Matt Britton Explores All In New Book ‘Generation AI’

Embracing the change.

For Matt Britton, a new media entrepreneur, author, global brand advisor, keynote speaker and consumer trend analyst who assists companies in understanding and incorporating change and transformation driven by new technologies, the time was ripe for his new book, Generation AI: Why Generation Alpha and the Age of AI Will Change Everything. Artificial Intelligence continues to define and redefine aspects of our lives, from how we consume content and make our livings to how we interact with others and the world. And his latest book, which officially launches today, explores how AI is reshaping every corner of business, culture, and society.

One such shift addressed in the book, pegged as “creator economy,” refers to how original content is produced, distributed and monetized, where any individual powered with AI tools can now create their own niche content. Designed for the Alpha generation Britton refers to, these digital natives who have spent their entire lives surrounded by digital technologies will shape future trends. Generation Alpha will be experiencing an AI-enhanced media landscape. And this influx of new personally created content on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, while a boon for the creator economy and the advertiser community, will also challenge traditional studio models.

“I think that people who know how to deploy AI are going to create tremendous wealth and the people who don’t are going to be out of work. And I think over time, and I’m an AI optimist, it doesn’t matter if you think this is bad for society because every company is going to adopt it,” noted Matt Britton, who is also the founder of Suzy, an enterprise consumer research platform.

The Creator Economy

“In the world of media, and original content, we went from just three major broadcast networks to then cable, which introduced a more niche model, to where we are today, which is streaming and fragmentation, and podcasts,” he said.

According to 2024 Nielsen data mentioned in the book, streaming now accounts for over 40 percent of TV viewing time (compared to 27 percent for cable and just 21 percent for broadcast). AI-powered recommendation engines have dramatically improved, leading to increased binge-watching behaviors.

“Today you can watch content anytime and anywhere, you can create anything you choose, and you can monetize your efforts. It gives everybody a chance to get their name, their content, and their creativity out there, which is something that we hadn’t seen until social media came about. And you can build your own brand.”

“Now I believe the creator economy going to become even far more accelerated because the one limiting factor of creating great content was the high-quality production capability,” he said. “So, yes, somebody could create a YouTube show, but they weren’t able to create Hollywood type effects. Now, in the age of AI, you can create a Hollywood style movie without any actors, any lighting people, or any real budget. And that’s truly going to advance creativity in a way that I don’t think most people comprehend yet.”

Driven by increased spending on influencer marketing, more platform monetization tools, and the popularity of short-form video, the creator economy is projected to reach $480 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs Research, which is discussed in Generation AI Why Generation Alpha and the Age of AI Will Change Everything.

“Instead of culture being steered by big corporations in the boardroom, it is being steered by young people on the sidewalks. For the consumer, they have a voice. For an advertiser, there is an opportunity because they can create ads and messaging that are hyper personal, quick to roll out, and with the ability to target individuals and audiences in a more precise way than ever before. But I do think the studios have their work cut out for them because their defensibility has been their production capability and their capital. With the ability for any individual to produce, the increased fragmentation project might not be a good thing for traditional media companies.

From the Beginning

Before launching Suzy, Matt Britton founded MRY, the New York-based digital and social media agency dedicated to memorable and inspiring brands. His first company, The Magma Group, a marketing services company, launched in 1998 when the Internet was beginning to transform commerce and communication. His first book, YouthNation: Building Remarkable Brands in a Youth-Driven Culture, explored the future of business and brand building in the youth-driven economy. And his latest book, Generation AI: Why Generation Alpha and the Age of AI Will Change explores this generation born into an AI-enabled work and how to navigate life in this world of technology.

“I think it remains to be seen if AI positive for our world. Was the Internet a good thing? Or social media? Or the iPhone? Some people that will tell you yes; some will say no,” noted Britton,” who in Generation AI refers to the “decades of work that have gone into building the foundations that enable what is possible today.”

“AI could create harm, particularly anyone using it for the wrong reasons, and it could create opportunity. Love it or fear it, AI is revolutionizing our lives, both personally and professionally,” he said. “And it has taken center stage in nearly every industry, where companies are revolutionizing the business landscape and creating new models.”

“Every time there’s a new technological innovation or evolution, there’s a lot of fear mongering and for good reason because I think AI is also going to create some negatives on society. But it almost doesn’t matter because we’re not going backwards and AI is here to stay.”

“It’s only going to move forward,” he said.