When AI and journalism collide: Navigating a complex landscape

With most newsrooms using AI to speed up content production, there’s growing concern over how AI algorithms use published content in their training models – often without recognition or compensation to the original content creators or owners. This is causing tension between media companies and big tech firms.    

Key developments entering 2025 

This tension came to the fore in 2024, when the confluence of journalism and AI-generated content raised some critical questions about ethics, intellectual property, and commercial models.  

This hit the headlines when News Corp filed a lawsuit against AI search engine Perplexity for copyright and trademark infringement, accusing the company of using its content without permission. The lawsuit demands significant damages and the removal of the content from Perplexity’s database.    

The case highlights a major issue for media companies – how do you protect IP in the age of AI? As technologies like GPT-4 become more widespread, media organisations must balance using AI for content distribution with safeguarding proprietary content. 

News Corp’s multi-year global partnership with OpenAI, also agreed in 2024, provides an example of an alternative, strategic approach to monetise digital content while maintaining control over distribution.  

Both these paths – litigation and partnership – could set future roadmaps for other media organisations to explore protecting their assets and IP in the age of AI.   

The focus for 2025 and beyond  

News Corp’s lawsuit raises important ethical concerns. AI’s ability to quickly generate and distribute content can lead to situations where creators don't receive compensation. Media companies must ensure that AI-generated content respects copyright laws and provides fair remuneration to journalists. Maintaining this balance is key to preserving the integrity of journalistic content in the digital age.  

The need for collaboration and transparency 

The lack of clear regulations governing AI content creation is a major issue. Governments and media organisations need to collaborate to establish policies that protect both content creators and consumers. Similarly, transparency in AI models is crucial. Media companies and AI firms are under scrutiny to disclose the data sources and algorithms used in content generation to avoid biases and ensure trust.   

Sustaining public trust 

AI-generated content risks eroding public trust, particularly through ‘hallucinations’ – where AI models generate false or misleading information. Both News Corp and Condé Nast have identified examples where Perplexity has generated false content and attributed it to their publications. If users are unaware that content is AI-generated, they may mistake these hallucinations for legitimate news, undermining the credibility of news outlets.    

Managing IP for commercial growth 

We’re increasingly seeing publishing clients grapple with how to navigate and balance the challenges of AI-driven efficiency and content monetisation. Throughout 2025, we expect to see publishers focusing on how to best protect and manage their IP for commercial growth – building frameworks and AI centres of excellence focused on content.  

We also expect to see a boom in the number of strategic partnerships between content owners and the firms building AI tools – not just with market leaders like Google and OpenAI, but also with specialist AI engines for focused professional information markets (eg scientific journals and law reports).

Discover more perspectives on key trends shaping TMT in 2025