AI isn’t here to replace journalists but to liberate them: Kalli Purie

Mumbai: At the 25th edition of FICCI Frames 2025 in Mumbai, India Today Group’s Vice-Chairperson Kalli Purie shared a clear and confident vision for how newsrooms can co-exist with artificial intelligence, not as rivals, but as collaborators in creativity.

“AI, I see it as a new technology, and being fearful of it is not going to help. I think you’re going to jump in and dive first, getting to the depths of the technology and mastering it before it masters you. That way, you can use it, and the uses for it will emerge as you go along,” Purie said during her session titled ‘Credibility in the Age of Chaos & Media’s Role in Shaping India’s Identity.’

According to Purie, the challenge for journalists isn’t whether AI will take over their jobs, but whether they’re ready to understand and harness it. “Instead of fearing new technology, the best way forward is to understand and use it wisely,” she said.

Purie believes AI’s biggest advantage lies in removing the monotony of newsroom routines, the tasks that consume time but don’t require creative energy. “One part is that it takes out the monotony; nobody likes to do transcription. You know how boring it is. AI lets you do that,” she said, adding that automation could free journalists to focus more on storytelling and analysis.

Her remarks reflect a newsroom already experimenting with generative tools. “We had never thought of this idea, but because it is being socialised across the teams, different people on the teams are thinking about how to make their lives more efficient and better,” she said.

From automating transcripts to producing visuals without physical shoots, Purie said AI is helping broadcasters expand what’s possible. “Things like this, where you can create expansive footage and visuals without any shoots, are allowing you to do that. It’s allowing you to create AI anchors to do things when anchors don’t want to be on shifts, say at 3 a.m.,” she said.

She also revealed that her network has begun experimenting with digital replicas of real anchors, but with clear consent. “It’s allowing us to create AI versions of anchors, of course, with permission, so that when they’re away or on the field, we can still use them in the studio.”

For Purie, the point isn’t to mechanise the newsroom but to re-energise it. “The idea is to create efficiency, reduce monotony, but also to be at the centre of the technology and see where it goes,” she explained.

Her core message was unambiguous: the fear of AI is misplaced. The real test lies in how journalists use it to enhance, not erase, their craft. “Being fearful of it is not going to help; you have to master it before it masters you.”

At a time when debates around AI and authenticity dominate newsroom corridors, Purie’s take offered a pragmatic middle path, one where innovation and integrity coexist and where technology becomes not a threat to journalism’s soul but its newest tool for liberation.