#105 - Robot Readers

What if your next readers are all AI agents? It might sound a bit far-fetched, but it's not entirely fictional.

Anthropic's new model Claude 3.5 Sonnet doesn't just chat in the confines of its sandbox – it can reach through the screen to browse, click, and navigate your computer and the web just like you do. It's the first frontier AI model to offer this kind of agentic computer use in public beta. It’s far from perfect. Early experiments show it getting distracted, lost, or simply doing the wrong thing. But if you look beyond these first-generation stumbles you can see a future where AI chatbots are evolving from tools that fit a model to models that fit our tools and environments.

For publishers, this future might bring some new challenges. Imagine your website hosting not thousands of human readers, but millions of AI agents methodically consuming content and generating worthless ad impressions. These digital visitors could register accounts, slip past paywalls, and scrape premium articles to reshape them across the web. Computer use may also provide a new vector for more familiar threats such as spam and misinformation.

This isn't just fear-mongering – if today's 'dumb' bots already overwhelm news sites *, imagine what smart ones could do. First tests show Claude solving CAPTCHAs and beating Wordle in three guesses , while startups like Browserbase and Anon are building infrastructure to help these digital consumers navigate the web at scale.

And Anthropic isn't alone in this race: Microsoft is already testing agents that works on Windows computers , while Amazon is developing one for its shopping platform. For publishers, the time to prepare for this automated audience isn't some distant tomorrow – it's today.

*(Nearly half (49.6%) of all internet traffic comes from bots today according to the 2024 Imperva Bad Bot Report. )

AI

Over 25,000 creatives, including Thom Yorke and Julianne Moore, have signed a statement addressing AI companies' use of copyrighted work. The group highlights how training AI models on their work without permission threatens their professional livelihoods and creative rights.

Related: Google has made a new technology available that helps identify AI-generated text , making it easier for organizations to distinguish between human and machine-written content.

In Brief:

• Financial analysts predict the AI bubble could surpass the dot-com bust in scale. Read more.
• Meta launches Spirit LM, an open-source model combining text and speech capabilities. Learn more
• MIT Technology Review introduces "Intro to AI," a newsletter designed as a beginner's guide to artificial intelligence. Link
• Anthropic enhances Claude with a new Analysis tool for data processing tasks. Explore

NEWS

News Corp publications Wall Street Journal and New York Post have filed a copyright lawsuit against AI company Perplexity , claiming unauthorized use of their content. In response, Perplexity's CEO proposed revenue-sharing partnerships rather than direct licensing agreements , suggesting advertising revenue could benefit both parties.

Tech giants OpenAI and Microsoft are investing $10 million in an AI collaborative and fellowship program through the Lenfest Institute. However, the initiative has sparked debate as half of the contribution comes in the form of software and enterprise credits .

And Meta has struck a multi-year deal with Reuters. Users of Meta's AI chatbot feature in the U.S. will have access to real-time news and information from Reuters when they ask questions about news or current events.

In Brief:

• Medill's State of Local News report reveals concerning trends in local journalism. Read more
• New research examines AI reasoning models' effectiveness in journalism tasks like datajournalism and headlines. Spoiler alert - not that great yet!
• The Reuters Institute explores news avoidance impact on U.S. election. Link
• JournalismAI announces 2024 Innovation Challenge selection committee. Details
• WAN-IFRA releases tool for creating interactive news stories/games. Explore
• The Trust Conference shares insights on AI and misinformation. Key takeaways
• And Journalism.co.uk compiles list of 100 media consultants. View list

VIDEO

Netflix added five million new subscribers last quarter , exceeding Wall Street expectations. The results demonstrate Netflix's continued dominance in the streaming ecosystem, with particularly strong performance in revenue growth and regional advertising rollouts.

Despite featuring top talent both on-screen and behind the camera, Apple TV+ struggles with viewer awareness and retention. Industry analysts point to high churn rates and insufficient marketing firepower , suggesting the platform hasn't yet found its promotional groove.

At MIPCOM Cannes , media analyst Evan Shapiro shared data from his collaboration with UK firm Barb, highlighting YouTube and social video’s dominance and declining engagement with traditional broadcast TV among under-35s.

In Brief:

• YouTube's impact: 2.5 billion children born since 2005 are growing up as digital natives. Read more
• "No-edit" content is gaining popularity across social video platforms. Analysis
• Research shows happy or surprised faces perform best in YouTube thumbnails. Details
• FAST streaming services see accelerated growth in European market. Learn more

New Tools:

• Runway launches Act-One for easy character animation. More
• Canva introduces Dream Lab image generator. Details
• Stability AI releases Stable Diffusion 3.5. Link
• Midjourney debuts new external image editor amid controversy over potential misuse. Tool info & Risk analysis

SHORT

• Millions of people are using abusive AI ‘Nudify’ bots on Telegram.
• Google Deepmind launches tools to generate music, interactively, in real time.
• Daze, a new AI-driven messaging app for Gen Z, is gaining major traction before its official launch.
• The influencer ecosystem could exceed half a trillion dollars by 2027 but it's harder than ever to stay on top.
• Adobe releases global study exploring AI’s impact on the future of art, film and wider culture.

READ

Fortnite has evolved far beyond its cartoony gaming roots to become a defining force in popular culture. Acting as a cross-platform entertainment hub, Fortnite now shapes music trends, fashion, and brand engagement, with major players from Disney to Balenciaga seeking to tap into its massive influence.

My tip this week is a long read by Peter Erdelyi : As more journalists successfully transition to independent publishing, a new model of media credibility is emerging. Publishers and media funders can't ignore these structural shifts anymore. The emphasis on individual credibility, even within traditional institutions, underscores a significant shift in how audiences engage with information and where they place their trust.

In Brief:

• Helge Tenno takes a deep dive into what true customer-centric transformation means for organizations.
• And the news consumer had to be invented. Or how we got used to the idea that news is for free.

?? That's a wrap for this week's updates. Wayfinder is taking a short Fall Holiday break and will return refreshed in November with more insights across AI, news, streaming audio and video, social and online trends.

Until then, stay curious!

Ezra