"But in 2026, we're going to stop personalizing the menu and start personalizing the meal. The first phase will be the "easy" stuff, mostly personalization of format. If you're a commuter, you get the audio summary that lasts the exact length of your train ride. If you tend to spend the working day in your inbox, you get the newsletter bullet points. If you're a devoted flicker, you get the vertical video."
"Imagine a single scoop, simultaneously filed in four distinct ways: The Investor: Gets the market-moving data up top, red arrows, and raw numbers. The "Afraid I Haven't Caught Up in a While": Gets the necessary background and context first, then the news. The Empath: Gets the same story, led with a human case study or narrative profile. The Absolute Expert: Gets a cut-to-the-chase version - new facts only, no fluff."
"This has always been a pipe dream for most: it would have required a newsroom the size of a small nation to rewrite every story four times. But now we have AI agents that can act as the infinite sub-editor, remixing the raw reporting into these bespoke experiences. And it will require a fundamental shift in how we actually do the work. Perhaps a reporter files a single, polished megastory that contains every building block you'd need for any version of the piece."
Personalization has historically been limited to sorting content into feeds based on user preferences. In 2026, personalization will move from menu to meal, tailoring format and storytelling to individual needs. The first phase will personalize format: audio summaries matching commute length, newsletter bullet points for inbox readers, and vertical video for certain users. The second phase will personalize storytelling by generating multiple versions of a single report for profiles like investors, newcomers, empathic narratives, and experts. AI agents will enable on-the-fly remixing of raw reporting into bespoke experiences. Newsroom workflows will shift toward filing comprehensive megastories or modular building blocks for automated assembly.
Read at Nieman Lab
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