News values construction in AI-related online news headlines: a cross-cultural comparison between China Daily and The Guardian

Abstract Purpose This study investigates the discursive construction of news values in AI-related online news headlines from China Daily and The Guardian , two mainstream newspapers from China and the UK, and how contextual factors shape the construction of newsworthiness in each newspaper. Methodology Drawing on the framework of discursive news values analysis (DNVA), this study conducted a qualitative analysis of 757 news headlines from China Daily and 815 from The Guardian published from January to December 2025. Findings Analysis results show that the two newspapers foreground different news values in their AI-related headlines. Positivity is the most salient news value in China Daily ’s headlines, while Negativity is most frequently highlighted by The Guardian . In addition, China Daily places greater emphasis on Proximity and Impact, whereas The Guardian focuses more on Personalization and Superlativeness. Eliteness is emphasized by both news outlets but constructed in different ways. Social implications This study enhances our understanding of how the reality of AI is constructed as newsworthy in online news headlines, contributing to existing literature on media representations of AI from a new analytical perspective. It also illuminates how news values construction is shaped by the newspaper’s ideological orientation, the media environment in which it operates, and the need to attract readers’ attention. Practical implications This study calls for journalists and media practitioners to better recognize the importance of news values in online news headlines, develop a critical understanding of AI technologies, and produce more balanced reporting on AI-related issues. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to apply discursive news values analysis to AI-related news discourse. It demonstrates the applicability of DNVA in analyzing cross-cultural journalistic discourse of emerging technologies.