This article offers a snapshot of the NMC’s current assessment and debate surrounding AI and journalism as of June 2025. Given the pace of technological advancement and the resulting rapid legal developments, the NMC will continue to monitor and report on these issues frequently, ensuring members remain informed and equipped to respond.
At the NMC Annual General Assembly in April, members and partners gathered to tackle one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing journalism today: the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of news media and newsgathering.
As AI technologies continue to advance at pace, the NMC is ramping up its engagement across litigation monitoring, industry responses, and policy development to defend and promote Primary Source Journalism (PSJ).
Mounting Litigation – and Landmark Cases
One key aspect of the NMC’s work is keeping members informed about the growing number of legal cases testing the boundaries of copyright and AI use. As of March 2025, dozens of lawsuits are underway across the United States against major tech companies, with OpenAI facing 15 individual claims, Microsoft 12, and Meta five.
Three potentially precedent-setting cases are especially relevant to PSJ and the wider content industry:
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Getty Images (US) v Stability AI Ltd. – focusing on alleged unauthorised scraping and use of copyrighted photographs for AI training.
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The New York Times v OpenAI – concerning unauthorised reproduction of written content and database infringement.
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Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre GmbH v ROSS Intelligence Inc. – raising questions around fair use of legal content in AI systems.
These cases may shape global norms on whether generative AI tools can be trained on copyrighted content without explicit permission or compensation.
AI and the News Industry: Embracing, but on Guard
While many news organisations are experimenting with AI tools for content production, distribution, and workflow efficiency, there is also growing concern about protecting the underlying value of journalism. The NMC has been engaging in ongoing dialogue with member organisations and policy institutions about the risks and opportunities posed by AI adoption.
In the UK, the government’s consultation on AI copyright rules received over 11,500 submissions, including a collective mobilisation from the content industry – news publishers, broadcasters, and creators alike – to ensure that copyright protections are not eroded under the guise of innovation.
The message from NMC members is clear: AI must serve journalism, not undermine it.
Where AI Policy Fails Journalism
As highlighted during the session led by the NMC Secretariat, the coalition continues to raise concerns over systemic weaknesses in government approaches to AI and content rights:
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A political focus on AI investment is displacing adequate economic impact assessments on the creative sector.
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AI developers persist in scraping and training on content without licensing or consent.
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There is little to no remuneration flowing back to journalists and content creators.
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Technical solutions for opting out (e.g., metadata, “do not scrape” signals) are flawed, unenforceable, or ignored.
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There is no proven system of ‘indelible watermarking’ that could reliably protect rights holders in an AI environment.
The EU’s AI Act, while a landmark legislative instrument, does not offer an adequate blueprint for national copyright protections, as noted by guest speaker Angela Mills Wade, Executive Director of the European Publishers Council.
What’s Next for the NMC
The NMC will continue to push for AI regulation that recognises the foundational role of fact-based, independent journalism in democratic society. That includes calling for:
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Transparent disclosure of training datasets by AI developers.
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Clear licensing obligations for any use of copyrighted content.
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Effective safeguards for PSJ, whether text, photography, or audiovisual material.
This is not a battle between creatives and technology. As noted during the AGM, AI and journalism can exist in synergistic harmony—but only if AI tools are developed and deployed rewarding journalistic professionalism and endeavour; and with respect for intellectual property, ethical integrity, and the public’s right to real, trusted information.
