AI Is Transforming Media Forever, Here's How

AI Is Transforming Media Forever, Here's How

The media industry has always relied on creativity as its core asset for monetization. However, the creative act itself is inherently unpredictable, which poses a challenge for media companies. To mitigate the risks associated with creativity, these companies often employ de-risking strategies. These strategies may flatten the potential upside of creative work but significantly dampen the downsides.

One popular de-risking strategy is summarizing other people's work. It is often easier to summarize something interesting than to create it from scratch. By summarizing existing content, media companies can leverage the popularity of the original piece while adding their own unique perspective or insights. This approach allows them to create engaging content without starting from a blank canvas.

Another de-risking strategy is finding a content arbitrage. This involves taking a piece of content that performed well somewhere else and reformatting it for a specific audience. An early example of this can be seen in Buzzfeed's success. They discovered that by rewriting popular posts from platforms like Reddit into listicles, they could reliably generate viral content. This strategy takes advantage of the existing popularity of certain topics or formats and adapts them for a different audience.

Creating a format is another effective de-risking strategy. Formats provide structure to creativity, making the creation process more akin to filling out a Mad Libs rather than relying solely on alchemy. By following a format, creators can leverage a proven structure while infusing their own unique ideas and perspectives. This approach simplifies the creative process and increases the chances of producing compelling content.

Shorter and shallower content also helps de-risk creativity. As complexity increases with the length and depth of creative output, shorter pieces become easier to create. By focusing on brevity and simplicity, creators can streamline their work and reduce the chances of getting stuck in the creative process. This approach is particularly useful in the era of short attention spans and information overload.

Sequels are another de-risking strategy commonly employed by the media industry. Instead of constantly coming up with something entirely new, creators can remix or build upon existing ideas. This is why Hollywood churns out sequel after sequel. By leveraging existing concepts, creators reduce the risk associated with introducing something entirely new. This strategy allows them to tap into the familiarity and success of previous works.

Interviewing people is yet another de-risking strategy. It is often easier to have an interesting conversation than to generate new ideas from scratch. By engaging in conversations with experts, thought leaders, or interesting individuals, creators can extract valuable insights and perspectives. They can then summarize these conversations, adding their own analysis and commentary. This approach not only reduces the risk of generating original ideas but also adds credibility and depth to the content.

While these de-risking strategies benefit human creators, they also make it easier for AI to automate certain aspects of content creation. AI can excel at producing summary-based media products, shorter pieces, and content arbitrages. As AI technology advances, individual writers will have the opportunity to create more media products independently. The cost structure of these products will resemble software creation more than traditional media production. This shift will allow writers to dedicate more time to research and writing longer, more interesting articles that are less amenable to automation.

However, there is also a risk for writers who currently produce de-risked editorial products as part of their day job at larger companies. These writers should consider learning to use AI tools today to enhance their leverage and create high-quality work. By embracing AI technology, they can stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the changing landscape of media.

In conclusion, AI is undoubtedly transforming the media industry. De-risking strategies have always played a crucial role in content creation, and now they are making it easier for AI to automate specific tasks. However, by adopting these strategies and embracing AI tools, writers can gain more leverage and produce compelling content. Here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Embrace summarization and content arbitrage: Look for popular content and reformat it for your specific audience. Add your unique perspective to create engaging pieces.

2. Focus on brevity and simplicity: Shorter and shallower content is easier to create and aligns with the preferences of today's audience. Streamline your work and avoid getting lost in complexity.

3. Conduct interviews and conversations: Engage with interesting individuals and extract valuable insights. Summarize these conversations, adding your own analysis and commentary. This approach adds credibility and depth to your content.

By incorporating these strategies and staying open to AI tools, writers can navigate the changing media landscape and continue to create impactful and valuable content.