Eye on AI, a newsletter Fortune launched in 2019, has seen an uptick in sponsorship interest this year as well, according to Bruckner, and The Atlantic plans to launch a capsule newsletter covering the subject this fall. (Editor’s note: Adweek is producing its first AI Awards in November in conjunction with our annual NexTech event).
Generative bots and generating leads
Publishers have also won business by building chatbot products for clients.
This month, Bustle Digital Group unveiled a product, sponsored by Tyson’s Hillshire Farm, that presents users with a custom sandwich recipe based on their conversation with a generative AI bot.
The publisher is pitching a similar product, an AI-powered Holiday Hotline, and is pacing to close seven figures of revenue related to generative AI this year, according to chief revenue officer and president Jason Wagenheim.
In an experimental vein, The Atlantic has begun working with the firm ElevenLabs to create narrated versions of its articles using AI, according to McKown. Publishers have been offering oral versions of written articles for years, but the new technology creates such a realistic product that two companies—a streaming giant and technology mainstay—both have sponsorships in the works.
Publishers have also won AI-centric RFPs by creating custom research on the technology, then integrating sponsors. These white papers offer brands the sheen of expertise, and they appeal to the kinds of enterprise software purchase-makers that can turn into leads.
The Washington Post Client Solutions team has incorporated its research on the enterprise applications of AI into its Power Index—a partnership with Kantar—and Forbes’ Research team is currently fielding a C-suite survey on the subject. Fortune, likewise, has compiled a C-Suite AI playbook, which Salesforce has underwritten.
“AI gives us the opportunity to work with partners in the way we work best,” Bruckner said, “which is across platforms and years. This is a complex subject, not something you pop in and out of.”