Media professionals gathered in Marseille to develop AI-driven solutions for newsrooms. Participants brainstormed 186 ideas in just 30 minutes. The session highlighted shared challenges and new collaboration opportunities.
Media leaders participating in WAN-IFRA’s NextGen AI Leaders program met in Marseille to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence in newsrooms. The group, representing small and mid-sized news organizations across EMEA, focused on practical ways AI can support leadership and team development. In a rapid brainstorming session, participants generated 186 ideas for AI-driven improvements, ranging from workflow optimization to new product concepts.
The session marked the midpoint of a 12-week leadership initiative, developed in partnership with the Google News Initiative. Over the first six weeks, participants created personal leadership canvases to identify opportunities for AI integration tailored to their roles and organizations. The Marseille residency aimed to move from planning to development, with attendees grouped into six pods based on shared challenges such as editorial workflows, audience intelligence, and adoption strategies.
Coaches, including Patrick Swanson of Verso and Kaveh Waddell, guided the teams as they narrowed their focus from broad ideas to concrete project plans. Participants were encouraged to view the process as building long-term skills for ongoing AI innovation in their newsrooms. Many attendees reported feeling isolated in their organizations when tackling AI challenges, but the workshop fostered a sense of shared purpose and peer support.
By the end of the residency, each group had developed a preliminary prototype. The next steps involve evaluating project viability, addressing technical and cultural barriers, and identifying key stakeholders needed to advance their solutions. Instructor Anita Zielina of Better Leaders Lab emphasized the importance of agility and user-centric design, regardless of organizational legacy constraints.
The event also reflected a growing openness among news organizations to share strategies and lessons learned from AI adoption, bridging gaps between senior executives and emerging leaders. Participants committed to ongoing collaboration, accountability, and mutual support as they continue developing their projects.
The NextGen AI Leaders program, organized by WAN-IFRA in partnership with the Google News Initiative, is designed to empower young media leaders, entrepreneurs, and first-time managers. The initiative aims to foster responsible AI deployment and strategic leadership in small, mid-size, and local news organizations across the EMEA region.
