Yesterday, Futurism published a months-long investigation into a little-known company called Brown Brothers Media — a sprawling media empire that buys struggling news publications and turns them into AI-powered content mills, while engaging in deeply dishonest practices including the widespread use of fake writers and the mass publishing of fabricated reporting and first-hand accounts.
BBM was founded in the early 2020s. At the time, it operated around a limited number of brands, several of which were founded by the Brown brothers — Justin, Lachlan, and Brendan Brown — themselves. Those brands included Brendan’s Global English Editing and Expert Editor, Lachlan’s Hack Spirit, and Justin’s Ideapod. Justin also cofounded a BBM site called The Vessel alongside a Brazilian shaman named Rudá Iandé, who is currently listed as BBM’s “Creative Director” and whose personal website is listed as a “Brown Brothers Media company.”
Other earlier BBM sites include Nomadrs, Twinflamesly, Love Connection, Never Liked It Anyway, and a Lachlan-cofounded blog called The Considered Man. Also part of the BBM network is Jeanette Brown, a website dedicated to the teachings of the mother of the Brown brothers, as well as a site called Dr. Wolf Media (it does not appear to be related to the feminist writer and conspiracy theorist Naomi Wolf.)
As we found in our reporting, the more BBM leaned into a heavily automated AI process, the more websites it purchased and transformed into AI-powered content mills. These publications range from established news sites to niche hobbyist blogs and more.
