Podcast Summary: "Business Insider Embraced AI. How’s It Going?"

Podcast: Solutions with Henry Blodget
Host: Henry Blodget (Vox Media Podcast Network)
Guest: Jamie Heller (Editor in Chief, Business Insider)
Release Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores how Business Insider (BI), under the editorial leadership of Jamie Heller, is adapting to sweeping changes brought by AI in journalism. With anxiety about AI's impact on jobs, writing, and newsroom culture, Heller walks listeners through BI's AI strategies, newsroom policies, operational experiments, ongoing challenges, and her vision for the future of high-quality journalism. The conversation balances optimism about technological opportunity with honesty about disruption, upholding the centrality of distinctive human journalism in the age of automation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why BI Embraced AI

• Tech-forward legacy: BI's founders and culture have always leveraged new technologies to reimagine journalism ([04:40]).
  • "We have this in our DNA to use tech wisely in a good way for journalism. Let's do it." – Jamie Heller [05:00]
• Leapfrogging with AI: Heller sees AI as an opportunity to regain a digital edge and improve journalistic impact ([05:57]).
  • AI is positioned as an ally in reaching excellence, not simply an efficiency tool.

2. Staff Sentiment & Change Management

• Open but cautious: BI's approach is curiosity and rigorous experimentation, not AI boosterism ([07:24]):

  • "We need to do what's right for our team, for our needs, what actually works...not just doing anything and everything." – Jamie Heller [07:33]

• Addressing staff fears: Heller emphasizes mutual respect and engagement between leadership and staff, not "labor vs. management":

  • "I don't disdain them, I don't dismiss them...I take their concerns super seriously." – Jamie Heller [08:20]

3. How BI Experiments With AI

• Dedicated structure: Three leads spearhead the AI push:
  • Julie Zeviloff West (Editorial Director of Strategy), Julia Hood (AI Lead), and Emma Cosgrove (AI Reporter/researcher) ([09:23]).
• Sprint model: Open calls for newsroom experimentation—anyone can test an AI workflow for a defined task and report outcomes ([10:00]).
• Methodical tracking: Spreadsheets and timetables document experiments and operationalize what's working.

4. Practical AI Use Cases in BI’s Newsroom

• Headlines: Custom ChatGPT tool emulates BI's signature style, leveraging "downloaded" headline wisdom of star headline writers and SEO best practices.
  • "That's a great aid for our newsroom, because it really matters." – Jamie Heller [12:20]
• Podcast analyzer: AI summarizes and highlights insights from long audio/video content for quicker reporting ([12:39]).
• Draft writing: First drafts via AI are acceptable, but the final bylined work must reflect human creative expression ([13:49]).
  • "If ChatGPT could help you get there by sort of being a thought partner...I think it's okay." – Jamie Heller [14:25]

5. Ownership, Quality, and Ethics

• Human byline, human accountability: Though AI drafts are permitted, writers are responsible for fact-checking, accuracy, and the creative value of their work ([13:49], [14:58]).
• Learning and apprenticeship: Heller underscores the importance of training young journalists, worrying about skill atrophy if too much is automated ([20:08]).

6. AI Writing vs. Reporting – What’s Actually Changing?

• Reporting is irreplaceable: Shoe-leather reporting, source cultivation, and events coverage remain uniquely human ([20:08]):
  • "AI really cannot hold a candle to that...Reporting is as, as crucial as ever, really more than ever." – Jamie Heller [20:12]
• Writing is in flux: Routine/commoditized writing is easily automated, but high-quality prose and distinct human style are not ([20:37], [23:02]).
  • "I just don't want to live in a world where [the flair and turn of phrase] goes away." – Jamie Heller [26:08]

7. Editorial Quality and Job Evolution

• No direct AI layoffs: AI has not yet caused job losses at BI; rather, it’s changing job emphasis ([28:19]).

  • "Not since I've been here." – Jamie Heller [28:19]

• Focus on high-value work: AI frees staff for "nines and tens"—the most impactful investigative journalism, not just "six and sevens" ([28:41]).

• Changing hiring: AI influences whom BI hires and what skills are prioritized ([28:22]).

8. Newsroom Transparency and Participation

• Demystifying AI: Open meetings, "sprints," and newsroom-wide demos (e.g., how ChatGPT wrote a real-time news story in 6 seconds) keep the process transparent and participatory ([34:52], [35:37]).
  • "When technology can do something, you better believe that's like a tidal wave that's coming. So deal with it. But there's a lot of ways for our newsroom for people to still totally thrive." – Jamie Heller [36:08]
• Encouraging experimentation reduces fear and builds skills for the future.

9. The Future of Journalism in an AI World

• Cream rises: Human reporting, analysis, writing with style, and original storytelling will remain valued ([48:04]):
  • "The cream just keeps rising to the top. Like, it will be just that much more important that you're just exceptional at what you do." – Jamie Heller [48:04]
• High competition: Demand for journalism talent remains fierce, driven by an "unquenchable human need" for trusted information ([44:08], [44:45]).
• Writing as a learnable skill: While writing is important, Heller values reporting most in new hires ([50:04]).
• Skepticism about AI-driven stardom: While AI may create plausible avatars and even hit music, distinct human voice and trust remain crucial ([44:08]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On newsroom philosophy:
  "I want curiosity and open mindedness toward it, but not boosterism." – Jamie Heller [07:24]

• On using AI as a tool:
  "We're being very methodical about it."
  – Jamie Heller [11:23]

• On the limits of AI:
  "It can't meet someone for a coffee. It can't meet someone in a parking lot and get a deep throat source...Reporting is as crucial as ever." – Jamie Heller [20:08]

• On the irreplaceability of human flair:
  "It's having that ownership, but also that caring for like the flair and the turn of phrase that's going to delight a reader, that I just don't want to live in a world where that goes away." – Jamie Heller [26:08]

• On staff transparency and adaptation:
  "We want you participating. We want your feedback. What are the problems you're trying to solve?" – Jamie Heller [34:52]

• On the enduring value of reporting:
  "Reporting in news, reporting is the ultimate."
  – Jamie Heller [50:04]

• On optimism for journalism:
  "It's as great a time to be a journalist as ever."
  – Jamie Heller [45:49]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:40 – Why BI embraces AI; tech-forward legacy
• 07:24 – Staff philosophy: curiosity, not boosterism; listening to concerns
• 09:23 – AI structure: roles and the "Sprint" model in action
• 11:31 – Specific newsroom AI use cases
• 13:49 – Policy: AI-written first drafts, but ultimate human byline ownership
• 20:08 – What’s uniquely human: reporting, fieldwork, cultivating sources
• 26:08 – Human writing style, cost pressures, and AI as a "second editor"
• 28:19 – Direct discussion on layoffs and job changes at BI
• 34:52 – Transparency and all-hands newsroom demos to build buy-in
• 44:08 – Future of talent and AI journalism avatars
• 48:04 – Prediction for journalism’s future: "the cream rises"
• 50:04 – Reporting above all in journalism's future

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation retains a matter-of-fact, candid, and at times warmly optimistic tone—even when addressing staff anxieties or industry upheaval. Heller and Blodgett agree: AI has accelerated some newsroom functions, but the irreplaceable value of human curiosity, gumption, and personal style ensures a bright future for those who adapt. The episode encourages journalists to experiment, innovate, and prioritize relationship-building and storytelling in an increasingly automated media ecosystem.

For journalism leaders and professionals, this episode offers a concrete framework for AI integration that balances experimentation with humility, transparency, and a relentless focus on excellence.