Navigating the AI Slop: How Editorial Judgment Is Changing (EP 21)

🎙️ Dr. Paul Elvers, Head of AI at Funke Mediengruppe

💬 Summary

This week's episode of the in-between tech & trust podcast examines how AI is being used inside one of the largest media organizations in Germany, with a focus on trust, transparency, and day to day editorial practice - steered by Dr. Paul Elvers, Head of AI at Funke Medienhaus and podcast host Eva Simone Lihotzky. The conversation is for media specialists, editors, product leaders, and anyone working close to news production and consumption. The episode dives deep into the choices directly affecting credibility, audience trust, and the role journalism plays in a democratic society.

🎧 Episode overview

In a detailed discussion, Dr. Paul Elvers walks through how AI actually shows up in newsroom workflows, separating real operational value from common misconceptions. Rather than debating whether AI should exist in journalism, the episode stays grounded in how it is governed, where human responsibility remains essential, and why naïve adoption is a bigger risk than cautious experimentation. The conversation also explores how audiences judge credibility in an environment flooded with synthetic content, and what media organizations can realistically do to maintain trust while adapting to new tools and distribution pressures.

🔍 Key themes discussed

• ​Why trust in AI comes from understanding systems and accountability, not blind confidence
• ​The difference between deliberate AI integration and careless, volume driven adoption
• ​How “AI slop” reflects a growing difficulty in judging what is trustworthy, not just content quality
• ​Using AI to automate necessary but unpopular newsroom tasks while keeping humans at the start and end
• ​The role of recognizable brands and journalists in sustaining audience trust
• ​What transparency about AI use looks like in real editorial workflows
• ​Why AI governance in media is iterative, shared, and never fully settled