#10 The AI Agent Age In News: Why Ippen Media Built a Lab for the Future of Journalism. Markus Franz

What happens when you give local newsrooms its own AI lab — and build tools that think with you, not just for you?

In this episode of Insight Shapes News by Kilkaya, host Nils Ove Håland Riise is joined by Markus Franz, CTO at Ippen Media — Germany’s largest local journalism network — to explore how AI agents, adaptive content, and experimentation culture are shaping the future of journalism.

Markus shares the story behind building Ippen’s internal AI lab, the kinds of projects they run, and why curiosity, speed, and a willingness to fail (fast) are critical for transforming legacy newsrooms. From ambient intelligence and elastic content to the evolving role of journalists as navigators, this is a conversation full of bold ideas and practical insight.

🎧 Topics we cover:
What AI agents actually do in a newsroom
Why the future has no buttons — just voice
How Ippen’s lab team drives experimentation (and when they hand it off)
Adaptive content vs. elastic content (and why it matters)
How AI can help local journalism be faster, cheaper, and more relevant
Building tools for the audience — not just the journalist
The one trait Markus looks for in every lab hire

Plus: If you dropped him in a struggling newsroom with just a laptop and Wi-Fi, Markus reveals exactly what he’d build first.

Whether you’re thinking about personalization, newsroom transformation, AI strategy, or culture change — this is your front-row seat to the experimental edge of European journalism.
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