Three Trends Driving Today’s Tech Headlines

Alex Modiano

The technology world is changing at an almost unprecedented pace. Today, a tweet can move multiple markets and entire social media platforms can rise (or fall) in span of 24 hours. As we begin to see the fruits of the AI revolution play out, these shifts will come ever faster.

Technology journalists have the coveted position of witnessing—and detailing—this transformation. Once a relatively niche area of focus, the tech industry now impacts everything from elections and national security to teen psychology and fashion. Journalists covering the sector are forced to constantly reinvent their beats in order to stay relevant and see past artificial hype cycles.

At SBS Comms, we know that spotting these trends early can mark the difference between landing our clients an amazing story or falling behind. Below, we’ve recapped some compelling trends we’re seeing across media that have helped our clients stay ahead of the news cycle.

The human side of AI

While the release of ChatGPT may have businesses rushing to adopt the latest in Generative AI, journalists are increasingly focusing their coverage on more human-centric issues.

Hollywood strikes have brought issues of AI front and center in actors’ and writers’ negotiations with studios. As A-list figureheads bring attention to the labor implications of AI, journalists are eager to hear commentary on how these technologies may tangibly impact the job market –?both now, and in the future. The WSJ’s Jessica Toonkel spoke with Runway CEO and founder Cristóbal Valenzuela for her story on entertainment workers' anxieties about AI. He noted, “We only hear horror stories and fairy tales. It’s much more nuanced than that…you can’t just type in ‘make me a movie,’ and it will create a movie.”

Similarly, reporters are eager to hear how technology may provide a boost to the labor market. In his coverage of MindsDB’s latest funding round, VentureBeat’s Victor Dey noted that the company’s technology makes it easier for a broader swathe of developers to create AI applications – not just the super specialized professionals who work at big tech.?

Legacy industries' green futures

Natural disasters and record temperatures are a near-constant presence in the world’s headlines. With such dismal news, journalists are hungry for positive signs for the climate, especially when old industries find innovative solutions to this growing problem.

Rachael Jewett profiled Pixxel CEO and founder Awais Ahmed for ViaSatellite’s August print issue, spotlighting the company's mission to use space data in the fight against climate change. On a similar note, The Times’ Danny Forston highlighted AstroForge’s mission to rethink how humans procure rare earth metals and retool decades-old methods of the mining industry through asteroid mining. Meanwhile, Air Company’s partnership with Air Canada for sustainable aviation fuel caught the attention of Reuters’ energy reporter Stephanie Kelly.

The growing importance of policy

Journalists are not the only ones playing catchup with the rapid pace of tech innovation. Policymakers are bringing renewed energy to tech, pushing for new regulations across the sector. These growing regulatory pressures mean journalists are hungry for industry experts to weigh in.

The wave of AI regulation sweeping the world opens the door for industry commentary. GitHub’s CLO Shelley McKinely penned an op-ed in Fortune on the EU’s AI Act with her team’s commentary appearing in The Verge and Morning Brew. Aside from AI, no industry has been more vocal on current policy discussions than crypto, as aggressive moves from the SEC bring the space’s future into question – at least in the United States. Crypto reporters are following these closely – Forbes, The Block, Blockworks, and CoinDesk all covered a joint Amicus Brief filed by Paradigm and a16z in Coinbase’s suit against the SEC.

The growing importance of cybersecurity in issues of national security has also attracted journalists’ attention. Accordingly, cybersecurity and internet infrastructure company Cloudflare’s commitment to providing cybersecurity tools to under-resourced K-12 schools saw pickup from over 40 publications including AP, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Axios. The University of California, Berkeley’s Cybersecurity Clinic has received attention from Axios and CBS Bay Area after securing grants from Google.