RESEARCH
How public media organisations use AI: Industry Report
13 August 2025
The Public Media Alliance is publishing the first of two industry reports exploring how public service media organisations are using AI, in partnership with the University of Edinburgh.
What AI tools do public service media around the world use in journalism production? How do they use them? And where do these news organisations find alignment in deciding on their use?
This first of two industry reports answers those questions using technical surveys, organisational documents, and interviews with senior managers at thirteen public service media (PSM) organisations with varying levels of income in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Oceania.
It finds that there is significant disparity in the level of AI proficiency and preparedness between high income public media organisations and low income public media organisations. It also analyses the most common forms of AI tools.
This report stems from a larger academic research project, which was co-designed with the Public Media Alliance to inform collective discussions about PSM and AI, and was funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, as part of the Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) scheme. It was authored by Professor Kate Wright, Personal Chair in Media and Communications at the University of Edinburgh, and co-authored by Kristian Porter, the CEO of the Public Media Alliance.
The report maps current use of AI in journalism production at public media organisations: exploring which AI tools PSM use, how they use them, and how senior managers frame and justify their use in relation to PSM values.
Key findings:
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PSM have varying levels of experience with AI. Those with higher organisational incomes tended to have used AI for much longer than those with lower incomes. Those with low incomes tended not to have developed any AI strategies yet.
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High-income and medium-income PSM were more able to talk to one another via formal associations, informal networks and bilateral relationships. However, other low and medium-income PSM appear to have been less frequently included in these exchanges, including those in politically sensitive countries as well as PSM in countries likely to experience the worst effects of climate change.
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There are three key challenges for low and medium-income PSM:
- The lack of comparable regional PSM-focussed hubs to EBU that are able to invest significant resources into responsible AI;
- Lower income PSMs’ difficulties in finding the time and energy to engage in these conversations;
- And higher income PSMs’ lack of understanding of the limitations faced by less well-resourced peers.
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The most common usage of AI involves using speech-to-text tools to transcribe content or create closed captions, almost all of which were checked manually. However, PSM with obligations to serve the speakers of minority and Indigenous languages faced particularly difficult ethical, political, financial and technical challenges, which deserve greater attention.
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PSMs’ dependence on the AI tools provided by the ‘Big Five’ technology companies was less pronounced than expected, although there was evidence that they provided vital infrastructure.
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Despite the pressure on PSM to create complete ‘alternatives’ to commercial AI, this is not always possible because of the limited number of foundational models. Generating greater relative independence from commercial AI also takes specialist expertise and financial resources that most PSM simply do not have.
A second report will explore PSMs’ organisational policies, the responsibilities of PSM in relation to AI, and the dilemmas they face regarding AI procurement.
It is hoped these reports will contribute to an urgently needed body of knowledge about the evolving role of AI in public service media, providing a foundation for more informed, collective discussion within the industry about how to harness technological innovation in a way that strengthens—rather than compromises— the democratic mission of PSM.
“Public media professionals worldwide have long sought comparative insights into AI tools and practices. This first industry report helps to fill that gap, and we are delighted to be able to present the first broadly-based international research project on this topic.
“We are deeply grateful to the public media organisations who took part in this project and thank them for their trust and for allowing us to use their insights to inform other PSMs in the interests of democracy.” – Prof. Kate Wright, Professor of Media and Communication, University of Edinburgh
We welcome any feedback on how this report has influenced change at public media organisations.
Contact info@publicmediaalliance.org if you would like to contribute your developments.
PSM & AI
Part 1: Mapping how public service media use AI in journalism
July 2025
Lead Author: Professor Kate Wright, Chair of Media and Communication at the University of Edinburgh.
Co-Author: Kristian Porter, CEO of the Public Media Alliance
This work was funded by BRAID, a UK-wide programme dedicated to integrating arts and humanities research more fully into the responsible AI ecosystem, as well as bridging the divides between academic, industry, policy and regulatory work on responsible AI. BRAID is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
