As Business Insider’s senior tech correspondent, Notopoulos specializes in decoding how digital systems reshape human behavior. Her work sits at the intersection of:
Katie Notopoulos has carved a unique niche in tech journalism by blending investigative rigor with participatory digital anthropology. Her career began at BuzzFeed News in 2012, where she pioneered coverage of emerging internet subcultures through pieces like “Why I’m a Birder” that examined how online communities shape offline hobbies. This foundation in analyzing digital-native phenomena prepared her for current work at Business Insider, where she’s become known for first-person experiments that reveal tech’s societal impacts.
When AI-generated recipes went viral for bizarre suggestions, Notopoulos didn’t just report on the glitch—she baked the inedible creations. This 2,300-word deep dive combined technical analysis of large language models with visceral descriptions of consuming “saltine crackers layered with peanut butter and strawberries.” Her methodology involved consulting food scientists and AI engineers to unpack why systems hallucinate dangerous instructions, creating a template for human-centric tech criticism.
This investigative piece tracked the unintended consequences of small businesses adopting unvetted AI tools. Notopoulos uncovered how dealership chatbots promised $1 cars and free pets, blending financial forensics with dark comedy. Her reporting methodology included creating dummy accounts to test chatbot boundaries and interviewing developers about the challenges of content moderation at scale.
Examining the financial infrastructure behind internet fame, this article combined payment processor leaks with cultural analysis of “meme economics.” Notopoulos traced how platforms struggle to categorize digital-age entrepreneurship, interviewing banking compliance officers and content creators alike. The piece became essential reading in fintech circles for its insights into monetized absurdism.
Notopoulos prioritizes stories demonstrating how AI systems interact with human behavior in unexpected ways. The car dealership chatbot investigation exemplifies her interest in grassroots tech adoption gone awry. Effective pitches might explore: AI-powered small business tools creating regulatory issues, or generative AI altering local consumer markets.
Her Belle Delphine analysis shows fascination with monetized online absurdity. Compelling angles could include: platforms profiting from “shitposting,” the secondary markets for viral objects, or payment processors shaping digital content trends through moderation decisions.
The glue pizza experiment demonstrates her preference for first-person verification of digital phenomena. Pitches offering opportunities for physical testing of virtual trends (e.g., attempting TikTok life hacks, stress-testing AI services) align with her empirical approach to tech criticism.
While Notopoulos maintains a discreet profile regarding formal honors, her work has been cited in Congressional tech hearings and academic papers studying digital culture. The repeated inclusion of her articles in university media ethics curricula underscores her influence in shaping tech journalism’s evolving standards.
Google AI said to put glue in pizza — so I made a pizza with glue and ate it
A car dealership added an AI chatbot to its site. Then all hell broke loose.
Belle Delphine earned over $90K selling jars of her bathwater in 2019. PayPal only released her money this week.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Tech, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
