Founded by Emmy Award-winning journalist Jeff Kofman, Trint is an AI-powered SaaS platform for transcription and content creation.
The company recently surveyed Producers, Editors, and Correspondents from 29 newsrooms worldwide to learn how they plan to integrate AI into their workflows in the year ahead.
Trint’s Key Findings
- Nearly half (42.3%) of journalists surveyed are using generative AI tools not approved or purchased by their organisation.
- 72% of newsrooms are concerned about inaccurate outputs when deploying generative AI. 55% of respondents were also worried about reputational damage, and 45% cited data privacy as a serious concern.
- 69% of respondents said that making efficiency gains was their prime reason for adopting Gen AI in 2025. Staying ahead of competitors was also a major driver, with 55% citing this reason.
- Newsrooms plan to use Gen AI for menial tasks rather than replacing skilled workers, with common uses including transcription (82%), information gathering (64%), translation (61%), and data analysis (57%).
- To mitigate AI risks, 64% of organisations plan to improve employee education, and 57% will introduce new policies on AI usage.
- Half (50%) of newsrooms plan to develop their own AI solutions, while the other half will buy off-the-shelf technology. Those opting to build cited better control and customisation as key reasons for developing their own tools.
Newsrooms Want to Improve Efficiency, Not Find New Capabilities
According to the survey, newsroom executives want to leverage AI to help them do more with less rather than radically changing how they work or seeking ways to monetise AI directly. Making efficiency gains was a key driver behind adopting generative AI for 69% of the survey respondents. Over half (55%) also reported that staying ahead of their competitors had been a factor in adopting Gen AI.
While there is strong interest in speeding up workflows, there is little indication that newsrooms expect Gen AI to directly improve audience engagement or generate revenue in 2025. While there is excitement about what Gen AI can deliver, newsrooms are focused on the bottom line, not the top line.
Gen AI Will Take Care of Menial Tasks, Freeing Up Time for Creativity
The survey revealed that newsrooms are more interested in using Gen AI for mundane, menial tasks rather than creative work. Key activities such as transcription, translation, and data gathering and analysis will be automated, enabling journalists to focus on higher-value tasks. AI transcription will be especially popular, with 89% of respondents reporting that they plan to let AI take care of the heavy lifting in this area in the next 1–3 years.
However, newsrooms will remain cautious when it comes to using AI for creative endeavours, such as writing articles or video production. Concerns over potential inaccuracies, hallucinations, and a lack of originality are expected to keep such tasks in skilled human hands.
For Better or Worse, Shadow AI Is on the Rise
One of the more surprising findings from the study is the extent to which shadow AI—where staff use AI tools they’ve purchased personally without company approval—has become a pervasive issue. The survey found that nearly half of interviewees (42.3%) admitted to using AI tools not sanctioned by their organisation in their everyday working practices. With potential risks around security, data privacy, and regulatory compliance, newsrooms will need to collaborate with staff to find safe AI solutions.
Responsible AI Use Will Be Promoted
While AI presents a lot of opportunities, it does not come without risks—and newsrooms will have to move quickly to mitigate these in 2025. 72% of newsrooms surveyed said that the risk of inaccurate outputs is a major concern when it comes to deploying generative AI in their organisation, followed by journalistic reputational damage (55%). Data privacy was also a serious concern for 45% of respondents.
To mitigate the risks associated with Gen AI, 64% of newsrooms said they plan to prioritise employee education on AI usage. 57% also stated that they want to implement company-wide policies on responsible AI use. Clearly, keeping humans in the loop for verification and training will be a major part of newsrooms’ mitigation tactics over the next year.
Despite the focus on taking proactive security measures, the survey did reveal one interesting weak point: newsrooms are less inclined to scrutinise their AI vendors, with just 18% saying this would form part of their strategy.
Newsrooms Are Split on Building vs Buying AI Solutions
When it comes to integrating Gen AI, newsrooms are evenly split on whether to build their own AI solutions in-house or buy off-the-shelf products from vendors. Newsrooms with more bespoke needs and sufficient technical resources are likely to build their own capabilities, ensuring greater control over data and customisation.
However, for many organisations lacking in-house technical expertise, purchasing ready-made AI solutions will be a more viable option. The key for newsrooms in 2025 will be understanding their internal resources, budgets, and technical capabilities before making a decision.
Commenting on the survey findings, Tessa Kaday, Director of Product at Trint, said: “One surprising insight from our survey was just how widespread shadow AI has become. Many newsroom employees are experimenting with AI tools on their own, even going so far as paying for access themselves. While it is great to see that the workforce is eager to innovate, this kind of unsupervised AI use raises significant security, data privacy, and regulatory concerns. In 2025, organisations will need to move quickly to ensure AI is rolled out safely, preventing employees from resorting to potentially unsafe, unsanctioned tools.
“While AI is shaking things up across the industry, it is reassuring to see that core values like trustworthy reporting and journalistic integrity remain unchanged in many newsrooms. The newsrooms we surveyed want to leverage AI to handle more mundane tasks—like transcription, translation, and data crunching—so their talented teams can focus on more creative and impactful work.
“The survey also uncovered some security blind spots newsrooms might want to address in 2025. Interestingly, only 18% of the newsrooms surveyed said they would thoroughly vet potential tech vendors. While it can be tough for decision-makers to get to grips with complex algorithms and data privacy protocols, it is crucial to properly investigate the security implications before adopting a new tool. We strongly encourage newsrooms to dig deep into these considerations when evaluating new products.”
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