AI Isn't Killing Media Jobs. People Are.
It's A Leadership Problem, Says Andy Beach (Former CTO at Microsoft) In His Guest Article
Wake up! Time for your Monday morning “brAIn” dump. My “mAIn event” features a thought-provoking guest article by Andy Beach, former CTO at Microsoft. I don’t agree with everything Andy writes, but it’s an important piece — and always good to challenge my own thoughts (I add my own “First Amendment” post-script to his story). Next, the “mosAIc” — a collage of AI stories and podcasts I curate for you. Finally, the “AI Litigation Tracker” — updates on key generative AI/media cases, including a link to the latest status on all key cases by McKool Smith (check out the full “Tracker” here).
I. The mAIn Event - AI Isn’t Killing Media Jobs. The Suits Are.
They’re Killing The First Amendment Too (my post-script to Andy’s story …)
Guest Article by Andy Beach, former CTO Microsoft
AI isn’t a rogue villain stalking industries and taking jobs. It is a tool, like any other, and how it is wielded depends entirely on the people in charge. Across industries, leaders are choosing to use AI not to empower workers and creativity but as a cost-cutting weapon.
If jobs are disappearing, it is not because AI woke up one day and decided to take over. It’s because too many executives, chasing quarterly profits and not looking value, are prioritizing efficiency over humanity. And nowhere is this more evident than in media and creative industries, where storytelling and innovation are under direct threat. In the end, AI is not a creative engine, it is a toolset to make creative people more effective. The entertainment industry should embrace it where it makes sense but not eviscerate the talent pool at the cost of the vision of the people that make it great.
This Isn’t Just a Media Problem — It is Everywhere
AI is hitting every industry, and the patterns are disturbingly similar. Leaders are using the technology to displace workers, not enhance them.
Tech: In 2024 and 2025, companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google laid off tens of thousands of employees, often while touting massive investments in AI. They did not need to fire those people — AI was not forcing their hand. They chose to cut headcount and blame it on “optimization.” AI became the excuse for decisions made to appease Wall Street.
Manufacturing: AI-driven robotics have transformed assembly lines, with incredible potential to reduce workplace injuries and improve efficiency. But instead of retraining and redeploying skilled workers, companies often choose to eliminate jobs entirely. It’s not about what the technology can do — it is about what leaders decide to prioritize .
Healthcare: In hospitals, AI could revolutionize patient care by assisting with diagnostics, streamlining billing, and improving workflows. Instead, many healthcare systems are using it as an excuse to reduce staffing, leaving fewer nurses and doctors to do more with less. Patients do not get better care; they get a thinner safety net .
Each of these industries faces unique challenges, but the pattern is clear: the problem isn’t AI — it is the people making decisions about how it is used.
The Media Industry Isn’t Immune: AI Exposes Old Weaknesses
In media and entertainment, AI has the potential to transform workflows and amplify creativity. But instead of embracing this opportunity, many studios and production companies are using AI to justify slashing budgets and thinning out teams.
Take post-production. AI-driven tools like rotoscoping, dubbing, and color correction could eliminate tedious tasks, freeing editors and VFX artists to focus on creative innovation. But instead of seeing this as an opportunity to elevate storytelling, studios are treating it as a way to shrink departments and cut costs .
The recent Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike highlighted the industry’s growing reliance on AI to churn out content faster and cheaper. Technology did not decide that writers are expendable — studio executives did. AI isn’t replacing people; people are replacing people .
What AI Could Be in Media — If We Let It
Imagine a media industry where AI does not replace creativity but enhances it:
Pre-Production: AI tools streamline storyboarding, location scouting, and script revisions, leaving writers and directors free to refine their vision.
Production: AI optimizes scheduling, lighting setups, and even on-set logistics, giving crews more flexibility to experiment and innovate.
Post-Production: AI automates repetitive tasks like rotoscoping and initial color grading, allowing editors and artists to focus on the creative, high-impact work.
Global Distribution: AI enables smarter localization of content, delivering culturally nuanced translations without replacing the local creatives who understand their audiences best.
These tools exist today. But they are not being used to empower creatives — they are being used to cut corners. That’s not an AI problem. It’s a leadership problem .
AI Bridging the Accessibility Gap
Not every use of AI threatens jobs. In some cases, it fills critical gaps where human resources fall short. Today, there’s more content being created than there are interpreters, voice actors, or announcers to make it accessible to global audiences. Live events and regional programming often go untranslated or are only captioned for the highest-value markets, leaving vast swaths of audiences underserved.
This is where AI becomes a tool of inclusion. Real-time captioning, dubbing, and translation tools don’t reduce jobs, they make it possible for more people to experience and share in stories that might otherwise remain inaccessible. AI fills this “caption gap,” enabling smaller creators to reach global audiences and allowing regional stories to cross borders without the prohibitive cost of human localization. Legacy content that has been hidden away for decades can be brought back to its audience with tools that make it consistent with today’s formats and needs.
Instead of limiting access, AI expands it, leveling the playing field and making the media landscape more inclusive.
These tools exist today. But they’re not being used to empower creators and audiences, they’re being used to cut corners. That’s not an AI problem. It’s a leadership problem.
The Wrong Mindset Is Killing Creativity
Here is the real tragedy: the media industry is supposed to be the beating heart of storytelling and culture. Instead, many leaders are too focused on squeezing every last dollar to see the forest for the trees.
This obsession with “efficiency” does not just hurt workers — it hurts creativity. It flattens the stories being told, narrows the voices that emerge, and stifles the risks that lead to true innovation.
If the people running these companies cannot see AI as a way to enhance their teams rather than replace them, the creative industries will lose what makes them special: the people who bring stories to life.
This Isn’t Just Media’s Problem — It is Everyone’s
What is happening in media is a cautionary tale for every industry. AI has the potential to democratize opportunity — to help filmmakers on indie budgets produce Hollywood-quality visuals or enable small businesses to compete with giants. It could revolutionize healthcare, education, and manufacturing.
But it will not happen on its own. If we let bad leaders dictate how AI is used, it will become a tool of marginalization, not empowerment.
Blame the Decisions, Not the Tool
AI isn’t going away. The only question is, what kind of AI are we going to have? One that empowers workers and amplifies creativity, or one that replaces people to cut costs?
This isn’t a call to fear AI — it’s a call to take responsibility. The future of AI will be shaped by the choices we make today. Let us demand better from the companies deploying this technology. Let us advocate for policies that encourage AI to enhance human potential, not displace it.
Because at the end of the day, AI does not make decisions — people do. And it is time we started holding those people accountable.
Call to Action
Educate yourself. Call out bad practices. Advocate for ethical AI standards in your industry. AI can be a force for good, but only if we demand it. Let us stop blaming the tool and start taking control of the narrative.
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My First Amendment Post-Script To Andy’s Article
These are my thoughts (Peter Csathy) — not to be attributed to Andy.
Not only is much of media and entertainment leadership abandoning the quest for original creativity for the sake of cost-cutting (as Andy writes), they are also abandoning media’s fundamental role as defenders of free speech in the face of predictable Trump-ian bullying. It’s shocking to see formerly principled CEO Robert Iger and his Disney legal team “cave” and settle with our new self-anointed King Donald Trump on his frivolous defamation lawsuit based on comments George Stephanoupolis made in an interview. So much for Donald and Elon’s anti-censorship proclamations. Not surprisingly, free speech is apparently a one-way street. And now Wall Street and bottom line bean counters seem to be Trumping the Fourth Estate, every time.
Here’s Exhibit B. Now it looks like CBS News, a division of Paramount of course, is poised to settle with Trump on his even more frivolous litigation against “60 Minutes” based on editorial decisions that our “champion of free speech” didn’t like (in connection with the show’s interview with Kamala Harris). Downright shocking — and virtually unheard of. That is, before now. But then again, perhaps not so shocking when you realize what’s really going on. Shari Redstone, of course, is in the midst of finalizing Paramount’s sale to Skydance — and Skydance’s CEO is David Ellison, son of Oracle’s Larry Ellison. It’s no mystery that Ellison is besties with Mr. T. And so it goes ….
So be prepared for a very different CBS if this all comes to pass — one which may begin to try to catch the Fox as the new Administration continues its hunt.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see at least one major media CEO heed the infamous closing words used by Dan Rather in some of his nightly newscasts — i.e., “Courage!”
What do you think? Send your comments to peter@creativemedia.biz.
II. The mosAIc — My Curated “Must Read,” “Must Listen” Playlist
Listen to my most recent episode of “the brAIn” podcast, which discusses my recent article, "Court Rejects AI's Fair Use: Now What?” (click on button below to hear it on Apple Podcasts).
My synthetic co-hosts discuss the critical issues raised by (and ramifications of) the recent game-changing court rejection of "fair use" as a defense to unlicensed AI scraping in Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence. Specifically, four critical questions: (1) How will generative AI companies act in the face of this new legal reality? (2) How will courts even begin to assess damages in these cases? (3) How will the Supreme Court rule when the pivotal AI training "fair use" issue inevitably reaches it? and (4) Will Congress create a new "fair use" exception to permit unlimited unlicensed AI training on copyrighted works (especially when confronted by new co-sheriffs Trump and Musk)?
NOTE: I generated this podcast using Google NotebookLM and approve its content. It’s an accurate reflection of the relevant key issues (and my overall analysis). BUT I do strongly disagree with the “synthetic data” discussion near the episode’s end.
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You can also continue to follow my longer daily posts on LinkedIn via this link.
III. AI Litigation Tracker: Updates on Key Generative AI/Media Cases (by McKool Smith)
Partner Avery Williams and the team at McKool Smith (named “Plaintiff IP Firm of the Year” by The National Law Journal) lay out the facts of — and latest critical developments in — the key generative AI/media litigation cases listed below. All those detailed updates can be accessed via this link to the “AI Litigation Tracker”.
The Featured Updates:
(1) The New York Times v. Microsoft & OpenAI
(2) In re OpenAI Litigation (class action)
(3) Dow Jones, et al. v. Perplexity AI
(4) UMG Recordings v. Suno
(5) UMG Recordings v. Uncharted Labs (d/b/a Udio)
(6) Getty Images v. Stability AI and Midjourney
(7) Universal Music Group, et al. v. Anthropic
(8) Sarah Anderson v. Stability AI
(9) Raw Story Media v. OpenAI
(10) The Center for Investigative Reporting v. OpenAI
(11) Authors Guild et al. v. OpenAI
NOTE: Go to the “AI Litigation Tracker” tab at the top of “the brAIn” website for the full discussions and analyses of these and other key generative AI/media litigations. And reach out to me, Peter Csathy (peter@creativemedia.biz), if you would like to be connected to McKool Smith) to discuss these and other legal and litigation issues. I’ll make the introduction.
About My Firm Creative Media
My firm and I specialize in market-defining strategy and content licensing for generative AI, breakthrough business development and M&A, and cost-effective legal services in the worlds of media, entertainment, AI and tech. We develop game-changing strategic opportunities and leverage our uniquely deep relationships to reach key decision-makers and influencers in record time to execute. Not just talk.
Among other things, we represent media companies for generative AI content licensing, with deep relationships and market insights and intelligence second to none. Reach out to Peter Csathy at peter@creativemedia.biz if you’d like to explore working with us.
Send your feedback to me and my newsletter via peter@creativemedia.biz.
“AI Isn’t Killing Media Jobs. The Suits Are.” So true.
Time to spawn a “suitless” media collective? I’m sure there are successful creatives who would fund such a venture…