Generative Artificial Intelligence in South American newsrooms: mapping adoption and uses (2023–2025)

João Canavilhas; Francilene de Oliveira Silva; Rita de Cássia Romeiro Paulino

doi:10.26441/RC25.2-2026-4533

Authors

João Canavilhas University of Beira Interior (Portugal) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2394-5264
Francilene de Oliveira Silva Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brasil) https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2798-6969
Rita de Cássia Romeiro Paulino Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brasil) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3020-7091

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26441/RC25.2-2026-4533

Keywords:

generative artificial intelligence, journalism, journalistic innovation, South America

Abstract

Objective. This study analyzes how generative artificial intelligence is being incorporated into newsrooms in South America, identifying forms of use, purposes, and implications for journalistic processes and communication practices. Methodology. The research adopts an exploratory and qualitative approach, combining a systematic review of the literature, a review of gray literature, cartography, and content analysis. The study is based on an analysis of 32 news organizations in ten South American countries between 2023 and 2025, considering publicly available institutional documents, reports, policies, and journalistic coverage related to the adoption of generative AI. Results and Conclusions. The analysis identifies recurring patterns of technological adoption and proposes a model of incorporation structured around three main dimensions: audience mediation, production support, and political-institutional practices. These dimensions include applications such as chatbots, automated summaries, content generation, writing support tools, fact-checking systems, transparency policies, and professional training initiatives. The results suggest that generative AI in South American journalism is being institutionalized both as a production tool and as a communication interface that reshapes relationships with the public and practices in newsrooms. Original contribution. The study presents one of the first regional mappings of the adoption of generative AI in South American journalism and proposes an analytical model that explains how the technology is being institutionalized in news organizations within the South American context.

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Author Biographies

João Canavilhas, University of Beira Interior (Portugal)

Full Professor at the University of Beira Interior and Scientific Coordinator of Laboratório de Comunicação. He has authored over a hundred scientific publications, with research focused on journalism, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence. He also participates in international research networks and evaluates scientific and cultural projects for European and South American institutions. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2394-5264, jc@ubi.pt
Francilene de Oliveira Silva, Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brasil)

PhD candidate in Journalism at the Federal University of Santa Catarina and a visiting researcher at the University of Beira Interior through the PDSE/CAPES program. Her research focuses on generative artificial intelligence and the epistemology of journalism. She is a member of the Núcleo de Estudos e Produção Hipermídia Aplicados ao Jornalismo research group. https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2798-6969, francilene.oliveira@posgrad.ufsc.br
Rita de Cássia Romeiro Paulino, Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brasil)

PhD in Knowledge Engineering and Management from the Federal University of Santa Catarina and a Professor of Journalism at the same university. She is postdoctoral researcher and former CNPq fellow at the Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. Her research focuses on digital journalism, web design, media, and knowledge. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3020-7091, rita.paulino@ufsc.br

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