Dr Alex Connock is a Senior Fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford and recently wrote a textbook on media and AI. He discussed AI through in the context of media perception with John Maxwell Hobbs.
Connock’s broadcasting background is practical as well as academic, having co-founded the indie Ten Alps with Bob Geldof in the late 90s and was the Managing Director of Endemol Shine North through 2017.
An explosion of interest in AI
Connock felt that AI’s major impact on the media landscape was getting short shrift in academia and set out to correct that. “The textbook is guide to media, reframing how you might see it in the 2020s. I was struck when teaching the subject that there really wasn’t a textbook that described the media that people actually live and work in today,” he said. “Most of the textbooks were framed around a rather 1980s vision, with a series of articles about things like exhibition, publishing, and agencies with no relation to, firstly, the way it is structured now with social networks, and streamers, and podcasters. Secondly, they didn’t really have any recognition of the technology that was defining who the biggest media players actually are: AI - in particular recommendation algorithms.”
“What was interesting when I pitched it in 2020,” he continued, “Is that Rutledge sent it off to...
You are not signed in.
Only registered users can view this article.
.jpg)
End of an era: Retiring Dr. Blakeway says IBC Board is “all about the strategy”
As he retires from the IBC Board, former SCTE President Dr. Roger Blakeway discusses the origins of the collaboration between the two organisations, the development of the IBC organisation, and the show we recognise today.
.jpg)
ITN: Fighting to keep trust in news
News organisations face an increasing arms race against AI companies to protect the authenticity of the content reaching audiences through their channels. AI-powered deepfake content risks polluting the entire information ecosystem, says ITN’s Tami Hoffman, “What happens when people just don’t believe what they see?” Adrian Pennington finds out.
Merging Sky and NBCUniversal: Engineering culture and collaboration across continents
Integrating the engineering teams from three broadcast giants taught Mansoor Fazil, Director of Global Platform Engineering at Sky that international merging meant acknowledging cultural differences and staying ahead of consumer habits. Fazil spoke to IBC365 to share insights into Sky's cloud-first, hybrid approach and its focus on emerging technologies which will create expansion – at scale and even further afield geographically – to meet their future goals.
Rise: “Nothing changes unless everyone’s involved”
Fresh from the success of this year’s Rise Awards, Sadie Groom, Rise Founder and CEO, discusses some of the winners, the evolution of the event, and the organisation’s plans for the future.
Sky without limits: how Cloud and IP are transforming a broadcasting giant
Sky is in the midst of a multifaceted digital transformation aimed at redefining both operations and the customer experience. IBC365 spoke with Cristina Gomila to find out more.
