AI Media Leaders Festival: an Interview with Nina Klaß

Artificial intelligence is changing how we create and understand media. With the AI Media Leaders Network, nextMedia.Hamburg aims to build a platform that brings together expertise, fosters new alliances, and positions Hamburg as a leading hub for AI in the media, digital, and creative industries.

In this interview, Dr. Nina Klaß explains why now is the time to build structures for exchange and responsibility, which AI use cases she finds most exciting, and what she expects from the first AI Media Leaders Conference on November 27.

Why did you start the AI Media Leaders Network? And what has been missing in Hamburg so far?

Artificial intelligence is transforming every industry and every company, from processes and business models to entire value chains. In the media and digital economy, there is enormous potential, since this sector shapes how we perceive information, share knowledge, and participate in society. 

With the AI Media Leaders Network and its flagship event, the AI Media Leaders Conference on November 27, we want to create a platform that continuously consolidates expertise and has an impact beyond Hamburg. Our goal is to build structures that promote knowledge exchange and support AI developments. At the same time, the network is intended to give executives and AI leaders the opportunity to actively shape these developments. 

Hamburg is Europe’s leading location for media, digital, and creative innovation, so it was only logical to start here. Hamburg stands out as one of the few cities that so closely blends creativity, media diversity, and technological excellence. With leading publishing houses and agencies, strong digital companies, the ARIC Hamburg Innovation Center, and clear political commitment to transformation, the Hanseatic city is the ideal starting point for AIM Leaders. The involvement of industry partners shows a shared interest in unlocking AI’s economic potential and in shaping the region’s future sustainably. 

If you had to describe the conference in one sentence, what happens there?

The AI Media Leaders Conference is the first professional conference in the German-speaking world dedicated specifically to AI in the media, digital, and creative industries. It is neither generic nor limited to a single submarket. It brings together executives and AI heads, fosters direct exchange, creates new connections, and offers space to clearly communicate the sector’s needs to policymakers. 

Many people are talking about AI in the media industry. Which use cases do you currently find most exciting, and where do you see the greatest potential?

At the moment, personalization and distribution are powerful drivers. AI helps deliver content in a more targeted, relevant, and channel-specific way, which can directly affect reach, user engagement, and monetization. However, discoverability and entry points are also changing so drastically that these new possibilities are often more about “keeping up” than achieving major growth. 

At the AI Media Leaders Conference, we’ll present a range of exciting real-world cases. Film producer Dan Maag along with Albert Bozesan, Creative Director AI Media at Storybook Studios, will demonstrate what’s already possible with generative AI and how they’re using it to usher in a new era of entertainment. 

How can we maintain an ethical compass amid all the AI hype and still work boldly with AI?

Courage and ethics are not contradictions; they belong together. To handle artificial intelligence responsibly, we need transparency, sufficient oversight, and accountability. Decisions made by AI systems must remain understandable and verifiable, and the final authority should always rest with humans. AI must not become an automatic decision-maker. It’s equally important to design systems that don’t reinforce social biases. Only when we consciously uphold these principles can we experiment with AI boldly and responsibly at the same time. 

If you look back in three years, how would you know that the first AIM Leaders Conference truly made an impact?

If sustainable alliances have emerged from the network that reach beyond Hamburg - nationally and perhaps even internationally. And if the conference has established itself as the central platform for AI in the media and digital industries, and as a place where entrepreneurs, CEOs, AI heads, and decision-makers come together to exchange ideas, connect, and shape the future collaboratively. 

Which part of the program are you most looking forward to on November 27?

I’m especially looking forward to the discussion with Arne Kittler and Thomas Brouwer, because it will be very concrete: how do you turn an AI innovation into a market-ready product? That practical perspective is extremely exciting to me, seeing how ideas become applications that are both economically viable and socially relevant. Thomas Brouwer, who works with a leading U.S. company in AI model development and voice assistance, will contribute valuable insights from international product practice. 

And of course, I’m also looking forward to new voices from the industry, including Max Mattis Harder and Bruno Alexander from “Kleine Brüder GmbH”, whose work on “Der Discounter” demonstrates how innovative and bold new formats can be. 

What do you say to people who are still deciding whether to attend?

Don’t overthink it, just come! We have over 40 speakers from business, politics, and academia, both national and international. Across three stages, we’ll cover the topics that truly move the industry, addressing them strategically and practically, with plenty of room for exchange. The program is developed by and for the industry, and you can feel that. 

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nextMedia.Hamburg is an innovation initiative for the media and digital industries in Hamburg that promotes collaboration between different stakeholders across the sector.