AI, Paywalls and Resilience: Highlights from the Press Gazette, Future of Media Technology Conference, London
A selection of the most insightful sessions from The Future of Media Technology Conference, featuring The Economist, The Washington Post, Alma Media, O’Reilly Media and FT Strategies.
Highlights from the Future of Media Technology Conference
The Press Gazette Future of Media Technology Conference in London brought together leading executives from The Economist, The Washington Post, Alma Media, O’Reilly Media and FT Strategies to discuss how AI, data and technology are reshaping publishing.
This post highlights a selection of what I regarded the most interesting sessions from the day (please don’t be offended if your session is not covered) as I was unable to report on all the sessions. The presentations ranged from AI-powered paywalls to audience engagement strategies and discoverability beyond Google. Together, they underline the practical strategies news organisations need to build growth and resilience in a shifting digital landscape.
Luke Bradley-Jones on The Economist’s Post-Google Playbook
Luke Bradley-Jones, President of The Economist, laid out how the publisher is adapting to a world where Google no longer reliably sends traffic, particularly with new AI-powered search tools that keep users inside platform “walled gardens”. He emphasised the “three Ds”: differentiation, direct relationships and discoverability. Read More
Washington Post’s Matthew Monahan: AI and the Future of Publisher Audience Relationships
Matthew Monahan of The Washington Post and CEO of Arc XP discussed a decline in direct traffic, especially among younger readers, and how AI platforms aren’t stepping in to fill the gap. He argued that publishers need to build interactive, reader-facing products, such as “Ask the News”. Read More
How Alma Media and Mather Are Using AI to Rewire the Economics of News Subscriptions
Alma Media, working with Mather Economics, is running a dynamic AI-driven paywall experiment. The project has already lifted subscriptions by 37% and increased reader registrations, while maintaining advertising reach. Read More
O’Reilly Media, Miso AI and the Battle for Knowledge in the Age of Scraping
O’Reilly Media and Miso AI are tackling two problems: how to make vast archives discoverable and how to stop unauthorised content scraping. Their AI-driven “Answers” product provides citation-rich snippets while protecting intellectual property. Read More
FT Strategies on Building Resilience in an AI-Driven Media World
Sam Gould and Adriana Whiteley from FT Strategies argued that publishers must urgently adapt to AI disruption. Protecting content, reinventing discovery and reshaping business models are central to building resilience. Read More
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