#6 From Hype to Impact: How Newsrooms Are Making AI Actually Work. Aliya Itzkowitz at FT Strategies

What happens after the AI hype fades?

In this episode of Insight Shapes News by Kilkaya, host Nils Ove Håland Riise sits down with Aliya Itzkowitz — Who works at FT Strategies and built out the framework for the Google News Initiative’s AI Launchpad — to unpack how AI is actually being used inside real newsrooms.

Forget the buzzwords. Aliya shares what’s working, what isn’t, and how media companies can move from fragmented experimentation to measurable impact. Drawing on her work with dozens of publishers, she breaks down the frameworks, team dynamics, and strategic choices that help newsrooms turn AI into more than a headline.

🎧 Topics we cover:

• The 3-part framework for applying AI across newsroom operations

• Build vs. buy: when to partner, when to invest, and how to avoid dead ends

• The hidden value of AI pilots (it’s not just time savings)

• How to structure teams for real collaboration across editorial, product, and tech

• Why leadership buy-in and bottom-up experimentation must co-exist

• What’s next for newsrooms as AI becomes business-as-usual

Whether you're working in editorial, product, strategy, or leading innovation — this episode is full of hard-earned lessons and practical frameworks for using AI in journalism with purpose.

Chapters:

00:00 The Evolution of AI in Newsrooms

02:53 Frameworks for AI Implementation

05:45 Understanding the Build vs. Buy Dilemma

09:00 The Role of Empathy in Transformation

12:12 Zooming Out: The Bigger Picture

14:47 Experimentation and Learning

18:08 Navigating the AI Landscape

20:54 Trust and Transparency in AI

23:46 Measuring Success in AI Initiatives

31:23 Defining Success in AI Experiments

34:51 Unintended Consequences of AI Experiments

38:58 The Importance of Team Dynamics in AI Projects

43:51 Scaling AI Initiatives in Large Organizations

49:23 Gaining Leadership Buy-In for AI Projects

51:58 Evaluating AI Experimentation and Future Directions

54:52 Critical Questions for AI Implementation in Newsrooms

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