AI and the media: Q&A with Ramin Behesthi, The News Movement & ex-Dow Jones, USA.

In preparation for an in-depth report on AI and the media, we spoke to several experts in the field via email. One such expert is Ramin Behesthi, Co-founder and President, The News Movement and previously Chief Technology and Chief Product Officer of Dow Jones.

What are your current most common use cases of AI?

The main application of AI for us will be around personalisation. Not just personalisation of content but personalisation of experience. Do you want to read, watch or listen. How much time does the consumer have ? How does the content adapt to meet the consumer demand ITN what they want. Rather than just the same content for each person. 

How else will you use AI in the coming year?

There are various forms of AI in all parts of the business, from learning algorithms that segment our audiences to those that help classify and filter potential stories for journalists to tackle. 

What excites you most about the longer-term future of AI, and why?Broadly the progression of generative AI has taken the concept of AI from behind the scenes to front of house. This will be a game changer as more and more interact with quality AI solutions. The other aspect is 5G, not only providing faster connectivity but the ability to process vast volumes of data at the edge will when properly enabled transform how companies capture and process data which will enable far more elaborative and effective AI solutions.

What concerns you most about the longer-term future of AI, and why?My biggest concern is that there is still too much hype out around it. Too many people think it’s a magic bullet that will solve problems. AI is largely effective only if a company has strong focus on data capture organisation and processing. The technology will not itself solve the problem. Couple that with a lot of smoke and mirrors from vendors and you have a big perception challenge.