Investigating the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Indian News Media Consumption

AI is transforming the contours of news media world-over and most obviously presently in India's rapidly changing media landscape. This research examines how AI is currently altering news audience patterns for Indians and the broader effects on public discourse in India. Major Indian news media are increasingly deploying AI-driven algorithms for content curation, filtering, and personalization purposes. This change has profoundly shifted the contours of news consumption and dominant narratives shaping public conversations. This qualitative study aims to analyze the extent to which AI shapes selection, framing, and diffusion in news based on its implications for audience behavior and engagement. It looks at the nature of AI-based recommendation systems in news and possibly how they may reinforce both information bubbles and echo chambers. It also goes on to detail the ethical implications of AI in news, specifically in the points of the spread of misinformation, algorithmic bias, and silencing of minorities. Through a combination of content analysis, surveys, and interviews with media professionals and news consumers, the study seeks to uncover how AI influences the media landscape in India. The findings will provide insights into the implications of AI-driven news curation for media diversity, public opinion formation, and democratic processes in India. This research will, therefore strive to look beyond the acknowledgment of change by canvassing opportunities and challenges AI poses to produce an argument conducive to informed opinion about the transformation role of artificial intelligence in modern Indian journalism.