Traditional news publishers remain the most trusted news sources among Australians, with 79 per cent finding national news publishers at least moderately trustworthy, compared with 38 per cent for AI-generated news, according to Deloitte's Media & Entertainment Consumer Insights 2026 report.
The 15th edition surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 Australians aged 16 to 91, with fieldwork conducted by an independent research organisation between July and August 2026.
The research examines changing attitudes towards AI-generated content, media consumption habits, advertising influence, and entertainment spending. It found that while Australians are increasingly using AI in their everyday lives, concerns over authenticity are driving demand for greater transparency from platforms and publishers.
Deloitte Australia Telecommunications, Media and Technology Lead Partner, Peter Corbett, said: “Traditional news publishers have a clear trust premium over AI-generated news, even as Australians bring AI into their everyday lives. Australians are more willing to trust AI content when a human has reviewed and edited it, and they want to know when AI has been used. Using these tools does not mean accepting their output without question.”
AI content needs greater transparency
75 per cent of respondents believed AI-generated content made it harder to determine what was real online. The research found that 84 per cent believed platforms and publishers should be legally required to label AI-generated content, while 71 per cent said they would stop using a platform that failed to clearly disclose its use.
Concerns extended to potential harm, with 53 per cent extremely concerned about harmful deepfake content affecting children and young people, while 49 per cent expressed the same level of concern about misinformation.
The study also identified generational differences in how Australians perceive AI-generated content. 49 per cent of Gen Z respondents considered AI-generated news at least moderately trustworthy, compared with 21 per cent of Boomers.
However, trust in national Australian news publishers was almost identical across the two generations, at 79 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. Independent or regional news publishers were also highly trusted overall, at 78 per cent.
Younger Australians were more confident in their ability to identify AI content. Among Gen Z respondents, 72 per cent believed they could detect AI-generated or significantly altered content, compared with 31 per cent of Boomers.
"There is a stark generational divide in how Australians judge AI-generated content," said Peter.
"Gen Z are more confident they can identify it and more willing to trust AI-generated news, while Boomers are more sceptical and less certain they can tell what is real. Yet both generations place similarly high trust in national news publishers, underlining traditional news’s trust premium and the importance of clear disclosure as AI becomes part of everyday life."
AI changes how Australians search for information
The report found that 48 per cent of Australians regularly used standalone AI tools in their personal lives, with ChatGPT the most preferred tool across the activities examined.
Preferences also differed across generations. Among regular standalone AI users, 40 per cent preferred a single model across all activities where they used AI, while younger users were more likely to use multiple models.
Meanwhile, 57 per cent of respondents said AI-generated search summaries made searching easier and encouraged them to conduct more searches. However, around one in ten reported no longer clicking through to original sources after viewing an AI-generated search summary.
Australians reassess digital subscription spending
Average monthly household spending on digital subscriptions have declined by six per cent, from $78 in 2025 to $73 in 2026, while the average number of subscriptions increased marginally from 3.7 to 3.8. For the first time, average spending fell below the $97 respondents considered a reasonable monthly budget.
The research found that 75 per cent remained concerned about the cumulative cost of subscriptions, while 76 per cent periodically reviewed their subscriptions to determine whether to make changes.
Gen Z recorded the largest decline in monthly spending, falling by $11 or 11 per cent, alongside reduced participation in subscription video-on-demand and music services.
Media attention shifts across formats and generations
Australians reported spending an average of 45 hours and 20 minutes each week consuming media and entertainment, unchanged from 2025, although the distribution of their attention continued to change:
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Average weekly news and magazine consumption increased from two hours and five minutes to two hours and 30 minutes.
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National affairs and politics remained the most actively sought-after news category (68 per cent), followed by local news (67 per cent) and international affairs and politics (64 per cent).
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News consumption habits also differed by generation, with younger Australians more likely to prefer YouTube and social media for news, while older audiences remained more closely tied to traditional television.
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Excessive advertising (25 per cent) and paywalls (22 per cent) were identified as the main barriers to consuming preferred news content.
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Weekly audio consumption increased from 12 hours and 25 minutes to 13 hours and 30 minutes, while social media consumption rose by 30 minutes to five hours and 50 minutes.
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Gaming has increased from three hours and five minutes in 2025 to three hours and 45 minutes in 2026, while sports viewing rose from two hours and 35 minutes to three hours.
What communications and media professionals need to know
The research highlights several considerations for PR, communications and media professionals as audiences change how they discover, consume and evaluate information.
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Maintain transparency around AI-generated content: Clearly disclose AI use where relevant and ensure appropriate human review, particularly when publishing information that audiences rely on for accuracy and credibility.
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Recognise the continuing value of trusted journalism: Independent editorial coverage remains an important source of credibility, even as AI-generated news and summaries become more prevalent.
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Monitor changing information discovery habits: Consider how AI-generated search summaries may affect audiences' access to original sources and the visibility of organisational information.
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Adapt communications to different generations: Account for differences in media preferences, trust, and platform use rather than relying on a single approach to audience engagement.
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Understand the pressures affecting media consumption: Subscription costs, advertising volume, and access barriers can influence where audiences spend their time and how they engage with content.
The findings suggest that while AI and digital platforms continue to reshape media consumption, trust, transparency and understanding audience behaviour remain central to effective communications.
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