Monok on Sveriges Radio: curiosity, AI and the future of work
P4 Södertälje interviews Monok’s founders about their roots in Salem, AI-generated journalism and how automation changes the work people do.
Our founders, Adam and Sam Sam, joined Sveriges Radio’s P4 Södertälje for a conversation about building Monok and working at the forefront of artificial intelligence. Broadcast on November 20, 2023, the report introduces the brothers from Salem whose company sells AI-generated journalism internationally.
The interview moves beyond the technology itself to a question that comes with automation: what happens to people’s work when software takes on tasks they used to do?
Changing the work people do
Asked directly whether Monok’s work removes tasks from people, Adam agrees. He compares the change to an escalator taking over the effort of climbing stairs: a tool changes how an existing activity gets done.
His argument is that automation also creates different kinds of work. Training an AI is one example he gives of a role that can emerge as other tasks are automated. The conversation captures his view of technological change as a shift in how production works, rather than simply a new way to write articles.
A curiosity that started early
Sveriges Radio also traces the brothers’ interest in technology back to childhood. Growing up in Salem, they began coding at 11 and 12, with Sam recalling the substantial programming book their father brought home.
That early interest has carried into a company built around language technology and publishing. When asked what drives them forward, the answer in the interview is straightforward: curiosity about what else they can make possible.
For us, that is the thread running through the appearance: an international business with local roots, and a continuing interest in finding out what software can do next.
Hear the interview
The Swedish-language segment runs just over a minute. Patrik Annerud conducted the interview, with the report presented by Irma Hellman for P4 Södertälje.