G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfeller To Headline SIIA Media’s September CEO Council Meeting

September 27 discussion to center on why his company is forging ahead with machine-generated content

G/O Media, publisher of 11 consumer-facing digital-media brands, rolled out artificial intelligence-produced content in July. Now, nearly three months later, it has no intention to roll back its experiment. In fact, CEO Jim Spanfeller says, AI will be so transformative for the media industry that to ignore it would be irresponsible. G/O publishes The Onion, Quartz, Gizmodo, The Root, Deadspin and other well-known titles. And it contends that, indeed, everyone in media ought to be learning how to make content with AI. Since the summer, the company has posted numerous listicle-oriented items, with bylines that always include the word “bot.”

Other media brands are also experimenting with AI content, including the Associated Press. Some others have tried it and pulled back. That’s not G/O Media’s plan. It’s all part of a larger, vital experiment with the technology, says Spanfeller, who defines G/O as both a media company and a tech company.

Hear Spanfeller—whose illustrious media career includes executive positions at Ziff Davis, Inc., Tronc (now Tribune Publishing), and CEO of Forbes.com—describe the imperative, what’s working and what hasn’t, and what’s next for G/O Media.