AI media & Generative Futures

The accelerating integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into media ecosystems is transforming the epistemic, cultural, and political infrastructures of information creation and dissemination. The conference presentation synthesizes foresight research findings on generative AI and generative mediatization, exploring how AI-driven content production, algorithmic curation, and synthetic personalization are transforming the public sphere. Drawing on foresight methodologies and trend analysis, the goal is to identify emerging trajectories where generative models function not merely as technological tools but as agencies in media ecologies—reshaping the dynamics of trust, identity, and democratic deliberation. The results highlight three interconnected futures: (1) Synthetic abundance, characterized by hyper-automated creativity and personalized cultural flows; (2) Generative platform governance, where AI-mediated regulation, transparency, and civic oversight redefine media accountability; and (3) Post-mediatized societies, in which human and non-human agents co-produce reality narratives across immersive, multimodal platforms. These scenarios underscore critical tensions between innovation and disinformation, openness and control, creativity and commodification—revealing how generative mediatization extends beyond content automation toward structural transformations in information circulation, content production and cultural authority. The goal is to present a proactive approach and research agenda integrating strategic foresight with critical media studies to anticipate unintended consequences and support democratic resilience. By bridging computational futures with social imaginaries, the study positions generative AI as both a catalyst and a disruptor of 21st-century mediatization processes, demanding interdisciplinary scrutiny. Ultimately, the talk invites academia, industry, and policymakers to co-create ethical, sustainable, and human-centered pathways in navigating the generative turn of AI societies.