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Only six per cent of people use AI weekly for news, according to Reuters Institute research — but that figure has doubled in just a year.

As generative AI tools become more embedded in daily life, the narratives journalists create about artificial intelligence — and the blind spots they leave — are profoundly shaping public understanding.

At the Reuters Institute’s AI and the Future of News 2026 event today (17 March 2026), three leading experts explored how the media is framing the AI discourse, what’s missing from the conversation, and how journalism can rise to the challenge.

The top line? Despite surging public awareness and use of generative AI, most people remain wary of its role in news, and critical gaps persist in how the industry explains, investigates, and holds AI power to account.

The cost of imprecision: why vague reporting on AI persists

Joanna S. Kao, senior editor for information and artificial intelligence at the Pulitzer Center, highlighted a persistent weakness in AI coverage: the tendency to use "AI" as a catch-all term, often without clarifying what specific technology is being discussed or how it actually works.

The lack of detail, she argued, makes it difficult for audiences to understand whether the right kind of AI is being applied to a given problem, and who ultimately benefits from its deployment.

The imprecision is not accidental, either. The mystique and jargon surrounding AI often serve the interests of powerful tech companies, who benefit when journalists and the public are kept at arm's length from the details.

She cited the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight Series, which........

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