# Axios Partners With OpenAI to “Automate” Local Journalism > Source: > Published: 2026-08-16 11:02:00+00:00 Local journalism in the US has spent the better part of two decades on life support. First came [widespread digitization](https://time.com/archive/6907428/a-brief-history-of-digital-news/), which guttered subscriptions and left newspapers and magazines in shambles. Then private equity swooped in, snapping up publications like candy and [turning them into digital ad farms](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/18/is-wall-street-to-blame-for-the-collapse-of-newspapers-00141920) run by skeleton crews. Add to this a steady erosion of trust in journalism and a drop-off in literacy overall, and the industry looks to be in worse than perhaps ever before. Yet, as the saying goes, things can always get worse — and one media company seems determined to drive the final nail into local news’ coffin. That company is *Axios*, a for-profit media corporation majority-owned by communications giant Cox Enterprises. Founded in 2016, *Axios* rose to prominence by offering dispatches in the form of short, clinical bullet-point lists instead of traditional narrative stories. Detractors who [blasted the brand](https://newrepublic.com/article/152005/axios-distillation-political-journalisms-worst-instincts) for its cynical approach to journalism probably had no idea how bad things would get. Now, the company’s founders seem hell bent on automating their already pared-down editorial process in an all-out embrace of AI — and using the template to remake local journalism. Speaking [to the Columbia Journalism Review](https://www.cjr.org/feature/axios-wants-to-save-local-news-with-ai-jim-vandehei-tech-newsletters.php), the publication’s co-founder Jim VandeHei described himself as an “AI lab rat” after *Axios*inked a three-year agreement for OpenAI to underwrite 13 local newsletters that will get free access to its content-generating tools. In exchange, OpenAI will get open access to all *Axios*content to train ChatGPT. Asked about the perception of his embrace of AI, VandeHei said “we try not to get distracted by what other people in the quote-unquote media think.” “I’m not delusional,” he continued, “I just don’t have a whole lot of time for people who are AI deniers. Like, good luck.” As journalistic standards go, the move is dubious. *Axios* routinely covers developments in the [tech industry](https://www.axios.com/technology/automation-and-ai) in general, and [OpenAI](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/06/openai-chatgpt-upgrades-luna-free-paid) in particular — meaning there’s a major conflict of interest undergirding the pair’s relationship. VandeHei, in turn, has been pretty explicit about what that means for his writers: embrace AI, or good luck finding another job in journalism. “We were early to basically telling our staff that ‘you don’t have a choice,'” the *Axios* co-founder [said](https://forum.openai.com/public/videos/ai-in-newsrooms-responsible-innovation-and-the-future-of-journalism-2026-03-19) during a panel hosted by OpenAI. “If you’re scared, if you don’t like it, we don’t care — you have to embrace it.” **More on AI and media: **[Remember the Publisher That Put Fake Writers in Sports Illustrated? It Just Rebranded as an AI Company](https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/sports-illustrated-the-arena-group-paradium-ai)