Dr. Nina Klaß ist Leiterin der Standortinitiative nextMedia.Hamburg. nextMedia ist Teil der Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft und arbeitet daran, Innovationen im Kontext Content und Tech zu erschließen und Hamburgs Spitzenposition als Medien- und Digitalstandort auszubauen und sichtbar zu machen. Wir haben mit Nina über den aktuellen Wandel in der Contentbranche gesprochen und von ihr viel über KI-Content-Startups und Veränderungen in kreativen Berufen erfahren.
ARIC: What trends and developments are you at nextMedia currently observing in the content industry?
The content industry is developing rapidly and this has an impact on all Hamburg-based (content) companies – after all, it is not just the content producers but also the marketers in other industries who need content for their business models or as a marketing asset. It is clear that content (e.g. news, series, opinions, advertising) will become even more personalized through AI – this may be exciting in terms of marketing, but also a danger for our society if perspectives are tailored individually and not as a consensus.
Despite the metaverse trend flattening out last year, immersive AR and VR content – much of it in combination with AI – will become important. We are also seeing a trend for established content brands to establish product and service brands in the commerce sector in order to safeguard their core business against volatility.
In addition, the creator economy is exerting an increasingly strong influence on the content industry; creators have become enormously valuable, especially in the advertising market – and creators are becoming brands in their own right with a diverse business model. Shortly before Christmas, we asked 20 experts from our nextMedia network what they thought would be the biggest development in the new year; you can read the 20 predictions on our website.
“Creative professions such as illustrators or dubbing artists will work and be used completely differently in the coming years than before”
How is artificial intelligence changing the industry?
AI is currently having a massive impact on the entire creative industry. From the automation of routine tasks, content generation and improvement of individual content for users to the analysis of user data for more targeted advertising and content recommendations.
It is clear that creative professions such as illustrators or dubbing artists will work and be used completely differently in the coming years than before.
We conducted a survey (not representative via Civey): over eighty percent of respondents had little to no trust in AI-generated media content. The survey suggests that there is a need for both more education and regulation on the subject of AI. However, AI-based content creation can also make content less accessible: The start-up SUMM AI, for example, is working on using AI to translate texts into plain language, while the Anymate Me team is designing an AI that recognizes text in videos and automatically adds a sign language avatar.
In your opinion, is AI more of a risk or more of an opportunity for the media industry?
As long as answers to the impact of open societies, regulation and thus framework conditions are not sufficiently available, caution is definitely warranted – just think of the upcoming elections and the flood of AI-generated fakes that will pull society in one direction or another, with potentially dramatic consequences for our democracy.
Event information
The Artificial Intelligence Festival is a week-long festival for the media and digital industry, organized by nextMedia.Hamburg. The ARIC is a partner. Visitors can find out everything new, exchange ideas and learn from each other in workshops, keynote speeches, panels and sparring sessions.
What new business models are emerging through the use of AI?
Personalized news feeds can be monetized much better. One (even quite senior) example from our network is the startup BotTalk: the tool converts text content into audio files, making news consumption inclusive.
If AI works in a similar way to the internet, then we will soon see not only many new efficiency tools, but also many new exciting products that are only made possible by AI.
If you could give media companies and founders one piece of advice when it comes to AI – what would it be?
AI is an exciting and soon to be necessary tool that supports human creativity and creates efficiency, not replaces people. In this process, AI can take on the role of a sparring partner for brainstorming or take over time-consuming and cost-intensive activities such as personalized text adaptations. Companies should ensure that ethical and data protection aspects are taken into account when using AI and always keep abreast of new developments and the potential of AI technology. Journalist and AI specialist Marie Kilg, for example, has a great AI newsletter to keep you up to date with the latest developments. Marie was a speaker at scoopcamp in 2023, our conference on products and business models in journalism.
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