News companies need a clear AI road map for success

By Lukas Görög

AI and Data Strategy Lead

Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)

Zurich, Switzerland

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As AI adoption accelerates, organisations need a clear road map to maximise value and integrate AI into their workflows effectively.

In this article, I present my AI value framework, which I developed over the past few years while supporting numerous media organisations. This framework provides a comprehensive guide to becoming an AI-enabled organisation that generates tangible results.

The AI value framework offers direction for media companies currently on their AI integration journey.

Once you identify where you are on your AI journey, you can focus on the next steps in the adoption process.

The AI value framework: a step-by-step journey

The framework outlines four progressive stages of AI adoption and demonstrates the value created at each stage.

1. Awareness: This stage focuses on introducing AI tools and training employees to use them effectively. AI literacy workshops and correct prompting skills are key to ensuring everyone is familiar with AI's potential.
2. Activation: Organisations experiment with AI, piloting use cases and fostering a culture of innovation. Here, AI ambassadors play a vital role in ideating solutions and setting the stage for deeper integration.
3. Integration: AI becomes embedded into systems, applications, and workflows. Standardisation and personalisation ensure that AI aligns with business logic and creates value tailored to organisational goals.
4. Operation: Advanced governance structures, clear responsibilities, and dedicated AI leadership - such as a chief AI officer - empower organisations to sustain long-term AI success.

Practical applications in the news media business

AI's potential in media is vast, ranging from content personalisation to misinformation detection.

For example, AI can be used for:

• AI-powered CMS integration. This includes automating workflows with prompt-based AI systems.
• AI research agents, which assist journalists with data analysis and insights.
• Hate speech moderation. This is important for ensuring ethical and safe content distribution.
• Dashboarding systems. This enhances decision-making with AI-powered analytics.

Building an AI-ready organisation

Success hinges on education, experimentation, and leadership. Investment in AI literacy and the creation of cross-functional AI teams are vital.

I emphasise the importance of developing professional prompts, decentralising AI ambassadors across departments, and fostering an experimental culture.

Final takeaway

AI adoption is not a one-size-fits-all journey. Each organisation must tailor its approach to its unique needs, balancing innovation with governance. By following the AI value framework, news media businesses can unlock AI's full potential and stay ahead in a competitive industry.

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About Lukas Görög

Lukas Görög is AI and data strategy lead at Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) in Zurich, Switzerland. Lukas can be reached at [email protected] or @lukas_gorog.

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