AI in digital publishing: Four use cases and four essential learnings

AI in digital publishing: Four use cases and four essential learnings

Published: 24 Feb 2026

According to AOP's latest survey, nearly two-thirds of digital publishers (64%) are using AI to improve workflows and free journalists from mundane tasks in order to prioritise 'real' journalism. 63% agreed that they are exploring how generative AI can enhance the user experience, and 53% are exploring how AI-driven solutions can drive efficiencies and improve advertising operations.

Across the board, then, digital publishers are experimenting with how AI can improve their operational effectiveness. But what initiatives are they actually undertaking? And what have they learnt from the process?

Here are four different areas where our AOP Digital Publishing Awards jury are reaping the benefits of strategic AI implementation.

Use Case #1: Audience insights

Ziff Davis are using AI to translate behavioural signals into actionable insights. Their new platform 'Imagine' processes mountains of data to create a clear map of the audience journey to decode the "why" behind the click. "Understanding these human behaviours is imperative. It allows our internal tools to model not just what we're seeing in our first-party data, but how these cohorts are actually thinking and consuming," explained Chris Shepperson, SVP Sales, EMEA.

Quality first-party data signals are further supplemented by rigorous independent research, such as 'Generations in Play,' which explored the massive audience behaviour shifts redefining digital publishing. "By merging behavioural scale with these deep psychographic insights, we help our sales team show up in the moments that matter most for our partners," Chris continued.

Use Case #2: Content workflows

At Buzzfeed UK inc, AI has allowed the team to be far more effective with their content creation. "We began by mapping the end-to-end content workflow, from trend analysis to reporting and pinpointed areas of repetitive cognitive load that added minimal creative value," shared Homam Ayaso, Head of Content. This approach has embedded AI across the editorial process, from trend synthesis to first-pass script drafting to reporting and has been hugely impactful.

"We reduced turnaround by 70% and accelerated trend-to-publish cycles by 40%," Homam continued. "Importantly, AI augmented human decision-making rather than replacing it: all final editorial and brand decisions remained fully human-led."

Use Case #3: Editing and voice generation.

Which?'s Co-Head of Video & Audio, Rob Lilley-Jones, and dmg Media's Deputy Head of Podcasts, Mike Wooller, both shared how AI is facilitating faster audio and video content creation. For Which?, tools like Descript and ElvenLabs have saved countless hours on editing and transcription. "The last year has absolutely proven the need for us to work with AI, and not in spite of it," concluded Rob.

dmg Media are using AI as part of their courtroom reenactments for their podcast, The Trial:

"Since episode turnaround times are extremely tight, it has been a great way to cast voices for the podcast quickly, especially when they will likely only be heard in a single episode of have only a small role," Mike said. "For regular voices and key people, we still cast real human voice actors."

Use Case #4: Summarisation

Having integrated Gemini into their Google Workspace, Haymarket Business Media now leverage its power to tackle the internal admin that comes with running a team: summarising key information, writing up meetings, researching, and building internal decks. "It's great at making sense of large folders of files, documents with a wealth of information, while freeing up more time for creativity and innovative tasks that would usually be lost to admin," explained Jennie Meynell, Head of Sales.

Similarly, the BBC is experimenting with how AI-powered summarisations can be implemented as part of the user experience. After an internal testing period, the team are rolling out an AI-assisted bullet point summary box that aims to help engaged readers and make journalism more accessible.

Cutting through the hype

It's clear, then, that there are a number of use cases for AI across a spectrum of publishing teams. But it's equally important to be strategic with where, when, and how you embed AI into workflows to ensure that you're delivering value.

"Arc UK has completed many experiments with AI, with varying degrees of success," shared Robin Shute, Group Operations Director at Arc Europe. "We realise now that this is not quite the gamechanger that Sam Altman and co would like us to believe - it's an incredibly powerful technology that we are embedding across existing workflows and processes to jack up productivity."

Robin's words mirror the findings of the AOP's latest survey, which saw publishers reporting a decrease in optimism that generative AI and AI-powered tech would have a positive impact on operations and processes within digital publishing (dropping from 6.5 in 2025 to 5.4 in 2026). It seems likely that this shift reflects a move from AI hype towards a more realistic understanding of the day-to-day impact.

Having explored the areas where digital publishers are using AI within their organisations, the key question that remains is 'what did they learn from the experience?'

Learning #1: Identify the pain points that AI can ease.

Investing in any technology without a clear vision of how it will improve outputs or outcomes is a recipe for disaster, and AI-powered technology is no different. Across the publishers who shared their expertise with us, the vast majority advocated for ensuring that you're not deploying the technology for its own sake.

"My main recommendation would be to start with the boring tasks that nobody wants to do," shared dmg Media's Mike Wooller. "Don't use AI to replace thinking or creativity (since it is basically useless at new ideas, use it to remove pain points. Map where your team is losing time, or where AI could genuinely do a better job, and apply it narrowly to those points."

This has the added benefit of easing the technology into your team's workflows with minimal disruption. Liz Percy-Robb, Digital Commercial Product Leader, recommends that for her former team, "the key to success was treating AI as an enabler rather than a placement", noting that embedding AI into existing workflows helped avoid change fatigue.

It's also integral for empowering your employees to become part of the long-term development of your publishing brands. As Telegraph Media Group's Digital Technology Partner Manager, Kirstin Randall, told us, "by automating repetitive tasks, we repositioned teams from technical executioners to strategic partners, freeing capacity for proactive work."

Learning #2: Invest in AI literacy.

In many ways, AI is still the wild west, and organisations are in the early days of understanding how and where they want to integrate AI within their teams. However, despite the ongoing uncertainties, it's also essential to provide the training for your employees now to ensure they have the skills and confidence they need to get the most out of these new technologies.

"We have learnt that for the successful adoption of AI tools, it is important for people to feel supported through training and robust governance guardrails, which create a 'safety-first' environment," shared Telegraph Media Group's Kirstin Randall.

Natasha Banjo, Portfolio Director of Women's Lifestyle at Hearst UK, echoed this idea, stating that "we established an AI working group to guide our thinking and introduced an AI amnesty, giving people the opportunity to share openly what tools they were already using. This transparency allowed us to move quickly and with clarity."

Given that we're still in AI's infancy within the workplace, creating a sandpit which allows for low-risk experimentation is key to ensuring both that your employees are comfortable with what AI can (and can't) do, but also to unlock new ideas and use cases. Mario Lamaa, Manging Director, Data & Revenue Operations at Immediate, also concurred with this idea, explaining that they have "rolled out structured AI training, held regular collaborative experimentation days, and enhanced product development."

Learning #3: Beware the AI accent.

As anyone who's used an LLM to generate text will know, there is a tendency towards uniformity within AI. Whether it's the use of em dashes or phrases like "it's not X, it's Y", the internet is full of commentators sharing the giveaways of AI writing. Even with appropriate guardrails in place, it's essential to monitor the outputs carefully.

"Used well, [AI] helps us move faster and be clearer," stated Haymarket Business Media's Jennie Meynell. "The watch-out is making sure that the work doesn't start to feel to uniform or predictable."

Learning #4: Know when and where to use AI.

Finally, it is as important a skill to know when it's not appropriate to use AI as it is to be clued up on Claude or Gemini - as dmg Media's Mike Wooller highlighted:

"It is also worth noting what AI shouldn't be used for. Trust and accountability are more important to audiences than ever, but when AI is used as a supportive tool rather than a creative shortcut, the gains are real and audiences ultimately benefit from the improved output.

Celebrating innovation in digital publishing

Publishers are continually at the forefront of innovation, responding to changes in both technology and customer behaviour. In recognition of this incredible work that is going on behind the scenes, we have launched two new categories at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards for 2026: The AOP Publishing Innovation Award for Audiences and the AOP Publishing Innovation Award for Revenue (sponsored by Google).

Our jury are looking for publishers who are clearly aiming to foster a spirit of innovation and can provide evidence of the success of the new initiatives - whether that's brand extensions, editorial properties, or the effective use of technology. Enter the Awards before March 12^th to share your success story and be in with the chance to win industry-wide recognition.

Thank you to all the AOP Digital Publishing Awards jurors who shared their expertise with us for this article: Homam Ayaso, Natasha Banjo, Mario Lamaa, Rob Lilley-Jones, Jennie Meynell, Liz Percy Robb, Kirstin Randall, Chris Shepperson, Robin Shute, and Mike Wooller.