Current Affairs’ AI ban makes human production part of its subscription pitch
A union-backed production rule ties editorial labor, audience trust and the magazine’s commercial pitch together.
Current Affairs says its new union contract bars AI-generated articles and illustrations, while allowing workers to use AI tools for research and limited production tasks. The nonprofit magazine says it will keep paying writers and artists and is presenting handmade publishing as a reason to subscribe. The policy turns AI labor rules into both an employment commitment and a point of differentiation as cheaper synthetic content pressures publishing costs.