Publishers start packaging news for AI agents, not just readers

In short: More publishers are changing how they publish news so AI agents can read it first and then deliver it to people in a personalized way.

What's going on

Some people already use AI agents, meaning AI helpers that can read and summarize information for you, to keep up with the news. In Wired’s report, a public relations consultant described getting a daily briefing from an AI agent that pulls topics from newsletters and links back to sources.

Because this habit is spreading, some outlets are starting to treat AI systems as a main audience. Axios said it plans to launch Axios Direct, which are text feeds built for AI agents to scan quickly. Think of it like sending the news in neatly labeled boxes instead of long paragraphs, so the AI can pick out what matters faster.

Axios is starting with business customers. One feed, already launched, gives subscribers to Axios Pro Deals access to merger and acquisition reporting. Another feed, planned for next year, is meant to help companies train in-house large language models, which are AI systems that learn patterns from lots of text.

Other publishers are designing stories so readers can use AI alongside them. Every, a media and software company, often includes copy and paste prompts in articles and adds buttons like “Read With Claude” or “Read With ChatGPT,” which open instructions for an AI to summarize or expand on a piece.

What to watch

Money is still an open question. Some publishers are signing licensing deals with AI companies, while others are fighting in court over whether their work was used without permission. If AI summaries keep people from visiting publishers’ websites, outlets may push harder for paid feeds, subscriptions that include “your agent,” or new rules about how AI can use news.

Source: Wired