In this last episode of Media Voices in 2023 we take a big-picture look at AI, based off the recent Mx3 AI conference. We hear from experts from Immediate Media, Ipsos, the News Media Association and more, about where they are placing their chips to take advantage of the fastest-moving area of media.
This holistic look at AI in the newsroom has been split into two parts. In this first part we set the scene for AI and its use in publishing, as experts tell us how to prepare for internal and external changes to media businesses. The second part – coming in the new year – is comprised of case studies from publishers already getting their hands dirty with AI tech.
Media Voices and Media Makers Meet would like to thank FT Strategies, InsurAds, Labrador CMS, Miso, Sub(x) and Zuora for sponsoring the conference.
Episode guests and session snippets from:
- Tim Bond, Associate Director, Ipsos
- Roxanne Fisher, Director of Digital Content Strategy, Immediate Media
- Ross Sleight, Chief Strategy Officer EMEA, CI&T
- Owen Meredith, CEO, News Media Association
- Lucky Gunasekara, Co-founder and CEO, Miso.ai
- Jan Thoresen, CEO, Labrador CMS
- Julian Thorne, COO, Sub(x)
- John Barnes, Chief Digital Officer, William Reed
- Alan Hunter, Co-founder, HBM Advisory
- Kevin Donnellan, Director, Explainable
- Owen Meredith, CEO, News Media Association
- Matt D’Cruz, Partner, Martin Tripp Associates
A selected highlight from the episode:
Creating a framework to allow experimentation with AI tools…
Roxanne Fisher: When we’ve spoken to people, what they appreciated most about the journey we’ve been taking [them] on this year is having the permission to experiment with AI. I don’t think it’s the case at all media organisations at the moment that you’re encouraged to use these tools. But we also have given them guidelines to help them use them safely and carefully. So they can move forward and not only develop skills for the company, but for themselves to be able to use AI be at the forefront of what’s going on and know that they are doing it in a way that isn’t going to damage the reputation of the brands that we all love.
The starting point for us was really having people who are willing to get stuck in, so we were using the tools ourselves. And I wouldn’t call myself an expert in generative AI. But I know enough to know what’s reasonable to ask of people. So I think walking the walk and talking the talk, and practicing what you preach is really important.
I think giving people the space and the opportunity to experiment – so that’s not only giving them permission, but it’s giving them access to the right tools, giving them time to actually learn. And we found bringing people from different departments across the business together to share learnings and working with people who they hadn’t worked with before.
We have entered into a collaboration agreement with our friends at Media Voices to bring their podcasts directly to you, to add to the range of global media and tech voices we feature through our newsletter, website, and events. The collaboration also includes sponsorship opportunities. If you want to get involved, contact John Schlaefli (john@mediamakersmeet.com).
