Ofcom: One in Five UK Adults Use AI for News

One in five UK adults are now using artificial intelligence services to keep up with the latest news, according to Ofcom’s News Report 2026. The research found that 21% had used an AI app or service for news during the previous month, with ChatGPT the most widely used at 13%.

The findings highlight a wider shift towards online intermediaries as a gateway to news. Almost three-quarters of adults (73%) accessed news through services such as social media, video-sharing platforms, search engines, news aggregators and AI, compared with 57% who accessed news directly through publishers’ websites and apps.

Online sources were used by 82% of adults for news during the month, ahead of television at 79%. Adults spend an estimated 72 minutes a day consuming news, with 34 minutes spent on online platforms compared with 18 minutes watching television.

Despite the growing use of AI, audiences remain cautious about AI-generated journalism. More than half of adults (56%) said they would trust an AI-written news story less than one written by a person.

Social media and video-sharing platforms remain an important route to news, used by 60% of adults in the past month. Facebook was the most commonly encountered platform at 39%, while YouTube reached 33%, with the gap between the two platforms having halved since 2025.

Ofcom also found that much of the news encountered through social media, video platforms and AI continues to originate from established broadcasters rather than online-native creators. The BBC remained the most-used news provider overall, reaching 80% of adults when content accessed across its own services and other platforms is included.

The findings underline the changing role of digital platforms and AI in news distribution, while highlighting that established news providers continue to play an important role in reaching audiences across an increasingly fragmented media landscape.