Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time - regardless of language or territory

Wednesday, 22 October, 2025 - ​ AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or Perplexity provide incorrect or misleading news responses in nearly half of the cases. This is the conclusion of a large-scale research study on the reliability of news via AI assistants, conducted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the BBC, with participation from VRT. In total, 22 public broadcasters from 18 countries took part. Issues were found across all countries, languages, and platforms.

45% of all AI answers had at least one significant issue, ranging from incorrect source attribution to factual inaccuracies. Source referencing was especially problematic: in 31% of cases, references were missing or misleading, and 20% of responses contained major accuracy issues such as fabricated or outdated information. Gemini performed the worst, with significant issues in 76% of the tested responses.

Call for responsible AI

AI assistants are already replacing search engines for many users. According to the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2025, 7% of total online news consumers use AI assistants to get their news, rising to 15% of under-25s. VRT emphasises the importance of trustworthy news provision and sees this research as confirmation of its decision to currently restrict AI assistants from accessing its news content. In addition, the public broadcaster aims to engage in dialogue with other media companies in Flanders.

Griet De Craen, Director Information at VRT: “The way AI chatbots currently handle news is not sufficiently reliable. By restricting access to our content, we send a clear message to major tech companies: trustworthy and verified information is vital for our news department and for maintaining public trust.”

Internationally, the EBU and its members are pressing EU and national regulators to enforce existing laws on information integrity, digital services, and media pluralism. And they stress that ongoing independent monitoring of AI assistants is essential, given the fast pace of AI development, and are seeking options for continuing the research on a rolling basis.

Focus on media literacy and AI awareness

VRT is strongly committed to media literacy and AI awareness, with initiatives that range from innovative educational content formats to thematic online campaigns. By actively involving young people and teaching them to critically engage with AI, VRT contributes to a generation that not only uses technology but also understands and sees through it.

This educational approach aligns closely with VRT’s broader AI policy, which focuses on responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence. The public broadcaster emphasises the potential of AI for accessibility, efficiency, and creativity.

Lieven Vermaele, Director Partnerships, Data & AI at VRT: “As a public broadcaster, we deploy artificial intelligence strategically - not as a hype, but as a technology that strengthens our societal mission. That is why we have an AI policy that links innovation to trust, with transparency, human oversight, and public value as its foundation.”

As a next step, the international research team has released a ‘News Integrity in AI Assistants Toolkit’, to help develop solutions to the issues uncovered in the report. It includes improving AI assistant responses and media literacy among users.

About the project

The study is built on research by the BBC published in February 2025, which first highlighted AI’s problems in handling news. Professional journalists from participating public service media evaluated more than 3,000 responses from ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Perplexity against key criteria, including accuracy, sourcing, distinguishing opinion from fact, and providing context.

Participating broadcasters: