Left to right: Mitali Mukherjee (Reuters Institute), Jane Barrett (Reuters), David Rhodes (Sky News), Basia Cummings (The Observer), Nic Newman (Reuters Institute)

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Legacy news organisations are pressing ahead to reinvent themselves as the Reuters Institute Digital News Report (DNR) 2025 confirms what they already know: the media landscape is shifting beneath their feet.

From massive AI investments to subscription experiments and radical transparency projects, traditional publishers are sizing up new strategies to survive an increasingly fragmented and volatile media environment.

Reuters is one of the most aggressive investors in generative AI technology among news organisations, committing $200 million annually to AI development after an initial $100 million investment following ChatGPT's launch in 2022.

This massive bet comes as DNR reveals that 7 per cent of global audiences currently use AI chatbots and interfaces for news, though adoption jumps to 15 per cent amongst under-25s who use AI to access news weekly.

Jane Barrett, Reuters' head of AI strategy says the investment reflects a company-wide recognition that AI will fundamentally alter how knowledge exchange works.

"Our position was very much that we're going to lead that and not have it happen to us," Barrett explained during a panel discussion on the launch of the DNR.

Every single Reuters staffer is now using AI tools at least 20 times monthly, in line with public acceptance. The report notes: "Audiences remain........

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