Trust, Offense & Audience Relationships in an AI World

On February 10, 2026, publishing leaders gathered in New York City for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Publishing Symposium to answer a critical question: how can publishers strengthen their relationships with audiences in the age of AI?

The tone of the day was candid. Search traffic is declining. AI tools are scraping content. Platforms keep changing the rules. For years, publishers have been reacting to forces outside their control. Michael Smith, CTO and Head of Innovation at Darwin CX, put it plainly during the panel on Relationships with Audience: “The industry has been playing defense for too long. We’ve woken up to algorithm changes, referral drops, and AI scraping every morning wondering what the day will bring.”

That mindset is starting to shift. Publishers are going on offense. They are protecting their content, controlling the value they deliver, and focusing on what matters most: trust. “Think about the value exchange every day,” Smith added. “What you give your audience in insight, entertainment, or advice is what builds sustainable engagement.”

Trust was at the heart of every discussion. Virginia Fletcher, CIO of Lee Enterprises, explained how fragile it is in local journalism: when readers feel misled or see content out of context, credibility disappears. Her team has strengthened governance around bots and encryption not to block innovation but to protect accuracy and intent. Wendy Sheehan Donnell, Editor in Chief at PC Mag, reinforced this point, sharing research that 81% of readers would not buy major technology without a human review. ‍

AI can summarize information, but it cannot replace earned authority.

Visibility and engagement were also major themes. Publishers are putting journalists and subject matter experts front and center through video, social media, newsletters, live events, and audio or mobile-first experiences. These formats make content easier to consume without sacrificing quality. Events reinforce authority for national brands and strengthen community ties for local publishers. Across formats and channels, showing the people behind the reporting builds credibility, loyalty, and lasting relationships that digital impressions alone cannot achieve.

Monetization insights from the panel were practical and forward-looking. With ad revenue becoming increasingly unpredictable, publishers are combining subscriptions, advertising, events, licensing, and sponsorships while planning for long-term relationships that extend beyond a single subscription. A subscriber’s engagement with your brand may shift with life stage, timing, or context, but every interaction is an opportunity to build loyalty. Audience relationships do not need to be linear to be valuable; in fact, they are often strongest when they follow the natural flow of a customer’s evolving lifecycle. As Michael Smith emphasized, “The most successful publishers optimize for the lifetime of the customer, not just the subscription. Engagement changes over time, and your approach should adapt with it.”

In a world driven by AI and shifting platforms, trust is your edge, expertise is your currency, and relationships are your growth engine. Publishers who act boldly now will not just survive the AI era, they will define it.

Ready to strengthen your audience relationships in the AI era? Learn how Darwin CX can help build lasting trust with every reader.