A question: If Medium would receive the AI company’s payment and pass on 100% to the writer, how and why would a 10% boost to the writer’s Medium earnings (of all possible payout structures) cover this? I’m not pointing to the figures of 100% and 10% specifically. I’m pointing to how the first calculation is based on what the AI company pays Medium (based on the AI company’s budget), and the second calculation is based on what Medium pays writers (based on revenue from Medium subscribers). These numbers are independent, and I don’t see how they’d connect.
I don’t understand why the AI company would pay Medium based on how Medium calculates writer earnings, in part because they’d have to wait to find out. Are you saying that, for a Medium writer who earned $1,000 for a story for the whole month of January, you’d go to the AI company in February and offer them the right to scan the story for $100 and you’d pass along the $100 to the writer in their February earnings? Whereas, for another Medium writer who only earned $1 for a similar story (because they’re not as good at self-promo or they have fewer followers), you’d be offering that writer only $0.10 to let AI scan it? The 10% structure feels kind of like "the rich get richer" for writers who already have huge platforms or are successful for other reasons. The AI companies would be smart to grab the articles of writers who are equally competent and talented but just haven’t yet succeeded in Medium’s payout structure. It would clearly be unfair to those writers. They’d be giving up the same work product (a story, to let AI scrape their knowledge and voice) yet receive only pennies, just because they’re not already famous. For people who typically earn $1 from Medium on a story, what do they stand to gain from this offer?
If AI companies are seriously interested in certain types of stories or the work of certain writers, why wouldn't they make an offer of the precise $ they're willing to pay to scan those stories, and the writers could accept or reject the specific offers? Over a decade ago, if I recall correctly, Helium Network had an interface through which another "content" site could let you know if they wanted to pay, for example, a couple hundred dollars for your existing article. (RR Donnelley bought Helium Network, redesigned it, and shut it down at the end of 2013.) A proposal with far more value to writers: When AI requests a story, send the writer an auto-notification email, containing a real offer (like, minimum $100) and tell the writer they have one week to respond affirmatively. Something like that. The AI companies have money, right? I don't understand why we would let them get away with offering a dime for everyone's stuff?
