What happens when AI can use journalism and expert knowledge without giving the people who created that knowledge a fair share of the value? Gretchen Andrew is an AI-driven artist, a globally exhibited creator, and Head of Product at Intelligent Attribution. Her work sits at the intersection of art, journalism, AI and the systems that determine how information creates value. In this conversation, Gretchen explores what she calls the “frozen bagel problem”: AI can take information created by publishers, journalists and experts and make it immediately useful to users, while traditional models for monetizing that information increasingly break down. Her argument is provocative: rather than waiting for regulation or hoping AI companies will fix the problem, publishers and knowledge creators may need to understand and work with the logic of AI itself — turning their expertise, journalism and knowledge into products that can participate in the new value chain. We explore what that could mean for journalism, publishing and the future of work. But the conversation goes further. We discuss why individual authority may become more important as information becomes abundant, how new careers could emerge between journalism, SEO and AI systems, what AI literacy should mean for children, and why trust and real human relationships may become more—not less—important as software becomes faster and more capable. And ultimately, we ask a broader question: What does all of this mean for the way we work, learn, create, and participate in society? In this episode 00:00 — Gretchen Andrew’s work in Park City and her long research arc 02:45 — Why this mission matters for democracy and truth 04:28 — The frozen bagel problem: why AI breaks publisher monetization 08:07 — Why AI rewards new information but does not reward it fairly 10:43 — Rebuilding affiliate revenue by making publishers the merchant of record 11:55 — Why AI skips civic information when it is harder to access 13:34 — What the future of work really means in the age of AI 16:30 — Reverse engineering publishing so media can thrive again 19:29 — Why AI may be more nuanced than today’s news and social platforms 23:03 — Why individual writer authority matters more than ever 26:51 — New career paths between journalism, SEO, and AI systems 28:12 — Productizing subscriptions and knowledge for AI-era publishing 33:47 — Teaching kids AI literacy, information literacy, and skepticism 35:37 — The importance of trust and real relationships in a world of faster software 37:18 — Why the newspaper may fragment into smaller monetized units 39:31 — Why “informed citizen” should remain the goal of education 40:46 — Advice for people entering journalism or media later in life Resources & Links: Intelligent Attribution https://intelligentattribution.com/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-andrew/About The Future Was Yesterday The Future Was Yesterday explores how technological change is reshaping work — how work is organized, how organizations and society are affected, and how people can adapt. Each episode starts with a person doing something interesting at the frontier of technological, economic or social change. From there, we explore what their experience can teach us about the world of work that is already emerging. If you found this conversation useful, follow the podcast and share it with someone who is thinking about how AI and technological change are affecting their work or industry. You can find me on LinkedIn, or write to theprojectsaule@gmail.com Here you can find more about Saule Thanks for listening. We learn from each other. See you soon. Keywords: future of tech careers, future of work transformation, entrepreneurship future, digital skills for careers, future of work insights, digital transformation careers, future of work
