TLDR: In March 2025, Italy’s prominent daily newspaper, Il Foglio, achieved a global first by publishing an entire four-page edition produced solely by artificial intelligence, marking a significant milestone in news production.
In a groundbreaking move that has garnered international attention, Il Foglio, a leading conservative-liberal daily newspaper in Italy, made history in March 2025 by releasing an edition entirely generated by artificial intelligence. This special four-page supplement, dubbed ‘Il Foglio AI,’ was available both in print on newsstands and online, signifying a major milestone in the evolution of news production.
The initiative was conceived as a month-long journalistic experiment to thoroughly examine the profound impact of AI on journalism and daily life. Claudio Cerasa, the editor of Il Foglio, emphasized the comprehensive nature of the AI’s involvement, stating, “It will be the first daily newspaper in the world on newsstands created entirely using artificial intelligence. For everything. For the writing, the headlines, the quotes, the summaries. And, sometimes, even for the irony.”
Cerasa further clarified that the role of human journalists in this pioneering project was primarily limited to “asking questions [into an AI tool] and reading the answers.” This approach aimed to demonstrate the capabilities of generative AI in instantly completing articles based on collected online information, and even creating new charts or images to enhance content understanding, thereby surpassing traditional news production methods.
The inaugural AI-generated issue featured a diverse range of articles, including a geopolitical piece titled ‘Putin, the 10 Betrayals,’ which summarized ‘twenty years of broken promises, torn-up agreements, and words betrayed’ by Vladimir Putin. Another prominent article on the front page, ‘The paradox of Italian Trumpians,’ discussed US President Donald Trump and criticized his Italian supporters who oppose ‘cancel culture’ but overlook or ‘celebrate’ Trump’s perceived despotic behavior. The edition also included an uncharacteristically optimistic article on the Italian economy and explored ‘situationships’ among young Europeans.
Notably, the final page of ‘Il Foglio AI’ even presented AI-generated letters to the editor, with one letter humorously questioning whether AI would eventually render humans ‘useless.’ The AI’s response playfully suggested, ‘AI is a great innovation, but it doesn’t yet know how to order a coffee without getting the sugar wrong.’ Cerasa proudly referred to the project as ‘a real newspaper,’ highlighting it as an example of ‘news, debate, and provocations’ and a practical demonstration of AI’s function in the journalistic world.
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The experiment generated significant public interest, with sales of Il Foglio reportedly spiking by 60 percent on the first day. Cerasa noted that many readers discovered Il Foglio thanks to the ‘Il Foglio AI’ experience, finding it enjoyable. This initiative comes amidst a broader trend where major media companies globally, such as Reuters and AP, are actively integrating AI technology into their news production processes to save costs and time, while also exploring services like customized search, recommendations, summaries, and translations for reader convenience.
