Static Media has published a company-wide No-AI Writing Policy requiring all editorial content on its 32 websites to be written by identifiable human writers. The policy, released on Aug. 6, 2026, covers brands including Engadget, TVLine, Jalopnik, SlashGear, and BGR, which together draw more than 220 million monthly visits.
The policy arrives as generative AI tools make it faster and cheaper to produce large volumes of online content. Static Media says the result has been a growing amount of generic material published without firsthand experience, clear authorship, or meaningful human accountability.
What the policy requires
Under the policy, Static Media does not accept or publish articles, reviews, or other editorial content written by generative AI. Every piece must be written by a named human writer and reviewed by a human editorial team. The writer whose name appears on the work is accountable for its accuracy, fairness, originality, and quality.
The policy applies to all writers producing editorial content for Static Media. AI-generated submissions will be rejected, and using AI to fabricate quotations, sources, statistics, events, or other information is strictly prohibited.
What Static Media's leadership said
"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."
"We hold all writers and contributors to high standards and take pride in their writing talents and expertise," said Richard McVey, SVP, Content & SEO of Static Media. "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."
The scale of Static Media's editorial operation
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 across the portfolio, which also includes The List, Tasting Table, Chowhound, House Digest, Grunge, and Islands. The full policy is publicly available on each Static Media website.
Static Media was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. More information about the company is available at static.com.
Why this matters for writers
Static Media runs one of the larger editorial operations in digital media, and it has now published an explicit public policy: AI-generated work is rejected, and writers are accountable for what they submit. For freelance writers and editors, the company is a buyer that pays for human work and expects original reporting, firsthand experience, and verifiable sources. The policy is also a signal that a major publisher treats human authorship as a selling point rather than a cost to be cut.
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