AI Is revolutionizing publishing. Are you ready? In a recent webinar as part of the Nota-LMA AI Webinar Series, John Sumpter, director of customer success at Nota, and Pete Pachal, founder of Media Copilot, revealed how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of storytelling and content creation.

This discussion showcased how cutting-edge AI tools are transforming the publishing industry, from boosting efficiency to changing the roles of editors. Five top takeaways:

AI as an assistive tool for publishers

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way publishers create and manage content. Unlike fully automated systems, AI can be used as an assistive tool that helps streamline workflows without replacing the essential human touch. For example, Nota offers a suite of tools that integrate seamlessly into existing publishing workflows. This integration allows publishers to focus on storytelling while AI handles tasks like summarizing articles, generating social media copy, and optimizing content for SEO. This approach ensures that AI is augmenting human creativity rather than hindering it.

“We don’t generate out of thin air. We actually go off of the content that you give us, and we’re not looking elsewhere within the web environment to bring in content,” Sumter said.

Shifting editorial roles

As AI becomes more integrated into publishing, the relationships among editors, writers and content strategists are undergoing significant changes. AI-driven tools empower editorial teams to take on tasks traditionally handled by audience or social media teams. These tools can generate social media copy, suggest relevant keywords and even create newsletters, allowing editors to manage multiple aspects of content distribution in addition to content creation. This shift gives editorial teams greater control over the reach of and engagement with their content, while also freeing up time to focus on the quality of journalism.

Pachal emphasized this shift, saying, “AI is really good at helping you with content, and not quite as good at helping you with the actual journalism. Which is to say, you have a great piece of journalism, you’ve worked hard on it, and AI can help you maximize the value of that across platforms.”

Pachal further noted the evolving relationship between content and product teams.

“When you introduce generative AI into the mix, the relationship between the content team and the product team becomes more important. It’s about delivering good experiences both for the audience and for ensuring journalistic integrity,” he said.

AI isn’t just a tool for efficiency but a driver for deeper collaboration among teams, making content creation more strategic and impactful, Pachal said.

Ethical considerations and AI transparency

As AI becomes more prevalent in publishing, ethical considerations have taken center stage. AI-generated content raises concerns about transparency and accuracy, particularly in journalism. Nota tackled these issues by implementing AI content policies that prioritize assistive AI over generative AI, ensuring that all outputs are rooted in the publisher’s original content.

Furthermore, the platform offers content credentials or “birth certificates” for AI-generated images, establishing ownership and transparency for AI creations. This proactive approach to ethical AI usage sets a benchmark for responsible publishing in an AI-driven world.

Sumpter emphasized the importance of these considerations.

“We really want to make sure that we’re listening to folks who have worked in this field every day, to really gear the product towards actual issues that you guys are looking to solve,” he said.

AI’s impact on the economics of visual content

The influence of AI extends beyond written content, reshaping the economics of visual content as well. The ability to generate images through AI poses a potential disruption to the stock photography industry and the role of photojournalism. While AI-generated images offer a swift and cost-effective solution for publishers, this shift raises concerns regarding the future of professional photography and the authenticity of images. Platforms such as Nota aim to address these concerns by ensuring the traceability of AI-generated images and providing publishers with tools to uphold the integrity of their visual content.

“The economics of photography and image generation are being rapidly altered by AI, and it’s essential for publishers to understand the implications. While AI-generated images can be useful, we need to resist the temptation to overuse them and consider the future of professional photography,” Pachal said.

The future of AI in publishing

As we look to the future of publishing, it is evident that AI will maintain a pivotal role. Both speakers talked about in the coming five to 10 years AI is likely to become even more deeply integrated into the processes of content creation and distribution. At the same time, as AI-generated content becomes more prevalent, the value of human-generated journalism will become increasingly apparent. To prepare for this shift, publishers of all sizes should embrace AI tools that enhance their workflows, focus on creating original content that distinguishes itself in the increasingly AI-driven landscape, and establish clear AI policies that prioritize ethical usage.

Pachal highlighted the importance of staying ahead of these changes.

“The patterns of how we optimize content are evolving, and AI will only accelerate this. To stay competitive, publishers need to start thinking about AI as a key player in their content strategy, not just as a tool for efficiency but as a way to deepen audience engagement,” he said.

Artificial intelligence was used to transcribe the webinar and create an initial summary for this article, which then was reviewed and edited by LMA staff.