Ofcom: one in five Brits now use AI to keep up with the news

[Ann]

Ofcom's latest news consumption research shows that 21 percent of UK adults have used AI tools to get news in the past month. ChatGPT alone is used for news by 13 percent of adults. At the same time, 56 percent say they trust news written by AI less than stories written by humans. So people are using it, but they are not sure they believe it

The wider picture is that most people no longer go directly to news sources. Ofcom's Ian Macrae said the news is coming to people through different online intermediaries rather than them seeking it out. 82 percent of adults got news online in the past month, 79 percent from television and 60 percent through social media and video platforms. Only 57 percent went directly to a news publisher's own site or app. That is a big change from a decade ago

Among younger people, social media dominates. 78 percent of 16 to 24 year olds use social or video platforms for news, and the same proportion of 12 to 15 year olds come across news there. On TikTok, children are now slightly more likely to see news from influencers than from broadcasters, at 46 percent versus 42 percent. Facebook remains the most used social platform for news at 39 percent, but YouTube is catching up fast at 33 percent

Traditional broadcasters still do well on trust. Television and radio rate higher than online platforms for accuracy and impartiality, and during the May 2026 elections 62 percent of people used television for election news. The BBC reaches 80 percent of adults and 67 percent of 16 to 24 year olds, which is still a huge share. No other outlet comes close. People spend an average of 34 minutes a day on news online compared with 18 minutes on television

I find the AI figure the most interesting part. One in five is a lot for something that barely existed as a news source a few years ago. With chatbots known to make mistakes, should people be worried about getting news this way, and do you ever ask AI what is happening in the world?

One in five Brits using AI to keep up with newswww.ofcom.org.uk