As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape industries worldwide, publishers face an array of challenges that threaten to redefine their traditional roles and operations.

The age of AI brings with it a myriad of opportunities for innovation and efficiency, but it also raises significant concerns for the publishing industry. Among these challenges are the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI-generated content, the potential displacement of human writers, and the changing dynamics of advertising revenue.

AI's capability to produce content at unprecedented speeds has sparked debate about the authenticity and quality of such work. While algorithms can generate articles, reports, and even creative writing pieces, questions about the originality and reliability of AI-produced content persist. Publishers must navigate these concerns, ensuring that their audiences can trust the integrity of the information provided, despite its non-human origin. This issue is compounded by the potential for misinformation, as AI systems may inadvertently generate biased or inaccurate content without proper oversight.

In addition to content creation, AI is transforming the advertising landscape, a vital revenue stream for publishers. AI-driven ad targeting and programmatic advertising offer more precise audience engagement, yet they also introduce complexities in managing data privacy and user trust. Publishers must adapt to these changes while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations and maintaining transparent practices.

We asked a panel of industry experts their thoughts on the rise of AI, and how the publishing industry can respond.

AI is a double-edged sword

AI is a double-edged sword for publishers: while AI can streamline creating content, it also risks flooding the market with subpar writing and video content, which risks audience fatigue. The smart move? Leveraging AI, publishers can enhance their content’s reach and engagement through better understanding and optimisation of their content distribution, ensuring their work stands out in a crowded digital landscape.

When we speak to our clients, we always recommend that publishers consider licensing their own AI models, trained on their unique content, securing a steady revenue stream, and maintaining control rather than allowing third parties to access their proprietary advantage. 

The battle for attention in the digital age will be won through smart distribution powered by AI and machine learning. The future of publishing is smart, efficient, and AI-powered.

Nicola Cooper, Chief Product Officer, VIVV

Publishers will continue to invest in LLM tools

At ArcSpan, we’ve helped our customers capitalise on the recent advancements in generative AI. In particular, we are excited about the advancements large language models (LLMs) have brought to contextual taxonomies and audience segments for our publisher customers.

These improvements enable publishers to create more compelling, real-time audiences, making them more attractive to advertisers and drive higher CPMs. Our use of generative AI also helps automate and optimise monetisation tasks, such as data collection and segmentation. This automation is particularly beneficial for resource-constrained publishers, allowing them to compete more effectively, maximising their addressability and revenue potential.  

We believe traditional (or legacy) natural language processing providers will be displaced by LLMs, given the enhanced level of contextual understanding and configurability they offer. We anticipate that publishers will keep investing in LLM tools, and that these tools will continue to evolve and improve rapidly. Savvy publishers will use this trend to their advantage by investing in the right solutions to enhance the efficiency of their revenue operations.

James Dempsey, Head of EU Platform Solutions, Arcspan

AI can help supercharge publishers’ biggest advantage

Recent AI enhancements are set to transform the publisher industry bringing both opportunities and challenges. Therefore, it’s critical that publishers create internal task forces to understand where AI will have the most impact based on their operating model, then action at pace.

Ultimately, AI is only as good as the information it is primed with. Hence optimising the opportunity with advertisers requires a combination of context and audience data - a challenge for many especially around unauthenticated traffic. This is why publishers are increasingly leveraging external audience insights.  

Additionally, AI can help supercharge publishers’ biggest advantage - their first-party data. The current challenge however is limited scale associated with deterministic signals. AI can remedy this challenge through probabilistic and predictive methodologies spanning identity, insight, targeting, and measurement. At Experian, we’re seeing increasing demand for signal-agnostic linkage and deep consumer insights, enabling publishers to thrive beyond traditional signal loss - leveraging both first and third-party data assets while maintaining privacy.

Danny Holmes, Consulting Lead, Marketing Solutions, Experian