Disruption(s). From the media crisis to the irruption of AI

Abstract

This article analyzes the deep transformation of the media industry over the last twenty years, marked by three pivotal moments of disruption. The first, triggered by the 2008 financial crisis, signaled an irreversible decline of the advertising-based business model and the transition toward ‘digital first’ strategies. The second, around 2012, saw digital consumption and advertising volume overtake traditional print media, forcing a re-evaluation of sustainability and the emergence of new legal and fiduciary ownership structures, such as trusts. Ownership, ranging from family-owned groups to non-profit foundations have influenced the industry’s ability to maintain editorial independence and economic viability. The third and most recent disruption, beginning in late 2022 with the mass adoption of Generative AI (LLMs), presents an uncertain landscape where media organizations oscillate between litigation and opaque compensatory agreements with Big Tech. The paper concludes that while AI offers opportunities for functional specialization, it also threatens to further fragment the industry and weaken the bargaining power of the journalistic workforce.