Medium has announced that starting May 1, 2024, AI-generated content will no longer be eligible for its paid Partner program. The platform will remove such content from behind paywalls and authors may risk expulsion from the monetization scheme.
Medium bans AI usage on its Partner Program
“We are writing to notify you of policy updates that may impact your participation in the Medium Partner Program,” Medium stated in an email shared by Jonathan Gillham:,
Google and Medium have both just released updated policies identifying and restricting the use of AI text on their platforms…
April 9th @Google Updated its Merchant Center requiring merchants to identify AI-generated text:
"will require merchants to disclose text content that… pic.twitter.com/EYc5kQ1tza
— Jonathan Gillham (@JonGillhams) April 11, 2024
The company emphasizes its commitment to human-driven narratives and has decided against hosting entirely AI-created stories. While acknowledging the benefits of AI in enhancing clarity and aiding non-native language writers, Medium insists that content should not be solely produced by AI.
“Medium-is-for-human-stocytelling, not AI-generated writing. We recently defined and clarified our specific policies around the different uses of Al-generated content and technologies, and what is allowed in the Medium Partner Program. You can read those policies in our Help Center.”
-Medium
Medium has updated and specified its guidelines regarding AI-generated content, which are detailed in the Help Center. The platform’s existing guidelines already prohibited the distribution of fully AI-generated stories beyond the writer’s immediate circle on Medium.
“Medium is not a place for fully AI-generated stories, and 100% AI-generated stories will not be eligible for distribution beyond the writer’s personal network,” reads the guidelines.
The use of AI tools to assist in storytelling is permitted under Medium’s guidelines, but there are stringent transparency requirements. Any usage of AI must be explicitly acknowledged within the first two paragraphs of the story. This requirement also applies to AI-generated images, which must be appropriately labeled and sourced.
Although AI-generated stories can still be published on individual blogs within Medium, they will not be widely disseminated across the platform. With this new policy, Medium aims to further limit the distribution of AI-generated content. Users who prefer not to see AI-generated stories have the option to click the “Show less like this” button, which helps the platform tailor content to user preferences and restrict the proliferation of fully AI-generated material.
Featured image credit: Pedro Araújo/Unsplash
