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- MediaMorph Edition 49 - by HANA News
MediaMorph Edition 49 - by HANA News
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The written-by-a-human bit
Like London buses, you wait for a decent AI report, then four come along at once. In the spirit of TLDR, here are the standout charts from each report.
This eye-popping chart in Harvard Business Review’s “How People Are Really Using Gen AI in 2025” suggests therapy and companionship have overtaken technical help, research and analysis. This is no bad thing when professional mental health services are so hard to come by, but are we losing out when machines replace friends and family, and even loving relationships?
Media and telco are holding their own in the adoption race, according to McKinsey’s The State of AI: How Organisations Are Rewiring To Capture Value. Workflows are being redesigned, and functions like Risk and Compliance and Data Governance are being centralised. 80% of organisations were using AI in some capacity in July 2024. (Note to McKinsey: you need to get your surveys out faster in AI land.)
EBU New’s 75-page report, LEADING NEWSROOMS in the Age of Generative AI, is the most pertinent for Media Morph. It’s a comprehensive AI roadmap for media leaders. There are some excellent insights, case studies and use cases, plus in-depth Q&As. However, the report is somewhat cautious - a bit “on the one hand, and on the other hand” – and the strategy recommendations are slightly platitudinous, e.g. “Journalism strategy: define your mission, your audiences, and the value you add to your audiences’ lives.”
Finally, Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index Annual Report - 2025: The Year The Frontier Firm Is Born makes an excellent case for AI transformation through managing teams (or armies) of agents. Skills-based work charts will replace org charts. Top-down approaches start to reassert themselves as bottom-up adoption continues. We all get to be an “agent boss” – someone who builds, delegates to, and manages agents to amplify their impact. Frontier Firms are defined as having intelligence on tap, and where everyone is managing agents.
I might get t-shirts made: “Agent Boss”
Mark Riley, CEO, Mathison.ai
Hi
AI will be a substantial competitive advantage for those who master it. But most are still struggling with adoption because rolling out a chatbot or copilot isn’t enough to get people using it.
At Mathison AI, we are helping CEOs like you rapidly discover and prototype high-impact AI use cases tailored to your business.
Special Spring Offer for readers of Media Morph - Education plus Strategy - enjoy an offering of AI webinars, a deepdive “train the trainers” workshop and a bespoke business critical AI road map - enquire today
AI and Media and Journalism
EBU News Report 2025: Leading Newsrooms in the Age of Generative AI Ebu - The EBU News Report reveals the irreversible impact of Artificial Intelligence on the media landscape, highlighting its potential to enhance journalistic practices through automation and data analysis, while also addressing ethical challenges such as misinformation and bias. It serves as a vital roadmap for media professionals navigating the evolving world of AI in news production and distribution. |
Americans largely foresee AI having negative effects on news coverage Pew Research Center - April 28, 2025 A recent Pew Research Center survey reveals that nearly half of Americans fear AI will harm news quality over the next 20 years, with only 10% expecting positive effects. Concerns about job losses and misinformation are prevalent, as 59% believe AI will reduce journalism jobs and 66% express worry over inaccuracies in AI-generated content. |
Who’s suing AI and who’s signing: Ziff Davis sues OpenAI after Washington Post signs deal Press Gazette - April 25, 2025 The media industry is witnessing a growing divide as some publishers, like The New York Times and Ziff Davis, pursue lawsuits against AI companies for unauthorized content use, while others, including The Washington Post and Axios, forge partnerships to monetize their journalism through AI integration. As legal battles unfold, many organizations are negotiating licensing deals to ensure fair compensation, highlighting the complex relationship between traditional media and emerging AI technologies. |
Human-made news vs AI-generated news: a comparison of Portuguese and Spanish journalism students’ evaluations Nature - April 24, 2025 A recent study reveals that journalism students in Spain and Portugal perceive AI-generated news from ChatGPT-3 as superior in quality compared to human-written articles, raising concerns about the future of journalistic standards amid the rise of automated content. This shift highlights the need for enhanced AI education in journalism curricula to address challenges like misinformation and declining news credibility. |
Environmental journalists: Readers are losers in the AI revolution Arizona Republic - April 25, 2025 At the 2025 Society of Environmental Journalism conference, experts discussed the challenges of AI in journalism, noting public acceptance for certain uses but hesitance towards AI-generated content. Meanwhile, the Arizona Media Association's collaboration with azcentral.com aims to promote open-source news sharing, enhancing community engagement and transparency in local reporting. |
Nordic AI in Media Summit 2025: Five takeaways from this annual event on the future of news Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism - April 25, 2025 The Nordic AI in Media Summit in Copenhagen showcased innovative AI tools transforming journalism, including 'Djinn,' which streamlines story identification, and discussions on the hybrid collaboration between AI and journalists in news production. Key insights from industry leaders emphasized the need for adapting core skills as AI becomes integral to the profession, alongside exploring the challenges of creating European alternatives to dominant tech platforms. Read more at Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (9 mins) |
AI-powered social media moderator Respondology raises $5M, plans new product Sports Business Journal - April 24, 2025 Respondology, an AI-driven social media moderation platform, has secured $5 million in a Series A-1 funding round to enhance its services that filter harmful comments and provide insights for sports fan engagement. With upcoming products like Respond to automate fan interactions, the company aims to strengthen connections between sports organizations and their audiences while protecting brand integrity. |
Hoover’s RAI Asks How Social Media and AI Can Encourage Democratic Practice At the Hoover Institution's recent conference, scholars examined the intricate relationship between social media, generative AI, and democracy, underscoring concerns about misinformation and conspiracy theories. Notable findings included the effectiveness of AI tools like DebunkBot in countering conspiracy beliefs and the significant impact of unflagged vaccine scepticism on public perception, emphasising the need for ongoing research in this evolving landscape. |
AI and Academic Publishing
AI summary ‘trashed author’s work’ and took weeks to be corrected Times Higher Education (THE) - April 24, 2025 Doctoral student Madison Williams-Hoffman published her first lead-author article on the ecological fallout from Britain's 1950s atomic bomb tests, only to find an AI-generated Q&A section misrepresenting her research data. This incident has sparked concerns about the reliability of AI-generated content in academic publications and its potential impact on scientific credibility. |
AI in Publishing: PW Talks with Fauzia Burke Fauzia Burke, founder of FSB Associates, advocates for the integration of AI in book publishing, urging publishers to embrace technology to alleviate marketing challenges while emphasising the irreplaceable value of human authenticity. She highlights that publishing a book can enhance credibility and open doors for networking and new opportunities, shifting the focus from immediate sales to long-term impact and thought leadership. |
Novel 'Romantic Friction' explores AI and the world of publishing Wbur - April 25, 2025 In Lori Gold's upcoming novel "Romantic Friction," set to release on May 6, readers follow successful romance fantasy author Sofie Wilde as she confronts a rival claiming she used AI to create her work. This rivalry sparks a humorous exploration of creativity, identity, and the impact of technology in the literary world. |
Indie Authors Get a Boost as epubs.ai Debuts Powerful AI-Assisted Book Writing and Self-Publishing Platform Wjbf - epubs.ai has launched a revolutionary AI-assisted writing and self-publishing platform that streamlines the entire book creation process, from idea generation to formatting and sales management. This user-friendly tool empowers both seasoned authors and newcomers to easily write, publish, and market their books, democratizing access to the publishing industry. |
Publisher of PCMag and Mashable Sues OpenAI Nytimes - April 24, 2025 Ziff Davis, the publisher behind Mashable and PCMag, is suing OpenAI for copyright infringement, alleging that its content was used to train AI models without permission. This lawsuit highlights a growing trend among media companies to assert their rights and could inspire collective action against perceived infringements in the publishing industry. |
Collective licence to ensure UK authors get paid for works used to train AI The Guardian - April 23, 2025 The UK has launched a pioneering collective licence to ensure authors receive compensation for their works used in training generative AI models, addressing concerns over copyright and remuneration. This initiative, supported by the Copyright Licensing Agency and the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, aims to create an equitable framework for content use amid ongoing debates about copyright exemptions for text and data mining. |
Will Google’s Legal Trouble Change the Future of AI? Banyan Hill Publishing - April 25, 2025 As Google faces a potential breakup over antitrust concerns, experts debate the implications for AI innovation and competition in the tech sector, suggesting that regulatory changes could either stifle or stimulate advancements. This pivotal moment raises critical questions about the future governance of AI and the balance between oversight and innovation. |
AI In Academia: Tool Of Future Or Threat To Integrity? New Sarawak Tribune - April 27, 2025 AI is revolutionizing education by personalizing learning, automating administrative tasks, and enhancing research capabilities, with the global market expected to reach $25.7 billion by 2028. As institutions navigate this transformation, a clear ethical framework is essential to ensure equitable access and responsible use of AI technologies. |
Academics: Little more than intellectual orphans in AI era? The rise of artificial intelligence in academia is reshaping knowledge production, enhancing efficiency but also raising concerns about academic authenticity and critical thinking. As AI increasingly takes over tasks like writing and peer review, scholars face a potential disconnect from their work, risking a future where the educational landscape is dominated by mechanization and diminished human engagement. |
Why academic publishing is broken — and how researchers are fighting back KevinMD.com - April 27, 2025 In response to the exploitative practices of for-profit academic publishers, a group of researchers has founded the nonprofit Researchers’ Journal of Internal Medicine, aiming to transform the publishing landscape by eliminating article processing charges and paywalls while ensuring fair recognition for reviewers and authors. Their mission is to make scientific knowledge accessible and reinforce the collaborative spirit of research, free from profit-driven motives. |
A Strange Phrase Keeps Turning Up in Scientific Papers, But Why? ScienceAlert - April 25, 2025 A recent study highlights the bizarre emergence of the nonsensical term "vegetative electron microscopy," which resulted from digitisation errors and translation mistakes, leading to its citation in numerous scientific papers. As AI systems continue to propagate such inaccuracies, experts call for greater transparency and innovative approaches to ensure the integrity of knowledge in research and publishing. |
Are University AI Policies Missing Out on Enhanced Learning? Are University AI Policies Missing Out on Enhanced Learning? - Wright State Guardian - April 24, 2025 Wright State University has introduced varied AI usage policies across courses, prohibiting AI for assignments requiring personal expression while allowing some professors to encourage its use for brainstorming. This apparent inconsistency reflects ongoing debates about the role of AI in education, with concerns about academic integrity and student preparedness for the job market. |
Publishers’ Licensing Services and Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society create ‘pioneering’ AI licence The Publishers’ Licensing Services and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society have introduced a groundbreaking collective licence for generative AI in the UK, allowing developers to use text for training AI models while ensuring rights-holders are compensated and copyright is respected. This innovative licence streamlines access to permissions, promoting creativity and development in AI technology. |
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