At the Russian Creative Week in Moscow, Andrey Tsyper, Executive Director of Media at Rambler&Co, stated that content production costs are approaching zero, and the main competitive battleground is shifting from speed to verification and trust. As generative neural networks take over text writing, video editing, and voiceover work, media outlets lose their advantage in scale — audiences are tired of identical content and demand hyper-personalization.
What's changing in the media industry with AI
Participants in the visionary session "The Future of Media or Media in the Future. The 2035 Vision" reached a common conclusion: technological breakthrough is fundamentally transforming the business model of the industry. The discussion included Forbes Club Russia President Dmitry Ozman, Russian Media Group CEO Lyubov Malyarevskaya, and Vedomosti Video Director Ekaterina Malashenko.
The speakers pointed out a paradox: by betting on publishing volume, media outlets condemn themselves to the role of background information noise. Content creation tools are losing value, while what cannot be algorithmized — human trust and expertise — takes center stage.
Why trust becomes a competitive advantage
Andrey Tsyper emphasized that the resilience of future media brands is built on balance. Machine intelligence provides scale and speed of audience reach, while human sovereignty delivers quality and fact verification. In an era when content becomes infinite, brands cannot rely solely on mass reach and low CPM.
The main competitive battleground is no longer the speed of content production, but verification and trust — this very symbiosis transforms trust into the currency of the new era
Audiences demand human-centricity: users want to see not automatically generated texts, but materials with authorial perspective and verified data. This applies not only to traditional media, but also to influencer marketing — blogger advertising integrations perform better when the content is backed by real experience and honest recommendation.
What this means for brands and influencer ads
The conclusions of media industry executives directly impact promotion strategy. Brands cannot build media plans based solely on reach — they need to select platforms and creators based on audience trust criteria. In influencer marketing, this means transitioning from mechanical media buying to working with thought leaders whose expertise is confirmed not by subscriber count, but by engagement levels and quality of feedback.
When selecting bloggers for integrations, it's critical to evaluate not only reach and placement costs, but also the level of audience trust in the creator. A professional approach includes analyzing comment tone, past collaboration history, and alignment between the blogger's values and brand positioning. The ETC team, when developing influencer campaign strategies, uses comprehensive creator assessment — from KPI forecasting to bot-checking the audience — enabling brands to invest budgets in platforms with real influence on consumer decisions.
Frequently asked questions
How does AI affect the media industry in 2026
Generative neural networks take over routine tasks: text writing, video editing, voiceovers. This drives content production costs down to nearly zero, but simultaneously intensifies competition for audience trust — technologies are available to everyone, while expertise and verification remain human advantages.
Why is trust important for brands in influencer marketing
Trust directly impacts the conversion of ad integrations. Audiences ignore mass-produced, uniform content and choose recommendations from creators with established reputation. Brands need to work with bloggers whose expertise is proven over time, not just by high reach numbers.
What is human-centricity in content
It's creating materials tailored to individual audience needs, rather than mass-producing templates. In blogger advertising, human-centricity means integrations where the creator shares personal product experience rather than simply reading a script.
In brief
- The Rambler&Co executive named trust as the key competitive advantage for media in the AI era — content production costs are falling to zero, while the value of expertise is rising
- Media outlets and brands lose ground when betting on publication volume — audiences are tired of background noise and demand hyper-personalization
- Media brand resilience is built on balance: AI provides scale, humans provide quality and verification
- For influencer marketing, this means shifting from mass media buying to selecting bloggers based on their audience's trust level, not just reach and CPM
- Brands need comprehensive creator assessment: analyzing engagement, comment tone, and alignment of company values
Want to see where the market is heading before your competitors do? The ETC team builds a media strategy and media plan for your niche — with reach forecasts and KPIs fixed in the contract.
