The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) convened a leadership panel discussion on ‘AI and Media: Opportunities, Responsible Pathways, and the Road Ahead’ at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026, organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The session brought together senior leaders from India’s most influential news organisations along with global publishing representation to examine how artificial intelligence is transforming journalism, and how India must shape that transformation responsibly.
The panel was moderated by Ashish Pherwani, Partner – Media & Entertainment, EY. It featured Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group, Pawan Agarwal, Deputy Managing Director, Dainik Bhaskar Group, Tanmay Maheshwari, Managing Director, Amar Ujala Group, Mohit Jain, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director, Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, Navaneeth L.V., Chief Executive Officer, The Hindu Group and Robert Whitehead, Digital Platform Initiatives Lead, International News Media Association (INMA).
Opening the discussion, Sujata Gupta, Secretary General, DNPA, underscored the significance of journalism in the AI era. Artificial Intelligence is redefining how information is created, distributed and trusted, she noted, and in a diverse democracy like India, journalism is not simply content, it is democratic infrastructure. As India builds its AI capabilities, accountability, attribution and institutional trust must remain foundational, she said.
The conversation quickly moved to whether journalism must be treated differently from other content in AI systems. There was broad agreement that news carries consequences far beyond engagement metrics. It influences elections, markets, social stability and national security. Journalism is not a free-floating internet input, but intellectual property created through investment, editorial oversight and accountability. When AI begins to commoditise information, trust becomes scarce, and that scarcity creates value, said Mohit Jain.
The role of human judgment in newsroom AI adoption was strongly emphasised. AI can assist, but accountability must always have a name. If AI systems summarise and redistribute journalism, they are participating in public discourse and must be held to a higher standard of care, said Kalli Purie.
International developments formed a significant part of the dialogue. The European Union’s AI Act introduces labelling obligations for AI-generated content. France and Germany have operationalised neighbouring rights frameworks that require technology platforms to negotiate compensation agreements with publishers for the use of journalistic content. Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code has mandated commercial negotiations between platforms and publishers, leading to substantial remuneration deals. South Africa is advancing similar measures, while Norway has adopted structured funding mechanisms to support journalism sustainability. These global shifts reflect growing recognition that professional journalism is a foundational input for AI systems and must be valued accordingly.
AI-driven summaries in search environments are already diverting traffic away from publisher websites in several markets, weakening revenue models that sustain credible reporting. If journalism funds the accuracy of AI systems, there must be fair recognition and remuneration for that value, said Robert Whitehead.
Beyond remuneration, panelists stressed India’s structural realities. Foreign language models often underperform in Indian languages and fail to capture regional nuance. India cannot be treated as a single, homogenous audience. Tier 2 and Tier 3 India form the backbone of the country’s demographic strength, and AI systems must reflect linguistic diversity and cultural context, said Pawan Agarwal.
Citizens have a right to correct information. Protecting tomorrow requires investing today in Indian data infrastructure, regional language capability and traceability mechanisms. Without foundational infrastructure, meaningful AI sovereignty cannot be achieved, said Tanmay Maheshwari.
The discussion also addressed opportunity. AI can deepen archives, enhance contextual journalism, improve newsroom efficiency and strengthen subscription models. Trust, however, is not generated by technology, it is produced by institutions. The challenge is to ensure that AI enhances long-term credibility rather than eroding it, said Navaneeth L.V.
A consistent theme throughout the panel was the need for structured dialogue between technology platforms and publishers. Credible journalism cannot sustainably fund itself if traffic declines due to AI summaries and if original reporting is blended into anonymous outputs without attribution. Transparent partnerships grounded in reciprocity, attribution and commercial fairness are essential to sustain journalism in the AI era.
The session concluded with a shared understanding that artificial intelligence presents both immense opportunity and profound responsibility. As India accelerates its AI ambitions, safeguarding journalism as a trusted public good will remain central to ensuring that technological progress aligns with democratic resilience.
