CGTN launches News Pal, an AI tool built on linked news reports
The web-based service creates briefings from multiple articles and directs users to source material for verification.
CGTN has launched News Pal, a web-based artificial-intelligence news companion that aggregates and summarises coverage of China and the wider world. The service, which went live in October, turns real-time reporting from a range of outlets into concise briefings on developing stories.
Its summaries can draw on multiple articles about the same subject, in some cases dozens. CGTN said the system distils key points and removes repetition, with the aim of helping users catch up while viewing different perspectives in coverage.
News Pal also includes a chat function for follow-up questions. Rather than depending solely on a large language model’s internal knowledge, its system searches the available articles, identifies relevant reports and bases responses on that material. Users can follow links to the original articles to check the answers.
The launch extends CGTN’s use of AI in news products, which has included script translation, generated audio news, personalised recommendations and daily briefings. The network presents News Pal as a way to make information easier for worldwide audiences to access.
The product arrives amid longstanding scrutiny of CGTN’s editorial independence. Reporters Without Borders describes the network as state-run and says it is primarily funded by the Chinese government and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The press-freedom group says the department issues daily directives to Chinese media on stories to promote or avoid.
CGTN developed from China Central Television’s international channels and became a multi-platform international network under China Media Group. Its social-media accounts have tens of millions of followers globally, according to a Freedom House report cited by RSF.
RSF says Ofcom revoked CGTN’s UK broadcasting licence after finding that the Chinese Communist Party controlled its content-production process. China ranked 178th among 180 countries and territories in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index.