AI decides what we see online. It’s time for digital platforms to tell us exactly how they do it

If you’re suffering from information overload or unsure what to trust online, you’re not alone. Australians are increasingly distancing themselves from traditional news, turning instead to social media, influencers and – more recently – chatbots and generative artificial intelligence (AI) summaries.

It’s a murky, polluted world where opaque algorithms decide what you see. They are known to place little value on accuracy, quality, or the evidence-based reporting we need for a safe and thriving community.

At the same time, local journalism is disappearing. Distrust of mainstream news is growing. This problem has quickly escalated with “zero-click” AI search results. Instead of providing links, they display the information up front. This reduces traffic to news websites, further reducing audience, subscription opportunities and revenue. The rapid spread of AI has brought an already fragile news ecosystem closer to the breaking point.

Earlier this year a News Futures: Media Policy…