Journalism and AI: Who owns the news?

Publishers say AI chatbots are using their reporting to answer readers' questions while sending back less traffic and less money. Should the companies that build these tools pay for the journalism they rely on?

A 2026 survey by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which questioned more than 90,000 people worldwide, found that 10% use AI chatbots for news on a weekly basis, a figure that is significantly higher among younger audiences. Explaining what is happening in the world, why it matters, and what it means has traditionally been the work of journalism.

Media organizations send reporters into the field, commission investigations and conduct research, producing stories that help audiences understand global events. But as more people turn to AI tools for information, the relationship between those producing journalism and those distributing it is changing.