AI chatbot usage for news consumption rises globally

Research from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism indicates a growing trend in news consumption via generative artificial intelligence. Globally, 10 percent of audiences now use AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini, for information, up from 7 percent the previous year.

Usage is most prevalent among young adults aged 18 to 24, with 17 percent using chatbots for news. Primary motivations for using these tools include the ability to ask follow-up questions (42 percent), obtaining the latest news (35 percent), summarizing content (34 percent), and simplifying complex topics (30 percent). Additionally, 33 percent of users utilize AI to help assess the credibility of news sources.

While only 1 percent of users cite chatbots as their primary news source, the shift presents challenges for traditional media outlets facing declining engagement and traffic. Experts suggest that media organizations may need to adapt by providing clearer, higher-quality explanations of complex issues to compete with the personalized summaries offered by AI.