People vs Algorithms

Apple has unveiled its long-anticipated entree into mixed reality, with the announcement of a headset that will be available starting next year. We discuss whether the Vision Pro stands a chance as a mass consumer product, along with the outlook for CNN as its revamp devolves into chaos.

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Ads are like cockroaches. You might not like them, but they always find a way to survive and multiply. But without a doubt, the ad industry is facing momentous challenges, not just from short term economic pressures, but the possibility of structural collapse from the shifts driven by AI.

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This week, Troy, Alex and I discuss a variety of topics, ranging from Alex’s beef with advertising, whether gaming will ever be fully mainstream, the potential collapse of the cable bundle without sports programming, and how AI could enable super-empowered individuals. Also, Troy reports back with curios from a trip to Tim Horton's.

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The pageview has long been the atomic unit of the internet. The business of digital publishing has revolved around it. But in a world of chatbots bringing information directly to people, the power of the page is set to decline as fewer people need to bounce from website to website, instead getting their information “directly to the vein.” This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how the biggest change to search in a generation will drastically change the digital media business.

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The battle for engagement has long been a losing battle. The arrival of AI, and the prospect of limitless synthetic content, means media companies on the hunt for engagement are bringing a butter knife to a gun fight. Perhaps it’s time to consider ambient media, the humbler request for people’s partial attention but done in such a way as to establish durable human connection.

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The commanding heights of the digital economy are control of the interface. It’s the interface through which the vast expanses of the tangle of data that makes up the digital economy are accessible. Think of the most powerful digital businesses and they are, in essence, interface businesses. Google is the interface for accessing information. Facebook is a social interface. TikTok is an entertainment interface. This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how AI is already changing the interface for accessing information and implication that has for the media business and the digital economy as a whole.

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Today we talk about why a lack of alignment led to the demise of the once buzzy Buzzfeed News. We also dive into local news, how AI changes the scale game, and our now not so secret new project.

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Nobody likes friction, at least in the moment. It stands in the way of accomplishing a task. Modern life in many ways has been an exercise in applying technology to remove friction from everyday processes. There has long been too much friction in media businesses, not just in delivery but in the service of making as much money as possible. This week, we discuss the positives and negatives of friction in media products.

Some links:

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This week, Troy, Alex and Brian discuss how we come up with ideas and take them through to execution. We break down the phases, from thinking to making to editing.

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This week, we discuss how the conversation about AI has broken into camps of maximalists, doomers and fatalists. AI looks poised at a minimum to accelerate shifts in media, creating new opportunities, new challenges and likely new destruction. Likely winners: niche and personality media, those with unique data sets and, yes, strong brands as a signal of trust in a world of Balenciaga Popes. All that might not matter much if AI proves to be humanity's undoing as our worship of technological advancement meets its predictable end with machines eradicating us.

For those who listened to our Formats episode, check out this post from PvA listener David Grant. Thanks, David.

• Troy Young's People vs Algorithms newsletter
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• Alex Schleifer's Universal Entities
• Follow Alex, Brian and Troy on Twitter