WHY IT MATTERS
AI will be crucial for our industry. The vast possibilities and risks include a long list of topics and areas. Think of Content Creation and Generation, Automated Journalism, Personalized Content Delivery, Data Analysis and Insights, Fact-checking, and Verification. Or consider Language Translation, Enhanced Search and Discovery, Automation of Repetitive Tasks, Predictive Analytics, and Efficient Resource Allocation.
But where should publishers start, or which area should they focus first? What resources do you need to make progress? Which path is taking and which is not? WAN-IFRA is teaming up for the program with FATHM, a London-based media lab, news consultancy, and creative studio with extensive expertise in Artificial Intelligence in the news media sector. “AI Unlocked” will guide you through the maze of AI possibilities. The starting offers include virtual sessions with experts and a profound workshop at WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Congress in Copenhagen in May. In parallel, we will build an AI community for discussion, knowledge exchange and shared projects.
“Helping newsrooms map out implementable solutions for AI in 2024 is a key priority for Fathm and we are delighted to partner with WAN-IFRA to support its members and the wider journalism community with resources and solutions that will work from the newsroom to the c-suite,” says Fergus Bell, Chief Executive Officer of Fathm, a London based media lab, news consultancy and creative studio.
Martin Fröhlich, Director of the Digital Revenue Network at WAN-IFRA, adds: “Artificial Intelligence is a core topic of today’s news media strategies, and I am sure that there are ideas and possibilities to emerge in the next years that most of us can’t even see coming now. WAN-IFRA is delighted to discover all this together with our members and Fathm.”
AI Unlocked is free for all WAN-IFRA members!
If you or your company are not a member or you are not sure – reach out to Martin Fröhlich: martin.froehlich@wan-ifra.org
If you are interested in becoming a partner of the program – contact Sumithra Hönig: sumithra.hoenig@wan-ifra.org
WHY JOIN
Our community of practice connects like-minded AI experts and people who start in that field. It creates an avenue to interact, pool resources, and work in partnership:
- Exchange information and knowledge to keep innovating;
- Keep your technology skills current and develop a new skill set to deepen your job satisfaction;
- Solve emergent or urgent problems by calling on the strength of a peer-to-peer collaborative network.
- Find inspiring examples to shape your AI strategy
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU
- Virtual guest sessions – Exploring case studies and strategies on AI
- Online forum to share resources in the community (soon to come)
- In-person workshops
NEXT EVENT
➽ Sign up here to receive an invitation to our upcoming events
PREVIOUS WEBINARS:
December 10:
AI FOR LOCAL NEWS – WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN’T
In the last session of 2024, Ed Walker, Director at Alma and Founder & Editor of Blog Preston CIC, talks about implementing Artificial Intelligence into the world of Local News Media. Which ideas help, which are rather wasted time? Ed Walker is an experienced media leader, journalist and entrepreneur, and has held senior editorial roles at the UK’s largest commercial news publisher Reach PLC. He’s led both large and start-up newsrooms, leading new digital brand launches and helping to grow the audience and engagement rapidly of existing media brands. As Editor-in-Chief of InYourArea, the local news and information app, Ed led it to the best social good campaign in the 2022 AOP Digital Publishing Awards. He is also the founder and non-executive director of one of the UK’s leading hyperlocal titles Blog Preston and spent a decade as editor of the title covering the city of Preston.
November 12:
INSIDE THE AI-POWERED NEWSROOM
In this edition we talk about “Inside the AI-powered newsroom” with Lara Ayoub, Digital Media Strategist, Consultant and Content Creator in Jordan. She speaks about the trends and ideas for the use of AI in the newsrooms and how to build a strategy around that. Lara is a Digital Media Strategist, Consultant and Content Creator in Jordan. She founded The Media Lab, a community interest organisation focusing on the relation between the media and the public. To date, she has launched and operated 5 digital newsrooms, including of three TV stations and two print publications including Jordan’s first 24-7 public service news station AlMamlaka TV, privately owned Ro’ya TV and Alghad Newspaper. Lara will be interviewed by Laurens Vreekamp, successful author on AI and moderator of our AI Unlocked series.
September 24:
AI AND THE SUCCESS OF FOOD FOR MZANSI
This time we talk about leveraging AI and we will hear about a new policy in editorial and business strategy at Food For Mzansi Group/South Africa. Co-founder Ivor Price will share their journey of integrating AI into editorial and business strategies. Discover the lessons learned, challenges overcome, and new policies implemented to harness the power of AI in transforming media operations and decision-making in South Africa’s dynamic agricultural news landscape. In 2024, Food For Mzansi won “Best Podcast” at WAN-IFRA’s World Digital Media Awards.
June 25:
AI ON THE NEWSROOM FLOOR
AI on the newsroom floor. This webinar will explore the current use of AI in newsrooms, its benefits and challenges, and the ethical considerations it brings, addressing key questions about the future of journalism in the AI era. Hear from Laurens Vreekamp, successful Author on AI, researcher and moderator of our AI Unlocked program, and from Ritvvij Parrikh, Senior Director Product – Business Ops using AI at Times Internet in India.
February 27:
HOW TO ENABLE YOUR ORGANISATION FOR AI ADOPTION
AI in 2023 was all hype and experimentation. In 2024, the focus will shift to what works, what’s helpful, and what can be deployed at scale across an organisation. This discussion will identify the building blocks required to move from stand-alone projects to full-scale production, which might include setting up multidisciplinary teams, skills recruitment, training investment, and technical infrastructure.
Laurens Vreekamp, the well-esteemed Author on AI and Associate Consultant of FATHM, and Sannuta Raghu, the lead of the AI working group “News & Journalism” at Scroll Media in India, discussed about how to enable your organisation for the era of AI.
March 26:
AI, TRUST AND AUDIENCE
How will your use of AI impact your relationship with your audience? In this session we will look at how you embrace new technologies and explain them to your audience. How do you ensure that trust in your brand and its journalism is not eroded? Is transparency the answer in all cases or do disclaimers undermine trust if they are not fully understood? How do we take our audience with us on our AI journey?
Laurens Vreekamp and Andy Dudfield, Head of AI at Full Fact, discussed.
April 23:
MANAGING THE AI TRANSFORMATION
The potential for disruption to the media industry from AI is being equated with the advent of the Internet and the growth of social media. The news industry’s track record on both those seismic changes was poor with organisations late to adopt, failing to move with their consumers or build cultural change in their newsrooms, and losing out to big tech. Are we doing better this time, or is this about to happen again?
Hear from Laurens Vreekamp, successful Author on AI, researcher and moderator of our AI Unlocked program, and from Rodney Gibbs, Head of Product and Audience at The National Trust for Local News in the US. He served as the Chief Product Officer of The Texas Tribune for eight years. During his tenure, he spearheaded the Tribune’s esteemed Revenue Lab, aiding news organizations nationwide in discovering new revenue streams and expanding their audiences. With a proven track record of founding and successfully selling two startups, Rodney has also been instrumental in driving digital transformation within traditional media.