In July 2023, the American Journalism Project launched its Product & AI Studio to explore the smart application of generative AI and other technology within local news. This Studio, made possible by OpenAI with additional support from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, is sharing regular updates of its learnings and programs. Here, we announce a new series to support news leaders.
This summer, the American Journalism Project’s Product & AI Studio introduced the AI Leadership Series: a monthly webinar series for members of our portfolio, featuring thought leaders at the intersection of AI and local news. The series fills a critical gap — although the 200+ participants in our AI learning cohort are building impressive tools like translation services, funder communication systems and transcription platforms, these innovations often lack the organizational frameworks CEOs need to effectively integrate AI into their operations.
Through this ongoing series, our aim is to support leaders with frameworks for building an organizational culture that supports both thoughtful experimentation and strategic planning on implementation around these evolving technologies. We have hosted two sessions so far, and we will post recordings of future monthly webinars as they become available.
The reality local news leaders face
For many news organizations, search referral traffic is in decline. As AI overviews change how readers receive information, AI-generated content is increasing on social media platforms, while algorithms take greater control over feeds. For local newsrooms that have invested in SEO and audience growth strategies, these disruptions are a threat to carefully built community growth and trust, and there’s no straightforward solution.
At the same time, AI tools promise to save time and boost productivity, but AI technologies also change so quickly that yesterday’s efforts can quickly become outdated. Leaders are facing both the fear of being left behind and the risk of making costly mistakes that strain limited budgets and potentially erode supporters’ trust.
Why strategic thinking can’t wait
With habits and technology changing so quickly, it is understandable that some news leaders might be tempted to take a “wait and see” approach, assuming AI services will eventually become cheaper and easier to implement — but waiting isn’t always cost-free.
To illustrate the kind of strategic guidance these sessions offer, Melissa Chowning, CEO of Twenty-First Digital, shared this advice during our second session:
- There is potential to unlock new revenue opportunities: While we can’t control Google’s AI overviews, we can control how well content is positioned to surface in them.
- Invest time and energy wisely: Early tactical thinking helps identify which AI investments align with your news organization’s real needs and how to assess vendors.
- Devise competitive advantages: Businesses with leaders who understand AI’s strategic implications tend to make better decisions about resource allocation.
The question is not if AI tools will eventually be available — it is if leadership teams are prepared to make informed decisions about them. The leaders participating in these sessions aren’t showing up just to observe, but value the space to think strategically about AI without the pressure to implement immediately.
Session 1: Scenario planning
We launched the series with news futurist Sam Guzik, who guided leaders through scenario planning exercises exploring AI’s role in journalism. This session focused on the mental frameworks needed to ask questions and make decisions under uncertainty.
As Guzik said, “How do you unlock a future where it is possible to bring people together as a community to think about the distinct value our [news] organizations provide?” Watch the webinar recording here.
Session 2: Addressing immediate business concerns
Our second session tackled the anxiety around AI overviews head on. Chowning joined us to discuss Google’s shifting strategies and shared practical information with leaders about web-scraper management, techniques for surfacing content in AI overviews and insights about evolving reader discovery habits.
This session directly addressed the “What can we do now?” question that sometimes keeps news leaders up at night. We’ll post the recording on the American Journalism Project’s YouTube channel as it is available.
Looking ahead: Positioning for opportunity
Soon, we will welcome Shorenstein Fellow Shuwei Fang and Rishad Patel, co-founder of Splice Media, for a conversation about how news organizations can position themselves for the emerging ecosystem of AI agents and turn what feels like a threat into a strategic opportunity. As Associate Director of Programs at Open Society Foundations, Fang led the AI in Journalism Futures project to explore how the long-term impact of AI might reshape the information ecosystem.
Our hope for the series
We hope the AI Leadership Series inspires innovation and experimentation among more local news leaders.
The AI Leadership Series is not designed to inform news leaders from AJP’s portfolio about all emerging AI trends; rather, it is curating an experience they have told us they need. The focus is building on leaders’ strategic-thinking capacity to make informed decisions about technology investments and to plan for a future that none of us may be accurately imagining today.
