IDEAS SoCal AI & Data Science Conference 2018

We’ll explore the ways data at scale, machine learning, crypto currencies and distributed databases are remaking what we think of as media. We’ll do this from two perspectives:


Disruption - Are established media distribution, content creation, and audience engagement platforms doomed by design? As the media industry is remade by new entrants and new business models, the distinction between media and technology has effectively disappeared. Strategy and differentiation for new media entities is as much about flexible engagement platforms, integrated operations, and partner ecosystems as it is about new ideas and new content. While audiences fragment and migrate, new audience currencies are emerging distinguished by speed, scale, and flexibility. We'll explore the evolution of media engagement models, understand these in the context of current market trends, and explore some of the ways new entrants are using emerging technologies to enable groundbreaking customer experiences.


Dissolution - We’ll also explore the underside of new media platforms, specifically the ways personal data syndication, programmatic content, simplistic learning algorithms, and automated decisioning can be manipulated to perpetuate bias, raise rancor and undermine good faith. Do media and technology companies have obligations that extend beyond the confines of customer relationships? What are the implications of captive ecosystems that are becoming increasingly enmeshed in more areas of our lives?