How AI is changing news consumption and what publishers should do

If AI is the gateway to content, audiences will gravitate to brands that are credible, transparent and consistent. That favors publishers who double down on standards, show their work and build direct relationships that don't depend on a single platform’s algorithmic mercy.”

E&P columnist Imtiaz Patel is a media executive who has led growth, digital innovation and revenue strategy across major news organizations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here. It’s becoming better and smarter, and it’s here to stay.  The implications for the news industry are profound. The question we should all be thinking about is how we rethink our businesses to capture the opportunity and not fall victim to it. As an industry, we don’t have a great track record in adapting to fundamental shifts. We are way too hung up on old business models because of legacy systems, sunk investments, and, frankly, a failure of imagination. We are still thinking and adapting to the shift from print to digital. The shift to AI will be bigger and faster.

Traffic to news sites is already seeing the impact from AI. Per Pew Research, click-through rate (CTR) for search results with AI Overviews is 8% compared to 15% without, and Digital Context Next finds that their member sites are seeing Google search traffic declines of 1%-25%. For all those publishers still relying on page views for ad revenue: Ouch!

To their credit, many news organizations are thinking about AI, even creating AI leadership roles. But I haven’t really heard of any news organization that is fundamentally rethinking its business model or even thinking about how this can radically change our consumer relationships. Newsrooms are approaching AI with suspicion, and yes, AI models are prone to hallucinations and spewing out nonsense. While adding AI-written summaries, translating public notices, optimizing headlines and Q&A models from The Financial Times and The Washington Post, etc., are good steps, they are focused on the current state of consumer behavior, not the future. These are reasonable initial steps, and we should always be looking for efficiency gains from new technology. My point is: Don’t wait until consumers have fundamentally changed and our business is in crisis to change. Start planning now.

The big question is: What do we do? How should we be setting up our operations to turn a potential threat into an opportunity? The actual outcomes and what the future looks like are still unknown, but we can infer some things based on what we are already seeing in consumer behavior and the likely path of how the tech is going to evolve. While I wouldn’t bet the farm right now on any specific outcome, we can scenario plan a few likely outcomes and start putting foundational elements in place that would support any given result. As we see a particular scenario developing, we can start investing in that direction.

This should be approached from a consumer behavior perspective. Once we understand how behavior is changing, we can adapt to meet the consumer’s needs. I’m partial to the “Jobs to Be Done” framework that Clayton Christensen popularized in “The Innovator's Solution.” Consumers are essentially trying to complete a “job” when they use a product or service, and the one they will choose depends on which product or service best satisfies the job at an acceptable price. This will lead to the implications for your business model and the necessary changes. Creating flexible infrastructure will be essential, as will be teams that are comfortable working in ambiguity and can adapt quickly to evolving situations.

One highly likely outcome: Human experiences get more valuable.

As machine-generated everything becomes ambient, people will pay for what feels real — community, access and belonging. Everyone is “doing events,” but the winners are purposeful, distinctive and challenging to copy. The Texas Tribune Festival, The Wall Street Journal Leadership Council and The Baltimore Banner’s dining series point to the playbook: Convene your niche, curate seriously and build membership value around it.

Another possible outcome: Trust becomes the moat.

If AI is the gateway to content, audiences will gravitate to brands that are credible, transparent and consistent. That favors publishers who double down on standards, show their work and build direct relationships that don't depend on a single platform’s algorithmic mercy.

In addition, deep domain expertise will be crucial.

Publishers who are known for expertise in a particular field will continue to receive direct traffic. I’m a huge Liverpool FC fan, and my go-to source for all things Liverpool is either the BBC or The Athletic. They have everything I need/want, and I trust their content.

Over the next few columns, I will explore these opportunities and look at functional areas and potential solutions. As we plan for the future, there are things we could do today that can have a significant positive impact on your business and your relationships with your customers.

Key takeaways:

• Scenario plan for an AI future now.
• Start with the consumer by using the "Jobs to be Done" framework.
• Create human experiences and community.

Imtiaz Patel is a media executive who has led growth, digital innovation and revenue strategy across major news organizations. As chief consumer officer at Gannett, he oversaw consumer revenue and marketing for USA TODAY and 200+ local publications. As CEO of The Baltimore Banner, he built a digital-first newsroom from scratch, reaching 60K subscribers and $10M in year-one revenue. He previously held leadership roles at Dow Jones and has advised publishers like The Philadelphia Inquirer. Based in New York, Imtiaz is passionate about the arts, food and Liverpool FC. He can be reached at imtiazp99@gmail.com.