The rise of AI-driven large-scale language models such as ChatGpt, Claude, and Gemini is no longer theoretical. It’s real. For Australian media companies, it is existential. For marketers, it shows deep disruption to the ecosystems they rely on, claims Bench Media co-founder and COO Shai Luft.
These tools don’t just change the way people consume content. They are fully paying attention from the publisher. If your search drives millions of clicks to a media outlet, AI will answer your questions without the need to click. Often, they are rubbed, summed and synthesized without attribution. And once all the queries answer, another publisher is snipped from the value chain.
In Australia, where a relatively few major outlets dominate the digital news environment, this is not just disruptive, it is dangerous. We have already seen the damage caused by meta and Google’s overreliance. When traffic drys out, journalism suffers. Using AI will make your interest even higher.
Media is starting to drain
For many years, Australian publishers have relied on search traffic, social referrals and program revenue to build models. However, AI tools do not play under these rules. They ingest a lot of content, rewrite it in seconds, presenting it with a sophisticated interface without advertising, links, or credit to the original source.
Even the quality journalism of Guardian Australia, ABC News, or Sydney Morning Herald is flattened into bullet points without brand context. Also, unlike past platform shifts, AI doesn’t care about publisher relationships or public interest. We value the amount of data and output efficiency.
For Australian publishers, survival is not about resisting the tide, but about swimming smarter.
Create unscathed value: Local investigative journalism, local reports, expert interviews, and exclusive commentary are antidotes to AI homogenization. Consider four corners instead of ClickBait. Dive deeper, go into your niche and protect what makes your brand different.
Build walled gardens around a faithful audience: Subscription-based outlets like Australia and Cickey already know the value of paywalls and membership. Others must obey. Newsletters, podcasts and closed communities allow publishers to own audiences instead of renting from the platform.
Use AI as a tool rather than a threat. Accept AI and enhance your workflow, not as an alternative to editorial decisions. Summarize transcripts, identify content gaps, and automate repetitive tasks, but constantly stack human surveillance, local nuances, and cultural contexts.
Double your first-party data. When third-party cookies disappear, your audience data is more valuable than ever. Publishers should invest in understanding what their readers will consume, when they will be involved, and why. That insight can enhance better content, better products and smarter monetization.
So, what does this mean for Australian marketers? Simply put, they should be very careful. Media inventory, which has historically been dependent on display, native and branded content, is under threat. That disruption affects the safety of the brand, storytelling and long-term performance.
Context is still important: the world is overflowing with AI-generated junk. It’s as important as it says that your brand is displayed. Trusted publishers continue to form awareness, and showing up in the right context builds true equity.
Support the ecosystem that supports you: If your marketer doesn’t support a quality media environment, they will disappear. This means investing your media budget in Australian publishers, not just international high-tech platforms. If you want strong journalism and a diverse voice, you need to invest in them.
Move from placement to partnership: The smartest Australian brands are already moving beyond advertising placement towards collaboration. Think of long-standing branded content, podcast sponsorships, and editorial integrations that build trust and attention.
The AI hasn’t disappeared. This is just the beginning. It’s faster, smarter and deeper embedded in the way Australians consume news and information. That’s the reality.
Publishers need to risk evolving or becoming irrelevant to an audience-first, brand-driven data smart organization. Marketers must also raise standards, support quality media, and demand transparency and trust in every investment.
AI may rewrite the rules, but those who adapt can still shape the story.
Shai Luft is Bench Media’s co-founder and COO.
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