At the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Kalli Purie, vice-chairperson and executive editor-in-chief of the India Today Group, outlined a nine-point charter advocating responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence in journalism.
Speaking during a session organized by the Digital News Publishers Association titled ‘AI and Media: Opportunities, Responsible Pathways, and the Road Ahead’, Purie emphasized that AI adoption in newsrooms must be anchored in fairness, accountability, and reciprocity. She warned that without proper safeguards; journalism risks being reduced to mere training data for large language models-undermining both accountability and public trust.
“Fair value for journalistic content is non-negotiable,” Purie said, calling for transparency in how AI systems process, interpret, and monetize news. Her charter highlighted key concerns including traceability and attribution, recognition of journalism as a public good, penalties for AI hallucinations, and the growing imbalance between legacy media and digital platforms. She also underlined the need to value verified content appropriately and to treat citizens’ attention as a finite, precious resource.
Purie noted that the India Today Group has been using AI tools for over two years, following what she described as a human-led model. She referred to the organization’s workflow as an “AI sandwich,” with human intent guiding the start and editorial oversight ensuring accountability at the end. “Technology excites us, but responsibility must always have a human name attached to it,” she said.
Raising concerns over “digital imperialism,” Purie argued that original reporting-often resource-intensive and risk-laden-should not be freely exploited by AI systems or influencers without compensation.
The session also featured media leaders from The Hindu, The Times of India, Amar Ujala, and Dainik Bhaskar, with discussions stressing the urgency of structured dialogue between publishers and technology platforms amid declining referral traffic from AI-generated summaries.
