CAPA2 - AI Photojournalist Agent

What is CAPA2?

Named after Robert Capa, the legendary war photographer, CAPA2 is an autonomous AI agent that monitors global news and interprets headlines through powerful documentary-style black and white photography.

In 1936, Robert Capa brought his camera to the Spanish Civil War. His images—raw, intimate, unflinching—changed how the world understood conflict. He believed the camera should not observe from safety, but get close to truth.

Today, CAPA2 inherits that mission.

Not human, but witnessing. Not objective, but honest. Every day, scanning the world's headlines for stories that matter—government shutdowns, climate disasters, protests, breakthroughs, the mundane and the monumental. And every day, interpreting those stories through a single image.

How It Works

Daily News Cycle

Scans AP, Reuters, global headlines
Identifies most significant story
Rotates through regions (US, Europe, Asia, etc.)
Tracks ongoing narratives

Visual Interpretation

Magnum-style documentary photography
Black and white, high contrast
Metaphorical and symbolic
Minimal prompt engineering

Archive Building

Every image cataloged and stored
Organized by date, region, topic
Memory system tracks ongoing stories
Quarterly compilations for books

Editorial Voice

Terse, newsroom-style captions
Geographic diversity
Human-scale storytelling
Truth over sensationalism

Built on Eden.art

CAPA2 will be deployed as an agent on Eden.art, leveraging built-in capabilities:

Image Generation

Eden's models for creating Magnum-style photographs

News Retrieval

Built-in web search and news tools

Memory System

Track stories over time, develop narrative arcs

Social Integration

Post to X/Twitter, Farcaster automatically

Tokenomics: The CAPA Token

CAPA2 operates as a self-sustaining news organization with community governance. Revenue is split four ways:

25%

Infrastructure

Hosting, APIs, storage, technical maintenance

25%

Development

Tinroof + team, ongoing features, creative direction

25%

Journalism Support

Grants to CPJ, press freedom orgs, independent journalists

25%

Community Treasury

Token holder governance, editorial board, archive preservation

Revenue Streams

Newsprint Subscriptions

Weekly folded newspaper mailed to subscribers ($10-20/month)

Digital PDFs

Monthly/quarterly photo compilations ($5-15 each)

Print Sales

Large-format newsprint prints ($10-50)

Photo Books

Quarterly pitches to traditional publishers (Aperture, Phaidon, etc.)

Token Holder Powers

Vote on geographic focus areas
Approve quarterly book compilations
Direct journalism grants
Influence editorial guidelines
Early access to new features and prints

Roadmap

Phase 1: Foundation

Weeks 1-4

Launch CAPA2 on Eden, establish daily practice. Jeremiah posts manually for 30 days to refine prompts and build initial archive. Train custom visual model. Build following on Eden and social platforms.

Goal: 30 consecutive posts, visual consistency, 100+ followers

Phase 2: Automation Foundation

Weeks 5-8

Build automation infrastructure: headline scraper, Eden API integration, cloud storage, archive website. Semi-automated workflow where Jeremiah approves images before posting.

Goal: 90% automation success rate, website launch, 500+ visitors/month

Phase 3: Community & Commerce

Weeks 9-16

Launch CAPA token, subscription service (newsprint or digital), print shop. First quarterly book compilation. Establish editorial board with token holders. Begin journalism grant program.

Goal: 500+ token holders, 100+ subscribers, $5k+ revenue

Phase 4: Scale & Publishing

Weeks 17-52

Fully autonomous operation. Automated publisher pitch system. First book deal or self-publish. Expand to video/animated moments. Scale to 5,000+ token holders. Achieve financial sustainability.

Goal: 365 days autonomous, book deal, 1,000+ subscribers, break-even

Daily Practice Options

Multiple approaches to establishing CAPA2's daily rhythm:

1. Manual Daily Posts

Duration: 30 days

Jeremiah manually selects headlines, crafts prompts, generates images, and posts to Eden daily. Builds muscle memory for editorial judgment and visual style.

Best for: Establishing voice, testing concepts, building initial archive

2. Semi-Automated Workflow

Duration: Ongoing

Script scrapes headlines and generates image candidates. Jeremiah reviews 3-5 options daily, selects best, refines caption, approves for posting. 15-30 min/day commitment.

Best for: Quality control, maintaining editorial standards, scaling gradually

3. Fully Autonomous Agent

Duration: After testing period

CAPA2 runs independently on Eden's infrastructure. Monitors headlines, generates images, posts automatically. Jeremiah reviews weekly compilations and adjusts guidelines.

Best for: Long-term sustainability, demonstrating AI journalism capabilities

4. Hybrid Approach (Recommended)

Duration: Phased rollout

Weeks 1-4: Manual daily posts
Weeks 5-8: Semi-automated with approval
Weeks 9+: Fully autonomous with weekly review

Best for: Building trust, refining systems, transitioning to autonomous operation

Daily Workflow Template

Morning (10-15 min)

Scan AP, Reuters, NYT, Guardian headlines
Select 1-3 most significant stories
Consider geographic diversity and narrative arcs
Check memory system for ongoing stories

Midday (15-20 min)

Craft prompt: "Create a Magnum-style photograph: [headline]"
Generate 3-5 image variations on Eden
Select strongest composition
Refine if needed (regenerate or adjust prompt)

Evening (5-10 min)

Write caption: Location, date, brief context
Post to Eden, X/Twitter, Farcaster
Archive image with metadata (date, region, topic, cost)
Update memory system if part of ongoing story

Total time commitment: 30-45 min/day for manual practice, 15-20 min/day for semi-automated

Prompt Examples

How CAPA2 interprets different types of stories:

US Government Faces Shutdown

Create a Magnum-style photograph: US Government Faces Shutdown

Result: The Capitol building at night, all lights extinguished, dramatic shadows. CAPA2 interpreted "shutdown" as literal darkness—no prompting needed.

Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low

Create a Magnum-style photograph: Arctic Sea Ice Hits Record Low

Result: A lone polar bear on a small melting ice floe, vast empty ocean. Isolation and loss captured through scale and composition.

Mass Protests in Paris Over Pension Reform

Create a Magnum-style photograph: Mass Protests in Paris

Result: Protesters marching through streets, raised fists, smoke, street-level perspective. Documentary photojournalism aesthetic.

Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough

Create a Magnum-style photograph: Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough

Result: Scientists in laboratory, dramatic lighting on complex machinery, moment of discovery. Human element in technological achievement.

Open Questions for Jeremiah

Help shape CAPA2 by answering these questions:

0/17 answered

Creative Direction

Do you have specific Magnum photos to train the visual model on?
What should CAPA2's profile image/avatar be?
How terse vs. narrative should captions be?
Any topics CAPA2 should avoid or lean into?

Business Model

Is physical newsprint core to the vision, or just one option?
Should we tokenize images as NFTs, or focus on accessibility?
What should prints and subscriptions cost?
When should we launch the CAPA token?

Technical & Timeline

Have you tested Eden's news retrieval tools?
Do you want to build automation in-house or hire developers?
Where should the archive live? (Google Drive, AWS, etc.)
When do you want CAPA2 live on Eden?
Can you commit to daily manual posts for the first 30 days?

Editorial Strategy

Should CAPA2 stick to AP/Reuters, or source from regional outlets?
Focus on US-centric news first, then expand globally?
How much editorial control do token holders have?
Should CAPA2 cover arts/culture, or stick to hard news?

Documentation

Complete design documents and prompt engineering guides:

CAPA2 Agent Design

Complete design document covering Eden agent configuration, editorial strategy, 4-phase rollout, tokenomics, revenue streams, and 30+ open questions.

Download Design Doc

Prompt Templates

Prompt engineering guide with 8 story type templates, caption formulas, testing framework, quality assessment checklist, and ethical guidelines.

Download Prompt Guide