How one independent tech journalist is competing with AI

Laura Hazard Owen of Nieman Lab writes about how tech reporter Casey Newton is using more original reporting and scoops in his Platformer newsletter to compete against artificial intelligence.

Owen writes, “But, Newton wrote Monday, two of them — link roundups and news analysis — may no longer work so well for his audience in a time of AI automation. So he’s experimenting with changes to Platformer’s offerings, spending more time on original reporting and scoops, less on aggregation and analysis.

“‘We’re betting that the value in tech journalism is moving away from aggregation and predictability,’ Newton wrote, ‘and toward original reporting and surprise.’

“There’s a lot to think about here for anybody who runs a small publication or sends out a daily newsletter. To be sure, Newton’s case is unique: Platformer is a paid newsletter whose tech-savvy readers are more likely to be using AI than the audiences of more general-interest publications. But the concerns he has now will become relevant to other beats and topics — politics and business, to name just a couple — sooner rather than later.”

Read more here.