Roa Powell
@roapowell.bsky.social
senior research fellow at IPPR working on AI. Formerly at CETaS, the Alan Turing Institute and UNESCO.
We argue that a far better future is possible. To make it happen, we need:
1. AI companies to pay for news with government support for collective licensing so that a wide range of news outlets become visible.
2. Nutrition labels for AI answers and greater user choice on preferred sources.
1. AI companies to pay for news with government support for collective licensing so that a wide range of news outlets become visible.
2. Nutrition labels for AI answers and greater user choice on preferred sources.
AI's got news for you: Can AI improve our information environment? | IPPR
Already, 24 per cent of people report using AI for information seeking every week. But there is widespread concern that the information provided will be in
www.ippr.org
January 30, 2026 at 1:07 PM
We argue that a far better future is possible. To make it happen, we need:
1. AI companies to pay for news with government support for collective licensing so that a wide range of news outlets become visible.
2. Nutrition labels for AI answers and greater user choice on preferred sources.
1. AI companies to pay for news with government support for collective licensing so that a wide range of news outlets become visible.
2. Nutrition labels for AI answers and greater user choice on preferred sources.
And, more work is needed to understand how commercial relationships between AI companies and news outlets impact prominence.
Does having a licensing deal with OpenAI mean your content will be prioritised in AI answers? And will there be transparency around how these deals work?
Does having a licensing deal with OpenAI mean your content will be prioritised in AI answers? And will there be transparency around how these deals work?
January 30, 2026 at 1:07 PM
And, more work is needed to understand how commercial relationships between AI companies and news outlets impact prominence.
Does having a licensing deal with OpenAI mean your content will be prioritised in AI answers? And will there be transparency around how these deals work?
Does having a licensing deal with OpenAI mean your content will be prioritised in AI answers? And will there be transparency around how these deals work?
But - not all news sites want to be visible in AI answers. The BBC, the UK's most trusted news site, only shows up in half of AI tools. Murky rules on how content gets used mean that trying to block AI won't protect your news brand.
January 30, 2026 at 1:07 PM
But - not all news sites want to be visible in AI answers. The BBC, the UK's most trusted news site, only shows up in half of AI tools. Murky rules on how content gets used mean that trying to block AI won't protect your news brand.
AI also has the potential to create new winners and losers as news sites jostle for visibility. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is starting to become the new SEO, but it won't always be the most trustworthy sites that win.
January 30, 2026 at 1:07 PM
AI also has the potential to create new winners and losers as news sites jostle for visibility. Generative engine optimisation (GEO) is starting to become the new SEO, but it won't always be the most trustworthy sites that win.
We found that AI draws on a narrow range of outlets, with each AI tool concentrating heavily on just one news site.
January 30, 2026 at 1:07 PM
We found that AI draws on a narrow range of outlets, with each AI tool concentrating heavily on just one news site.