AI news usage hit 10% — but 96% of users ignore the sources
reuters institute reports global weekly ai chatbot news use rose from 7% to 10% in 2026, yet only 4% of users click through to original sources, raising concerns about source transparency.
weekly ai chatbot use for news rose to 10% globally in 2026, with adoption led by 17% of 18-to-24-year-olds and 'news lovers' in emerging markets. while 44% of active users trust the output, trust sits at just 20% among the general population. only 4% of users click through to original sources compared to 19% on search engines, indicating a shift toward 'zero-click' news consumption that risks bypassing publishers entirely.