<p>Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative technology that is fundamentally reshaping the media and journalism landscape by influencing news production, content creation, audience engagement, and editorial decision-making. Although AI offers significant opportunities for improving efficiency, personalization, and data-driven journalism, it also raises critical concerns related to journalistic ethics, algorithmic bias, employment displacement, misinformation, and data privacy. The present study investigates the role of AI in media by examining its applications, opportunities, challenges, and perceived impact on journalism. The study adopts a quantitative descriptive research design based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from 400 respondents associated with media education, journalism, and digital media users. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hypothesis-based interpretation. The findings indicate that respondents widely acknowledge AI’s growing role in news gathering, content creation, and audience analytics. However, they also express considerable concern regarding media impartiality, algorithmic bias, declining trust in AI-generated news, employment reduction, and the urgent need for ethical governance and policy regulation. The study concludes that AI should complement rather than replace human journalism and emphasizes the necessity of transparent AI governance, responsible newsroom practices, and continuous professional training. The findings contribute to the growing scholarship on AI-assisted journalism by integrating technological opportunities with ethical and policy perspectives.</p>