2024 Gen AI x Comms Report & Webinar
Understand how generative AI is changing the way media and communications professionals work. Gain actionable insights to help navigate the shift.
The 2024 Gen AI x Comms Industry Impact Report leverages survey data from 301 respondents and qualitative insights from 11 industry contributors, to build upon the 2023 edition.
The 41-page report produced by Media Collateral in partnership with State of Digital Publishing (SODP) documents an industry in a state of flux – with adoption, use-cases, fears, hopes and frustrations rapidly evolving, since the inaugural Gen AI x Comms Report in Dec 2023.
Andrew Thompson, Lead Author, Manager, Editorial & Research, Media Collateral
Vahe Arabian, Co-Author, Founder & Director, State of Digital Publishing
Binoy Prabhakar – Chief Content Officer, Hindustan Times Digital
Josh Mann – Head of Creative, Movember
Dr. Lisa Dethridge – Senior Research Fellow, Media & Technology, RMIT University
Scott Purcell, CFA – Co-founder, Man of Many
Jaemark Tordecilla – Nieman ’24 Fellow, Harvard University
Alicia Kokocinski – General Manager – Marketing & Communications, Equity Trustees
Rachel Chitra David – Journalism Consultant, TrueInfo Labs
Karen Rebelo Deputy Editor, BOOM Live
Shreya Kapdi, Founder, SAVAI
Explore unique perspectives and actionable strategies to adapt and prosper in this rapidly changing environment.
Download the report. Watch the Webinar
Authors & Contributors
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Andrew Thompson
Lead Author
Manager, Editorial & Research, Media Collateral
Andrew’s work lies at the nexus of human communication and the evolving digital landscape. As a journalist, researcher, and media advisor, he has authored and developed editorial content for The Guardian UK, The Australian Financial Review, ABC News, The Australian, and The Sydney Morning Herald. Andrew partners with organisations to develop editorial and research content strategies and campaigns.
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Vahe Arabian
Co-Author
Founder and Director, State of Digital Publishing
Vahe is a 15-year SEO and audience growth veteran, content strategist for publishers, and explorer of digital media and technology trends. In his vast experience of working with digital publishing companies, he has helped publishers of all sizes exponentially increase their reach through concise SEO strategies and effective editorial workflows that reflect their business and monetisation model.
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Dr Lisa Dethridge
Industry Contributor
Senior Research Fellow, RMIT University, Media and technology
Dr. Lisa Dethridge is an RMIT Research fellow and technical advisor for Australia’s Internet Domain Authority (auDA.) She currently trains and evaluates large AI models for companies in Palo Alto, California. She has decades of experience with systems analysis of emergent tech in Australia and USA. Her recent project with OpenAI and CSIRO was the design of an ethical chatbot "Amber." Lisa holds a PhD in Media Ecology from New York University. -
Binoy Prabhakar
Industry Contributor
Chief Content Officer, Hindustan Times Digital
Binoy is Chief Content Officer, at Hindustan Times Digital, one of India's biggest media publishers, based in New Delhi, with more than two decades of experience in journalism. He was previously Editor, Moneycontrol, and the founding editor of CNBCTV18.com.
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Karen Rebelo
Industry Contributor
Deputy Editor, BOOM Live
Karen Rebelo works as the deputy editor at BOOM Live, a fact-checking newsroom based in Mumbai. Karen is a specialist in reporting about misinformation and disinformation trends in India. In 2018, she spearheaded fact-checking workshops for journalists across India as part of the Google News Initiative.
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Scott Purcell
Industry Contributor
Co-founder, Man of Many
Scott Purcell, the Co-Founder of men's lifestyle site, Man of Many and a CFA Charterholder. Before his media career, Scott honed his skills over 7 years at Westpac Institutional Bank as a Senior Financial Analyst. -
Josh Mann
Industry Contributor
Head of Creative, Movember
Josh Mann is an award winning Creative Director, Art Director and Graphic Designer based in Melbourne, Australia. Josh is a specialist in Advertising and Branding with over 13 years in the industry. He was part of the senior creative team at Deloitte Digital when they won Campaign Brief's 'APAC Agency of the Year' and is now working as a freelance creative and consultant.
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Alicia Kokocinski
Industry Contributor
General Manager - Marketing and Communications, Equity Trustees
Alicia Kokocinski is an experienced marketing communications and media executive with a robust background in financial services, legal, not-for-profit organisations, and social justice initiatives. She began her career in journalism.
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Jaemark Tordecilla
Industry Contributor
Nieman '24 Fellow, Harvard University
Jaemark Tordecilla was a 2024 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, where he has focused on studying AI, from its use to improve newsroom production processes to navigating the landmines of the nascent technology as it relates to journalism and the media industry. Prior to the fellowship, he spent nearly a decade as editor-in-chief of GMA News Online, the Philippines' top digital news organization.
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Rachel Chitra
Industry Contributor
Journalism Consultant, TrueInfo Labs
Rachel Chitra is a financial journalist, who has more than 18 years experience working for organisations like Reuters, Forbes Middle East, Times of India. She was also selected as a Reuters 2021 fellow by the Reuters Institute and Oxford University. Currently, she's freelancing as a journalist and working with TrueInfoLabs as a consultant to advise them on strategy and generative-AI tools for media clients
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Shreya Kapdi
Industry Contributor
Founder, SAVAI
Shreya Kapdi is the Founder Director of SAVAI, a Singapore based consulting company that specialises in AI products and services that are focused on the media industry. She is a well-respected media executive with experience across Hollywood Studios and the television industry in Asia. She uses her expertise of networks and skills to amplify the reach for content as well as build new networks for AI based content development services.
Download the report and sign-up to the webinar.
76% of Media and Communications Professionals Predict Gen AI will Disrupt or Render SEO Obsolete
Gen AI Use Rises to 80% Among APAC Media and Communications Professionals, Industry Report Reveals
‘The 2024 Gen AI x Comms Industry Impact Report’ charts media and communications professionals’ fast-evolving relationship with generative AI in their work.
This year’s 41-page report produced by Media Collateral in partnership with State of Digital Publishing (SODP) documents an industry in a state of flux, with adoption, use cases, fears, hopes and frustrations rapidly evolving since the inaugural report in December 2023.
Snapshot Findings:
SEO Disruption: 76% of respondents believe Gen AI will significantly disrupt or even make SEO obsolete, highlighting the need for adaptation in the digital landscape. (See p. 22)
Increased Adoption and Deeper Integration: Gen AI adoption has risen to 80% in 2024, with a significant shift towards full integration into daily tasks (from 18% in 2023 to 24% in 2024). (See p. 11)
Future of Work Optimism: Fears of job losses have subsided. 22% of respondents now believe Gen AI will create more job opportunities, a 12% increase from 2023. (See p. 31)
Shifting Sentiments: Marketers' initial enthusiasm has tempered, with many scaling back from deep integration and returning to the experimentation phase. In contrast, journalists show signs of overcoming initial resistance to Gen AI, with a significant increase in the exploration phase (from 15% to 33%). (See p. 12)
Evolving Use Cases: Content generation remains the primary use case, but there's a notable surge in using Gen AI for video and design creation, as well as more tactical applications, such as audience sentiment analysis and predictive content targeting. (See p. 15)
Persistent Challenges: Fear of inaccuracies (72%) and ethical concerns (50%) remain top challenges, underscoring the need for responsible AI governance and transparency. (See p. 27)
Authors’ Insights
Andrew Thompson, Lead Author, Manager and Editorial & Research, Media Collateral said the latest study provides an important snapshot of the impact of Gen AI on the industry, while providing the opportunity to benchmark sentiments and document the evolving nature of the shift. “While usage has increased, we can see that some of the immediate hype—both hopes and fears—has settled as the tech's practicalities and limitations become clearer. However, it's evident the industry is bracing for substantial evolutions that will further alter the landscape. Some are expected to democratise and enhance human connection, while others threaten to cause misinformation and division.”
Vahe Arabian, Co-Author and Founder & Director, SODP said media and communications professionals must stay proactive, focusing on integrating market-oriented information to navigate shifts. “We hope the Gen AI x Comms Impact Report provides a valuable resource in this regard. By offering practical examples and benchmarks, we aim to help professionals apply Gen AI tools effectively to maximise the potential of these technologies.”
Survey Overview
Conducted from April to July 2024, the digital survey received 301 respondents across Asia Pacific, consisting of journalists, marketers, PR practitioners, content creators, and advertisers.
Download the report and sign-up to the webinar.
About Media Collateral.
Become the primary source in your domain
Media Collateral's unique approach delivers research-driven content and digital search strategies that drive visibility and authority in the new AI-search landscape.
As generic AI content proliferates, audiences and search engines are prioritising original insights, research, and analysis.
Our journalistic, research, and technical expertise transforms your expertise into agenda-setting content to define, distinguish, and elevate your brand in the digital marketplace.
Andrew Thompson
Editorial and Research Director
Andrew’s work lies at the nexus of human communication and the evolving digital landscape. As a journalist, researcher, and media advisor, his content has appeared in the Guardian UK, The Australian Financial Review, ABC News, The Australian, Tech in Asia and The Sydney Morning Herald.
He has also worked in research and communications roles across Europe, the US, East Africa and Asia Pacific for RMIT University, Burnet Institute, Actis, and Centum Investments.
As an AI trainer, he enhances the capabilities of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT.
Andrew is completing a Master of Behavioural Economics at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Services.
Research & Content Creation
Create original, rigorous, research-based content and become the primary source across the search landscape, media, and industry.
SEO Authority & Ranking
Deliver digital visibility and authority by optimising for readability, user intent, and the latest semantic search algorithms.
Gen AI Search Optimisation
Leverage Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Artificial Intelligence Optimisation (AIO) to position your brand as the primary source across Google’s AI Overviews, SearchGPT, and Perplexity.
Digital PR
Secure bylines, quotes, citations, and backlinks on influential media platforms to build brand authority with search algorithms and your audience.
Social Media Strategy
Amplify your brand’s social media presence into powerful tools for SEO authority and ranking, and Gen AI search discoverability.
Digital Lead Generation
Our SEO/GEO-optimised content is integrated into your established digital assets to attract customer leads and business growth
Testimonials.
“Partnering with Media Collateral empowered our communications. They developed original, research-driven content that not only resonated with our target audience but also positioned us as thought leaders, distinguishing and elevating Beyond EV in a competitive marketplace. We highly recommend Media Collateral to any business looking to elevate their content strategy and dominate the fast evolving AI-driven digital landscape.”
Alex Carvajal, Project Manager, Beyond EV
"Working with Media Collateral has been an incredibly smooth and rewarding experience. The team helped us produce high-quality, research-based content, such as the State of ABM in APAC report, which has significantly boosted our authority in the industry. We've seen improvements in our SEO, LinkedIn engagement, and lead generation, while also strengthening PR opportunities and industry partnerships. The process was painless, the content was exceptional, and we truly value the friendly, professional relationship we’ve built with Andrew and the Media Collateral team."
Alexander Hipwell, Content & Operations, xGrowth
Clients We’ve Worked With.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
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Media Collateral offers a wide range of services including Research & Content Creation, SEO Authority & Ranking, Gen AI Search Optimisation, Digital PR and Partnerships, Social Media Strategy, Digital Lead Generation, and more.
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Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) involves crafting your content so it's prioritised and featured in user-generated search queries on AI-powered answer engines like Google AI Overviews, SearchGPT, and Perplexity. As generative AI increasingly favours primary, evidence-based, and reputable information to provide accurate results, GEO focuses on creating content that AI search engines can easily understand and include in their responses. This ensures your business remains visible and relevant in the evolving digital landscape.
Artificial Intelligence Optimisation (AIO) is a broader, holistic strategy aimed at optimising your entire online presence—not just individual content pieces—for the AI-driven search ecosystem. AIO encompasses your website's structure, technical elements, content strategy, digital PR efforts to maximise visibility and authority in the eyes of AI search engines, ensuring that all aspects of your digital footprint work together effectively.
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We produce a wide range of research-based content to establish your brand as a thought leader. This includes in-depth industry research reports and whitepapers that showcase your expertise, agenda-setting press releases announcing newsworthy insights, and interactive webinars that educate your audience and generate leads. We also create compelling opinion pieces and thought leadership articles for platforms like LinkedIn and industry media outlets. To make complex data accessible, we design infographics and produce videos that bring your research to life. Additionally, we develop case studies highlighting successful projects to demonstrate tangible results. These diverse content formats ensure your research reaches a wide audience and solidifies your position as an authority in your industry.
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At Media Collateral, we ensure the accuracy and credibility of our research through a rigorous journalistic and academic methodology developed over years of industry experience. Our team of seasoned researchers and analysts sources information from multiple reputable outlets, cross-verifies all data, and employs a thorough review process to maintain the highest standards. This meticulous approach guarantees that our findings are reliable and authoritative, solidifying your brand's position as a trusted thought leader in your industry.
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At Media Collateral, our digital PR approach is designed to enhance your online presence, build brand authority, and drive tangible business growth. We begin by thoroughly understanding your business goals and target audience to craft a personalised PR strategy. We develop research-driven content that highlights your expertise and business proposition, securing mentions, citations, shares, and backlinks from industry influencers and media outlets. This strategy establishes reach and authority with your target audiences, conventional search engines, and increasingly powerful generative AI answer engines such as SearchGPT, Google's AI Overviews, and Perplexity. We continuously monitor and optimise campaign performance, making data-driven adjustments to maximise impact and deliver measurable results.