According to the latest research by the Reuters Institute, journalism finds itself under dual pressure: artificial intelligence (AI) is radically changing access to information, while the creator economy is challenging traditional media. How do these global trends affect journalism education? And how are they reflected in Uzbekistan’s media landscape?

The End of the Traditional Search Era

We are witnessing one of the most dramatic tectonic shifts in the history of digital media. By 2026, traditional search engines have definitively transformed into so-called ‘answer engines.’ Where Google or Yandex once provided users with a list of links to various websites, modern AI-based systems such as AI Overviews and ChatGPT now deliver ready-made, synthesized answers. This gives rise to the “zero-click behavior” phenomenon: users obtain all necessary information directly within the search interface and no longer see the need to visit the original source website.

The scale of this problem for the media economy cannot be overstated. According to forecasts, search engine traffic will fall by 43% over the next three years, with one in five publishers expecting a decline of more than 75%. Chartbeat monitoring data already confirms this trend: organic traffic from major search engines has declined by more than a third globally in just one year. Lifestyle content and “service” journalism — weather forecasts, horoscopes, reference information — have proven particularly vulnerable, as neural networks have learned to summarize them flawlessly.

In these conditions, the ‘death’ of traditional search engine optimization (SEO) has become a reality. In their place come AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) — disciplines focused on optimizing content specifically for generative systems. The journalist’s task is now to structure information so that an AI agent considers it the most reliable and includes it in its final answer.

The transformation of search poses fundamentally new challenges for journalism education. According to a 2025 Frontiers in Communication study, only 14.1% of media professionals have undergone AI training, with most acquiring these skills independently — pointing to a critical gap between industry needs and educational programs. Leading programs such as the JournalismAI Academy (a joint project of the London School of Economics and Google News Initiative) have since February 2026 offered five-week courses where journalists study practical AI tool application, ethical aspects, and data verification.

The Creator Economy: The Journalist as a Brand

The second powerful vector of media industry transformation is linked to the development of the creator economy — an ecosystem of independent content creators projected to reach a colossal $500 billion by 2027. Audiences increasingly seek news, analysis, and opinions not from institutional brands but from specific individuals on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Substack.

According to the Reuters Institute, 76% of media executives in 2026 are actively encouraging their staff to ‘behave like content creators.’ Traditional media outlets have even begun launching separate sub-brands oriented around specific authors, with distinctive monetization models and editorial standards. Journalism is ceasing to be merely a news delivery service and is becoming an industry of personal authority.

The journalist of 2026 is a “leader and entrepreneur” possessing developed empathy and skills in building direct, trust-based relationships with audiences. In an era when AI can imitate any format, it is precisely human contact, exclusive access, and depth of analysis that become the primary competitive advantages.

What Machines Cannot Fake

We are witnessing a transition from ‘commodity journalism, focused on the speed of transmitting commonly known facts, to journalism of distinctiveness. Publishers worldwide have begun massively cutting investments in general news production (down 38%) and service journalism. Instead, the emphasis shifts to those aspects of the profession that are fundamentally impossible to automate.

Global media groups are sharply increasing investments in areas requiring physical human presence and deep expertise. Investments in on-the-ground reporting will grow by 91%, in deep analysis and contextualization by 82%, and in human stories by 72%. An algorithm can retell a press release, but it cannot travel to a remote region, sense the atmosphere of an event, or conduct a face-to-face interview with eyewitnesses. The true strength of modern journalism now lies in originality, depth, authoritativeness, and the ability to build trust.

Agentic AI and “Liquid Content”

We stand on the threshold of the most significant technological leap in media history — entry into the third wave of AI transformation: the era of agentic artificial intelligence. According to global surveys, 75% of newsroom leaders expect agentic tools to have a defining impact on media operations.

Agentic AI is a complex system capable of independently ‘seeing, thinking, acting, and learning’ without constant human intervention. In editorial practice, AI agents can scan social media in real time to identify disinformation, discover hidden topics, and independently suggest optimal angles for material presentation.

Simultaneously, the classic formula “one article = one story” is being replaced by the paradigm of “liquid content” — a modular approach based on adaptability, modularity, personalization, and contextual relevance. Publisher investments in video increased by 79% and in audio by 71%, confirming the multiformat future.

Deepfakes and the Crisis of Trust

The scale of the disinformation threat in 2026 has reached its historical peak. According to statistics, 68% of deepfakes today are virtually indistinguishable from real media materials. The number of deepfakes has increased by 1,780% from 2019 to 2024, and only 13% of companies worldwide have clear anti-deepfake protocols.

In this aggressive information environment, the ‘liar’s dividend’ phenomenon has emerged: the very existence of deepfakes allows manipulators to reject any genuine but inconvenient materials by simply calling them fakes. In response, a new imperative is entering journalistic practice — “Breaking Verification”. Trust ceases to be an abstract concept and becomes the main market product of professional journalism.

A Strategy for Uzbekistan Training the Next Generation: The University’s New Mission

Uzbekistan’s media industry is experiencing radical transformation. By end of 2025, internet penetration reached 89% (33.1 million users), and social media audiences grew by 41.7% to 14.1 million people. Digital investments grew more than elevenfold — from 67 billion soums in 2019 to 753 billion in 2025.

Leading digital media — Kun.uz with 7.4 million monthly visitors, Gazeta.uz (4.7 million), Qalampir.uz, and Daryo.uz — demonstrate a clear shift from text to video formats. Demand for localized content reflecting Uzbekistan’s cultural identity is forming a new niche for creators working at the intersection of traditional journalism and the creator economy.

In conditions where the global industry is transitioning to agentic AI, the creator economy, and ‘liquid content,’ it is critically important for Uzbek media to invest in technological infrastructure, as well as in ethically responsible journalism capable of earning audience trust through exclusivity, analytical depth, and verification transparency — qualities that artificial intelligence cannot reproduce.

The modern journalism education system in Uzbekistan was shaped as a strategic initiative under President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The University of Journalism and Mass Communications — the only specialized journalism university in Central Asia — has evolved from a conventional institution into a scientific and creative center for media thinking over just eight years.

Today, the university offers programs in journalism, PR and management, international relations, political science, sociology, psychology, and seven philology tracks — all unified by communication as a core discipline.

Six priority areas define the university’s journalism development strategy: strengthening digital journalism competencies including AI and data journalism; building a culture of critical thinking and verification; integrating solutions journalism principles into curriculum; expanding international partnerships through joint research and exchange programs; deepening media ethics and social responsibility standards; and advancing research and innovation to bridge journalism theory and practice.

In close collaboration with UNESCO experts, the university continuously revises qualification requirements and introduces new disciplines aligned with global standards. Curricula from leading international institutions have been studied and adapted, resulting in the integration of digital journalism, data analysis, media literacy, AI applications, and information verification into the educational process.

The university has also launched research initiatives focused on digital media’s impact on children and youth, new-generation media behavior, and emerging media trends. A pioneering AI Media Lab — an experimental newsroom operating in partnership with the Center for Progressive Reforms — enables students and AI experts to scientifically study how artificial intelligence integrates into editorial workflows and to develop replicable models for newsroom AI adoption across the country.

In today’s digital era, media is no longer merely a vehicle for information — it shapes the worldview, values, and social behavior of Generations Z, Alpha, and the emerging Beta. The media-literate, critically thinking, and socially responsible generation we educate today is tomorrow’s society’s most vital foundation.

The path through 2026 will be objectively difficult, but this era clearly outlines humanity’s unique advantages: our capacity for originality, analytical depth, and building trust that cannot be automated. Only by investing in AI literacy, verification competencies, multiformat production, and ethical responsibility can we prepare journalists capable of becoming catalysts for renewal — demonstrating that in a world of algorithms, human truth and quality journalism are valued more highly than ever before.

 

Dr Nozima MURATOVA
Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation
University of Journalism and Mass Communications of Uzbekistan