Every live media vendor now talks about AI, so AI alone no longer sets anyone apart. That is a key finding from new research by Roy Hasson at the University of Bath, who studied how AI ventures in live media should be set up to succeed.
“AI is table stakes. What really matters is trust, and the operating model is the real differentiator." Roy Hasson
Cuez is one of the AI-native companies in Roy's study, and his findings explain why an independent, AI-native newsroom platform gives broadcasters a real edge.
Key takeaways
- AI is now a baseline in live media. Trust, relationships, and the way a vendor is organised decide who wins.
- Independence gives AI-native vendors speed, focus and neutrality, which absorbed ventures tend to lose. Cuez has been independent and AI-native from day one.
- The finished AI platform can come later, but AI capability has to start building now, and a specialist like Cuez is the fastest way to start.
About Roy's research on AI in live media
Roy Hasson Collier is a London-based media technology leader and researcher. His study looks at how AI in live media should be built and brought to market, based on interviews with senior leaders from AI-native ventures, established vendors, broadcasters and an industry standards body.
Roy's research names Cuez as one of the AI-native ventures shaping the category. It describes how Cuez puts the story at the centre of production, uses AI agents for headlines, multichannel content and rundown management, and offers an open agentic AI framework so broadcasters can run their own fine-tuned or local models. It also notes that Cuez took part in the IBC Accelerator project on AI agents for live production, which won Project of the Year in 2025.
Why independence makes AI vendors faster and more trusted
Roy calls the core tension in his research the integration paradox. An AI venture needs to stay connected to customers and existing systems to have reach, while staying free enough to move fast. His research shows that when a bigger business absorbs an AI venture, it usually loses the speed that made it work.
“Independence is an asset, not a limitation. It gives you speed, focus and something underrated: neutrality. A player that isn't tied to one vendor can sit across the whole workflow and be trusted by everyone.”
Established vendors have to protect legacy products and revenue while they build something new. Cuez carries none of that weight, so it can ship and improve quickly with its customers, and since it is not tied to one vendor's stack, it can sit across the newsroom workflow as a neutral layer.
“Independent AI-native players like Cuez start with speed and neutrality already solved it from the first day.”
The two clocks: why broadcasters should start building AI capability now
“Broadcasters should run on two clocks. There's the product clock: you don't need to finish the AI platform today. And there's the capability clock, and that one has to start now.”
The product clock runs slowly, since live media adopts new technology with care. The capability clock runs much faster, because the skills a team builds with AI compound over time and cannot be bought back later.
“The fastest way is to work with a specialist, in an environment that has AI built into it already, and that also lets you build within the platform so it's task-specific to what you as a broadcaster are trying to achieve.”
That is exactly how Cuez is built. AI is part of the platform from the start, and the open agentic framework lets each newsroom shape its agents around its own shows and tasks.
How Cuez helps broadcasters start building AI capability now
Cuez turns Roy's two main findings into something your newsroom can use today:
- AI built into the workflow. AI agents work inside the rundown and story workflow, taking on repetitive tasks like headlines, multichannel versions and rundown updates.
- Your models, your rules. The open agentic AI framework lets you bring your own fine-tuned or local models where data rules require it.
- A neutral, independent layer. Cuez works alongside the systems you already run, so you can add AI without ripping anything out.
- Proven in live production. Cuez has worked with major broadcasters and vendors on industry projects like the IBC Accelerator for AI agents in live production.
Your team can start its capability clock on live shows today, without waiting for a full platform overhaul.
Book a Cuez demo or read Roy's full dissertation below.
Ecaterina Caprari
Content Marketeer