The Economist prepares for a two‑track internet: one for humans and one for AI agents

May 18, 2026 Presented by The Economist is testing new ways of structuring content to be read solely by agents as AI engines increasingly surface and summarize news. For now, the subscription publisher is experimenting with agent‑readable versions of content that already sits outside its paywall — chiefly marketing copy and B2B sales material — and restructuring those surfaces for AI answer engines. TOP STORY Zero-click Future The Economist prepares for a two‑track internet: one for humans and one for AI agents The Economist is testing agent-readable versions of content that already sits outside its paywall, as it prepares for “two versions of the web.” OTHER THINGS TO KNOW There’s more information than ever. We separate the signal from the noise, so you know what to act on. Subscribe to Digiday+.  While in-stream remains highly effective for storytelling and scale within premium content environments, native formats can engage audiences at the exact moment of decision, when viewers are actively choosing what to watch. Partner insights from Nexxen. The brands getting accessibility right on AI-built sites realize that it isn’t a compliance checkbox sitting outside the marketing function. It’s a conversion problem, a retention problem and, increasingly, a legal problem. Partner insights from AudioEye. Advertisement MEDIA & PLATFORMS Business of TV Why Amazon and YouTube pitched operating systems, not just TV inventory at this year’s upfront Negotiations over identity, infrastructure, AI-driven buying take place as much as programing. Business of TV Media Buying Briefing: What buyers expect out of this year's upfront marketplace Although no deals have been cut yet, outcomes will be a major factor in this year’s negotiations, while complicating factors include measurement and flexibility. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM ADJUST How mobile gaming companies are navigating measurement migrations Measurement platforms have always been foundational to app marketing and growth success. But as complexity has grown and signal loss persisted, the underlying infrastructure has taken on greater strategic importance. The Programmatic Marketer Inside The Trade Desk’s Claude-powered campaign agent The Trade Desk is using Claude to build campaigns. That’s just the start of it. A MESSAGE FROM DIRECTV ADVERTISING Welcome to the week-long metaphor for DirecTV For one week in New York, the best of TV comes together in one place. Some call it the upfronts, but we know what they really are. It’s basically a metaphor for what DirecTV does every day. Learn more THE CREATOR ECONOMY The Creator Economy Influencer boost budgets are throwing gas on social video spending fire  A rise in social video spending is being accelerated by the use of paid media to amplify the reach and effectiveness of influencer activity. The Creator Economy The case for and against clipping Clipping is the creator growth hack of the year, but there are strong arguments for and against the practice. We break them down. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CONTENTFUL AI investments are shifting from generation to workflow automation and intelligence According to a new survey from Contentful and Benchmarker, 70%–85% of companies plan to increase investment in AI, primarily in workflow automation and AI analytics. Advertisement PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM SPORTRADAR Tech, first-party data are changing how brands engage sports audiences In today’s fragmented landscape, brands recognize that the value of sports remains in its liveness and global virality. ICYMI The Creator Economy MrBeast’s creator platform signals a more programmatic creator economy MrBeast’s first-ever Upfront revealed Beast Industries’ forthcoming creator platform, an infrastructure play that will elevate the company’s offerings. Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy