October 23, 2026
Four insights into how AI is changing media
AI is no longer breaking news, and it should not be deciding what makes the news either. Artificial intelligence is already changing how images are created, how people find news and how media organisations reach their audiences. This makes AI a societal issue as well as a technological challenge for the media sector. Shot by AI, a live studio show at VRT held as part of Flanders Technology & Innovation Brussels, brought together creators, researchers and media professionals to explore these changes. Joined by Flemish and international experts, hosts Tim Verheyden and Pieter Van Leugenhagen explored a central question: how can media use AI while retaining their creativity, credibility and independence? Here are four insights.
1. AI pushes creative boundaries, but creators stay in control
AI is changing both what creators can produce and how quickly they can produce it. Kyan Nnamadim, an AI expert at VRT, illustrates this with a segment from the VRT 1 programme Iedereen zomert: entirely AI-generated visuals significantly reduce the time needed for work that previously took a week. Yet technology does not take over the entire creative process. The idea, research, decisions and responsibility remain with the creator. AI speeds things up and expands the possibilities, but it does not make the decisions. This also changes the creator’s role: from doing everything themselves to providing direction, selecting material and making adjustments. “Designers are moving from creators to curators and directors,” Sander Spek explained, drawing on his research into AI in design.
2. News is increasingly becoming a conversation
News often takes the form of an article, video or audio report. AI is making it a more interactive experience. You may already have asked ChatGPT for the latest news yourself. Together with AI company Froomle, VRT Innovation is testing a prototype that allows users to navigate the latest news by voice, skip articles and ask follow-up questions. The journalistic approach remains intact: the system adheres strictly to the content of the latest VRT NWS reporting. Froomle provides the voice technology, navigation and personalisation.
This kind of conversation can make news more accessible, for example when reading is difficult or for people who want to grasp the essentials quickly. But it also presents media organisations with an important challenge. News cannot be determined solely by what someone asks or what an algorithm thinks they will find interesting. Journalism is also about context, unexpected insights and topics people may not have realised were important.
3. Reaching audiences where they are
People no longer find news only through websites, apps or social media. AI chatbots are becoming a new gateway to information. This creates opportunities to reach audiences in new places, but also raises a crucial question: how much control does a news organisation retain over what happens to its journalism there? Dutch public broadcaster NOS is therefore testing how its news can appear in AI chatbots unchanged, clearly recognisable and with source attribution.
For VRT NWS, the quality and recognisability of news on AI platforms are crucial. Information must be accurate, its source must be visible, and there must be clarity about audience reach and the use of images and audio. Ultimately, this also serves the public interest. Whether people find information through a chatbot, search engine, social media or directly from a news outlet, they must be able to establish where it comes from and who is responsible for it.
4. Staying independent requires working together
Developing AI requires substantial technological expertise, infrastructure and investment. No single Flemish or Dutch media organisation can meet that challenge alone or secure favourable terms from major international technology companies. Collaboration is therefore essential to helping shape the media of tomorrow. Within the Flemish AIME project, VRT and imec, the project’s initiators, are working with DPG Media and Roularta. The aim is to explore what a secure and trusted AI infrastructure for the media sector could look like. Such collaboration creates opportunities to test technology and share knowledge, while helping media organisations retain control over their content, workflows and relationships with audiences. VRT also pursues international cooperation, including through the European Broadcasting Union.
There is more at stake than efficiency. “We must prevent the Flemish media sector from becoming strategically dependent on external technology companies and their terms,” says Kristin Van Damme, project lead at VRT Innovation. “We set our own standards for quality media and journalism. We cannot and will not hand that responsibility over to Big Tech. Safeguarding our autonomy requires a joint approach.”
