"Editorial Responsibility Can't Be Automated": News Leaders At AI Summit 2026

The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) hosted a high-level leadership discussion on artificial intelligence and journalism at the IndiaAI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi on Monday. The summit was organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The DNPA represents the online arms of India's leading news organisations.

The February 16 session, titled “AI and Media: Opportunities, Responsible Pathways, and the Road Ahead”, brought together senior leaders from India's top news organisations and global publishing groups to discuss how artificial intelligence is changing journalism and how India can manage this change responsibly.

Speakers shared that while AI can assist newsrooms, editorial responsibility cannot be automated.

Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group, said that if AI systems summarise or redistribute journalism, they are participating in public discourse and must meet higher standards of accountability. AI can assist, but accountability must always have a name, she said.

Sujata Gupta, Secretary General of DNPA, said artificial intelligence is changing how information is created, distributed and trusted.

Mohit Jain, Chief Operating Officer & Executive Director at Bennett Coleman & Company Limited, shared that as AI commoditises information, trust becomes scarce and that scarcity increases its value.

The discussion looked at how other countries are handling AI rules and payments to news publishers. The European Union's AI Act requires clear labels for content created by AI. France and Germany have introduced rules that make tech platforms pay publishers for using their news content.

Australia's News Media Bargaining Code has resulted in payment deals between digital platforms and news organisations. South Africa and Norway are also working on steps to support and protect journalism.

Robert Whitehead, Digital Platform Initiatives Lead of International News Media Association (INMA), pointed out that AI-generated summaries in search results are already reducing traffic to publisher websites in several markets. If journalism strengthens AI systems' accuracy, fair recognition and remuneration must follow, he said.

The panel also acknowledged AI's potential benefits. Artificial intelligence can help strengthen archives, improve newsroom efficiency, contextual reporting and support subscription growth.

Navaneeth LV, CEO of The Hindu Group, said that trust is built by institutions, not technology. The real challenge is ensuring that AI improves long-term credibility instead of weakening it, he said.

Speakers said tech companies and news publishers should talk to each other regularly. They said giving proper credit and fair payment is important to support journalism in the age of AI.

The session ended with agreement that artificial intelligence brings big opportunities, but also serious responsibility.

The India AI Impact Summit 2026, being held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The five-day event is focused on collaboration under the themes of “People, Planet and Progress.”