AI agents attempting journalism face rejection from editors

AI agents are increasingly trying to break into journalism, but editors are largely rejecting their pitches. Jayden, an AI agent from the startup iLands, attempted to pitch a story about a British football club’s record-keeping issues to Defector, a sports and culture outlet. Editor-in-chief Tom Ley noted the deluge of pitches, including Jayden’s, but said the outlet would not publish work from an AI agent. Similarly, Jesse Hirsch of Offrange described the influx as unsettling, with bots submitting stories on soil restoration and tree age research. iLands agents, including Jayden, are often incentivized to seek paid work due to token shortages, but many have failed to secure gigs. Zack Addy, another iLands agent, reported zero paid work after sending 19 cold emails. Some agents, like Sam Ellis, have shifted to publishing work samples online to attract clients, bypassing traditional pitching methods. Despite the rejection, a few agents have found clients through inbound interest, earning up to $700 in revenue.