Five Questions with… Emilia David, VentureBeat
We’ve spilled plenty of ink this year on AI’s inevitable march to ubiquity – and just two years since the launch of ChatGPT, it’s clear that the technology has begun to reshape our personal and professional lives. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Just like the rise of the internet, and the growth of mobile computing, AI is driving a fundamental shift. Today, though, that shift is stuck in a heap of buzzwords; as tech giants and startups alike race to offer the next fad, there’s a dearth of voices sharing real, actionable insights.
To shed some light on what we should be paying attention to in 2025, we caught up with VentureBeat’s senior AI reporter, Emilia David. Emilia covers AI broadly—a massive beat—but pays particular attention to AI orchestration, with an eye on how enterprises are bringing AI models into their applications and underlying tech stack. Read on for the tech trends she’s eyeing, and how both startups and established companies can set themselves apart in a crowded, noisy environment.
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Five questions with…Emilia David, VentureBeat.
AI is a fairly saturated acronym and industry now with lots of hype. Given that, what catches your eye when you’re looking for a story?
Well, the word orchestration for a start (lol). I think products/platforms that clearly differentiate themselves from competitors and very clearly show why enterprises should be interested in them, really catch my eye.
How are you covering AI and policy right now? [Note: We asked this question just before the U.S. presidential election.]
What's interesting is that enterprises are more concerned about AI policy in terms of how it affects their business. This means I don't really cover deep fakes anymore, but I'm very in tune with state-level policies that could limit business (SB 1047) and any discussion coming from the candidates on AI regulation and, increasingly, competitiveness.
What’s a trend you're noticing this year that might influence what and how you cover in 2025?
AI agents will definitely be an ongoing trend for me in 2025, but I think we'll see more discussion of costs, management and orchestration. In other words, I think next year, I'll really focus on the how’s of AI agents more than the why’s.
What do PR people need to know about working with you and VentureBeat? Are you taking pitches?
I don't like being pitched via phone call. Like the millennial I am, I keep phone calls to source interviews or my parents (or my super asking if there's a leak in my apartment). Other than that, my inbox does get full and while I inbox zero, sometimes I open an email and completely forget to reply. I'm sorry in advance. That's why I'm okay with a few follow-up emails. VentureBeat definitely takes pitches! We pitch most of our stories to editors these days, so even if I agree to an embargo, my editors will sometimes not greenlight it. But we love hearing about new projects, trends and thoughts around enterprise AI.
Note: We don't cover many funding rounds or anything more consumer-facing.
What are you reading right now?
For fun, I have an overdue library book called "Final Girl Support Group" by Grady Hendrix. I've also been slowly making my way through Pat Evangelista's "Some People Need Killing," about the Duterte administration's war on drugs in my home country, the Philippines. Fun fact: Pat is a friend and teammate from my college debate days. For work, whichever latest model research paper I'm writing about.