The India Today Group has partnered with Google to introduce AI-driven automation across its newsroom, aiming to enhance efficiency and streamline content creation in an increasingly fast-paced digital news environment. As the demand for real-time, high-quality journalism continues to rise, the move signals a shift toward more agile and scalable newsroom operations.

According to a press release, at the centre of this transformation is Pragya, a proprietary AI-powered newsroom operations and workflow automation platform developed in collaboration with Google. Integrated with the Group’s Content Management System while also functioning as a standalone product, Pragya is designed to support editorial and growth teams with a suite of advanced AI capabilities that simplify and accelerate newsroom processes.

The platform introduces AI-assisted tools for content creation, including automated keyword generation, highlights, kickers and even draft story creation. These features are intended to reduce the burden of repetitive tasks, allowing journalists to focus more on storytelling, analysis and fact-checking. Importantly, all AI-generated content continues to go through a rigorous human editorial review process to ensure accuracy, credibility and adherence to journalistic standards.

Pragya also strengthens the newsgathering process through a dedicated Journalist App that enables field reporters to file text, audio, video and documents in real time. With direct integration into internal broadcast and publishing systems, the app ensures smoother coordination between reporters on the ground and editorial teams, significantly improving the speed of publishing.

The impact of this AI integration has already been visible. The India Today newsroom has reported a 30 percent reduction in content creation and publishing turnaround time, alongside a 10 percent increase in content output and a twofold rise in user engagement. The system also provides real-time visibility into story progress and enables more structured content archiving.

Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson and Executive Editor-in-Chief of the India Today Group, said the initiative reflects a balance between technology and editorial judgment. She described it as an “AI Sandwich,” where machine efficiency is combined with human storytelling to maintain both speed and trust in journalism.

The development highlights how AI is increasingly being used to augment newsroom operations rather than replace human roles. By integrating automation with editorial oversight, the India Today Group is positioning itself at the forefront of a more responsive and future-ready digital news ecosystem.