The Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026 finds that weekly use of AI chatbots for news has climbed from 7 to 10 percent globally.
AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are playing a bigger, though still small, role in how people get their news. That's the takeaway from the Reuters Institute's Digital News Report 2026. Weekly chatbot use for news rose from 7 to 10 percent worldwide. Just 1 percent of respondents call AI chatbots their main news source. The growth is mostly coming from markets in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southern and Eastern Europe.
Young, news-hungry users are leading the charge
Chatbot news use skews young and engaged, according to the study. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, 17 percent use chatbots for news, compared to just 5 percent in the oldest age group. The 25-to-34 bracket saw the strongest relative growth, jumping 4 percentage points.
Usage among self-described "news lovers" hits 18 percent, well above the 7 percent among casual consumers. People with extreme political views also use AI chatbots for news more often: 16 percent on the far left and 15 percent on the far right. Researcher Dr. Amy Ross Arguedas says these groups simply tend to be more interested in news.
