(L-R): Clive Dickens, Danika Porter, Amr Elsayed, Craig Herbert This week’s Mumbrellacast is a live recording from our Compass Hobart event, where a panel of media and marketing insiders talk about an industry in flux.The panellists rip the band-aid off straight away and tackle the opportunities and limitations around AI in the media and marketing world. Artificial intelligence might be capable of some truly impressive work, but it’s also throwing up major trust issues. Is that really a leopard in the hotel room?Craig Herbert, editor of The Hobart Mercury, suggests newsrooms should focus on using RI: real intelligence, while Amr Elsayed, head of digital business at Kings Digital, says AI is improving his personal and professional life. ‘Nimble’, ‘agile’ and ‘speedy’ are just three descriptors used, although he’s also witnessed a lot of tension around its use, especially in how it’s changed how junior creatives are working.With AI, there’s a real risk of not taking risks, and simply recycling ideas that already exist. There’s also a risk that wiping out a raft of entry-level tasks once used to train up industry newcomers means there’s no obvious entry point for younger workers anymore, no junior copywriters, designers, cadets – no funnel of future leaders. Are we entering an age of ‘good enough’ being good enough?ADVERTISEMENT The panellists also talk about the marketing redundancy crisis — there’s never been a time where more senior marketers are looking for work, while many journalists are also making the leap across to marketing and PR — and how shrinking marketing budgets are leading to shrinking marketing teams.Clive Dickens is an optimistic though — he has seen many market crashes, bubbles, technology that comes and goes. He notes that one billion people have adopted AI use within the last 36 months. It seems like a heady uptake — after all the internet took decades to reach the same level of saturation — but Dickens figures that still leaves some four-and-a-billion humans that are yet to use the tools – which will advance the world economy. As we say, he’s an optimistic.Moderator Tim Burrowes asks what are some of the big conversations the industry is having in private that it’s not yet having in public? It’s a loaded question, and our panellists give some captivating answers.This prompts a moving conversation, led by Danika Porter, about her fertility struggles – and how opening up about this on Linkedin led to a flood of correspondence that showed her that many people in the industry are waging a similar secret personal battle, one that isn’t given enough light in the fast-paced workplaces.Porter also rallied against workplace policies that appear on the surface to be supportive, but are actually glorified PR stunts.“There’s a lot of agencies that are putting policies into place like IVF leave, miscarriage leave. And it’s all token,” she said.“Because, unless you feel confident enough to let your employers know that you’re going through this journey, it means nothing. And if you have to go and ask for the policy, it means nothing. So I think we’ve got so far to go … it’s such a critical thing happening in our employment at the moment that employers can really step up. And, it’s a show don’t tell situation. We need to see women given opportunities when they’re pregnant for new roles, promotions, during their maternity leave. We need to see more support for women.”Porter’s infertility journey saw her go through 33 rounds of IVF over a period where she worked across three different companies.“This is not company specific,” she insists. “I have not felt comfortable sharing my journey through, like over a decade, because of fear that I would get overlooked for opportunities.”Compass Hobart took place on November 18 at the Hope and Anchor Hotel in Tasmania.PANELLISTS: Amr Elsayed, head of digital business at Kings Digital Danika Porter, senior marketing leader and former head of brand and marketing at Federal Group Clive Dickens, managing director at Meliora Craig Herbert, editor of The Hobart Mercury Subscribe to Mumbrella Pro for more.Get the latest episode every Wednesday.Podcast edit by Abe’s Audio.<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>  Related Content Mumbrellacast Mumbrellacast: Christian comforts Sydney, ARN's new leaders, and 2025 - the year of AI Mumbrellacast Mumbrellacast: Mischievous robots, expensive expenses, and the media deal of the decade SUBSCRIBE Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing. Nathan Jolly Nathan Jolly is the Features Editor at Mumbrella. He joined the team in July, 2023. LinkedIn Topics Amr Elsayed Clive Dickens Compass Compass 2025 Compass Hobart Craig herbert Danika Porter Federal Group Kings Digital Meliora Mumbrellacast News Australia Have your say Login with:Continue with LinkedIn Or comment anonymously Your comment will be marked as unverified Name Comment Δ Latest Seven West Media bows out of the ASX after 14 years of profit decline AI everywhere, but creativity intact: Agencies reflect on a 'bonkers and brilliant' 2025 Let's give a big hand (or three) for Nine's Delta AI effort Mumbrellacast: Live from Compass Hobart Sabra Lane leaves AM after nine years