The Real Substack AI Disclosure Conversation We Should Be Having

We're arguing about AI disclosure while fully autonomous AI workers are already being built.

According to a recent Axios interview with Anthropic's Chief Information Security Officer (axios.com/2025/04/22/ai…, they are already building infrastructure for AI-powered virtual employees (expecting them in a year).

"These AI identities would have their own "memories," their own roles in the company, and even their own corporate accounts and passwords."

So perhaps our conversation needs to leap forward about 5-10 years and ask more relevant questions:

• Should fully virtual authors be permitted on Substack at all? If yes, what disclosure standards make sense for entities that aren't human collaborators but autonomous virtual creators?

• How might we better support human writers flourishing alongside these emerging virtual authors? Rather than burden real people with increasingly complex disclosure rules, could we create systems that amplify uniquely human perspectives and voices?

The current disclosure debate feels like arguing about proper horse carriage regulations while the first automobiles are being assembled in factories.