The Digital News Publishers Association (DNPA) spearheaded an Indian newsroom leadership panel dialogue on “AI and Media: Opportunities, Responsible Pathways, and the Road Ahead” at the AI Impact Summit 2026, organised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in New Delhi.
The worthwhile session addressed significant matters of contention, as artificial intelligence continues to take over almost all aspects of our lives, including newsroom held to a high standard when it comes to issues like accountability and fact-checking.
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Senior leaders from across the board came together for the discussion. And so, the panel moderated by Ashish Pherwani, Partner – Media & Entertainment, EY, offered a platform to executives from the country’s most influential news organisation, alongside global representatives.
Those in attendance were: 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).
Senior media bigwigs comment on balancing newsroom AI adoption
From India, Sujata Gupta, Secretary General, DNPA, opened the interaction, noting how journalism in a diverse democracy like India couldn’t be reduced to “content,” it is “democratic infrastructure.” She emphasised, “As India builds its AI capabilities, accountability, attribution and institutional trust must remain foundational.”
Meanwhile, Pawan Agarwal drew attention to how India couldn’t be treated as a single, homogenous audience. Therefore, foreign language models end up underperforming in Indian language, while failing to see through regional nuance.
“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,” he added.
Similarly, Tanmay Maheshwari asserted, “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.”
Staying on the same page, Mohit Jain also agreed, “When AI begins to commoditise information, trust becomes scarce—and that scarcity creates value.”
It was particularly highlighted that news played a pivotal role, which was a lot bigger than simply just acquiring engagement metrics. Considering how it impacts elections, markets, social stability and national security, the discussion foregrounded journalism is not a “free-floating internet input but intellectual property created through investment, editorial oversight and accountability.”
Additionally, Navaneeth L.V said, “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.”
Robert Whitehead noted that the conversation in focus was of particular interest at a time when AI-driven responses and summaries have taken a toll on publisher websites in several markets. Consequently, this has resulted in the dampening of revenue models, which are much needed for financially backing credible new coverage.
“If journalism funds the accuracy of AI systems, there must be fair recognition and remuneration for that value,” he added.
The prime focus of the dialogue between tech platforms and publishers, however, remained that transparent partnerships may just be the need of the hour, as credible journalism will fail to sustain itself if newsroom traffic vanishes on the account of AI emergence.
International developments on the newsroom-AI debate also became an indispensable aspect of the summit talks. While Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code had mandated commercial negotiations between platforms and publishers, leading to substantial remuneration deals, the European Union’s AI Act has introduced labelling obligations for AI-generated content.
South Africa is also following suit with similar steps. Meanwhile, Norway has adopted structured funding mechanisms to support journalism sustainability.