Upasna Gautam: The Product Manager's Guide to AI in News
Dec 27, 2024
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Upasna Gautam, Senior Platform Product Manager at CNN and Chair of the Board of Directors at the News Product Alliance, dives into the transformative role of AI in journalism. She introduces her three-question framework for AI integration and shares insights from building CNN's Stellar platform. Key highlights include empowering editorial teams, fostering collaboration to build trust, and practical strategies for AI implementation in resource-constrained newsrooms. Gautam also discusses evolving content management systems and the critical balance between technology and journalistic integrity.
Upasna Gautam emphasizes the importance of a structured framework for AI integration in newsrooms to enhance workflow efficiency.
Collaboration between product managers and editorial teams is crucial for building trust and ensuring successful AI adoption in journalism.
Deep dives
AI's Role in Journalism
AI has significant potential to enhance the journalism workflow by automating mundane and repetitive tasks, ultimately allowing journalists to focus on more creative and strategic aspects of their work. By utilizing AI-powered tools for processes such as content tagging, transcription, and translation, newsrooms can streamline publishing workflows and improve overall efficiency. Furthermore, the integration of data into these workflows provides journalists with real-time insights, helping them make informed decisions on story performance and audience engagement. Emphasizing the importance of a solid technological foundation, such as the Stellar platform developed at CNN, lays the groundwork for scalable AI solutions.
Collaboration Between Product and Editorial Teams
Fostering collaboration between product managers and editorial teams is essential for successfully integrating AI solutions within a newsroom. It is crucial for product managers to build trust and maintain transparency while addressing editorial teams' concerns regarding AI potentially undermining journalistic integrity. Engaging editorial staff early in the development process and involving them in co-designing solutions encourages greater investment and enthusiasm for new tools. By outlining clear benefits, metrics of success, and actively communicating throughout the process, product managers can ensure that editorial teams feel empowered rather than threatened by AI initiatives.
Challenges in AI Adoption in Newsrooms
Newsrooms face multiple challenges while adopting AI technologies, including defining the right problems to tackle and balancing speed with the need for trust. Many organizations grapple with the rapid pace of change that AI brings to the industry while ensuring that their journalistic values remain intact. Additionally, smaller newsrooms often struggle with access to AI tools and resources, creating inequalities within the industry. By focusing on building strong communities and sharing knowledge about AI in journalism, organizations such as the News Product Alliance aim to level the playing field for under-resourced newsrooms.
The Future of Content Management Systems
Content management systems (CMS) will continue to evolve in the face of technological advancements like AI, but their fundamental role in the newsroom will remain critical. A flexible and modular CMS, like CNN's Stellar platform, is essential to adapt to the changing needs of journalists and editors as well as the dynamics of the news landscape. As new tools and features are developed, they can be integrated seamlessly into the existing platform, enhancing both efficiency and productivity. Ultimately, the evolution of CMSs reflects a broader transformation in the industry, with a focus on scalability and user-centric design, paving the way for future innovations.
Upasna Gautam, Senior Platform Product Manger at CNN and Chair of the Board of Directors at the News Product Alliance, joins host Nikita Roy to discuss her framework for AI integration in newsrooms.
In this episode, Gautam breaks down her three-question approach to AI implementation and shares insights from building CNN's content management platform Stellar. Through practical examples from CNN's journey and her work with newsrooms globally, Gautam offers a systematic framework for evaluating which AI opportunities are worth pursuing.
Key topics include:
How CNN operates like a tech company
Three essential areas for AI in news: workflow orchestration, data integration, and content modularity
Building trust with journalists by focusing on concrete benefits over technology hype
Framework for evaluating AI opportunities that works for newsrooms of any size
Transforming editorial teams into "mini PMs" who shape technology adoption
Strategies for successful AI implementation in resource-constrained newsrooms