Scoops by passionate people you trust: Axios CEO Jim VandeHei sees no future for “average” journalists who chronicle events and declares the era of “Super Journalists.” He might be right and tone-deaf.

AI-generated band “The Velvet Sundown” garners 1M+ Spotify streams, sparking debates over platform transparency and artist compensation. (Lanre Bakare, The Guardian)

The Media’s Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work: “”Where are the journalists who were formerly middling who are now pumping out incredible articles thanks to efficiencies granted by AI?” (Jason Koebler, 404 Media)

Illustrator Christoph Niemann confronts his fears about AI art. (New York Times Magazine)

Against chatbots: Why we need human-centric tools, not user-hostile interfaces. (tante)

After killing the article, sure, why not kill the author next? This slightly unsettling essay argues that authors don’t matter that much in the first place. Rude. (David J. Gunkel, Noema)

Business Insider is laying off 21 percent of its workforce, announces CEO Barbara Peng. She sees the industry at a “crossroads” and wants to become less dependent on SEO traffic and affiliate links. Instead, a live journalism events business is supposed to launch. And of course: “we are going all-in on AI.” The union is not thrilled.

The New Yorker is doing a really great job right now of pushing the conversation about AI and knowledge professions in a smart, forward-thinking direction. Latest example: An article about the humanities by D. Graham Burnett.

Quartz, once a beacon of business journalism, is now a media zombie after being acquired by private equity (Obituray by co-founder Zach Seward)

Disgruntled Substack writers ditch 10% fees for flat-rate rivals, netting 20-25% more revenue. (Digiday)

Dystopian vision or pragmatic future? Newsquest’s AI-powered content creators stir fears of eroded journalistic standards. (Bron Maher, Press Gazette)