BACK

1. Impact of AI on Journalism Production
- AI helps journalists by automating data collection, content repurposing, transcription, research assistance, image generation, SEO, and data analysis.
- Optimistic view: AI might replace low-quality journalism, improving overall standards.
- Concerns include AI errors, hallucinations, biases, and risks of skill erosion for new journalists.
- AI-generated low-quality content could increase, affecting legitimate journalism's revenue and reputation.
- Lack of training and transparency on AI use in journalism is a problem to be addressed.

2. Impact of AI on News Consumption
- AI-written news is often indistinguishable from human-written news and can engage readers better initially due to curiosity.
- However, most people still prefer human-generated journalism.
- "Intimacy dividend": AI chatbots may offer judgment-free, personalized ways for readers to interact with news and ask questions.
- "Liar’s dividend": AI makes it easier to discredit authentic news by labeling it as fake or AI-generated, increasing public skepticism and distrust, enabling propaganda.

3. Impact of AI on Media Distribution and Business
- AI's effect on distribution is largely negative.
- Traditional traffic flow from platforms like Google or social media to media websites is declining due to AI-generated summaries reducing clicks.
- Example: Google AI overviews can reduce traffic for news sites by up to 60%, causing significant revenue loss (estimated $2 billion annually industry-wide).
- Zero-click searches are increasing, and social media referral traffic continues to decline, complicating monetization for media outlets.

4. Future Outlook and Speculation
- Short-term: More formal content licensing and possibly API-based paywalls may regulate media content use by AI.
- Lawsuits over data usage unlikely to produce significant results long-term.
- Long-term dystopian scenario: AI platforms could bypass media outlets entirely, hiring journalists directly to feed AI models, effectively cutting out traditional publishers.
- This shift may blur or eliminate bylines and change journalists' roles; many may leave large outlets to engage audiences directly.
- Alternative survival path: media outlets creating their own branded AI tools (e.g., Financial Times' "Ask FT") to maintain relevance and audience interaction.

Actionable Items and Tasks Highlighted:
- Media companies need to explore and establish content licensing agreements with AI platforms.
- Experiment and invest in branded AI chatbots or language models to preserve audience connection and monetization.
- Journalists should receive training on how to use AI tools responsibly, including transparency about AI usage in content creation.
- Address and manage risks of AI errors, biases, and potential skill erosion through education and ethical guidelines.
- Monitor and research the impact of AI on media traffic and revenues and adapt distribution strategies accordingly.
- Develop ways to counter misinformation and public distrust accelerated by AI-enabled "liar’s dividend."
- Explore direct engagement models between journalists and audiences beyond traditional outlets to sustain the profession.

Journalism and media in the age of AI (hype): How technology is changing the way media content is produced, consumed, and distributed

Share:

12:25 - 12:45, 28th of May (Wednesday) 2025 / GROWTH STAGE

Journalism and media in the age of AI (hype): How technology is changing the way media content is produced, consumed, and distributed. The talk touches upon the topics of media business models, disinformation, "AI slop", and evolution of LLMs.

AUDIENCE:
Startup Scaleup Profitable Company
TRACK:
AI/ML Business & Tech trends Tech4Good
TOPICS:
FutureNow Industry Focus

Andrii Degeler

Unzip.Media