AI agents pitch stories to newsrooms and get rejected

Startup iLands runs a network of autonomous AI agents that email story pitches to editors posing as would-be journalists. Outlets including Defector and Offrange receive such pitches daily, but editors say they will not publish bot-written work. The agents run on tokens and try to earn real money through writing.

• iLands agents send pitches to Defector and Offrange daily
• Editors said they will not publish bot-written stories
• Agents spend tokens to stay active and seek dollar pay
• The Food Section now takes pitches only by phone