Can we talk today about a couple of issues that pop up frequently in my discussions and Ask Me Anything sessions with INMA members? As regular readers of this blog will correctly guess, they are both about how best to use AI.

One is the question of which projects to pick when it comes to using AI. There are many to choose from, so how do you get started on something that will not prove jarring to your audience? We present an intelligent framework for this.

The second is the question of calculating return on investment (ROI) when it comes to AI use cases, which I will discuss in a future blog. 

How does a news brand go about picking an AI project to pilot?

Most are (rightly) worried about losing their audience’s trust by building something that alienates exactly the people they are trying to reach, connect with, and monetise.

There is often a real disconnect between how excited news organisations are about using GenAI and how news consumers feel about it. This terrific chart on audience interest from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University illustrates this well:

As you can see, news brands are planning all sorts of AI-related personalised consumer-facing products — but their audience seems to be saying they are less certain about them.

To be sure, audiences themselves often do not really know what they want. As many who have run a pilot of user-driven personalisation have seen, people pick topics they think they want to read about and then … don’t read about them. 

As Henry Ford is famously believed to have said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” 

Still, I was intrigued to find a newsroom leader who actually approaches the question of which AI projects to undertake by first considering what the audience wants rather than what the business or the newsroom deems important. It seems like the logical sequel to the user needs model many newsrooms are now considering and implementing.

Playbook from Gannett

Aldana Vales, audience experience director at Gannett, developed a playbook for including audiences in AI strategies as her capstone project at the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the City University of New York’s Newmark J-School.

Most AI strategies are still top-down, technology-led, and tool-based, she pointed out. Instead, news organisations should consider an audience-centric approach.

First, undertake an audience listening process. Conduct a survey of your news consumers and ask them how they feel about AI. 

Understand where they are — and that there might be varying mixes of nervousness and excitement.

• The first stage is usually pessimistic and involves consumers who have little direct experience with AI and get their knowledge from science fiction or news headlines. 

• The next stage is skeptical. “These users have tried AI, but the results fell short … . These moments confirm their belief that AI is overhyped and unreliable,” Vales said.

• As they grow familiar with the technology, they become cautiously engaged. “They know the limits, but they see the value.”

• And then finally, they grow supportive of the technology as they come to believe that AI is helping, not replacing, journalism.

Then, design the right features according to where your audience is:

Vales shared advice for each type of audience:

• “If your audience is mostly pessimistic, don’t start with the flashiest AI tool. That’s likely to trigger even more fear or rejection. Instead, begin with low-risk assistive tools like transcription, translation. And be transparent. Build trust first. Here, you’re earning the right to go further.”

• “If they’re skeptical, you need to show them the point. Start with use cases that offer clear, tangible benefits. These users haven’t been convinced so focus on functionality.”

• “If you find engaged users, this is your chance to experiment. Try bold pilots: Q&A bots, conversational explainers. Invite them to shape these features.”

• “And if you find supportive users, congrats. These users trust the newsroom and see AI as a way to deliver more relevant, accessible, or powerful journalism. So deepen that relationship. Ask how AI can serve them better.” 

In addition to this thoughtful step-by-step guide, Vales has excellent advice: “Don’t think about this as a checklist. Think of this as a starting point to move from uncertainty to strategy when thinking about how to adopt AI.” 

If you’d like to subscribe to my bi-weekly newsletter, INMA members can do so here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .