More People Get News From AI Chatbots, But Trust Stays Low
More and more people now get their news from AI chatbots. But they still do not trust that news much. An AI chatbot is a computer tool, like ChatGPT or Gemini, that answers your questions in normal, everyday words. This is the big finding of a study called the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026. More readers are asking these tools, “What is happening in the world?” But most people are not sure the answers are right.
The study asked people in 45 markets (this means countries and regions). It came out on June 19, 2026. The numbers show two things. People are changing how they find news very fast. And there is a clear trust gap (a trust gap means people use the tool but do not fully believe it).
How many people use AI for news?
Each week, more people now use AI chatbots for news. This went up from 7% to 10% of people around the world. That is still a small number. But it is growing. Only 1% of people say a chatbot is their main place for news. Most of the growth was in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Southern and Eastern Europe.
Young people use it the most. Out of every 100 people aged 18 to 24, about 17 use chatbots for news. In the oldest age group, only 5 out of 100 do. The group aged 25 to 34 grew the fastest. It went up by 4 percentage points (a percentage point is just one step on a 0-to-100 scale).
Key facts
| Measure | Figure (as reported) |
|---|---|
| Weekly AI chatbot use for news | Rose from 7% to 10% globally |
| AI chatbot as main news source | 1% |
| 18-24 year-olds using chatbots for news | 17% |
| Oldest age group | 5% |
| Trust in AI-generated news (general public) | 20% |
| Trust among active chatbot users | 44% |
| General news trust baseline | 37% |
| Markets surveyed | 45 |
The trust gap
Here is the catch. Only 20% of all people trust AI-generated news (this means news written by an AI tool, not by a human reporter). Now compare that to news in general. Trust in news as a whole is 37%. So people trust AI news much less than normal news.
Trust also depends on who you ask. People who use chatbots a lot trust AI news more. Among them, 44% trust it. But among people who do not use chatbots, only 17% trust it. In short, the more you use these tools, the more you trust them. But most people are still careful.
What people use AI news for
The study lists the main reasons people use chatbots for news. The top reason was asking follow-up questions, at 42%. This means asking more questions about the same topic. Next came getting today’s news at 35%. Then came news summaries at 34%. A summary is a short version of a long story. Checking if a source is true came next at 33%. And making hard news easy to understand scored 30%.
But there is a worry for news websites. Only 4% of users say they often click through to the real news website. (To click through means to tap the link and go to the page that first made the news.) Compare that with search engines like Google, at 19%. And social media, at 17%. When AI gives the answer right away, fewer people visit the websites that made the news.
Why it matters (especially for India and founders)
A lot of the growth in AI news use is in Asia. Asia includes India. Indian readers, mostly the young ones, try new tools fast. So India is a big and important market for AI companies and for news brands.
For founders (people who start companies) and publishers (people who run news websites), the low click rate is a big warning sign. If AI answers questions and does not send people to your website, you get fewer visitors. Then your ad income (the money you earn from ads on your site) can drop. The way to fix this is to build trust. You should also give deeper, fuller stories that a quick AI summary cannot give. The study shows that trust is the hardest thing for AI news to win.
FAQ
How many people get news from AI chatbots?
Each week, the number went up from 7% to 10% of people around the world. Only 1% say a chatbot is their main place for news.
Do people trust news from AI chatbots?
Mostly no. Only 20% of all people trust AI news. Trust in news overall is 37%. People who use chatbots a lot trust it more, at 44%.
Who uses AI for news the most?
Young people use it most. Among people aged 18 to 24, 17% use chatbots for news. In the oldest age group, only 5% do.
Why is this a problem for news websites?
Only 4% of users often click through to the real news website. So news sites can lose visitors when AI answers questions on its own.
The takeaway
AI chatbots are becoming a real way people find news. This is true for young people and for people in Asia. But trust has not caught up with use. For publishers and founders, the message is clear. AI will keep growing. So the winners will be the ones who earn trust. They will also give stories that are deeper than a fast summary.
Source: The Decoder
