January 19, 2026
“AI & The Media World”: Future Media Hubs’ new podcast series
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the global media landscape. While new tools and technologies dominate the headlines, media organisations join forces, learn from one another, and collectively shape the role AI will play in society.
With that ambition, Future Media Hubs launched AI & The Media World, a podcast series exploring AI not as a standalone innovation, but as a shared challenge - and a shared opportunity - for public and private media partners across Europe. It takes a clear-eyed look at how AI is changing media from the inside out, exploring not just new tools, but deeper issues of trust, language, power and long-term resilience.
What is AI really doing to the media world?
The series opens with a fundamental question: what is AI really doing to the media world? In the first episode, Future Media Hubs host Marijn Goossens is joined by Kristin Van Damme, media innovation expert at VRT. Together, they examine how AI is reshaping journalism and production workflows, while also challenging assumptions about automation and creativity. The conversation clarifies the difference between AI and generative AI, explores how VRT’s newsroom is using these tools responsibly, and tackles pressing questions about audience trust, transparency and the role of human-centred storytelling in an AI-driven era.
Listen to episode 1: What is AI really doing to the media world? - With Kristin Van Damme
Do we need AI to speak our language?
Episode two zooms in on why most AI systems perform best in English, and what that means for smaller languages. Thomas Winters, researcher in AI and computational creativity at KU Leuven, highlights cultural bias in multilingual models, the risks faced by low-resource languages and how humour and nuance expose the limits of machine understanding. Important questions like “What can Europe do to build AI systems that reflect linguistic and cultural diversity?” are also discussed.
Listen to episode 2: Do we need AI to speak our language? - With Thomas Winters
Mistral AI: the answer to European Big Tech?
The third episode of “AI & The Media World” focuses on Europe’s position in the global AI race. With Matthew Blakemore, AI expert and consultant on ethical innovation, the discussion explores Europe’s distinct approach to AI, the rise of Mistral AI and the implications of the EU AI Act for media organisations. Topics include open-source strategies, funding challenges, digital sovereignty and why AI literacy and trust are becoming critical assets for media.
Listen to episode 3: Mistral AI: The answer to European Big Tech? - With Matthew Blakemore
Are we creating digital dependency in an AI world?
The series concludes with Ezra Eeman, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Dutch public broadcaster NPO. This final episode looks at AI as infrastructure, rather than a tool. It examines how media organisations can map and manage dependencies on cloud and AI providers, design modular architectures and align experimentation with clear principles and public values.
Listen to episode 4: Are we creating digital dependency in an AI world? - With Ezra Eeman
The series “AI & The Media World” offers a grounded, European perspective on AI’s growing role in media, helping professionals move beyond pilots and buzzwords to ask deeper questions about control, culture and long-term resilience.
Future Media Hubs is an initiative of VRT, in close collaboration with RTBF and supported by the Flemish Department of Culture, Youth and Media.
