AI’s Transformative Impact on News and Media with Atlantic CEO, Nicholas Thompson

Welcome to the latest issue of the Product Management Learning Series - a series of live streaming events and newsletter articles to help you level up your product career!

In our 59th episode, our speaker was Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, one of the most influential and respected media organizations in the world, with a history of more than 160 years of excellence in journalism, culture, and innovation. Nicholas joined The Atlantic in 2021, after serving as the Editor in Chief of Wired for four years. Nicholas is also a co-founder of SpeakEasy AI, a project that aimed to create an online platform for positive conversations, using artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Additionally, Nicholas is a keynote speaker and moderator at The Lavin Agency, where he frequently speaks at events and moderates conversations about the future of technology and how it is changing our lives and world. Nicholas has more than 20 years of experience in editing, writing, and publishing, and is the author of The Hawk and the Dove, a book about the history of the Cold War.?

If you missed the event, you can watch the full event recording here.?

Below is a summary of key perspectives shared by Nicholas Thompson:

Generative AI’s influence on journalism

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: Nicholas emphasized that AI should not write journalistic content due to trust issues and the low quality of AI-generated prose. He firmly believes that writing must remain human-driven, highlighting The Atlantic's policy against AI-written content. However, he acknowledged AI's value in sourcing information. Nicholas uses AI for research, structuring content, and organizing interview transcripts. Regarding distribution, Nicholas warned of the potential chaos as AI-generated content proliferates, which could overwhelm current sorting mechanisms and fundamentally disrupt how content is trusted and consumed online. He stressed the need for new business models to adapt to these changes.

Collaboration between AI and human creativity?

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: Nicholas highlighted AI's role in augmenting human creativity rather than replacing it. He stressed the importance of disclosing AI usage, particularly when AI could be mistaken for human input. For example, The Atlantic clearly states when an AI voice is used to read stories. Nicholas shared that AI has been invaluable in his research, especially for preparing for complex discussions on short notice, such as a recent moderation at the Council on Foreign Relations. Additionally, he uses AI creatively to generate bedtime story plotlines for his children, emphasizing that AI is useful for low-stakes, imaginative tasks where precision is less critical.

AI’s impact on news consumption and search

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: Nicholas discussed the evolving consumption of media with AI, noting its dual potential to both enhance and challenge traditional methods. He observed that AI enables hyper-personalization, tailoring content to individual preferences and reading habits. This could lead to highly efficient information delivery, where AI-generated newsletters and article summaries match a reader's exact needs and time constraints. However, Nicholas also warned of the risks, such as creating narrow filter bubbles that limit exposure to diverse perspectives. He cited Artifact, an AI-driven news aggregation site, as an example of this technology's promise, despite its business model challenges. Nicholas emphasized the importance of balancing personalized content with serendipity to foster broader learning and discovery, a goal he strove? for with SpeakEasy, a conversational platform that blended user preferences with unexpected insights.

Additionally, Nicholas highlighted that AI-driven search will transform information access by shifting from multiple links to single, summarized answers, increasing the stakes for accuracy and quality. This presents a significant challenge for search engines like Google, which have long battled SEO manipulation. Despite current limitations like hallucinations, he believes AI search will improve and become reliable. For the media industry, this shift necessitates new strategies to optimize content for AI-driven search results. The Atlantic's partnership with OpenAI aims to understand and influence this evolution, crucial for maintaining visibility and driving traffic in an AI-dominated landscape.

Ethics and editorial integrity of AI in journalism

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: Nicholas emphasized the necessity of maintaining editorial integrity in the age of AI by always disclosing AI usage and ensuring human oversight. He stressed that AI disclosure is crucial when AI significantly contributes to writing. He noted that in his role as CEO, he works on the business side of the company and does not oversee The Atlantic's editorial content. The Atlantic will not use AI to write articles, valuing its humanist foundation. Nicholas acknowledged the potential improvement of AI, suggesting future ethical dilemmas as AI-generated content quality rises. In addition, he stressed the importance of distinguishing human from AI-generated content to maintain trust and communication. This erosion of trust could lead to societal inefficiencies. Nicholas encouraged experimenting with AI tools to understand and learn from them while being careful not to deceive about what is human and what is AI. Ensuring robust verification methods is essential to preventing widespread misinformation.

Critical thinking assisted by AI

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: When it comes to critical thinking, Nicholas emphasized AI's potential to enhance critical thinking and reduce bias in journalism. He endorsed using AI to test arguments from different perspectives, suggesting it can help writers identify biases and explore various angles. He shared a practice from his time at Wired, where he encouraged writers to imagine critiques from their smartest opponents. Nicholas proposed using AI to simulate this process, helping writers refine their work by challenging their assumptions. He highlighted an experimental feature from his AI platform, Speakeasy, designed to challenge users' views and promote deeper thinking. He concluded that AI could foster thoughtful discussions and broaden perspectives, ultimately improving journalistic integrity.

Business model innovation for Media

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: Nicholas emphasized that media companies must strategically partner with big tech platforms, using them for targeted advertising and brand extension rather than relying on them for long-term funding. He highlighted The Atlantic's successful use of Facebook for driving subscriptions through targeted ads. Nicholas advocated for smart, mutually beneficial deals with AI companies, such as The Atlantic's partnership with OpenAI, which includes content integration, training AI models on Atlantic stories, and financial compensation. He stressed the importance of fair value exchange, ensuring that AI-driven products support the sustainability of journalism. Nicholas also noted the need for media companies to remain adaptable, recognizing when to enter or exit such partnerships.

Vision for the future of media

AI summary of Nicholas’s response: Nicholas envisions a future where media maintains trust and integrity despite the challenges posed by AI. He hopes readers will always trust The Atlantic's brand and that systems will protect against misinformation. He believes technology can enhance journalistic quality, allowing for faster and more efficient work. However, Nicholas is uncertain about the future structure of the internet and how content will be distributed, emphasizing the need to adapt The Atlantic's business model to various plausible outcomes. He sees significant opportunities for innovation in journalism, comparing the current era to the internet boom of the late 1990s, and feels privileged to navigate these changes as a media executive.

Additional resources:?

• Follow Nicholas and his newsletter on LinkedIn
• The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI from Fei-Fei Li
• Long-form podcasts: Lex Fridman Podcast and Dwarkesh Podcast