The Reuters Institute presented a one-day conference featuring presentations and panel discussions with experts from the University of Oxford and journalists from around the world.

Watch the whole event

10:00. AI and the future of news. What we know so far. 

• Mitali Mukherjee. Acting Director, Reuters Institute.
• Richard Fletcher. Director of Research, Reuters Institute. 

10:15. Power, profit and plurality in the age of generative AI.

The digital media landscape is heading for major disruption as generative AI is being used by AI developers, platforms and creators to find new ways of creating, accessing, and monetising information. The emergence of large language models from OpenAI, Google and others has precipitated an urgent strategic challenge for news publishers: how to maintain relevance, protect intellectual property, and secure sustainable revenue streams in an increasingly AI-driven information ecosystem. 

This panel will critically examine the complex power dynamics emerging between news organisations and AI developers, focusing on the critical challenges of content licensing, data valuation, and strategic positioning of publishers.

• Moderated by Federica Cherubini. Director of Leadership Development, Reuters Institute.
• Speakers: Felix Simon, Research Fellow, Reuters Institute; Andrew Strait, Associate Director, Ada Lovelace Institute; Matt Rogerson, Director, Global Public Policy and Platform Strategy, FT; and Klaudia Jaźwińska, researcher, Tow Center for Digital Journalism.

11:15. Research lightning talk.

Our researchers Richard Fletcher and Amy Ross Arguedas on how audiences feel on different AI uses for news drawing on findings from the Digital News Report 2024 and our survey on public attitudes on generative AI.

11:30. Are journalists telling the most relevant AI stories to their audiences? 

A large part of the industry’s focus has been on innovation, use and challenges of using AI in newsrooms. Three of our Journalist Fellows discuss whether journalists are reporting, documenting and sharing the most impactful AI-related stories to global audiences. What lessons can we share from different news outlets? And how do we report on AI keeping the needs of our audiences first?  

• Moderated by Eduardo Suárez, Head of Editorial, Reuters Institute.
• Speakers: Sannuta Raghu, Head of AI Lab, Scroll; Katharina Schell, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, APA; Jazmín Acuña, co-founder and editorial director, El Surtidor.

13:45. Research lightning talk.

Our Senior Research Associate Rasmus Nielsen on public attitudes towards platforms and AI, drawing on the findings of our recent report on digital platforms and on the Digital News Report 2024.

14:00. How three prominent newsrooms are using AI. 

Many news organisations have moved from experimentation to implementation when it comes to AI. But how have some of the leading international news organisations made use of generative AI and for what? What were the benefits, but also the hurdles they faced along the way? How did they overcome them and what work remains to be done? 

• Moderated by Felix Simon, Research Fellow, Reuters Institute.
• Speakers: Dylan Freedman, machine learning engineer and journalist, New York Times; Liz Lohn, Director of Product, AI and Editorial Tech, FT, Nathalie Malinarich, Director, Growth, Innovation and AI, BBC. 

14:45. How will AI reshape society? 

Journalism is changing through artificial intelligence. But this technology is also leaving its imprint on other parts of society, from politics to education. Bringing together experts from various fields, our final panel will discuss the wider applications of AI and society – as well as the risks thereof – and ask what is being done to steer AI in a beneficial direction for everyone.

• Moderated by Mitali Mukherjee, Acting Director, Reuters Institute. 
• Speakers: Victoria Nash, Director, Oxford Internet Institute; Chris Summerfield, Director, UK AI Safety Institute; and Roxana Radu, Associate Professor of Digital Technologies and Public Policy, Blavatnik School of Government.