Generative AI is putting pressure on the news industry as audiences turn to AI-generated summaries instead of publishers’ websites, contributing to layoffs at British publishers Reach and Future; journalists also warn that AI can spread unverified information.

Nic Newman of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism called the situation an existential crisis for news organizations, while noting that AI can help journalists work faster by searching large datasets, finding relevant information, visualizing data and preparing news briefs.

At a Northeastern University London workshop, participants debated whether AI’s impact is revolutionary or gradual, as students described using it to proofread, summarize lengthy readings and search for news—while stressing that its answers need checking.

Naomi Goulder said AI can make mistakes but also broaden access to knowledge by helping more people engage with large bodies of text; Newman said its future effects will depend on audiences, regulators and further technological change.

The disruption extends beyond journalism, with Microsoft and Barclays among companies announcing AI-related job cuts, while the British government has called for legislation to address serious human-rights risks, including privacy and personal-data concerns.

AI’s environmental costs are also drawing attention, as campaign groups across Europe prepare November protests over the electricity use and greenhouse-gas emissions of data centers.

For Ursula Smartt, AI has already had a transformative personal impact: Meta’s AI glasses help her husband with visibility; she was also among writers who sued Anthropic over its use of books to train Claude, in a case that resulted in a $1.5 billion settlement last year.