The pace of AI development and the effects on broadcast newsrooms in the past 10 months have been ‘astounding’ according to the author of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) News Report 2025.
For journalists and news outlets, the report said there is no going back as AI transforms how the media work in a new information age.
Titled ‘Leading Newsrooms in the Age of Generative AI’, the report offers insights and practical steps drawn from in-depth interviews with 20 media leaders and academic experts, case studies, checklists and first-hand experience from around the world.
Dr Alexandra Borchardt, the lead author, said: “As the technology races ahead, there’s a mismatch with media organisations right now as they embrace some AI solutions as helpful tools while staying wary about the implications for accuracy, integrity, public trust and the need to stay visible and legitimate in a flood of AI-generated content.
“Newsrooms have become more strategic with AI on how to bring staff along, how audiences react, how the technology might affect creativity and – with some hope – how it might actually help journalism flourish in an ever more complex environment.”
Among the insights from report are these AI “to do” points for newsroom leaders:
• Journalism strategy: Define your mission, your audiences and the value you add to your audiences’ lives.
• Distribution strategy: Find the sweet spot between personalisation and creating shared experiences.
• Platform strategy: Invest in “owning” your audiences and decide where to create value on third-party platforms.
• Tech strategy: Define when to be a first mover and when being a smart adopter will do.
• Data strategy: Define how much trusted information you will share with everyone and how much of your content you will make proprietary.
• Talent strategy: Decide when to invest in journalism and when to invest in tech talent.
“With the explosion of artificial intelligence, we’re witnessing not only a technological revolution – the most powerful in our history – but also a milestone in the history of humanity,” Eric Scherer, Director News MediaLab and International Affairs at France Télévisions and Chair of the EBU News Committee, wrote in the report’s foreword.
“So, yes, we’re glad and lucky to be living in historic times. But, in an area so central to our democracies, beware of the elephant in the room: the loss of human control.”

Liz Corbin, Director of News at the EBU, said: “As a newsroom leader, there is nothing more daunting in this age of generative AI than the need to be at the cutting edge of technology while also being responsible for protecting the integrity of our journalism. This report provides inspiring examples and builds confidence that it’s possible to do both.
“For journalism to thrive, we must add value with brilliant storytelling, uniquely human voices, constant accountability and community connections as trusted partners of the audiences we serve.”
You are not signed in
Only registered users can comment on this article.

Ed Tischler appointed Managing Director of NEP UK
NEP Europe has appointed Ed Tischler as Managing Director of NEP UK.

James Harding to deliver Edinburgh TV Festival’s MacTaggart Lecture
James Harding, the Editor-in-Chief of The Observer and founder of Tortoise Media, is to deliver this year’s The James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture, the flagship address of the Edinburgh TV Festival.
 16x9.png)
Disney and ITV strike streaming agreement
The Walt Disney Company and ITV have unveiled a first-of-its-kind initiative to carry a selection of shows from each other’s UK streaming services in a bid to attract new audiences.

IBC2025 Conference to tackle M&E industry’s business-critical challenges
Running across three days, from 12-15 September, the IBC2025 Conference is set to welcome visionary speakers, industry leaders and innovators to tackle some of the biggest talking points across the media and entertainment industry.

UKTV Chief Creative Officer Richard Watsham to depart
Richard Watsham, Chief Creative Officer at UKTV and Global Director of Acquisitions for BBC Studios/UKTV, is stepping down from his roles in September after a 14-year tenure in the business.