August 2025 update
Jinfo Blog

6th August 2025

By Stephen Phillips

Abstract

• Will AI lead to a three-tier information economy?
• Stepping up to manage expert networks
• Synthetic data: what information managers need to know
• Upskilling for AI
• What we learned from reviewing AI tools for news
• Improve outcomes from your vendor negotiations
• Contract negotiation role-play session.

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Whilst AI is reshaping our work, information managers need to proactively build the skills and strategies to thrive.

This month we've looked at:

• the impact of AI on the information economy, news content, and coaching users
• managing expert networks and evaluating synthetic data
• negotiating with vendors.
  
  

Success depends on combining technological awareness with human judgement.

Artificial Intelligence

We've asked a big question this month, in our new report "Will AI lead to a three-tier information economy?".

This examines whether AI is going to accelerate the evolution of a stratified information landscape, where access and quality vary dramatically based on what users can afford. 

Beyond immediate AI implementation, the report considers the broader implications of how these tools will impact the information market and vendor management.  The key insights are summarised on the Blog.

AI is already reshaping how news content is created, curated, and consumed. Our colleague Anja has summarised our recent research in her Blog post, "What we learned from reviewing AI tools for news".

Keeping a human in the loop is another critical element of using AI, which requires new skills and awareness if it is to be effectively leveraged.

Our blog "Upskilling for AI", provides a taster from our report on the competencies information managers need as AI continues to evolve its own “research” capabilities.

Opportunities for information managers

AI is also changing how we leverage human expertise, which is increasingly sought after, and valued as a key differentiator.

Demand for expert networks is therefore increasing, and our report "Stepping up to manage expert networks" explores this evolution, and the opportunities for information managers to extend their reach.

Another area attracting particular attention is the data sources used to train AI, including synthetic data.

Anja's blog post "Synthetic data: what information managers need to know" breaks down this emerging field and its implications for research quality, privacy, and validation.

As synthetic data becomes more prevalent, understanding its strengths and limitations becomes crucial for maintaining research integrity.

Contract negotiation

Contract negotiation is so important that, due to popular demand, we are running another contract negotiation clinic.

Our September Community session is a "Contract negotiation role-play", featuring Dan McGovern and two guest “volunteers”.

This practical session will give you a unique, “fly-on-the-wall” experience of the negotiation techniques that can improve your contract outcomes. Register now.

Our YouTube video "Improve outcomes from your vendor negotiations" provides snippets from our report, focusing on this critical responsibility.

Feedback

As always, your feedback shapes our research direction. What are you finding most challenging about AI? What skills are you prioritising? Is our research useful? Let us know through our contact form.

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