Wednesday 20th December: Mx3 AI event report released

Good morning. The last Media Roundup of 2023 is brought to you by Peter… we’re signing off today until January 8th. Thanks so much for being with us through this mad media year. Chris, Esther and I would like to wish every one of you a peaceful Holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Sláinte 🧡

It seems fitting to close out this year with some AI news and we’re happy to share that our friends over at MX3 have just released a report based on discussions at the excellent MX3AI event held in London on December 7th. Unveiling the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Media is available to download for free from the MX3 website.

Attendance at the even was capped at just 100, but never fear. If you weren’t able to join to hear some of the most prominent and influential names working with AI in media, the report provides a valuable overview of the day. Topics covered range from the latest AI innovations and practical implementation strategies to governance and ethics.

I love that MX3 editor-in-chief Jez Walters has acknowledged how quickly AI is moving in his intro, describing the report as a ‘time-stamped compass to assist media professionals through the transformative AI journey that lies ahead.’ So buckle up and download your copy of the report to get a head start on the rapidly evolving world of AI-powered media.

“The New York Times is now a gaming company that does news,” according to one NYT staffer speaking to Vanity Fair for this deep dive into the paper’s efforts to own the daily brainteaser space. This long read is a wonderful insight into the work of the paper’s puzzle people, but maybe more important, into how games are ‘critical to the Times’ business strategy’, engaging users and turning them into paying subscribers.

I spoke to Charlotte Henry yesterday for The Addition podcast’s end of year wrap-up. We spoke about the growing value of solo creators in our newsletter curation efforts and, following the brief, Charlotte’s latest newsletter highlights the potential folly of the MailOnline’s paywall plans. It seems the team that brought you the Sidebar of shame is looking to convince Mail readers to subscribe to get access to 15 of their 1,500 daily articles. Now, if I was a betting man…

The holidays are a time for community, spending time with friends and loved ones, or hiding for hours in the bath with a nice whisky. But where are you finding community online now that Twitter’s on its arse? Tell us here!

We don’t often link out to podcasts in the newsletter, but as it’s Christmas and the FT won best podcast in our Publisher Podcast Awards this year with the first season of Hot Money, here’s a link to the second season to give you something to listen to over the holidays. Who can resist an investigation into the ‘increasingly fuzzy line between criminals and legitimate business people… governments and gangsters’. Merry Christmas🎄

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