The Financial Times' AI paywall drove conversions up 290%. Now it's learning who stays

"We've come to the conclusion at the business that the biggest influence on retention is acquisition,"

"We feel like the AI is doing a really good job,"

"We suspect there's an intent bias in the sample."

The Financial Times launched an AI-driven paywall in January that increased conversion rates by 290% and raised lifetime value by 7–10% among exposed audience segments. The AI system currently covers about 30–40% of readers who have consented to data tracking, which introduces potential intent bias in the sample. The publisher is using control groups of consented users who do not see the AI paywall to measure true incremental impact. A new retention model due early next year will connect retention insights directly to acquisition to identify readers most likely to subscribe and remain paying customers.

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