I’ve been a full-time freelance reporter for nearly 15 years, and the way things have changed in the industry during that time are mind-boggling. I’ve seen the shift from paper to digital, the raucous boom of freelance, the commodification of personal storytelling (which reached a fever pitch in the $50/pop xoJane era), the consumer-ification of traditional media, and now the surge of AI (including awful AI slop now showing up everywhere).

Anyone else been in the freelance and/or media game this long? What changes have surprised you most? What do you foresee happening in the coming years? Will AI win, or will we see a revolt against the hollowness of AI writing and art? What’s around the bend that we haven’t even considered yet?