AI Revolutionizes News CMS Platforms and Workflows

Content Management Systems (CMS) are undergoing a significant transformation as news organizations increasingly integrate Artificial Intelligence, according to a recent webinar hosted by WAN-IFRA’s WIZONE Marketplace. Experts from Stibo DX, Bright Sites, Atex, and Finland’s Ilta-Sanomat discussed practical approaches to embedding AI into newsroom workflows without sacrificing journalistic integrity. A central theme emerged: AI is rapidly becoming foundational to modern CMS platforms.

Today’s CMS are evolving beyond simple content storage to actively support the entire editorial process – from news gathering and production to distribution and monetization. The focus is shifting towards robust workflow support, maintaining editorial standards, and ensuring scalability. A key debate centers on where to integrate AI – within the CMS itself, or as separate applications.

Brian Alford, CEO of Bright Sites, argues that AI features handling everyday tasks – headline optimization, tagging, fact-checking – are best integrated directly into the CMS. More complex, data-intensive tools, however, should remain separate to avoid clutter and maintain usability for journalists. Kalle Pirhonen, Editorial AI Producer at Ilta-Sanomat, echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the need for thoughtful integration to prevent overwhelming journalists with unnecessary features.

Pirhonen describes the evolution of AI in newsrooms as a “copy-paste evolution,” noting that until recently, AI-generated summaries, translations, and SEO headlines were manually transferred into the CMS. While integration is improving, he cautions against “baking in” every AI function, which can lead to a cluttered system.

Ethical and legal considerations are paramount. Pirhonen’s team prioritizes compliance, ensuring all unpublished content remains within secure, in-house AI tools, and only whitelisted content is utilized.

Language support remains a challenge. Sara Forni, Product Manager at Atex, introduced the concept of “fluid media,” but current AI-based CMS struggle with multilingual content. While large language models perform well in major European languages, support for African languages and others is limited, though smaller, language-specific models are emerging. Stibo DX offers custom model integration to address regional language and legal needs.

The conversation is also shifting towards how readers interact with news. Alford points out that tech platforms often fail to reflect actual journalistic workflows, and that systems should adapt to newsrooms, not the other way around. Developers are exploring front-end experiences similar to ChatGPT, allowing readers to interact with news through conversational interfaces – topic-specific bots for elections or climate change, for example.

SEO remains important, but is evolving. The emphasis is shifting from keyword stuffing to quality journalism, and tools that help manage SEO across multiple platforms are valuable. Ultimately, the goal is for AI to augment journalists, not replace them – automating routine tasks to free up time for storytelling.

Marie Bering, Product Manager at Stibo DX, stresses the need for flexible, customizable AI-powered CMS platforms that encourage collaboration between editorial, commercial, and technical teams. The challenge isn’t simply using AI, but integrating it seamlessly into daily routines while maintaining journalistic standards.

In my view, this cautious and considered approach to AI integration is vital. The experts rightly highlight the danger of over-complicating systems and losing sight of core journalistic principles. AI offers tremendous potential to enhance news production and delivery, but only if implemented thoughtfully and with a clear understanding of the needs and workflows of newsrooms. The focus on ethical considerations and maintaining control over content is particularly encouraging, ensuring that AI serves journalism, rather than the other way around.