In partnership with
MediaMorph Edition 82 - by HANA News
Cycling into the future, with Peter Stuart
Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here
The written-by-a-human bit
When Peter Stuart pops up on your Google Meet, you can tell he is a cyclist - he has the lean, rugged features of a Tour De France winner. But don’t be fooled, he also has the machine gun eloquence of a Silicon Valley tech founder.
Peter is the former editor of Cycling News, a Future PLC publication. He was definitely stuck in the past at Future. Typical of a legacy print publisher, Future struggles with AI integrations, paywalls and CMS changes.
Along with his co-founder and AI lead, Danny Bellion, Peter set himself the challenge of launching an AI-first, super-lean publication, the result being Velora Cycling (now in beta). It’s a fascinating case study in how to automate the grunt work while keeping it human.
Built in just five weeks, it has a fully automated content pipeline, with a multi-step AI process for sourcing, research, drafting, and editing, within a bespoke CMS. But nothing gets published without Peter’s editorial oversight and cycling expertise.
In response to the slop argument, Peter is aware that he is up against AI content farms publishing 40 to 50 articles a day, but that his quality and insights will win out. Moreover, he points out that most journalism is, in any case, rewritten or repurposed content. That truth may hurt.
The revenue streams will be traffic-dependent, meaning SEO, which means that they will be at the mercy of the same algorithm updates and search engine declines. But if they can crack the code on costs and traffic, they will be contenders for a virtual yellow jersey of destination cycling sites.
Clearly, cycling is the first of many niche verticals they could go after (Peter is also a seasoned rower). Or they may wish to license their technology; back to Future, perhaps.
Hats off to Time Magazine for nominating The Architects of AI as their “Person of the Year”.
The folks at Time, under the leadership of COO Mark Howard, have wasted no time in signing AI platform deals and deploying subscriber-facing AI tools, such as their “Ask Me Anything” AI agent.
I am a big proponent of offering subscribers access to archives via AI search, and applaud Time’s initiative. They are not holding back - the agent is a permanent feature across the site and somewhat in your face, like an attention-seeking teenager shouting “ASK ME ANYTHING! ASK ME ANYTHING!”. Maybe some nuance is needed, with suggested prompts and questions relevant to each article.
Mark Riley, CEO Mathison AI
Looking for a gift idea? I wrote this for my nephews and nieces as a guide to navigate AI pitfalls - philosophical musings about love, work, war, death, health, learning, climate, agency and consciousness. Available now on amazon.com and amazon.co.uk
Hi
AI will be a substantial competitive advantage for those who master it. But most are still struggling with adoption because rolling out a chatbot or copilot isn’t enough to get people using it.
At Mathison AI, we are helping CEOs like you rapidly discover and prototype high-impact AI use cases tailored to your business.
We’re currently working with global and local enterprises to identify areas where AI can drive real operational value — from automation and cost savings to entirely new product ideas.
If you’re exploring AI and want a clear, low-risk way to get started, I’d love to share how we approach it through fast education sessions and hands-on prototyping.
AI and Journalism
This week’s best articles, found by Hana.news, chosen by our editors
AI turns the firehose into a funnel AI is revolutionizing investigative journalism by enabling reporters to swiftly analyze vast amounts of diverse information, as seen in projects like the Epstein files and various tools developed by news organizations such as The New York Times and iTromsø. These innovations enhance reporting capabilities, streamline newsgathering processes, and empower journalists to uncover stories more efficiently than ever before. |
AI critics funded AI coverage at top newsrooms Semafor - December 8, 2025 The tech community is at odds over AI regulation, with OpenAI shifting to a more aggressive stance against critics and increasing its lobbying efforts. While questions arise over who is supporting the Tarbell Center to promote accountability in AI discussions. Amidst this divide, concerns about funding and editorial independence have emerged, prompting debates on the balance between innovation and oversight in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. |
How an AI-mediated world transforms news consumption. Cjr - Gina Chua, the executive director of the Tow–Knight Center for Journalism Futures at CUNY, argues that as people increasingly turn to AI chatbots for highly personalized news, journalism must shift from mainly crafting narratives to deeply understanding and serving specific communities with tailored information, even as this risks fragmenting shared realities and weakening democracy. She contends that while AI can cheaply generate adequate coverage of routine events, humans still excel at asking the right questions, gathering facts, and providing context, so news organizations will likely become smaller, more community-embedded, and competitively differentiated by how well they know and help their audiences, even though sustainable business models in this AI-mediated future remain uncertain and potentially darkened by misinformation and platform control over reader relationships. |
Local newsrooms in Kentucky grapple with AI’s role in journalism WKMS - December 11, 2025 WKDZ in Cadiz, Kentucky, is navigating the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into its newsroom while emphasizing the importance of ethics and creativity in journalism. Amidst a decline in local media, Crittenden Press publisher Chris Evans views AI as a potential lifeline for struggling newsrooms, helping to alleviate the pressures on journalists and enhance productivity. |
Experts discuss impacts of AI on journalism’s future Leonard Downie Jr., founder of Investigative Reporters and Editors, warns that the future of journalism is at risk due to declining revenues and the rise of misinformation, urging for innovative funding models and greater support for investigative reporting to uphold journalistic integrity in a rapidly changing media landscape. |
How AI-generated prose diverges from human writing and why it matters Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism - December 9, 2025 The rise of generative AI, particularly ChatGPT, is reshaping language usage, with specific phrases gaining popularity in both scientific writing and everyday conversation. Researchers are concerned about the potential homogenization of language and the ethical implications of relying on low-paid workers for AI content generation, as they warn that this trend could dilute the richness of local dialects and diverse expressions in journalism. |
Time Magazine Deploys AI “Ask Me Anything” Box That Covers Up Its Actual Journalism and Can’t Be Closed Futurism - December 11, 2025 Time magazine has named the collective billionaires behind the AI industry as its "Person of the Year" for 2025, while also launching a controversial AI chatbot, "TimeAI," that critics argue distracts from journalism. This move reflects a broader trend in media, with major outlets like The Washington Post and The New York Times increasingly integrating AI into their operations. |
Questions of accuracy arise as Washington Post uses AI to create personalized podcasts NPR - December 13, 2025 The Washington Post has launched "Your Personal Podcast," an AI-driven initiative that customizes audio content based on users' reading histories, but it faces criticism over accuracy and potential threats to journalistic integrity. As the project enters beta, concerns about reliability, job impacts, and the authenticity of AI-generated content spark important discussions in the media landscape. |
Why AI’s legal wins create leverage for journalists The Seattle Times - December 7, 2025 Two recent federal court rulings have favored generative AI companies, determining that using copyrighted works for training AI models constitutes fair use, a significant setback for authors and creators in their ongoing legal battles. However, as the complexities of market harm emerge, particularly with news organizations seeking to negotiate licensing agreements, the balance of power may shift towards creators in the evolving landscape of copyright and AI. |
AI will probably force you to gate your content Concerned about the aggressive appropriation of content by Grok's Grokipedia, Tedium's creator highlights the challenges faced by small publishers in a digital landscape dominated by powerful AI tools. As content theft undermines the connection between creators and their audiences, the need for protective measures has never been more urgent. |
The Future of AI in Marketing. Your Shortcut to Smarter, Faster Marketing.
Unlock a focused set of AI strategies built to streamline your work and maximize impact. This guide delivers the practical tactics and tools marketers need to start seeing results right away:
7 high-impact AI strategies to accelerate your marketing performance
Practical use cases for content creation, lead gen, and personalization
Expert insights into how top marketers are using AI today
A framework to evaluate and implement AI tools efficiently
Stay ahead of the curve with these top strategies AI helped develop for marketers, built for real-world results.
AI and Academic Publishing
Publisher under fire after ‘fake’ citations found in AI ethics guide The Times - December 14, 2025 A recent Springer Nature book has faced criticism for including questionable citations, some referencing non-existent journals, raising serious concerns about the integrity of its research. This situation emphasizes the need for improved vetting processes in scholarly publishing to maintain the quality and trustworthiness of academic literature amidst widespread misinformation. |
Weekend reads: Springer Nature retracts papers using ‘bonkers’ dataset; preprint server welcomes AI authors; ethics editors’ COI disclosures ‘insufficient’ Retraction Watch - December 13, 2025 This week at Retraction Watch, we delve into pressing issues in academic publishing, from the retraction of flawed studies and conflicts of interest in ethics journals to concerns about AI research quality and the influence of China in scientific discourse. Upcoming discussions, including a talk by Ivan Oransky on scientific integrity, aim to tackle these significant challenges facing the landscape of research today. |
Survey reveals split views on AI in academic peer review Digital Watch Observatory - December 9, 2025 A recent survey reveals a divide among physicists on the use of generative AI in peer review, with some advocating for its efficiency while others worry about undermining expert judgment and confidentiality. As publishers reassess their policies, there is a growing consensus that AI will increasingly influence peer review processes amid rising scientific output. |
Science Policy This Week: December 15, 2025 AIP - December 15, 2025 The National Science Foundation has launched the Tech Labs Initiative to fund innovative teams in commercializing technology such as AI and biotechnology, with awards of $10 million to $50 million available starting in 2026. Meanwhile, House Republicans are investigating civil rights offices at science agencies for potentially obstructing oversight of grant programs related to compliance with civil rights laws. |
Librarians Dumbfounded as People Keep Asking for Materials That Don’t Exist Futurism - December 10, 2025 Librarians are increasingly challenged by AI-generated fictitious references, with 15% of reference questions now stemming from such inquiries, complicating the verification of credible sources in academic research. The International Committee of the Red Cross warns that the rise of fabricated citations in scholarly work threatens the integrity and quality of academic discourse. |
Does Wiley’s (WLY) Bigger Buyback and AI Push Mark a Strategic Shift in Publishing? Yahoo Finance - December 12, 2025 John Wiley & Sons' stock is currently valued at $44.09, reflecting concerns over sluggish earnings growth due to declining demand for traditional publishing, market sentiment about its digital transformation capabilities, and significant debt levels that could impact investor confidence. |
This newsletter was partly curated and summarised by AI agents, who can make mistakes. Check all important information. For any issues or inaccuracies, please notify us here
View our AI Ethics Policy
