At the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, some of India's most influential media leaders issued a clear and urgent message: Artificial intelligence can advance journalism, but only if it recognises and respects the value of verified news as a public good. The call came during a high‑level panel hosted by the Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA), where publishers pressed for accountability, fair compensation, and stronger collaboration between technology platforms and the news industry.
Moderated by EY's Ashish Pherwani, the session brought together senior figures in journalism including the Hindu Group's Navaneeth L.V., and INMA's Robert Whitehead.
DNPA Secretary General Sujata Gupta opened the conversation by underscoring that journalism in India is not simply content—it's democratic infrastructure. As AI transforms information flows, she said, issues of accountability, attribution and institutional trust must remain non‑negotiable.
A major point of consensus among the panelists was that journalism cannot be treated like generic internet content within AI systems. News, they argued, carries consequences beyond engagement metrics—shaping elections, influencing markets, and affecting social cohesion. “Journalism is intellectual property created with investment and editorial oversight,” said Mohit Jain, warning that AI‑driven commoditisation of information risks eroding trust.
Participants pointed to global policy shifts as evidence that the world is beginning to acknowledge the foundational role of journalism in AI ecosystems. The EU's AI Act now mandates labelling of AI‑generated output; France and Germany have enforced neighbouring rights that require platforms to negotiate compensation for use of news content; Australia's bargaining code has already resulted in substantial deals between tech platforms and publishers. These examples, they said, should guide India's own policy trajectory.
Whitehead highlighted a key concern: AI‑powered summaries in search environments are beginning to divert traffic away from publisher websites, undermining the revenue models that sustain newsroom operations. If journalistic content enhances AI accuracy, he argued, it must be fairly recognised—and remunerated.
But beyond compensation, India faces structural challenges unique to its linguistic and cultural landscape. Agarwal noted that foreign language models frequently misinterpret Indian languages and regional nuances. AI systems, he said, must reflect India's diversity rather than treat the country as a monolithic audience. Maheshwari echoed this, emphasising the need to invest in Indian data infrastructure and regional language capabilities to ensure true AI sovereignty.
Despite the concerns, speakers stressed that AI also offers meaningful opportunities—strengthening archives, improving contextual reporting, enhancing newsroom efficiency, and supporting subscription models. But trust, said Navaneeth L.V., is an institutional product, not a technological one. The challenge is ensuring that AI enhances credibility rather than diluting it.
A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the urgent need for structured, transparent partnerships between news publishers and technology platforms. As AI systems increasingly summarise, blend, and redistribute news content, publishers argued that fair attribution, reciprocity, and commercial clarity are essential for sustaining credible journalism.
The panel concluded with a shared understanding: AI presents transformative possibilities—but it also carries profound responsibility. As India accelerates its AI ambitions, protecting journalism's role as a trusted public good will be crucial to ensuring that technological progress strengthens, rather than weakens, the country's democratic resilience.
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