The short version

Ben Thompson predicted on February 12, 2026: “What we clearly need is some sort of market mechanism for data generation that in the long run will replace what we’re getting from journalistic enterprises, which are even more doomed than ever before. So how do you generate? We’re paying directly for content and then AIs can get it and can… You…

Prediction by

Ben Thompson

On February 12, 2026

“What we clearly need is some sort of market mechanism for data generation that in the long run will replace what we’re getting from journalistic enterprises, which are even more doomed than ever before. So how do you generate? We’re paying directly for content and then AIs can get it and can… You can build a large market like YouTube that people will speculatively do it, trusting that they’ll get paid because the market is large enough.”

Follow-up

The prediction that journalistic enterprises are 'doomed' in their traditional role is supported by ongoing economic pressures and layoffs in newsrooms. A 'market mechanism for data generation' is partially emerging through licensing deals and creator programs, but it has not yet reached the standardization or scale of a 'large market like YouTube' as of mid-2026, indicating it is still early and unfolding.

From the High Caliber AI network — see the AI for PR module in the course.