The Informed Frontier

What publishers learned about AI in 2025 with Nick Thompson

From court decisions to bot-blocking infrastructure, the AI licensing landscape shifted dramatically in 2025, leaving publishers to learn along the way. In this live Q&A, Jessica speaks with Nicholas Thompson about major shifts in 2025 and his predictions for a fair exchange of value between AI and media. Featured Guest: Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic

AI search for science research with JL Needham

AI tools have the potential to transform research discovery. In this episode, Jessica speaks with JL Needham about lessons from the last era of search, building partnerships between publishers and AI developers, and his advice for navigating disruption. Featured Guest: JL Needham, Director of Partnerships at Consensus

Atomizing science with Chirag Patel

As AI systems increasingly consume scientific literature, publishers face fundamental questions about the format and function of the research paper. In this episode, Jessica speaks with Chirag “Jay” Patel about atomizing science, answer engine optimization, and what academic publishers should learn from the music industry.

Open science meets AI with Mark Hahnel

For over a decade, Figshare has led the way in making scientific research and data open to the world. In 2025, that entails figuring out how to continue their vital work of serving the research ecosystem, while managing the impact of a new type of user: AI bots. In this episode, Jessica speaks to Figshare founder Mark Hahnel about the history and future of open data and how human-AI collaboration could spark a perpetual research cycle.

Libraries and AI readers with Lisa Hinchliffe

How should libraries balance their core mission with the demands of rapidly changing technology? In this episode, Jessica speaks with Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe about human and AI readers, the impact of bots on digital collections, and the future of virtual information research assistants.