Australian journalism is mostly missing in AI-generated news summaries by Microsoft Copilot, says new research from the University of Sydney. Only about 20% of Copilot's news summaries include links to Australian media, according to Dr Timothy Koskie from the university’s Centre for AI, Trust and Governance. His paper, Invisible journalists and dominant algorithms, warns this trend could create more news deserts and reduce independent voices, weakening democracy. AI tools like Copilot use news summaries widely but often direct users to US or European sources such as CNN and BBC—even for users in Australia. Koskie analyzed 434 AI news summaries and found Australian news was mostly ignored or limited to big outlets like Nine and ABC, with smaller independent outlets rarely appearing. “No [local] journalist was ever mentioned,” he told Guardian Australia. The technology ‘‘basically sidelined Australian news,’’ Koskie said, adding that it ‘‘reproduces crises that we didn’t properly attend to before.’’ Australia already faces challenges with limited media ownership and fewer outlets in regional areas. Koskie grew curious about Copilot’s news coverage after it installed itself on his system without consent in 2023. When he tested seven global news prompts, US sources dominated, and three prompts had no Australian sources at all. Even when Australia appeared, it lacked local details. “Australians are invisible in this,” he said. “People trust local news, and here that trust is undermined.” The Reuters Institute echoes this concern, warning AI could disrupt news industries by reducing referral traffic to publishers. Koskie recommends updating policies like the news media bargaining code to include AI tools and push for AI to consider location when picking news sources. His paper concludes: ‘‘If left unchecked, such tools risk compounding Australia’s existing media pluralism challenges rather than alleviating them.’’