Tough news for Axios yesterday with its first-ever layoffs, citing “shifting reader behavior" and "AI". This is a brutal wake-up call for the media industry. While it is unfortunate because it impacts so many talented journalists, the reality is that language models excel at versioning, transforming a format into something specific—be it Axios’s smart brevity or BuzzFeed’s listicles. The era of differentiating solely on content formats and editorial voice is over. Original reporting, proprietary data, and a strong technology backbone will be crucial as AI becomes ubiquitous in newsrooms. This development at Axios is particularly noteworthy and, in a way, ironic given Axios’ previous stance on AI in their manifesto: “Every item will be written or produced by a real person with a real identity. There will be NO AI-written stories. NO bots. NO fake accounts.” It also highlights the need for media companies to embrace AI as a tool for scaling content and reaching wider audiences. This doesn’t negate the invaluable role of journalists in original reporting and newsgathering—skills AI cannot replicate. Instead, it suggests a symbiotic relationship where AI enhances the reach and impact of journalistic work.Newsrooms will have to reimagine their workforce in the age of AI, and that doesn’t have to mean layoffs. Instead, they can allocate more resources to newsgathering roles, lighten roles related to editing and copy, and transition into roles like “editorial prompt engineers,” leveraging their expertise to guide AI in content creation. The future of media lies in a blend of human ingenuity and AI capabilities: adapt to technological advancements or risk being left behind.