According to the New York Post, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson has issued a warning that the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) could have a detrimental impact on journalism. Thomson expressed concerns about AI programs that can appropriate exclusive content or divert advertising revenue away from publications designated as “blacklisted.”

“Our collective IP [intellectual property] is under threat” from AI,” he said.

Thomson delivered his remarks during the International News Media Association’s World Congress in New York. Thomson emphasized that the intellectual property of the industry as a whole is at risk due to AI developments. He specifically highlighted two main issues: the unauthorized collection and utilization of content to train AI algorithms and the likelihood of individual stories being prioritized in specific search results.

“Firstly, our content is being harvested, scraped, and otherwise ingested to train AI engines.  Secondly, individual stories will be surfaced in specific searches. And, thirdly, our content will be synthesized and presented as distinct when it is actually an extracting of editorial essence,” he added.

Thomson identified the significant financial challenges and the unpredictable macroeconomic climate as factors that necessitate media companies to streamline their operations. He criticized organizations like the “Global Disinformation Index” and similar entities for discouraging advertisers from partnering with publishers that are accused of sharing “disinformation” in their stories.

It was reported that the Global Disinformation Index, which operates in the UK and has affiliates in the US, has compiled confidential lists of conservative media outlets to hinder their access to advertising funds.

“No masthead is immune to sudden, capricious changes in algorithmic ranking that can affect your ad revenue,” he said.

News agencies such as the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, the New York Times, the BBC, and Thomson Reuters have begun integrating AI into their news processes.

Meta recently faced another privacy violation fine in Europe, prompting a more serious discussion about big tech regulation in Washington.

The Irish data protection authority fined Meta €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) for mishandling European user data when transferring it to the U.S. This significant fine highlights the importance of ad tech operators prioritizing compliance with such regulations.

While a national data privacy bill is gaining traction, not everyone has fully embraced it yet. The U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee voted to pass the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, which could have broad implications for data collection, use, and sharing in marketing and other areas.

In this context, U.S. counterparts are lobbying lawmakers across the Atlantic in an effort to influence a multi-state privacy law that could supersede the current patchwork of individual state laws. Although there is still progress to be made before such a law is officially enacted, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA) is the most advanced proposal. Key industry players are actively engaging with the U.S. Capitol to advocate for a unified set of privacy requirements applicable nationwide, similar to the EU’s approach.

As a result of the lack of a federal privacy law in the U.S., various states are taking steps to pass their own comprehensive legislation to protect privacy in the rapidly evolving digital landscape. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Virginia, and other states are responding to public demands for robust privacy laws.

Meanwhile, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and its sister organization, IAB Tech Lab, are leading early compliance and lobbying efforts through various initiatives. Executives from these organizations have engaged in discussions with key supporters of privacy legislation to educate them on industry perspectives.

“If you’re a global media company, then you’re facing a nightmare of cross-compliance,” IAB Tech Lab CEO Anthony Katsur said in an interview with Digiday. “In the internet era, many companies are global by nature… it’s a nightmare from a technical, legal, and consumer experience perspective.”

The IAB highlights the bipartisan support for federal privacy legislation, with draft proposals currently undergoing revisions in Congress. However, it is anticipated that any such legislation will likely be passed after the upcoming general election.

The lobbying influence of industry giants like Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta is well-known and sometimes resented by both the public and industry peers. This dynamic has motivated publisher executives and ad operations professionals to actively engage with key politicians in the U.S. Capitol, aiming to navigate ad tech within established guidelines.

Rob Beeler, a consultant specializing in media owners explains the strategy when speaking with U.S. lawmakers on regulation, “We want to discuss with them the value of having a Federal-level Privacy Legislation versus state-by-state.” He continued,“We’re going to talk about it because we’ve gone through what GDPR does, versus trying to do this at the California, Massachusetts, and Colorado level [of lawmamking].”

Edison Research, after venturing into the U.K. market with the release of its Infinite Dial report in 2021, is now making a more significant commitment to the country’s podcast industry. The company announced at the Podcast Show 2023 in London that it plans to launch its Podcast Metrics service in the U.K. later this year, according to Podcast News Daily.

“We are incredibly enthusiastic about the expansion of Edison Podcast Metrics to the U.K.,” said Edison Research Senior Vice President Melissa Kiesche. “We have seen how beneficial the data has been to those in the podcast industry in the U.S. and we are looking forward to seeing the thriving podcast community in the UK take advantage of this research.”

Edison Podcast Metrics relies on listener recall instead of download data. The service surveys thousands of weekly podcast listeners each quarter, collecting data on listening behavior regardless of whether a show or listening platform subscribes to the service. While Podcast Metrics was first introduced in the U.S. in November 2019, Edison has been tracking podcast consumption in aggregate since 2006.

The U.K.-specific Edison Podcast Metrics survey research is currently underway, and data from this quarter will be delivered to subscribers in Q3. The same methodology used in the U.S. is being employed in the U.K., despite the difference in country size. Edison aims to include a minimum of 2,000 weekly podcast listeners aged 15 or older in each quarterly survey.

As a preview of the forthcoming service, Edison released a list of the top five podcasts based on the data collected in April. However, the list was provided in alphabetical order rather than ranked by listenership. It includes popular U.S. import The Joe Rogan Experience, along with British podcasts such as The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, The Rest is Politics, and Shagged Married Annoyed.