How we're shaking up Platformer for the AI era
The article discusses how advancements in AI are transforming the landscape of tech journalism and newsletters, particularly impacting the role of human curation and analysis. The author reflects on the declining value of traditional link aggregation and news synthesis as AI systems become capable of performing similar tasks autonomously. In response, Platformer is reevaluating its approach to remain relevant in an era where AI-generated content and personalized briefings are becoming commonplace.
- ▪AI systems are now capable of generating news summaries and identifying story ideas with performance comparable to human journalists.
- ▪The tech journalism ecosystem has shrunk due to layoffs and media consolidation, reducing the amount of original reporting available for analysis.
- ▪Link roundups and news synthesis, once novel, are now crowded and increasingly automated, diminishing their unique value.
- ▪Some professionals, including executives and policy experts, are beginning to rely on AI chatbots for news analysis and competitive insights.
- ▪The author anticipates a future where personalized AI agents replace many human-written newsletters by delivering tailored, interactive briefings.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
AI How we're shaking up Platformer for the AI era On newsletters in the age of AI automation. PLUS: Musk and OpenAI in court, and China blocks Meta's Manus acquisition Casey Newton Apr 27, 2026 — 11 min read This column touches on AI. My fiancé works at Anthropic. See my full ethics disclosure here.I. As I do most mornings, I began work yesterday by checking my Signal messages. Along with the usual unwanted PR pitches and messages from people in the middle stages of AI psychosis, I had received a genuinely great tip. It was a story squarely in our coverage area that, if properly covered, could draw attention to a pressing issue on tech platforms and put pressure on it to change.The tip should have filled me with excitement. Instead, though, I felt something closer to dread.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Platformer.
