Static Media Publishes Longstanding No-AI Writing Policy

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Static Media published its No-AI Writing Policy today across its portfolio of digital media brands, re-asserting a company-wide standard that all published editorial content must be written by real people.

The policy applies to Static Media's 32 brands, including Engadget, BGR, TVLine, The List, Tasting Table, Chowhound, House Digest, Jalopnik, Grunge, Islands, and SlashGear. Together, the full portfolio receives more than 220 million monthly visits.

Generative AI has made it much faster and cheaper to produce large volumes of online content. The result has been a growing amount of generic material published without first-hand experience, clear authorship, or meaningful human accountability. Static Media has always taken a different approach.

Under the policy, Static Media does not accept or publish articles, reviews, or other editorial content written by generative AI. All published content must be written by an identifiable human writer and reviewed by a human editorial team. The writers whose names appear on the work remain accountable for its accuracy, fairness, originality, and quality.

"Generative AI has made it possible to publish more content at a lower cost, but more is not necessarily better," said Reggie Renner, CEO and co-founder of Static Media. "We don't want to publish the most content. Our goal is to continue to publish content worth reading. At a time when the web is being flooded with generic, automated material, we are making a clear commitment to our audience that people will write the reviews, recommendations, and stories on our sites. AI will never replace firsthand experience, editorial judgment, or human accountability."

The policy applies to all writers producing editorial content for Static Media. AI-generated submissions will be rejected, and the use of artificial intelligence to fabricate quotations, sources, statistics, events, or other information is strictly prohibited.

"We hold all writers and contributors to high standards and take pride in their writing talents and expertise. Our view on generative AI content remains the same: it has no place in our portfolio. As AI technology becomes more prevalent, we believe human writers are essential. To maintain readers' trust across our brands, we will continue to ensure that all editorial content meets our human-authorship standard," said Richard McVey, SVP, Content & SEO of Static Media.

Static Media's editorial team includes more than 1,100 writers and editors and publishes approximately 12,500 original articles each month. The No-AI Writing Policy applies to every article.

The full policy, as seen here on Engadget, is publicly available on each Static Media website.

About Static Media 
Established in 2012, Static Media is a leading digital media company. The company owns and operates 32 brands, serving an audience of over 220 million monthly visits. Through a strong digital presence, Static Media brands cover a wide range of topics, providing real-time news, original insights, exclusive interviews, and expert advice. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company comprises more than 200 employees, with editorial and creative teams making up the majority of the workforce. This virtual-first team produces and distributes content across its brands.

For more information, please visit www.static.com.

SOURCE Static Media Inc.