Media companies sell ads. Advertisers pay by impressions. Slopulist clickbait drives impressions.

At this point the term "AI" has been so diluted that it doesn't refer to generative image models or LLMs or traditional machine learning so much as it acts as a memetic sonic screwdriver, i.e. whatever journalists, pundits, founders, etc. need it to be. You can see how each party is wielding it in this specific instance quite clearly.

> Media companies sell ads

Ad-powered media sells ads. There is plenty of media that is primarily subscription based. The difference is glaring.