#54 - Shape Your Own Experience
Generative AI is dramatically changing the media world in ways we may not fully grasp yet. One key change is the move from publisher-curated experiences to flexible content and adaptable interfaces controlled by consumers, aggregators, and platforms.
Artifact, a new player in the media field, exemplifies this change. It gives readers the power to tailor the news in their app, including the ability to use AI to reword clickbait titles. In a similar vein, SigmaOS has launched Airis, an AI assistant in its browser that lets users ask questions about a webpage, rewrite text, and even simplify intricate web pages.
As AI revolutionizes content and interfaces, publishers will need to consider how to strike a balance. They must weigh their own curated destinations, where they can convey trust and create a unique brand experience, against the dynamic new landscape of generative interfaces. Because for users, this transition might be seen less as a loss of control and more as an enhancement of their experience.
IN FOCUS
Apple is gearing up to unveil its highly anticipated mixed-reality headset, generating significant excitement ahead of the big announcement scheduled for Monday, June 5th. The big question is of course: will it accomplish what no other tech company has achieved so far - making the metaverse cool?
Meanwhile Meta attempted to steal its rival's thunder by announcing The new Meta Quest 3 a few days earlier. It is smaller, much more powerful than its predecessor, and designed for next-level augmented reality.
AI/NEWS
Hundreds of AI scientists, academics, tech CEOs and public figures — from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to Bill Gates and DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis have added their names to a statement urging global attention on existential AI risk.
“…AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”
Critics remark that it speaks volumes about existing AI power structures that tech execs at AI giants are so happy to amplifying talk of existential AI risk but are much more reluctant to discuss harms their tools can be seen causing right now.
+ WPP, the largest advertising holding group in the world by revenue,?announced?a deal with leading AI company NVIDIA to give its creative teams AI tools to scale their designs.
Related: An increasing number of media companies is also considering deals with AI companies.
AI/TOOLS
AI/RESOURCES
What makes the acceleration of AI so different from other much-discussed technology hypes of recent years (Metaverse, Web3, Blockchain,...)? One word: adoption. Stats from a new study on the use of AI by American workers show that 85% of them admit already using AI tools for work.
Creating a successful AI product is not as easy as deploying a chatbot. Reforge has put together a mini-guide exploring why many AI products fail, how to unlock the AI Survival Curve, and how to build AI products that people actually want.
Short:
SOCIAL
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has?published a new overview of how Instagram’s ranking algorithms work, which could help to better understand how to maximize content reach, and optimize performance in IG’s main feed, Stories and Reels.
Snapchat and Apple's Messages app are in a battle for Gen Z's texting preferences. While Apple's Messages is the most-used communication app for teens (in the US), Snapchat's disappearing messages feature and its private nature appeal to teenagers who want a more intimate and spam-free messaging experience.?
+ Twitter has abandoned the EU's code of practice on disinformation.
领英推荐
+ YouTube is to remove “Stories”, a temporary post feature, later this month.
VIDEO
On the big CTV screen, YouTube is now a?daily habit?for a huge and growing swath of the television audience, young and old. And this year, that swath is about to get even bigger according to media analysts Evan Shapiro.
CNN launched CNN?Fast, a free ad-supported streaming television channel. It launched across several European countries on Rakuten TV, and will also be available on LG Channels from May 24, followed by Samsung TV Plus in June.
+ Wan-Infra documents newsroom video strategies.
+ How AI-generated video is changing film.
AUDIO
Podcasts hit different for Gen Z. They started young and their appetite for the medium is growing. 8 in 10 monthly listeners say they don’t do anything else when they’re listening according to a new US study from Edison Research.
And "The Innovation in Media World Report" (launching next week) is taking a look at what's next in the evolution of audio: Key trends include the booming podcast advertising market, the emergence of paid podcast subscriptions, the conversion of text articles to audio, the integration of audio articles and podcasts into subscription packages, and the development of short-form audio bridging podcasts, articles, and videos.
TRENDS & IDEAS
The Co-Founder and CEO of Axios lists eight transformations?that will impact media. Link.
The 2023 State of Digital presentation by Luma is again packed with insights on the future of the media ecosystem: The rise of FAST channels, the first-party data paradigm, the broadening of what is counted as 'TV' and more. Link
And the gamification of news seems to be successful for news media websites. Norkon’s Fantasy Funds for example, allowed reputable financial news media to engage up to 24k players, increasing significantly readers and subscribers.
And my personal favorite find this week: Flowers Blooming Backward Into Noise is a 20-minute fascinating animated “documanifesto” about AI art.
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That's it. As always feel free to share with friends and colleagues.
Ezra