A new survey of African media organizations reveals a striking paradox: while generative AI has been adopted universally among respondents, the formal strategies, in-house expertise and regulatory frameworks needed to govern its use are largely absent.
The AI and Transformation of Media — Africa Readiness Survey 2026, released by Broadcast Media Africa, captured perspectives from 23 media organizations across sub-Saharan Africa, including broadcasters, regulators and streaming platforms. The findings point to an industry at a strategic crossroads, with enthusiasm for AI running well ahead of organizational readiness.
While 94% of media leaders reported familiarity with AI, only 11% of organizations have a formal AI strategy in place. Fifty-six percent of respondents said they have no in-house AI expertise, and 75% reported that national regulatory frameworks governing AI in media are either unclear or entirely absent. At the same time, 75% of organizations plan to increase AI spending within the next 24 months.
“The survey clearly shows that for African media, ambition currently exceeds architecture,” said Benjamin Pius, CEO of Broadcast Media Africa. “While it is encouraging to see universal engagement with generative tools, the lack of formal policies and in-house expertise creates a material risk.”
Among specific findings, translation and localization emerged as the primary AI use case at 18%, reflecting the need to navigate Africa’s multilingual complexity. AI is viewed primarily as a tool for enhancement rather than replacement, with content quality and editorial improvement cited as the top drivers of adoption. Despite the universal use of generative AI tools, 53% of respondents have no formal guidelines for their use, and only 9% have fully integrated AI-powered fact-checking.
Infrastructure gaps are also a concern: 47% of organizations lack significant cloud adoption, creating what the report describes as a structural disadvantage for deploying modern AI platforms.
Budget constraints and a lack of skilled personnel were identified as the primary barriers to effective adoption. Notably, organizational resistance to change ranked last as a barrier at just 3%, suggesting that African media teams are culturally prepared to embrace AI but lack the financial and technical resources to do so.
Broadcast Media Africa recommended that organizations prioritize developing basic AI usage policies covering disclosure and intellectual property compliance, while calling on industry bodies to facilitate more affordable access to AI tools.
