The Media Copilot

 The Media Copilot is partnering with The Upgrade for a comprehensive six-week AI course tailored for PR and media professionals. Explore the course here. As you may know, in addition to hosting a podcast, I also teach media professionals — newsrooms, PR firms, and more — on how to apply AI to their work. I've taken all kinds of AI courses and constantly try out new tools, and I've distilled all that and put the best parts into an AI class for journalists and communications pros that goes from basic prompting to advanced tools in a single afternoon. However, the AI world is moving faster than a comet. Models are evolving, new platforms are emerging, and tools are getting more sophisticated. There are now all kinds of AI-powered apps dedicated to narrow aspects of media work — from social media generation to news analysis to automated email campaigns. And the well-known chatbots have powerful new features with potential that's barely been scratched. It's clear that AI classes in general need an upgrade, and that makes my announcement today doubly apt: I'm partnering with Peter Bittner, CEO of The Upgrade Academy, and Kris Krüg, Founder of Techartist, to offer an extensive six-week course entitled AI for PR & Media Professionals, happening in early 2025. Registrations are open now, and if you grab a spot before December 15 you can use the discount code EARLYBIRD25 at checkout to get 25% off the price. Course title: AI for PR & Media Professionals Begins: Feb. 4, 2025 Format: six 1-hour classes, each focusing on different aspects of media, PR, and communications work Instructors: Pete Pachal, Peter Bittner, Kris Krüg Who is this for: PR and media professionals How to buy: Checkout link (discount code: EARLYBIRD25; group rates available) For the full breakdown of what's in the course, check out the class page, but here's a summary: Course Highlights: This course goes beyond foundational concepts and goes deep into using AI for specific use cases and workflows, such as media monitoring, campaign analysis, and crisis management. Each week includes interactive workshops where participants can apply what they've learned in real-world scenarios, helping build a practical understanding of the tools and techniques. Peter Bittner and I will guide participants every step of the way, offering insights from our extensive experience in media and AI. What You Will Learn: Participants will learn AI-powered content creation, including generating and refining social media posts, press releases, and other media content. They will also discover automated media monitoring techniques to track news and monitor public sentiment effectively. Additionally, attendees will explore how to use AI for automating and personalizing communication strategies, making outreach campaigns more impactful. By the end of the six weeks, you will not only understand how AI can fit into your daily work but also feel confident using a variety of tools to boost productivity and creativity. Join us, and let's explore how AI can empower your work! The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

Business Insider's CEO on the Legal Challenges Reshaping the Media Industry This week, I’m thrilled to welcome Jakob Wais to the podcast. Jakob is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Business Insider Germany, a key player within Axel Springer’s media empire. Axel Springer was one of the first major media companies to embrace generative AI, striking a groundbreaking deal with OpenAI in late 2023, which integrated their publications, including Jakob’s, with ChatGPT. I was eager to dive into Jakob’s insights on how a major media company leverages AI in its newsroom. We explored the flexibility he has in applying AI to editorial workflows, the ways his team of journalists perceive and adapt to these tools, and—most critically—how Business Insider Germany’s audience reacts to the integration of AI into the content they consume. Our conversation also touched on the legal battles shaping the media landscape, including the recent lawsuit between News Corp and Perplexity. Jakob shared a thought-provoking perspective on what AI engines truly do with content, offering a fresh way to think about how machines "read" compared to humans. And don’t miss the surprising connection Jakob draws between men’s fashion in Tokyo and the future of quality journalism. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

This week I'm thrilled to welcome Liam Andrew to the podcast. Liam's been working with machine learning and AI for a lot longer than most of us. He worked on the product team at the Texas Tribune for more than eight years before making the jump earlier this year to the American Journalism Project, where he serves as Technology Lead for its Product & AI Studio, which obviously has a huge focus on how newsrooms can leverage AI. Liam constantly talks to local newsrooms all over the country, so he has a front-row seat into what their challenges are, how AI can help, and how it's actually being used day to day. I loved getting into the weeds with Liam. He and I talked about AI newsroom issues big and small — like whether or not ChatGPT is any good at headlines, but also the ethics of using generative images. We tackle some heavy issues in the state of media today, and I hope you'll listen to the end, where he gives some excellent advice for newsrooms who may be closer to the beginning of their AI journey than the end.  The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, each one tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

If you follow AI at all, you’ve probably heard of Google NotebookLM. The Gemini-powered feature got a huge popularity boost recently when it introduced the ability to create a totally synthetic podcast around any material you gave it. The idea of a “podcast this” button on any article, video, or set of PowerPoints is a powerful one, and it underscores the transformative power of AI and large language models (LLMs). That transformative power has actually been around much longer than NotebookLM’s audio overviews. On this week’s Media Copilot podcast, I talk to Daniel Rascon, co-founder of AnyTopic. His AI startup is entirely about creating audio experiences about, well, any topic. Essentially you tell the app what you're interested in — anything from medieval architecture or how to get better sleep — and it'll go out and find the most relevant content about that topic, creating a mini audiobook for you to listen to whenever you want. These aren’t word-for-word readings of text articles like The Washington Post and The New York Times are doing. I'd actually call the broader idea a “content polymorph” — essentially an AI agent designed to search for, interpret, and reformat information around whatever the user specifies. Right now it's centered around audio experiences, but there's no reason the same idea couldn't be applied to all kinds of formats, potentially giving everyone their own personal media reformatter in the future. Daniel and I explored what that future might look like, and how AnyTopic might be the first step in getting there. It was an illuminating conversation, and be sure to listen to the end where we don't shy away from why such a flexible, customizable future might be scary to a lot of people. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

When should we use AI and when shouldn't we? That's a question that comes up often when I consult with media companies and PR firms on integrating AI into their editorial teams. You have to balance a number of factors — chief among them goals, ethics, and cost. You also need to consider the long-term picture and what it looks like when AI begins to take on tasks that were previously human-driven. It's a tough thing to get right for an individual or a company, let alone all of society. What would help is a framework for how people can approach AI, a guide to where it can make the most difference, with careful weighing of the benefits and the risks of using such a powerful technology. Journalist Jeremy Kahn has just what you're looking for. His book, Mastering AI, explores many facets of how AI is changing our world, from healthcare to the military to, yes, the media. Jeremy has covered AI extensively, most recently serving as the AI Editor at Fortune. He's also the latest guest on The Media Copilot podcast. Jeremy and I had a wide-ranging conversation about AI, exploring some big-picture factors that I don't often get to sink my teeth into. We talked about copyright, bias, journalist copilots, and what the future of media looks like in a world where chatbots summarize everything. He also has a really good sense of what disciplined use of AI looks like, something I think journalists can really benefit from.  The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

This week on The Media Copilot podcast, I'm thrilled to talk to Joanna Stern, Senior Personal Technology Columnist at the Wall Street Journal. Joanna and I used to see each other quite often at various tech events when I was the Tech Editor at Mashable. She's known for her clever tech videos and deep reporting on how the titans of Silicon Valley are altering our lives in big and small ways. Lately, though, she's making a name for herself by being an AI innovator. Normally this time of year she'd have a big review of the latest iPhones, but instead she gave the world Joannabot: an AI-powered chatbot created the Journal tech team and Joanna herself, designed to give readers all the advice they could ever want about buying the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro — in Joanna’s unique voice (or a close approximation). As soon as I saw Joannabot, I knew I wanted to talk to Joanna about it. Not just because it's a wildly interesting AI experiment from a major publisher, but also because I've been dying to get Joanna's thoughts on the big picture of AI: how far it's come, what is on the horizon, and how it's changed the way she does her job. Mission: accomplished. It was a really fun conversation, and I hope you listen till the end, where I squeeze out of her what she really thinks of Apple Intelligence Apple's upcoming feature upgrade that will add AI to the iPhone experience — and how that will change what we think of as "consumer AI." NOTE: This podcast was recorded prior to Meta Connect, where Meta unveiled its Orion AI-powered smart glasses. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

Remember that AI song based on the voices of Drake and the Weeknd that made the rounds last fall? It was a polarizing moment for AI — underscoring its power but also its peril, since neither artist had a say in the creation of that song. Enter Hooky. The fresh AI startup is trying to solve this problem, one that isn’t unique to music. It’s actually one of the biggest issues in generative AI, undergirding the lawsuits against OpenAI, Stable Diffusion and all the rest: How do you ensure content creators can both control and profit from the use of their work when it's gobbled up by AI? In Hooky’s case, it enables artists to license their voice to service, allowing the app’s customers to create original songs with that voice, and even distribute them to streaming platforms like Spotify. The artist approves every single AI song, and how much revenue they get entirely up to them. The idea makes a ton of sense, but Hooky is also performing for a tough crowd: artists have a lot of AI skepticism, the regulatory landscape is really unclear, and there are plenty of competing AI apps that don't have any licensing or safeguards. In the latest episode of The Media Copilot podcast, I talk to Jordan Young, CEO of Hooky. Jordan is a longtime music artist and producer who's worked with the likes of Jay-Z, the Chainsmokers, and Coldplay. We explore how the music industry might be best equipped to deal with the copyright-and-compensation problem, and we also tackle a key question: whether or not anyone really wants to listen to AI music in the first place. And, yes, Taylor Swift does come up. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

I always feel good when I see fellow journalists going out on their own to build something new, and that's exactly what Nick Toso and Catalina Villegas are doing with Rolli. Toso is the former Washington Bureau Chief at CNN, and Villegas has worked as a producer and anchor for TV news. And with Rolli, they're creating a set of tools for journalists to help them work faster while producing better work — exactly what every newsroom in asking them to do. "Do more with less" is a tired phrase, but that's because it's everywhere now. It's the rule, not the exception. How to do more with less doesn't get talked about nearly as much, but Rolli has a lot to say about that. You need an expert for your story — fast? Rolli can help. You need to know if a viral story is true or not, and where it originated? Rolli can help. And you don't actually have any money to pay for this service? Rolli can still help. I went deep on Rolli with Nick and Catalina in this discussion, but beyond the features of service, I also put the focus on the forces in media that are putting services like Rolli in demand, including — what else? — AI. It was a really fun conversation, and I hope you listen to the whole thing, since I don't shy away from asking them some tough questions about trust and bias that curated services are often accused of. Hey, I'm a journalist, too. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

When it comes to the right and wrong of using AI in creative work, it's safe to say we're still figuring it out. That goes double for music, where AI has cultivated more than its share of lawsuits and suspicion from artists. From the audience perspective, AI is arguably changing things even more. Recommendation algorithms have the power to influence our tastes, but they also can put us in bubbles. At the same time, AI-cloned voices paired with auto-generated lyrics could end up changing our expectations of what's good entirely — we may not care whether it's Drake or fake. For some thoughtful opinions on all this, I looked to authorities in both entertainment and AI. At the recent Ai4 conference in Las Vegas, I sat down with none other than comedian and actor Cedric the Entertainer as well as Alex Elias, CEO of AI recommendation engine Qloo. Our conversation got into the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI in music and show business. Despite concerns about what AI could mean for artists' legacies (Tupac does come up), both Cedric and Alex expressed cautious optimism about the future of AI in music. Ultimately I came away convinced that it comes down to finding the right balance — harnessing AI's potential while preserving the human element. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024

For companies building new things and trying to tell their story, there's a lot of talk about "going direct" lately. This is shorthand for a new(-ish) type of PR, where the founder and sometimes other key people simply use social platforms, newsletters and all the other tools of media themselves — eschewing the traditional route of telling their stories through journalists. The idea has gained traction in the last few years (I moderated a whole discussion about it at Consensus 2024), and whether or not you think it's a smart PR strategy, there's a lesson here for the media itself: bypassing intermediaries is an essential part of audience "ownership" — one of the biggest concerns in a world where AI chatbots now answer user questions without connecting those users to the source that originated the information. To better understand how publishers and the media can re-assert ownership of their own audiences, I talked to Mike Donoghue for The Media Copilot podcast. Mike is the CEO of Subtext, which transforms text messaging into a broadcast channel — reaching audiences through one of the core apps of the modern smartphone. Publishers use Subtext to create conversations with readers, celebrities use it to connect with fans, and all those interactions can be two-way. All they need to do is hit reply. In a lot of ways, texting seems like the new email, and potentially a way for publishers to create a new surface to reach audiences that they control, shielded from Google, AI, and everything else. I talked to Mike about how Subtext came to be, why texting and SMS might be the last frontier for owning the audience relationship, and the role Subtext can play in a media ecosystem where AI is rapidly becoming the new platform to worry about — and perhaps to master. The Media Copilot is a podcast and newsletter that explores how generative AI is changing media, journalism, and the news. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to The Media Copilot newsletter.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore our courses⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on how to use AI tools, tailored for media, marketers, PR professionals, and other content creators. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on X.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to the podcast on: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Other podcast apps⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Favorite⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alexander Nakarada, licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License © AnyWho Media 2024