the most pressing questions of our time: How will Artificial Intelligence transform news, media, and democracy? With the theme “Media Transformations in the AI Age,” the conclave featured a powerful mix of Indian and international leaders who examined opportunities, challenges, regulatory responses, and ethical obligations defining this transition. The gathering reinforced a consistent theme: AI is not the enemy of journalism or media—it is a powerful tool whose value depends on how it is used. Speakers emphasized that AI must enhance newsroom efficiency, marketing personalization, and audience engagement, while never compromising credibility, ethics, or human creativity.

Inaugurating the conclave, Union Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, underscored the importance of examining the role of traditional media in the digital era and noted that conferences of this stature can help the government frame better policies and ensure a smooth transition. He described the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025 as a platform that not only enables policy recommendations but also provides clarity on how to balance the growth of digital media with the values of traditional journalism. The Minister emphasized that the media industry is undergoing a major transformation, with younger generations shifting rapidly from newspapers and television to digital platforms. He highlighted the need to address challenges related to employment, creativity, copyright issues, and ensuring fair compensation for content creators and media houses. Stressing the government’s readiness to provide all necessary support during this transition, he called on participants to bring forward practical and open-minded solutions to ensure that India’s transition from traditional to digital media is seamless, fair, and responsible. Concluding his address, he reiterated that the nation views the media with great responsibility and expressed confidence that valuable suggestions from the conclave would guide policymakers and industry leaders alike.

The first session of the conclave focused on Navigating the Digital Media Transition. The panel underscored both the promise and perils of AI in journalism. Mariam Mammen Mathew of Malayala Manorama highlighted how AI enables smaller newsrooms to compete with larger houses but stressed that technology must remain rooted in human oversight—anchored in “journalism with a human touch.” Echoing this, Anil Malhotra raised concerns about deepfakes and disinformation, urging policymakers to frame AI as a creative assistant, not a replacement for journalists. Pawan Agarwal flagged the risk of uncredited scraping of web content by AI models, calling for safeguards to protect the open web. Puneet Jain warned of a looming misinformation crisis, suggesting verified labels and clear disclosures for AI-generated content. Senior leaders including Abhishek Singhvi and Puneet Gupt emphasized credibility, integrity, and editorial oversight as non-negotiable principles, while calling for strict regulatory guardrails. The consensus from the panel was clear: AI should be harnessed to improve newsroom efficiency, but never at the cost of public trust.

Leading the global discourse, Michael McNamara, Member of the European Parliament and Co-Chair of the AI Working Group, shed light on AI policy frameworks in the EU and their implications for media governance worldwide. He explained how the EU’s landmark AI Act classifies AI applications into risk categories and bans harmful practices such as social scoring, while warning of loopholes in copyright law that allow data mining of copyrighted works. Brando Benifei, also a key architect of the EU’s AI Act, joined virtually to stress the importance of protecting human creativity, rights, and freedoms in an era of growing AI influence. Both leaders provided valuable insights into how global policies are shaping news ecosystems and underscored what India can learn from these frameworks. Their presence set the tone for the conclave as a platform that connects international best practices with India’s evolving regulatory landscape.

The Indian perspective was strongly represented by senior government officials. Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at MeitY, spotlighted India’s AI Mission and the government’s INR 10,732 crore investment to build a robust AI ecosystem across seven key pillars, including computing resources, data platforms, indigenous models, youth training, and startup support. He stressed a techno-legal approach to tackle misinformation and deepfakes, while urging media to play a role in supplying quality datasets and ensuring ethical oversight. S. Krishnan, Secretary at MeitY, emphasized India’s proactive yet light-touch approach to AI regulation under the Make in India vision, advocating for transparency through labeling of AI-generated content. Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, underlined India’s rapid transformation into a creative-tech hub with its booming OTT, gaming, and VFX industries, while cautioning against the risks of misinformation, clickbait journalism, and the absence of fair revenue-sharing for original content.

Panels throughout the day covered multiple facets of AI’s impact. Journalists and publishers stressed that while AI empowers smaller newsrooms and can process information quickly, it lacks human nuance, empathy, and investigative depth. Anchors such as Sushil Bahuguna, Sonal Mehrotra Kapoor, Romana Isar Khan, and Anant Tyagi agreed that AI should remain a collaborator, not a competitor, to journalism. Policymakers and legal experts pointed to the need for timely safeguards, with global examples underscoring the urgency of striking the right balance between innovation and responsibility. Marketing leaders highlighted AI’s ability to personalize experiences, analyze sentiment, and forecast trends, while also flagging risks such as bot traffic and the need for strategic oversight. Case studies from companies like Dabur and PolicyBazaar showcased how AI is already improving customer acquisition, engagement, and community-building.

The conclave also addressed critical questions about AI and fact-checking. Experts emphasized that while AI tools can detect recurring patterns and improve reverse image searches, human oversight remains indispensable, particularly in a linguistically diverse country like India. Combining AI’s scale with manual verification and collaborative networks was seen as the most effective way to counter misinformation.

By bringing together global policymakers, Indian regulatory leaders, senior journalists, and industry pioneers, the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025 served as a definitive platform for shaping AI’s role in the future of news and digital ecosystems. Across sessions, the message was clear: AI offers immense opportunities, but it must be developed and deployed responsibly, with ethical safeguards, transparency, and human creativity at its core. As AI continues to redefine the media landscape, the conclave positioned itself as a pivotal forum for charting a path forward—ensuring that innovation strengthens journalism, sustains democracy, and secures public trust.