Go Back

The Scholarly Kitchen: AI Isn’t Going to Pay for Content — Part Two: The Path Forward (Guest Post)

The second installment of Jonathan Woahn’s guest post series has been published in The Scholarly Kitchen, continuing the discussion on AI, content, and emerging economic models in publishing.

Author
Jonathan Woahn
Date
Feb 4, 2026
Read
1 min
Tags
AI Publishing
AI Publishing
The Scholarly Kitchen AI Isn’t Going to Pay for Content
Key Image:

Created with ChatGPT

The second installment of Jonathan Woahn’s guest post series has been published in The Scholarly Kitchen, continuing the discussion on AI, content, and emerging economic models in publishing.

In Part One, the article examined why AI training is unlikely to become a durable, recurring revenue engine for publishers. Part Two builds on that foundation by shifting the focus to where sustainable economic opportunity may actually emerge as AI systems are put to use.

This second piece looks to historical platform transitions to explain how monetization models tend to form after major changes in how content is consumed. It explores how AI-driven inference reshapes value creation and outlines several emerging economic models that could reconnect usage, attribution, and compensation for publishers.

Read the full guest post on The Scholarly Kitchen.

If you missed it, you can also read Part One here.

‍

Sources
Keep Reading:
An abstract illustration of an extremely tall, unstable tower made of stacked books collapsing in a cloud of dust and flying pages. The scene suggests sudden destruction or upheaval, with a dark green sky and rolling hills in the background, symbolizing the fragility of knowledge or publishing structures.

Big tech's final rug pull on publishers

As AI platforms bypass traditional web traffic, publishers face an existential threat. This article explores how history is repeating—and why new models like BYOL and metered data use are essential for survival.

13 minutes

A minimalist Ligne-Claire illustration in muted sage green and cream tones. A large pile of vintage books sits in the foreground, with a futuristic, mechanical sapling growing out of the top. The sapling features a robotic trunk with visible joints and circuit-like branches, holding green leaves and several plain, smooth gold coins as fruit. The background shows a vast, clean urban skyline with geometric skyscrapers under a soft, grainy sky.

The $150 Billion Question: Why AI is the Publishing Industry's Richest Opportunity, Not its Reckoning

AI has created understandable anxiety for publishers, but it also unlocks a $150 billion opportunity as the industry’s most valuable source of authoritative data. As publishing models and consumption evolve, Cashmere provides the infrastructure that allows publishers to securely license, monetize, and lead in the AI era—turning legacy content into AI-native assets and positioning publishers at the center of what comes next.

2 min

The Scholarly Kitchen AI Isn’t Going to Pay for Content

The Scholarly Kitchen: AI Isn’t Going to Pay for Content … At Least Not How You’re Hoping It Will (Guest Post)

We’re pleased to share that a new guest post by Jonathan Woahn, Co-founder of Cashmere, has been published in The Scholarly Kitchen, one of the leading industry publications covering scholarly and professional publishing.

1 min

PublishersManifestoBlogPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyTerms of Use
© Cashmere Publishing • 2026
All Rights Reserved