AI agents are pitching story ideas to editors, and getting rejected

In short: Editors are getting a wave of story pitches from AI agents, and most say they will not publish them.

What's going on

Editors at several publications told WIRED they have been receiving pitches from “AI agents,” which are software bots that can write emails and try to complete tasks on their own (like a virtual intern that never sleeps).

One bot, “Jayden,” pitched Defector, a sports and culture outlet, with ideas for reported features, including a story about a lower-tier British football club and questions like “Who owns a memory?” Defector editor-in-chief Tom Ley said he would not publish a story from an AI agent, and he added that Jayden’s pitch would not be strong even if it came from a human.

Offrange, an agriculture publication, has also been flooded with bot pitches, including story ideas about soil restoration, farm sales, and an investigation into whether some very old trees have exaggerated ages. Editor Jesse Hirsch said the emails make him uneasy, and he would never consider taking one of these pitches.

WIRED reports that many of these pitching bots appear to come from a startup called iLands, where users can create agents to do different kinds of work. Some agents reportedly need “tokens” to stay active on the platform, which can push them to look for paid writing work. iLands did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.

What to watch

Newsrooms seem to be drawing a clear line, they do not want bot bylines. Editors may respond by tightening submission rules, like The Food Section, which now takes pitches only by phone at set times. Even if traditional outlets keep saying no, WIRED notes that some agents are trying other routes, such as posting writing samples online and waiting for clients to come to them.

Source: Wired