How is AI being used in newsrooms in the Global South and emerging economies?
Which Journalistic Functions Are — or Are Not — Being Reframed by AI?
This is an extract from a report exploring Journalism in the AI Era: Opportunities and Challenges in the Global South, by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, that I wrote earlier this year. Read the Executive Summary here. Over the coming week, I am posting the study on a chapter-by-chapter basis.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used by newsrooms for more than a decade. Early efforts focused on a range of tasks including automating routine reporting, creating and tagging metadata, transcription, translation, and a number of other workstreams.
The next iteration of this technology, generative AI, has emerged since late-2022 and quickly gone mainstream, beginning to transform multiple industries in the process. Journalism is no exception, with AI already starting to reshape how news is researched, produced, and consumed.
This rapid technological evolution presents a mix of opportunities and challenges for journalists and newsrooms worldwide, which mirrors the differing perspectives that are seen throughout this report.
On the one hand, tools like ChatGPT, Descript, and other AI-powered platforms are being integrated into journalistic workflows, promising a mixture of efficiency and creative augmentation. These technologies can help write articles, edit videos and podcasts, analyse data, create visualisations, and even generate content in multiple languages. This impact can be transformative.
“It has made content generation faster and more efficient. AI has transformed how I conduct media research. With AI-powered tools, I can gather, analyse, and synthesize large volumes of data quickly. AI has also made editing more efficient, allowing me to ensure that content is error-free, concise and aligned with our brand’s tone.”
Survey participant, Zimbabwe
At the same time, AI technologies also raise profound questions about ethics, accuracy, and the role of human judgment in journalism.
“Whether using AI or not,[2] journalist[s] must fact check, apply ethics and verify what AI has presented.” Editor, Malawi
Within this, concerns about misinformation, algorithmic bias and the erosion of critical journalistic skills are among the most pressing.
“I am worried about plagiarism and misinformation. There may be a blind belief in AI.” Reporter, Guatemala
Alongside this, there are wider worries about job displacement, driven by long-standing media tropes that “robots are coming for your job,” and the impact of AI that is already being felt across major newsrooms and other industries.
“I fear AI would render a huge majority of journalists jobless due to loss of work to AI and AI-powered systems.” Reporter, Kenya
Although attitudes towards AI varied across our survey respondents, many expressed a cautious optimism about the potential AI may afford.
This is not entirely surprising. After all, our respondents are self-selecting, having chosen to participate in a survey about AI, so their perspectives may reflect journalists who are more engaged with and aware of AI’s potential.
“On the positive side, AI tools can streamline workflows, freeing journalists to focus on storytelling and in-depth reporting. Yet, there’s a real concern about over-reliance, especially if AI-generated content leads to uniformity or diminishes the human insight critical to good journalism.” Reporter, India
Nevertheless, although this is not a representative sample, our survey responses also include the views of those less familiar with, or sceptical of AI, including non-users.
Later in this report, we dive into some of the challenges and fears that both groups shared with us. We begin, however, by exploring trends in AI usage, and how AI is being adopted in newsrooms across the Global South and emerging economies.
Journalistic functions and use
AI adoption among the journalists that we surveyed is substantial, underscoring the importance of AI technologies in newsrooms around the world. More than eight in ten (81.7%) told us that they use AI in their work, with nearly half (49.4%) using these technologies daily, and a further 30.6% using it weekly.
These journalists are leveraging AI for a variety of tasks, with improving content (55.3%), translation (51.8%), as well as research and inspiration (48.8%) being the top uses. Data analysis (42.9%) and fact-checking (37.6%) are also significant practices.
“I can say for the past 18 months; AI has significantly enhanced my journalism. It has streamlined my research as it has confidently encouraged me to access complex data quickly and accurately, especially in areas like HIV research and environmental reporting.” Editor, Ghana
The fact-checking potential of AI can support the needs of both journalists and consumers.
One example of this is MyAIFactChecker. Described as “Africa’s first AI-powered fact-checking tool,” and available in seven different local languages, it was launched in 2024 by FactCheckAfrica, a Nigerian-based independent fact-checking platform. Users can verify news and information by inputting a query and then waiting for an answer to be returned. This includes details of the sources that have been searched.
Outside of these more popular uses of AI, tasks like transcription (34.1%), content creation (30.6% for text, 21.2% for multimedia), and design (18.2%) saw lower adoption rates. This may reflect the level of frequency with which individual journalists are undertaking these types of tasks, rather than being a reflection on AI technologies per se.
As AI tools develop, these numbers may also change, as technology enables journalists to take on tasks that were previously highly specialised. By way of an example, one journalist in Gambia, shared with us how they had used keywords in an AI program to design a logo. “I love the outcome,” they said. However, it’s clear that this type of work isn’t something that much of our sample does, or uses AI for, at this time.
AI tools and their impact
Not only are the journalists we sampled using AI on a regular basis, but they also acknowledge that it has often had made a major contribution to their work.
“I use AI in designing still images for posters. I use AI in sound processing. I use AI in the translation of my subtitles. There is a proliferation of AI software in all categories: publishing, multimedia, visual infographics.” Reporter, Cameroon
Among our survey respondents, more than half (52.4%) felt that AI’s impact had been discernible over the last 18 months. Just over one in ten (12.4%) said it had influenced their work “to a great extent,” in the past year while four in ten (40%) said it had impacted them “to a large extent.”
“Thanks to AI I was able to quickly generate ideas in situations where it is impossible to brainstorm with colleagues and when it is difficult to start a task due to the “fear of a blank sheet”. In addition, it became possible to work with texts in different languages, analyse them and make extracts quickly and conveniently.” Manager, Armenia
One reason why some of our respondents have found AI to be so impactful can be seen in the breadth of ways that it can be used. As we have seen, journalists are harnessing AI for a range purposes. Examples cited by our sample include automatic language transcription, captioning and speech to text, as well as research and document analysis.
“As a business reporter in Sub-Saharan Africa, AI has improved the depth at which I process data and do research for feature stories. This has led to richer context and depth in stories.” Reporter, Kenya
Respondents also told us that AI had, in some cases, helped them save time too. According to one Editor in the Philippines, AI had “cut down workflow processes by 30 percent, particularly in analysis and basic proofreading.”
Other participants highlighted similar time-saving benefits, using AI for idea generation, as well as a number of other activities[14] including the drafting and editing of content. (It’s worth noting that outlets such as the Associated Press (AP) have been using automated reporting for more formulaic content, such as earnings reports, over the past decade.
“I use AI in text editing and idea generation, and this has saved me a lot of time. I find I develop initial drafts quicker, and AI has helped me edit and paraphrase.” Media manager, Uganda
ChatGPT is the most common tool cited by our sample, reflecting its leading status in many markets around the world.[18] As one manager in east Africa noted, “the paid version of ChatGPT has a bit of everything in it.”
Another African-based respondent explained how “ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has become an essential companion in sub-editing my newspaper articles, offering a quick, reliable and efficient solution to refining my content before it reaches publication.”
Though ChatGPT use is popular among our sample, journalists and managers are using a range of AI services, depending on the functions that they need. Our respondents are also using AI products like Grammarly, Canva, Gemini, Dall E, Otter, Meta AI, Midjourney and many others.
One participant in India highlighted this plurality by sharing with us how “in my work, I’ve used ChatGPT for drafting emails and reports, Microsoft Power BI for data visualization and insights, and Grammarly for proofreading.” “These tools streamline communication, enhance data analysis, and improve document quality, allowing me to focus more on strategic tasks and ensure greater accuracy and efficiency,” they add.
Non-users
Despite the increasing deployment of AI in journalism, nearly one in five (18.3%) of respondents revealed that they do not use AI in their work.
“I have not yet had the chance to confront the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in journalism.” Reporter, Benin
The reasons for this included a lack of awareness and knowledge about the tools themselves, lack of training opportunities, limited access to AI tools, as well as issues of cost and connectivity, and additional concerns about the accuracy and reliability of these technologies.
“I believe there is a need for more accessible AI tools tailored specifically for newsrooms in low-resource settings like ours.” Newsroom manager, Sierra Leone
There is also a sense among some users that the benefits of this technology may have been over-hyped. As one editor based in Hong Kong put it: “the power and advances of AI often seem overblown to me.” “The quality of the content produced by AI seems to be lacking and ripe for manipulation,” they added, and “even simple spell checker tools like Grammarly do not have the same capabilities as a human editor.”
The reticence that we see among some of our sample is understandable, not least because the journalism landscape is full of recent examples of technologies that were supposed to revolutionise journalism. From smartwatches to smart speakers and voice technology, through to blockchain, Web 3, and immersive technologies like augmented and virtual reality — when it comes to how the news is created and delivered — these technologies have, so far, overwhelmingly underwhelmed.
However, there is a sense that AI is different. Arguably, its use is already more prevalent and commonplace in newsrooms than several of these other new technologies. As a result, adoption may be at a tipping point, with the result that even its most ardent sceptics recognise this is a tech trend that may become impossible to ignore.
“AI is the future, it is all around us, it is futile to fight it, it is all-powerful, it is inevitable. Or so I’m told. So, despite my great suspicion of AI — or should I say because of it — I have come to realise it is time to begin adequately familiarising myself with what I secretly fear as a formidable foe. Who knows, in it I might even find a favoured friend.” Editor, India
Nevertheless, even AI’s advocates are alive to some of the challenges with this — still relatively — nascent technology. Misgivings around accuracy, for example, abound, and not just among non-users.
As one editor from Bhutan reflected, “while I see the potential for AI to enhance reporting, I worry about the risk of misinformation and bias if these tools are not used responsibly.” “It’s essential to maintain our ethical standards and ensure that AI serves to support, rather than undermine, the trust we build with our audience,” they added.
Meanwhile, a respondent from Ghana, while pointing to the benefits that AI can deliver for data-driven stories, also observed that “though generative AI tools are impressive, there are issues with bias [and the] production of misleading information.”
“AI in journalism offers vast potential but requires careful handling. While AI can streamline research, detect trends, and personalize content, there’s a risk of compromising authenticity if overused.
A primary concern is losing human judgment; machines may lack the nuanced understanding essential for ethical reporting.” Editor, Philippines
These insights articulate the complex relationship that many journalists have with AI. Our survey suggests that a lot of journalists recognise its potential, however they also harbour doubts about possible negative effects on their profession.
At the same time, the perceptions of non-users offer a helpful perspective into some of the ideological, technological and financial barriers that need to be overcome if AI adoption is to grow. These concerns need to be appreciated and addressed if efforts are to successfully bridge the gap between early adopters and their more hesitant colleagues.
About the Author
Damian Radcliffe is a journalist, researcher, and professor based at the University of Oregon. He holds the Chambers Chair in Journalism and is a Professor of Practice, an affiliate faculty member of the Department for Middle East and North Africa Studies (MENA) and the Agora Journalism Center, and a Research Associate of the Center for Science Communication Research (SCR).
He is an expert on digital trends, social media, technology, the business of media, the evolution of present-day journalistic practice, and the role played by media and technology in the Middle East.
Working closely with the team at the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), Damian was the author of this new TRF Insights report.
