Why Traditional Media (Actual Intelligence) Matters More as AI Proliferates

For years, people have been predicting the death of journalism. First, the internet was meant to kill it, then social media, and now AI. Yet, rather than burying the trade, technology has only highlighted why we need it.

AI can produce an endless stream of plausible-looking words. That’s clever. But the problem isn’t producing words, it’s producing trust. Reading something written by a machine is a bit like being given directions by someone who sounds confident but might have never been to the place. You’ll get there sometimes, but other times you’ll end up in a field.

This is why traditional media has become so valuable again. A story in the FT or on the BBC has cleared a hurdle that no algorithm can jump: it has survived human discretion. Editors and reporters have looked at it and decided, “Yes, this is worth our name above it.” That kind of friction is reassuring for readers.

The irony is that AI, which was supposed to make journalists redundant, may end up saving them. When people can’t tell whether to believe what they’re reading, the editorial process guards the gate, offering assurance that someone sensible has kicked the tyres on it first.

For businesses, this matters more than they sometimes admit. You can publish all the LinkedIn posts you like😉 , but no one assumes objectivity. Get your story into a respected publication, though, and suddenly it carries a different weight. That isn’t because newspapers are infallible but because they apply filters most of us can’t. That human-led process is what creates trust.

So yes, AI will keep reshaping how content is made and distributed. But it won’t change a basic truth: trust is earned when someone independent is willing to stake their reputation on your story. That’s why, despite all the predictions of doom, traditional media may not only survive the age of AI but thrive in it.

After all, when everything is frictionless, friction starts to look like a feature.ms craft narratives that travel—beyond social feeds and into the conversations that matter. If you want to ensure your firm’s insights reach the right people, we can help.