6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Media Tech & AI Conference Welcome Reception

Address:  Cavaña at Luma Hotel, 100 Channel Street, 17th Floor, San Francisco

8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.

Welcome and badge pick-up

Join us at KQED, located at 2601 Mariposa Street in San Francisco. Pick up your badge at the welcome table, grab a coffee, and get ready for today's conference.

8:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Welcome and introductions

Meet the curator and moderators who will guide you through the two-day conference.

Jodie Hopperton

Product & Tech Initiative Lead, INMA, and Conference Curator

Nicki Purcell

Media Leader and Conference Moderator

Robert Whitehead

Digital Plaform Initiative Lead, INMA, and Conference Moderator

9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Understanding the real economics of AI

AI’s impact on media isn’t just about technology, it’s about economics. James Cham, partner at Bloomberg Beta, will explore how AI is reshaping the long tail of value creation, why publisher content should be understood as intellectual property rather than just data, and how the rapid spread of open, low-cost AI models is shifting the balance of power. He will connect these forces to the choices facing media leaders today — and why understanding the real economics of AI may be the difference between protecting long-term value and giving it away.

James Cham

Partner, Bloomberg Beta

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Lessons from the outside: What news can learn from radical innovation

Disruption isn’t exclusive to the news industry. In this session, we step outside the media bubble to explore case studies from other sectors. What can publishers take away from radical approaches? From rethinking user experience to reinventing revenue streams, this session will challenge traditional thinking and inspire new possibilities for the future of news.

Karen Silverman

Co-Founder and CEO, Cantellus Group

10:30 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.

Networking break

11:10 a.m. - 11:40 a.m.

What AI is really changing on your site

As AI reshapes how audiences search, discover, and interact with content, what’s actually happening on publishers’ Web sites? In this all-new presentation, the CEO of Chartbeat will reveal exclusive, up-to-the-minute trends on how AI is impacting site behaviour. From shifting referral patterns via answer engines and changing engagement flows, to the rise of on-site chat and the role of video via Tubular insights, this session delivers a data-driven look at what’s really changing. This is a must-attend session for anyone looking to connect the dots between AI disruption and measurable audience behaviour.

John Saroff

CEO, Chartbeat

11:40 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

How and why Google Search keeps evolving

Learn about how Google Search is using the latest technologies, including AI, to better meet and serve user expectations and connect searchers with high-quality content on the open Web.

Danny Sullivan

Director, Google Search

12:10 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.

The future of search: How new entrants are challenging the status quo

As AI-powered search tools emerge some startups are rethinking how users discover and interact with information. With a focus on personalisation, conversational interfaces, and ad-free experiences, these disruptors are reshaping search beyond traditional engines. What does this mean for news publishers and digital media strategies? This session will explore how these new players are positioning themselves, their potential impact on referral traffic, and what media companies can do to adapt.

Angela Hoover

Co-Founder and CEO, Andi Search

12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.

Lunch

1:45 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.

AI, tech platforms, and news deals

As AI-driven search and discovery continue to evolve, major players are shaping the landscape in real-time. In this session, hear directly from the companies at the forefront of innovation as they share their vision, challenges, and what’s next for AI-powered search. Our moderator will set the scene with key insights from industry learnings before diving into a series of in-depth interviews with AP which has been at the forefront of licensing deals, as well as Perplexity and OpenAI who are leading voices driving change. Expect candid discussions on technology, trust, and the implications for news publishers.

Sara Trohanis

Head of Strategic Partnerships, AP

Jessica Chan

Head of Publisher Partnerships, Perplexity

Christina Lim

Partner Manager, Media Partnerships, OpenAI

3:20 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.

Networking break

3:50 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The new economics of AI and content

Microsoft’s AI Marketplace

As AI transforms how information is discovered, created, and monetised, the rules of engagement between platforms and publishers are rapidly evolving. With Microsoft now piloting an AI content marketplace to pay media companies for their data, the value chain is being rewritten. This session will unpack what these new models mean for news organisations — from licensing strategies and compensation frameworks to how publishers can position themselves at the centre of the AI ecosystem.

Nikhil Kolar

Vice President of Product and Engineering, Microsoft

A new, simple, standard for AI-era content rights

This session covers a brand new breakthrough solution for AI content licensing: a simple, machine-readable protocol that lets publishers declare how their content can be used — and under what terms. RSL (Really Simple Licensing) is backed by major platforms and media companies, and in this session, introduces a collective licensing framework designed to streamline deals and ensure publishers are compensated as their content powers the next generation of AI.

Doug Leeds

Co-Founder, RSL Collective

Eckart Walther

Co-Founder, RSL Collective

5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Closing thoughts

Conference curator Jodie Hopperton will share her takeaways from day one.

5:15 p.m.-7:00 p.m.

Cocktails and canapes on the KQED roof

7:30 a.m. - 8:15 a.m.

Welcome coffee

8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Opening remarks

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Rethinking news in an AI world: The Washington Post’s place in the ecosystem

With AI reshaping the digital landscape, where does a legacy news brand fit alongside Big Tech? As The Washington Post embraces an AI-first future, CTO Vineet Khosla — who brings deep experience from the worlds of both media and Silicon Valley — shares his perspective on how publishers must position themselves in an ecosystem dominated by tech giants. From competing with and collaborating with AI-driven platforms to ensuring journalism remains essential in an algorithmic world, this keynote will explore the strategic choices that will define the next era of news.

Vineet Khosla

Chief Technology Officer, The Washington Post

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Data as the fuel for AI: From infrastructure to intelligence

AI can only be as strong as the data that fuels it, but building the right foundations takes more than storage and scale. It requires clear strategy, sound infrastructure, and human expertise at every stage. In this session, Ingrid Verschuren, executive vice president of data intelligence and AI governance at Dow Jones, will share lessons from one of the news industry’s most respected data operations. She will outline practical frameworks for data preparedness, from governance to long-term strategy, and show how publishers can turn raw information into a trusted competitive edge.

Ingrid Verschuren

EVP of Data Intelligence and AI Governance, Dow Jones

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

The future of audio AI for media

Beyond Words, a leading audio tech company working with major publishers, will unpack how audio AI is evolving beyond traditional text-to-speech. The session explores the future of conversational AI, the rise of multi-modal storytelling, and how voice branding can strengthen audience connection in an AI-driven world. It will also tackle discovery and distribution challenges as audio becomes an integral layer in emerging media platforms.

Patrick O'Flaherty

CEO and Co-Founder, Beyond Words

James MacLeod

COO and Co-Founder, Beyond Words

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Networking break

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

The AI shift: From text to voice, video, and more

AI is accelerating the evolution of content formats, moving beyond text to voice, video, and multi-modal experiences. What does this mean for audience engagement, journalism, and the future of storytelling? This session will explore how AI is reshaping content creation and distribution—and what media companies need to do to keep up.

Adam Mosam

CEO and Founder, Channel 1

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Agentic AI for distribution and monetisation

Agentic AI — AI systems that can operate autonomously — has the potential to transform news distribution, personalisation and payments. In this session we will lay the groundwork for the opportunities and risks ahead. Topics to be covered include Agentic AI 101 and relevance for news; how agencs can and will interact with online content; how financial infrastructure can power agentic commerce; practical applications, early experiments, and media cases.

Raphael Daste

Global Head of Media, Entertainment, Gaming, and Sports GTM, Stripe

Cosmin Ene

Founder, Supertab

Toshit Panigrahi

CEO and Co-Founder, Tollbit

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Lunch

12:30 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.

BONUS BREAKOUT SESSION: AI collaboration at scale: How news orgs are building smarter, together

For those who want to combine lunch with additional learnings, join us in the Dolby Community Room (third floor) of KQED for a look at a unique AI collaboration. As AI reshapes the news industry, how can local publishers move fast, avoid duplicating effort, and still stay true to their mission? This interactive lunch session brings together publishers and AI Fellows from the Lenfest AI Collaborative & Fellowship Program, an initiative in partnership with Microsoft and OpenAI that provides funding, software credits, and technical support to 10 major U.S. news organisations. Expect candid insights from the front lines: how participants built a shared roadmap for AI experimentation, divided work across organisations to tackle different problem sets, and rapidly moved from proof-of-concept to newsroom-scale tools — some already in use and available to others. Panelists will share what surprised them, frameworks for collaboration, and open-source solutions being developed to support the broader news industry. Whether you’re looking to operationalise AI or just getting started, you’ll walk away with concrete ideas, frameworks, and tools you can adapt in your own newsroom.

Matt Boggie

Chief Product & Technology Officer, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Shira Center

Vice President, Boston Globe Media

David Chivers

Lead Advisor, The Lenfest AI Collaborative & Fellowship Program

Kati Erwert

Senior Vice President, The Seattle Times

Chris Patheiger

Chief Product & Innovation Officer, The Dallas Morning News

1:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The value of content: What is it worth in an AI-powered world?

As AI-driven platforms increasingly repurpose, remix, and surface news content, how do publishers ensure they are recognised and compensated? This session brings together industry leaders to explore the shifting economics of content value, with perspectives from those on the frontline of AI, search, and content monetisation.

Ahmed Malik

Co-Founder and CEO, Scalepost

Brooke Hartley Moy

Chief Executive Officer, Infactory

Shailley Singh

EVP Product and COO, IAB Tech Lab

2:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Organisational structure of the future: New skills, new roles, and what’s at risk

AI isn’t just changing how news is produced; it’s redefining roles, skill sets, and job structures across the entire organisation. What positions are emerging? Which ones are under threat? And which skill sets should we be building up? This session will examine the evolving talent landscape and how organisations can future-proof their teams for the AI era.

Katharina Neubert

SVP Strategy and Investments, Holtzbrinck

2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Cybersecurity in the age of AI: Risks, governance, and realities

With AI comes new cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This session will demonstrate just how easily things can go wrong — from deepfake manipulation to phishing attacks — and offer a road map for risk mitigation, governance, and crisis management from those who have been through it.

Will Allen

VP Product, Cloudflare

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Networking break

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Does social still work for news?

Social media is still a powerful channel for news, but its role is evolving. As AI begins to influence referral patterns and user behaviour, questions arise: Which platforms continue to deliver meaningful traffic? How does trust in news hold up when filtered through feeds or AI tools? And where should publishers focus for reach versus engagement? This session will dive into the latest data on platform performance, explore the shifting value of social in an AI-driven ecosystem, and offer practical guidance on how news organisations can adapt their strategies for maximum impact.

Benedict Nicholson

Head of Research, Newswhip

4:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Doing more with less: AI’s role in newsroom efficiency

With shrinking resources and growing demands, news organisations are turning to AI to streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and optimise operations. This session will explore how AI tools are reshaping business efficiencies, from content creation to ad targeting to audience engagement.

Josh Brandau

CEO & Co-Founder, Nota

Ben Gerst

Co-Founder, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Nota

Jeff Moriarty

Chief Product Officer, Nexstar Digital

4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Conference conclusions and podcast

In a unique conclusion to the Media Tech & AI Conference, join Jodie Hopperton, Nicki Purcell, and Robert Whitehead with an on-stage live podcast recording as they share reflections, key insights, and a look at what’s next in AI and news media.