AI Is Transforming Media Forever, Here's How

AI Is Transforming Media Forever, Here's How

In the world of media, creativity is the key to success. However, the creative act is inherently unpredictable, which poses a challenge for media companies looking to monetize their content. To de-risk creativity, media companies often employ strategies that may flatten the upside of their work but dampen the downsides. These strategies act like SSRIs for media companies, providing some level of predictability in an inherently unpredictable field.

One such strategy is summarizing other people's work. It is often easier to summarize something interesting than it is to create something from scratch. By summarizing existing content, media companies can tap into the success of others and provide their audience with a fresh perspective. Buzzfeed, for example, found success by taking popular posts from Reddit and reformatting them as listicles, which reliably went viral.

Another strategy is finding a content arbitrage. This involves taking a piece of content that performed well elsewhere and reformatting it for a specific audience. Early Buzzfeed's success can be attributed to this strategy, as they discovered that rewriting popular Reddit posts as listicles was a recipe for viral success. By leveraging existing content, media companies can reduce the risk associated with creating something entirely new.

Creating a format is another de-risking strategy employed by media companies. Formats provide structure to creativity, making the process of creating something new more like filling out a Mad Libs and less like alchemy. By following a format, media creators can streamline their creative process and reduce the level of unpredictability.

Shortening and shallowing the creative output is yet another way to de-risk creativity. Complexity increases exponentially with the length and depth of a piece of content. By making content shorter and shallower, creators can simplify the creative process and make it more manageable. This strategy also makes it easier for AI to automate content creation, as shorter pieces are often more amenable to automation.

Remixing existing content is another de-risking strategy employed by media companies. By creating sequels or remixes of something old, creators don't have to risk coming up with something entirely new. This is why Hollywood churns out sequels year after year. By remixing existing content, creators can tap into the success of the original while reducing the risk associated with creating something entirely new.

Interviewing people is a de-risking strategy that makes it easier to create interesting content. It is often easier to have an interesting conversation than to think up new ideas yourself. By conducting interviews and summarizing them, creators can provide their audience with fresh insights and perspectives. This strategy, similar to Lenny's newsletter, allows creators to leverage the expertise and ideas of others.

While these de-risking strategies provide a level of predictability and ease for human creators, they also make it easier for AI to automate content creation. Summary-based media products, shorter pieces, and content arbitrages are all easier to automate. This means that individual writers will have more leverage to create media products on their own. The cost structure of creating these media products will resemble software rather than traditional media, allowing writers to devote more time to research and writing longer, more interesting articles that are less amenable to automation.

However, there is also risk involved for writers who are currently creating de-risked types of editorial products as part of their day job at larger companies. As AI continues to advance, these de-risking strategies may become automated, putting those writers at risk of losing their jobs. It is crucial for writers to adapt and learn to use these tools today to gain better leverage and create high-quality work.

In conclusion, AI is transforming the media landscape in unprecedented ways. De-risking strategies, such as summarizing, content arbitrage, creating formats, shortening and shallowing content, remixing, and interviewing, provide predictability and ease for human creators. However, these strategies also make it easier for AI to automate content creation. To stay ahead, writers need to embrace these tools and leverage them to create valuable and unique content. Here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Embrace AI tools: Familiarize yourself with AI-powered content creation tools and incorporate them into your creative process. These tools can help streamline your workflow and provide new insights and perspectives.

2. Focus on research and unique insights: With AI taking over repetitive tasks, writers can devote more time to research and gathering new facts. By providing unique insights and perspectives, you can create content that is less amenable to automation and stands out in a crowded media landscape.

3. Build your personal brand: As the cost structure of media creation shifts towards individual writers, it is essential to build your personal brand. Establish yourself as an expert in your niche and create a loyal following. This will provide you with better leverage and opportunities for monetization.

By embracing AI, focusing on research and unique insights, and building your personal brand, you can navigate the changing media landscape and create high-quality work that stands the test of time.