Ask HN: What AI content automation stack are you using in 2026?

You are spending ~$2400 per year for AI Stack. If it is okay with you then I want to know does this make your ROI go up?

Or you are working professional and just pay it out of your pocket?

The idea generation bottleneck you flagged is the real one. Everyone has access to the same LLMs now - the scarcity is knowing what to write about that actually resonates with your specific audience.

What works: use AI to mine your own existing channels first. Take your email replies, support threads, sales call transcripts - run them through Claude with a "what pain points recur most" prompt. You get a priority-ranked content backlog in 20 minutes that's grounded in what your audience actually says out loud.

Most people reach for AI to generate ideas and then struggle with quality. The teams getting real ROI flip it: use traditional signal (replies, reviews, community posts) to source the ideas, then AI to execute faster.

On the stack question - the distribution layer is where money is worth spending, not the generation layer. $89/month on SurferSEO to surface the right ideas beats $200/month on better generators every time.