The Associated Press

Exploring the Future of News

“Our work with frog not only helped us imagine the future; it also ignited the cultural change we needed to embrace innovation as a fundamental driver of our strategy. Together, we built a framework for innovation that became the foundation for transformation.”
Jim Kennedy, Senior Vice President for Strategy and Enterprise Development, The Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) knows firsthand the technological, social and cultural trends radically changing how news is created, distributed and consumed. To stay ahead and maintain a competitive advantage, the AP engaged frog to analyze the current landscape, assess potential sources of disruption and create an actionable, five-year framework for the future of the business.
Breaking News Barriers
With over 170 years at the forefront of the field, the AP reaches half the world’s population daily. frog helped assess the trends affecting their industry through an immersive process called “Futurecasting.” Looking at potential futures five years out allowed us to identify immediate actions the organization should take today to remain relevant in the face of inevitable change and uncertainty tomorrow.
Sustainable Perspective
frog’s explorations of new business models and revenue streams became an adoptable framework for a sustainable model. These insights are now guiding long-term investments and strategic planning initiatives across the AP. This has led to the prioritization of new technology capabilities, as well as investments in startups building tools to meet new demands and address emerging needs.
Defining Augmented Journalism
In an effort to support the stellar journalists that the AP is known for, the team examined the rise and impact of Augmented Journalism. The emerging field uses data analysis in gathering, production, consumption and distribution for the organization’s diverse markets and customers. The AP has already been exploring this territory; Futurecasting helped deepen understanding of the status and potential for its development, as well as the impact on AP's operations, offerings and people.
Close Collaboration
The team worked closely to quickly conduct research with media and technology experts, and to create and facilitate immersive workshops to imagine alternate provocative futures. In a short timeframe, frog and the AP developed multiple tools designed to help the business keep possible sources of disruption in focus, and to set a course forward.
AP continues to use the five-year framework to guide important business decisions. The company recently released a report titled “The Future of Augmented Journalism: A guide for newsrooms in the age of smart machines” that uses insights from the frog Futurecasting engagement as a foundation.
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