AI Chatbots Emerge as a New Source of News for Filipinos
In 2025, the landscape of news consumption in the Philippines is undergoing a significant transformation. For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have been recognized as a distinct source of news, according to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2025. This shift reflects broader global trends, but the Philippines stands out for its rapid adoption of new technologies and evolving media habits, especially among younger audiences.
The report, which surveyed over 97,000 respondents across 48 markets—including 2,014 adult Filipinos—found that 9% of Filipinos now use AI chatbots to access news. While this figure may seem modest, it is notably higher among those under 35, signaling a generational shift in how information is sought and trusted.
Why Are Filipinos Turning to AI Chatbots for News?
Several factors are driving the adoption of AI chatbots as news sources in the Philippines:
- Convenience and Accessibility: AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Meta AI, and Google Gemini offer instant answers to news queries, summaries, and explanations, making them attractive to users seeking quick, digestible information.
- Language and Personalization: Efforts to develop local AI chatbots, such as the government-backed iTanong, aim to provide information in Filipino, Taglish, and other regional languages, addressing the needs of users who may not be fluent in English or prefer local dialects.
- Verification and Fact-Checking: Beyond news consumption, 10% of Filipinos use AI chatbots to verify information, reflecting growing concerns about online disinformation and the need for reliable fact-checking tools.
Jaemark Tordecilla, a Filipino journalist and technologist, highlights the potential of AI tools to democratize access to complex information, such as government budgets, by making data more accessible to journalists and the public alike.
The Broader Shift: From Traditional Media to Digital and Social Platforms
The rise of AI chatbots is part of a larger trend in the Philippines, where digital and social media have overtaken traditional sources like television and print. According to the Digital News Report 2025:
- 85% of Filipinos cite “any online” source (including websites and apps) as their primary news source.
- 66% rely on social media for news, with Facebook (65%) and YouTube (50%) being the most popular platforms.
- Only 46% still turn to TV, and a mere 13% to print media.
This digital migration is further fueled by a preference for video content. More than half of Filipinos (51%) now prefer watching news over reading (29%) or listening (13%), a rate significantly higher than the global average. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok have become central to news consumption, especially among younger demographics.
AI Chatbots and the Battle Against Disinformation
The Philippines has seen a surge in concern over online mis- and disinformation, reaching a record 67% in 2025—well above the global average. This anxiety is heightened by recent political turmoil, including the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court.
Social media is widely viewed as the main vector for disinformation, with Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube leading the list. In this environment, AI chatbots are being used not only to access news but also to verify its accuracy. Among those under 35, the use of multiple sources for verification is common, with 26% of 18- to 24-year-olds using three sources and 12% using four.
Filipinos are also more likely than the global average to consult fact-checking sites (34% vs. 25%) and official government channels (40%) when verifying information. This multi-pronged approach reflects both skepticism and a desire for accuracy in a polarized media environment.
Local Innovation: Building Filipino-Language AI Chatbots
While global AI chatbots like ChatGPT are popular, they often struggle with local languages and cultural nuances. Recognizing this gap, Filipino researchers and technologists are developing homegrown solutions:
- iTanong: Developed by the Advanced Science and Technology Institute, iTanong is designed to answer questions in Filipino, Taglish, and eventually other regional languages. It aims to democratize access to government services and information, especially for those less comfortable with English.
- Rappler’s Rai: The news outlet Rappler has launched Rai, an in-house chatbot that guides users to verified information and election explainers, helping combat disinformation during critical periods.
- VERA Files’ VERA: This AI-assisted fact-checking bot operates on Facebook Messenger, providing users with quick verification of suspicious claims.
These initiatives face challenges, including limited digital infrastructure, uneven internet access, and the need for more training data in local languages. However, they represent important steps toward making AI tools more inclusive and relevant to Filipino users.
Trust, Skepticism, and the Human Touch in AI Journalism
Despite the growing use of AI chatbots, Filipinos remain cautious about fully automated journalism. Only 21% are comfortable with news generated mostly by AI with some human oversight, while 35% prefer news written by humans but assisted by AI. Personalization features—such as AI-summarized news or story recommendations—are more welcomed, with about a third of respondents expressing interest.
Yvonne Chua, associate professor at the University of the Philippines and contributor to the Digital News Report, notes that trust in news has held steady at 38%, but trust in individual media brands has declined amid intensified political disinformation. She emphasizes that public trust is not necessarily a measure of content quality or reliability.
Filipino audiences have called for improvements in four key areas to regain trust:
- Accuracy and Truth-Telling: Emphasizing verifiable facts, multiple sourcing, and rigorous fact-checking.
- Transparency: Disclosing sources and evidence, including transcripts, images, and data.
- Impartiality: Ensuring balanced reporting and independence from political actors.
- Better Reporting: Providing timely, original, and on-the-ground coverage rather than relying solely on algorithm-driven trends.
News Avoidance and Fatigue: A Growing Challenge
Nearly half of Filipinos (48%) report sometimes or often avoiding the news. The reasons are varied:
- 41% cite excessive political coverage.
- 38% say the news negatively affects their mood.
- 34% point to untrustworthy or biased reporting.
- 27% feel worn out by the sheer volume of news.
These figures mirror global trends of news fatigue and avoidance, but the Philippine context is shaped by intense political polarization and the prevalence of disinformation. Making news more accessible, relevant, and understandable remains a key challenge, especially for younger audiences and those less comfortable with complex or technical language.
AI, Language, and the Digital Divide
The promise of AI in news is tempered by concerns about language barriers and digital inequality. Most mainstream AI models are trained primarily in English, leaving speakers of Filipino and regional languages at a disadvantage. This “AI language gap” risks excluding millions from the benefits of new technologies.
Efforts like iTanong and other local projects aim to bridge this divide, but progress is slow due to limited resources, infrastructure challenges, and bureaucratic hurdles. Experts stress the need for greater investment in digital literacy, improved internet access, and ethical standards to ensure that AI serves all Filipinos, not just those in urban centers or with higher education.
Global Context: The Philippines and the Future of AI News
The Philippine experience reflects broader global trends in the intersection of AI, news, and language. Across the Global South, newsrooms face challenges in adapting AI tools to local languages and contexts. As highlighted by the Nieman Lab, the lack of training data for non-dominant languages exacerbates inequalities and limits the reach of AI-powered journalism.
Some countries are taking matters into their own hands, developing AI tools tailored to their linguistic and cultural needs. In the Philippines, this spirit of innovation is evident in both the public and private sectors, with journalists, technologists, and government agencies collaborating to make news more accessible and trustworthy.
In Summary
- AI chatbots have emerged as a new and growing source of news for Filipinos, especially among younger audiences.
- 9% of Filipinos use AI chatbots for news, and 10% use them for verification, reflecting both curiosity and caution.
- The shift to digital and social platforms continues, with video content and personality-led news creators gaining prominence.
- Concerns about online disinformation are at record highs, driving demand for fact-checking and reliable sources.
- Local innovation in AI chatbots, such as iTanong and Rappler’s Rai, aims to address language barriers and democratize access to information.
- Filipinos remain cautious about fully automated journalism, preferring a blend of human and AI-generated content.
- News avoidance and fatigue are significant challenges, linked to political polarization and information overload.
- Bridging the AI language gap and ensuring digital inclusion are critical for the future of news in the Philippines.
