#6 From Hype to Impact: How Newsrooms Are Making AI Actually Work. Aliya Itzkowitz at FT Strategies

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Insight Shapes News

Kilkaya with Nils Ove Håland Riise

12 episodes

3 days ago

Insight Shapes News is a podcast hosted by Nils Ove Håland Riise, who works at Kilkaya, a leader in analytics and informed personalization for news and publishers. The podcast features deep-dive conversations with industry experts, covering topics such as editorial insights, audience engagement, AI-driven personalization, and the evolving relationship between technology and newsrooms. With a focus on practical applications and real-world experiences, Insight Shapes News explores how data, innovation, and editorial strategies shape the future of journalism.

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#6 From Hype to Impact: How Newsrooms Are Making AI Actually Work. Aliya Itzkowitz at FT Strategies

Insight Shapes News

1 hour 5 minutes 11 seconds

6 months ago

#6 From Hype to Impact: How Newsrooms Are Making AI Actually Work. Aliya Itzkowitz at FT Strategies

What happens after the AI hype fades?

In this episode of Insight Shapes News by Kilkaya, host Nils Ove Håland Riise sits down with Aliya Itzkowitz — Who works at FT Strategies and built out the framework for the Google News Initiative’s AI Launchpad — to unpack how AI is actually being used inside real newsrooms.

Forget the buzzwords. Aliya shares what’s working, what isn’t, and how media companies can move from fragmented experimentation to measurable impact. Drawing on her work with dozens of publishers, she breaks down the frameworks, team dynamics, and strategic choices that help newsrooms turn AI into more than a headline.

🎧 Topics we cover:

The 3-part framework for applying AI across newsroom operations
Build vs. buy: when to partner, when to invest, and how to avoid dead ends
The hidden value of AI pilots (it’s not just time savings)
How to structure teams for real collaboration across editorial, product, and tech
Why leadership buy-in and bottom-up experimentation must co-exist
What’s next for newsrooms as AI becomes business-as-usual

Whether you're working in editorial, product, strategy, or leading innovation — this episode is full of hard-earned lessons and practical frameworks for using AI in journalism with purpose.

Chapters:

00:00 The Evolution of AI in Newsrooms

02:53 Frameworks for AI Implementation

05:45 Understanding the Build vs. Buy Dilemma

09:00 The Role of Empathy in Transformation

12:12 Zooming Out: The Bigger Picture

14:47 Experimentation and Learning

18:08 Navigating the AI Landscape

20:54 Trust and Transparency in AI

23:46 Measuring Success in AI Initiatives

31:23 Defining Success in AI Experiments

34:51 Unintended Consequences of AI Experiments

38:58 The Importance of Team Dynamics in AI Projects

43:51 Scaling AI Initiatives in Large Organizations

49:23 Gaining Leadership Buy-In for AI Projects

51:58 Evaluating AI Experimentation and Future Directions

54:52 Critical Questions for AI Implementation in Newsrooms

🎧 Subscribe to Insight Shapes News for conversations on the future of journalism, AI, and the strategies shaping the news industry.

#AIinNewsrooms #MediaInnovation #DigitalPublishing #NewsroomStrategy #ProductThinking #Journalism #FTStrategies #AIFrameworks #AudienceStrategy #BuildvsBuy #EditorialTech