AI and the Newsroom next door

Artificial intelligence is transforming journalism - reshaping how news is produced, distributed, and consumed. Across the world, newsroom ecosystems are evolving as AI becomes a core part of journalistic processes. From automating workflows and deepening audience engagement to creating revenue models that sustain independent journalism.

The JournalismAI Innovation Challenge, supported by the Google News Initiative was launched in 2024 to support small newsrooms around the world to experiment and implement AI-driven solutions that enhance their journalistic workflows or processes.

This report captures the collective experiences of 35 news organisations across 22 countries that participated in the first JournalismAI Innovation Challenge. Through detailed case studies, it documents how newsrooms designed, tested, and implemented AI tools - sharing the practical lessons that emerged from real-world experimentation.

The report uncovers what innovation, with the use of AI, truly looks like in practice. While challenges such as technological precision, localisation, and adoption persist, AI is simultaneously driving efficiency, reducing costs, creating new revenue streams, and empowering journalists to make faster, smarter, and more impactful decisions.

This report is not an instruction manual, but it should serve to inspire you with a wide range of ways to use AI. As AI continues to reshape the media landscape, we hope this report will offer practical lessons small newsrooms can adapt to their own context and explore new pathways to sustainability and ethical innovation in journalism.