The PwC 2025 Global AI Jobs Barometer, titled The Fearless Future, is a data-driven analysis of how artificial intelligence is transforming jobs, wages, skills, and productivity across the global economy. It is based on nearly one billion job ads and thousands of company financial reports across six continents.
The report doesn’t focus on journalism per se, but includes several findings that carry major implications for news, media, and journalism sectors. Below is an analysis of the report tailored to media professionals and journalism leaders.
1. No Direct Journalism Sector Analysis But Media Is Embedded
There is no direct breakdown for journalism, publishing, or media as standalone sectors in the data. However:
Journalism likely falls under "Information and Communication" and possibly "Arts, Entertainment and Recreation", both of which are highly AI-exposed sectors in PwC’s taxonomy.
These sectors show slower job growth, which the report frames as a sign of early AI adoption rather than decline.
2. Skills Turbulence in Media is Imminent
“Skills sought by employers are changing 66% faster in AI-exposed jobs… more than 2.5x faster than last year.” (p.15)
Media workers face rapid skill turnover, particularly in:
Prompt engineering (text-to-image, text-to-text)
Critical thinking and editorial verification
Multi-modal AI content generation
Degrees are declining in importance, replaced by practical AI fluency and adaptability, which is a seismic shift for legacy-trained journalists.
3. Journalism as an “Automatable Yet Augmentable” Job Class
Although not named, journalism sits at the intersection of automatable (routine fact-checking, basic reporting) and augmentable (investigative analysis, ethics, judgment-heavy writing).
The report shows wage and job growth in both categories and is a critical myth-buster for fears of journalism's wholesale automation.
Journalism tasks may be reconfigured, not eliminated, for example:
AI drafts reports → Journalists refine and contextualize
AI sifts documents → Reporters synthesize findings
4. Agentic AI Will Redefine Newsroom Structures
“With AI agents at their command, workers can achieve much more... [enabling] organisations that think, adapt, and execute faster than competitors.” (p.3, p.6)
The concept of “Agentic AI” (task-executing AI systems that collaborate with humans) is especially relevant for newsrooms:
Automated briefings, summaries, timelines
Fact-checking bots
Transcription and translation assistants
Editorial teams may evolve to resemble “AI-human hybrid production units.”
5. Revenue Per Employee Rising in AI-Exposed Sectors
“Industries most exposed to AI are achieving 3x higher growth in revenue per employee.” (p.5)
This reinforces that AI doesn’t replace value, it amplifies it, particularly in knowledge work such as journalism, where productivity is hard to scale manually.
Newsrooms embracing AI strategically could:
Increase story volume and speed
Free up time for in-depth reporting
Enter new formats (audio, video, visual explainers)
6. Public Trust and Editorial Integrity Are Make-Or-Break Factors
“The growth dividend from AI... hinges on responsible deployment, clear governance and public and organisational trust.” (p.17)
Media faces a double burden: adopting AI and proving it doesn’t degrade journalistic integrity.
This is a critical area where journalism differs from other sectors. AI transparency, attribution, and editorial accountability must be built-in to avoid backlash and maintain credibility.
7. "The Degree Is Dead": Portfolios and Skill Now Rule
“Employer demand for degrees is declining faster for AI-exposed jobs.” (p.16)
Journalistic hiring is shifting from credentialism to capability.
Real-world demonstration of AI literacy (prompt crafting, automated research, content synthesis) will matter more than J-school degrees alone.
This opens opportunities for diverse talent pipelines and newsroom democratisation, but only if training and access are equitable.
Conclusion
AI is not dismantling the newsroom, it is rearchitecting it. The key lies in designing workflows that enhance, not erase, the value journalists bring. Those who integrate agentic AI while upskilling staff, maintaining editorial integrity, and focusing on public trust are likely to emerge stronger, faster, and more resilient.