More than three-quarters of journalists in Montenegro believe the public has a right to know when AI shapes the news they consume, according to a new survey from the Media Union of Montenegro (SMCG). The study, which captured early adoption patterns among 71 news professionals, found that over half already use generative AI tools daily or occasionally - a shift that carries direct implications for writers, editors, and content creators everywhere.
The survey, titled "AI in the newsroom: First changes in journalistic practice in Montenegro," revealed that 54.93 percent of respondents use AI regularly. Marijana Camović Velicković, vice president of SMCG, said the research aimed to "record early patterns of use of generative AI in Montenegrin newsrooms, as well as to determine how journalists and editors perceive its impact on their daily work." The project also included an experimental component: "participants evaluated two short informative texts without information about whether they were written by a human or created with the help of AI," she said.
How journalists use AI
The most common applications center on research and drafting. According to the survey, 57 percent of journalists use AI for researching information and sources. Another 38 percent rely on it for stylization, proofreading, and reformulation. Additional uses include translation and paraphrasing (35 percent), writing headings and subheadings (33 percent), preparing interview questions (29 percent), and creating full text drafts (22 percent).
These tasks - from drafting to polishing prose - mirror the core workflows of many professional writers. For those exploring how AI fits into their own process, resources like AI for Writers offer a closer look at the tools and techniques now changing content creation.
The rules gap
Despite the rapid uptake, formal guidelines are scarce. Dražen Đurašković, the study's author, said that AI in newsrooms is mainly governed by informal or "tacit" rules. "The biggest problem is not the use of AI itself, but the lack of clear editorial rules, checks and division of responsibilities," he said. This absence of structure leaves many journalists facing ethical and practical questions on their own.
Autonomy and consent concerns
The survey also surfaced unease about how journalists' work feeds back into AI systems. 36.62 percent of respondents believe their own output is being used to train AI models without their knowledge or consent. "Our findings showed that professional autonomy is under pressure," Đurašković said, pointing to that statistic as evidence.
What training should cover
The researchers stressed that journalists and editors need practical training - not just technical instructions. Recommended topics include content verification, source and data protection, copyright, ethics, and transparency. With AI already handling research tasks for a majority of respondents, skills like verification become critical. Structured training, such as AI Research Courses, can help writers and journalists build the discernment needed to use these tools responsibly.
Why this matters for writers
The Montenegrin findings are a concentrated example of trends playing out across the writing profession globally. When more than half of a newsroom uses AI for drafting, editing, and research, the line between human and machine authorship blurs - and readers increasingly expect transparency. Writers who ignore these shifts risk falling behind in both productivity and audience trust. The survey's emphasis on clear guidelines, consent, and training applies just as directly to freelance writers, content teams, and authors as it does to journalists. Building a personal framework for AI use, grounded in ethics and skill, is no longer optional - it's a professional necessity.
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