Honestly I feel like AI gives more value to creators right now than audiences. It helps with productivity, but the actual content is lower value. From what I see, it's making people go the opposite direction and seek out more curation, original voice/thought, and direct/IRL connection. So I’m not convinced by the use case for things like Sora (especially as a paid product) at this stage. But always curious to see how it evolves....
Yes...I wonder if the population of information consumers fragments, into one that is sort of in a stupor consuming AI feeds, and another that is deliberately seeking out the curated, higher-quality sources. BUT I *also* wonder about the economy to support original creators, particularly if the consumer audience gets fragmented in this way.
How did I miss this? Sorry for delay -- I agree with all! Especially given the flood of AI memes lately....
There will always be people drawn to low-quality content, but I believe that elites tend to over-index on the most fringe and harmful cases. The majority of people are genuinely looking for information they can trust, but can't easily find. I still believe the greatest value will come from original thought and authentic connection. Who knew I was such an optimist? :-)
I am also interested in seeing how new revenue models evolve to support creators and platforms that intentionally stay small. We can’t keep paying two-coffees-a-month subscriptions forever! I'd expect to see subscription-based curation (i.e. democratized magazines), niche corporate sponsorships, and new partnership models. For my work with experts, I've been thinking about whether we could build sponsorship models based on output rather than engagement. We'll see!
Love this piece!
Thank you Michelle!! And thanks again for sharing Kahlil's newsletter with me :-)
The fragmentation of the media ecosystem is coming fast, for sure. How do you see the AI platforms fitting in?
Honestly I feel like AI gives more value to creators right now than audiences. It helps with productivity, but the actual content is lower value. From what I see, it's making people go the opposite direction and seek out more curation, original voice/thought, and direct/IRL connection. So I’m not convinced by the use case for things like Sora (especially as a paid product) at this stage. But always curious to see how it evolves....
Yes...I wonder if the population of information consumers fragments, into one that is sort of in a stupor consuming AI feeds, and another that is deliberately seeking out the curated, higher-quality sources. BUT I *also* wonder about the economy to support original creators, particularly if the consumer audience gets fragmented in this way.
How did I miss this? Sorry for delay -- I agree with all! Especially given the flood of AI memes lately....
There will always be people drawn to low-quality content, but I believe that elites tend to over-index on the most fringe and harmful cases. The majority of people are genuinely looking for information they can trust, but can't easily find. I still believe the greatest value will come from original thought and authentic connection. Who knew I was such an optimist? :-)
I am also interested in seeing how new revenue models evolve to support creators and platforms that intentionally stay small. We can’t keep paying two-coffees-a-month subscriptions forever! I'd expect to see subscription-based curation (i.e. democratized magazines), niche corporate sponsorships, and new partnership models. For my work with experts, I've been thinking about whether we could build sponsorship models based on output rather than engagement. We'll see!