Introduction to AI Agents as Media Audience
Every morning, Michelle Seo, a San Diego-based public relations consultant, receives a briefing from her Muse artificial intelligence (AI) agent, Chattiana. Chattiana's briefing includes Seo's agenda and to-do list, along with water-cooler topics from various newsletters and links to the sources. Seo, who is challenging herself to start more conversations, finds the newsletter gives her a sense of the daily news and options for filling awkward silences on Zoom calls. This trend is not unique to Seo; many individuals are now consuming news with the help of AI assistants.
The Shift in Media Ecosystem
The media ecosystem is undergoing a significant transformation, with some news outlets starting to produce content specifically for AI agents. This can manifest in various ways, such as feeds optimized for AI, pieces structured for AI to create personalized articles, and the use of large language models (LLMs).
Publishers Responding to the Change
Major publishers have responded to this change in different ways. For instance, Condé Nast has signed deals to allow AI platforms to surface their content, while Axios, a news outlet, has launched Axios Direct feeds designed for AI agents. These feeds prioritize structured data over narrative, similar to a Bloomberg terminal.
Axios Direct Feeds
Axios Direct feeds are aimed at corporate clients, with the first feed providing access to merger and acquisition content for Axios Pro Deals subscribers. The second feed will serve as a source to train in-house large language models, and the third consumer-facing feed will allow individual subscribers to have Axios' reporting sent directly to their AI agent.
Every's Approach
In contrast to Axios, Every, a six-year-old tech media and software company, expects its subscribers to treat AI as an extension of themselves. Every's writers include prompts in their articles, allowing readers to test concepts with AI. Certain types of articles, such as guides, also include buttons for readers to