Two Days of Future Media with the Grimme Akademie and the RTL Journalism School
Two days, an engaged group of trainees, lots of hands-on work, and at the end: real prototypes for new media formats. That’s the short version of the seminar “Future Media: AI & Creative Digital Storytelling,” which I ran on behalf of the Grimme Akademie together with journalism trainees from the RTL Journalism School.
But of course, there’s more to it than that.
What AI Has to Do with Creativity – and What It Doesn’t
The biggest concern I hear in workshops, again and again: AI replaces creative work. Those who come in believing that usually leave thinking differently.
Because AI doesn’t replace voices. It amplifies them.
What I mean by that: Good use of AI doesn’t start with the prompt. It starts with a clear point of view. If you know what you want to say, what perspective you’re taking, what story you want to tell. Then you can use AI as a precise tool. For research, idea generation, text structure, image creation, or video production.
If you don’t know that, AI won’t give you answers either. Just mediocrity.
Cross-Media Thinking as a Starting Point
In the seminar, we used cross-media thinking as our foundation. Not as a buzzword, but as a practical mindset. Anyone producing content today no longer thinks in single channels. A format is created, and then the questions follow: How does it live on Instagram? What works as a podcast? How does it become a short explainer video?
AI supports exactly this process. As a tool for idea generation, text adaptation, visual language, and video concepts.
Using methods like Design Thinking, participants developed real prototypes over the two days. Not theoretical exercises, but actual first videos. Created by people who work with content every day.
What Excites Me Every Time
I’ve been running seminars like this for years. And what excites me every time is the moment when something clicks.
When someone realizes: I don’t have to fear AI. I have to understand it.
When a group that came in skeptical about the speed of AI is, by the afternoon, building their own ideas with AI tools and discovering that their voice isn’t lost in the process. It gets sharper.
That’s the heart of Future Media. Not the technology alone. But the people who use it.
About the Format
The seminar “Future Media: AI & Creative Digital Storytelling” was run on behalf of the Grimme Akademie, one of the most respected continuing education institutions for media professionals in the German-speaking world. Participants were journalism trainees from a wide range of broadcasters and production companies, hosted at the RTL Journalism School.
If you’re interested in similar formats for your team, organization, or institution. For newsrooms, communications departments, or media companies … feel free to reach out.
Prof. Michael Schwertel is a Professor of Media Management at CBS International Business School and works as a keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and consultant on the topics of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and the future of media.
