Wu Wanyu, co-CEO and content chief of "Tianxia Magazine": When AI meets the media, Tianxia's strategic choice
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In this era of rapid changes in digital technology, all walks of life are seeking AI solutions. This morning, I just attended the “2024 Innovation, Integration and Influence of Public Relations and Advertising: Academic Communication of Science and Technology and Sustainable Development” held by [Department of Public Relations and Advertising of Shih Hsin University] (https://pc.wp.shu.edu.tw) Seminar”, published a paper titled “Wave Makers in the Digital Age: How Generative Artificial Intelligence Reshapes Content Marketing Strategies for Book Publishing”. At two o’clock in the afternoon, Ms. Wu Wanyu (https://www.facebook.com/wanyu.wu.14), the co-CEO and content chief of “Tianxia Magazine”, was welcomed and I was fortunate to listen to her wonderful speech.
Although it was pouring and raining outdoors, she was still invited to come and share the theme of “When AI meets the media, the world’s strategic choices” with the teachers and students of Shih Hsin University. This speech is not only in-depth and simple, but also full of practical experience and forward-looking thinking. Now, let us review the key points she shared.
The digital transformation of “Tianxia Magazine”
At the beginning of his speech, Co-CEO Wu Wanyu reviewed the digital transformation process of World Magazine. She mentioned that Tianxia Magazine began its digital transformation in 2017, and now digital revenue has exceeded print revenue, including digital subscription and digital advertising revenue exceeding the print portion. This transformation has made Tianxia Magazine no longer just a paper media, but a semi-technical company, integrating a large number of technological talents.
Co-CEO Wu used her own experience as an example to describe her 33-year career at Tianxia Magazine, from the initial handwritten manuscripts and typesetting to later computer writing and now to the application of AI technology. She emphasized that the popularity of AI is just like the popularity of computers and mobile phones in the past. The media must choose strategies that are beneficial to the development of readers and enterprises instead of blindly following the trend.
Examples of AI applied to media
Co-CEO Wu then introduced the [case] of AI application in Tianxia Magazine (https://www.cw.com.tw/digital-transformation-report/2023/chapter-02/), allowing us to see in detail how AI changes the way traditional media operates.
First, she mentioned Sky’s digital employees, which use AI to perform machine reading and provide listening and reading services that are convenient for readers. This not only meets the needs of older readers, but also caters to the usage habits of young readers in multi-tasking situations such as fitness and commuting. Co-CEO Wu recalled that when she communicated with readers, an older reader said that due to vision problems, he hoped to have a way to continue to enjoy the content of “World Magazine” by listening and reading. This inspired Tianxia Magazine to launch Sky digital staff to address the needs of readers with poor vision and time constraints.
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Next is International News Scan, a project that uses AI technology to scan 40 media around the world to filter and translate important news. This move not only saves a lot of labor costs, but also increases the breadth and depth of news reporting. Co-CEO Wu emphasized that this information system can provide high-quality international news summaries in a short time, allowing busy readers to quickly grasp important global events.
Finally, she introduced the news topic “Common Aircraft Jamming”, which uses AI technology to structure the information released by the Ministry of Defense to generate detailed graphics and analysis reports. This topic not only provides readers with more intuitive information, but is also highly recognized by the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and even helps the Ministry of Foreign Affairs demonstrate the military threats facing Taiwan on international occasions.
The value of journalists must coexist with AI
In his speech, Co-CEO Wu emphasized that even in the era of AI, journalists still have irreplaceable value. She pointed out that AI can process past data and generate content, but reporters can conduct insightful reporting on the spot, which cannot be replaced by AI. She believes that students in journalism and communication-related majors should maintain curiosity and learning spirit, understand the needs of the audience, and make good use of technology to improve the quality of reporting.
The past 10 years of training have established the core capabilities of “Tianxia” reporters, and now they are harvesting their brilliance in various fields.
Suggestions for the School of Journalism and Communication
In this lecture, Co-CEO Wu also made valuable suggestions on education in the School of Journalism and Communication. She hopes that the courses at the School of Journalism and Communication will not only be limited to interview writing, but also include digital management and media innovation. She emphasized that students need to understand skills such as community management and audience analysis to adapt to future developments and changes in the media industry.
As an example, she gave a course called “Digital Management and Media Innovation” at the National Taiwan University Journalism Institute, which aims to allow students to not only learn how to write, but also how to use digital tools to manage and innovate media content. This course helps students better understand audience needs in the modern media environment and find their own position in the digital era.
This is a [course] that focuses on practical operations (https://course.ntu.edu.tw/courses/112-2/12719). It is delivered by frontline journalists and demonstrates digital storytelling, product planning, and social media. Know-How, which covers group management, data visualization, audio and video production, and podcast production, will add a workshop format in the second half of the semester to allow students to engage in practical activities. Through thinking, discussion, and experimentation, they will learn narrative methods in different media and use their own creativity to complete the semester’s works.
”Tianxia Magazine“‘s action plan for introducing AI
When talking about the action plan for Tianxia Magazine to introduce AI, Co-CEO Wu Wanyu listed several key points:
- Understand readers’ needs: All AI applications start from readers’ needs to improve user experience.
- Maintain professionalism and credibility: All content is reviewed by editors to ensure professionalism and credibility.
- Openness and transparency: Clearly explain the scope of AI application to ensure readers are informed.
- Ethical considerations: Pay attention to ethical issues in the AI application process to ensure fairness and transparency.
- Continuous innovation: Continuously explore new applications of AI in the media to improve the efficiency of news reporting and content generation.
Inspiration and Learning
Co-CEO Wu is my Facebook friend, and I usually follow her updates. I am very grateful to her for accepting the invitation to share this time despite her busy schedule.
I had also heard her speak before at an event held by the Department of Communication and Science and Technology at National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University. The experience of these two lectures left a deep impression on me. From the introduction and practice of AI in “World Magazine”, we can learn the following points:
First of all, determination and action in digital transformation are the key to the success of media companies. “Tianxia Magazine” has the courage to try digital transformation, combine technological innovation, and meet the diverse needs of readers. This is an example worth learning from.
Secondly, the value of AI coexisting with humans cannot be ignored. Even in the age of AI, journalists’ insights and on-the-spot reporting remain irreplaceable. Technology should be a tool, not everything. Copy editors also need to think about their own positioning and value.
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The implication for journalism and communication education is that the school of journalism and communication should adjust its curriculum design according to industry development to allow students to master skills such as digital management, community management, and audience analysis to adapt to the drastic changes in the media industry in the future.
Finally, staying learning and curious is key in facing a rapidly changing technology environment. Journalists should maintain a passion for learning and a spirit of exploration, and actively adapt to new technologies in order to stand out in the future media industry.
Co-CEO Wu Wanyu’s speech showed us the application prospects of AI in the media industry, and also allowed everyone to see the necessity and challenges of digital transformation. For people like me who have returned to school from the media industry for further studies, these sharings are not only valuable experiences from the front line, but also contain many academic values worthy of attention and exploration.
Although this lecture was only a short one hour, I took a lot of notes. In addition to hoping that this sharing can arouse more people’s attention and investment in the future development of media, I also sincerely look forward to the beautiful sparks that AI can create with the media!
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](https://vista.im/chatgpt-book)
Further reading
- Best-selling author teaches you to become a master of AI copywriting
- Discover the amazing journey of inspiration: Use generative AI tools to collect inspiration with Vista
- Unlocking creativity: How to use AI tools to assist creation
