18 AI Dangers

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AI Companions - Inappropriate dependance on AI, AI control over humans, weakening of human relationships, pornography, suicides, AI delusions, mental health care, human dignity.

AI Divide - Greater inequality, the distance between those who have access to powerful AI & those who don’t.  

Bias - AI can reflect societal prejudices and stereotypes, obscuring underrepresented and marginalized populations.    

Criminals & Crime - Using AI to commit crimes such as cyberattacks, fraud and child pornography.  

Copyright – AI may be trained on copyrighted works and reproduce copyrighted material without permission. 

Deep Fakes - Cyberbullying, nonconsensual pornographic images & video.

Economics - Potential AI-created financial crisis.

Environmental Concerns - Energy consumption, high water usage, and electronic waste.

False information  - Hallucinations can lead to fearmongering, fake news, poor health advice, corrupted learning tools for children, historical misinformation, and false criminal accusations.

Human Labor – Exploitation of workers, human trafficking.

Knowledge Collapse – AI models run out of fresh data, resulting in a feedback loop — dominant ideas are amplified while less widely held or new viewpoints are minimized.

Out of Control AI - Bullying humans, taking action against humans (particularly actions outside of what the AI was designed to do), and AI uprising where bots attempt to gain control outside of human direction. 

Politics - Influencing elections, creating or magnifying international conflict.

Privacy & Security - Facial recognition false arrests, malware, social media, data on children, using AI to hack databases, steal passwords, and personal information has the potential to be shared with third parties. 

Religion - Cultlike dependence on AI, allowing outsized control, treating AI like a Magic 8 Ball, worshipping AI. 

Science - AI Slop may erode scientific progress.

Slop – Low-grade AI content can clog email, social media and the internet. Also, work slop.

Weapons & War - Drones, satellites, biological weapons.

Signs of Endings

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Endings and losses are the commonest first sign that people are in transition. These endings tend to be signaled by one of several experiences: 

  • A sudden and unexpected event that destroys the old life that made you feel like yourself 

  • The “drying up” of a situation or a relationship 

  • An activity that has always gone well before, suddenly and unexpectedly goes badly

  • A person or an organization that you have always trusted proves it be untrustworthy 

  • An inexplicable or unforeseen problem crops up 

William Bridges, The Way of Transition

26 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism & Media

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Mon, Feb 23 - AI in Training

What: Join engaging Q&A sessions with industry experts to discover how AI can seamlessly fit into your training strategies and solve your biggest challenges. This is your chance to rethink how you approach training and position your organization at the forefront of AI-driven innovation.

Who: Stephen Weaver, Key Account Manager, isEazy; Margo Gouley, VP, Product, Box of Crayons;  Justyna Poray, Senior Learning Experience Designer, Box of Crayons; Scott Mahoney, Chief Strategy Officer, Seertech Solutions; Kelly Sieracki, Product Marketing Manager, BizLibrary; Blake Ryan, Senior Product Manager, BizLibrary.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Industry

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Mon, Feb 23 - Turning Impact Into Investment: Storytelling that Drives Funding

What: Your work makes a difference, but funders don’t always see it. In this 30-minute session, learn how to turn your impact into investments with a story funders understand and support. We’ll explore common pitfalls, show what’s possible with a clear, confident story, and share reflection questions to help you strengthen your fundraising success.

Who: Emily Taylor, teenyBIG.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab

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Tue, Feb 24 - What Editors Want To See In Pitches

What: The series is aimed at freelance journalists who don’t have a lot of contacts in the industry and want to cold pitch an editor and get their first byline in national newspapers and magazines. 

Who: Donna Ferguson is a multiple award-winning freelance journalist for national newspapers and Head of the Freelance Chapter for Women in Journalism; Leah Harper, assistant editor on Guardian Features, previously worked as acting assistant editor on the Guardian’s Fashion desk and Features commissioning editor, having started out as a Researcher for the Observer New Review.

When: 7:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: £20 or £10 for members

Sponsor: Women in Journalism

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Tue, Feb 24 - Challenging the Arguments Behind Youth Social Media Bans

What: A panel discussion examining the global movement to ban social media for youth, the tradeoffs these policies present, and alternative approaches that balance safety, rights, and the realities of growing up in a digital world.

Who: Alex Ambrose, Policy Analyst, Moderator; Matthew Lesh, Country Manager, Freshwater Strategy; Angela Luna, Technology & Innovation Policy Analyst American Action Forum (AAF); Sydney Saubestre, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Technology Institute, New America; Nicol Turner Lee, Governance Studies, Director of the Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

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Tue, Feb 24 - Double Machine Learning Causal Inference applied for weekly offer rollout

What: We applied causal inference methods to evaluate the incremental impact of weekly versus monthly offer releases, isolating their true effect on key business KPIs. The results provided statistical validation for the weekly cadence and informed its large-scale rollout at WELT.

Who: Pablo Mateos Masa, Senior Data Scientist, Axel Springer NMT; Dr. Ana Moya, Data Scientist,  INFOMOTION.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: World Association of News Publishers

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Tue, Feb 24 - Digital Marketing Trends in 2026

What: We will explore the key digital marketing trends in 2026. Learn what’s next in content marketing, search, AI-driven personalization, and automation so you can refine your strategy and stay ahead of the competition.

Who: Digital Marketing Strategist Ray Sidney-Smith, CEO, W-3 Consulting

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $45

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Duquesne University

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Tue, Feb 24 - Beyond the Pitch: Building Productive Relationships between Journalists and PR Professionals

What: This webinar is designed to strengthen the way religion journalists and communication professionals work together for the public good. Together, we’ll explore how thoughtful, intentional connections can lead to stronger reporting, clearer communication, and more informed audiences. Panelists will unpack common misconceptions about each other’s roles, share what makes outreach genuinely useful, and offer practical insights on building trust, setting boundaries, and creating value on both sides.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Religion Communicators Council

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Tue, Feb 24 - AI Data Centers & Their Climate and Community Impact

What: This discussion will equip journalists with the fundamental understanding of the economic and climate impacts stemming from AI’s vast power use, explore how to investigate data centers in their area, and highlight unique story ideas to tackle this growing issue playing out in communities across the world.

Who: Jenn Abamu, Reporter, WAMU/NPR, Marc Conte, Professor, Fordham University, Dan Gearino, Reporter, Inside Climate News, David Dickson, Covering Climate Now.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Covering Climate Now

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Tue, Feb 24 - How journalism collaboratives can raise money from small-dollar donors

What: Big-dollar grants are important for sustaining journalism collaboratives, but that doesn’t mean you should overlook success with small-dollar donors. These small donations can add up quickly and provide ongoing support for your collaborative’s work. Learn important tips for going after these donations and how to put a process in place easily and quickly.

Who: Claudia Laws, director of consumer revenue for The Times-Picayune.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Center for Cooperative Media

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Tue, Feb 24 - Google AI Tools For News

What: We will offer a practical overview of three powerful, free-of-cost tools designed to streamline investigative research and daily reporting workflows. Move beyond the hype and learn how to integrate NotebookLM, Gemini, and Pinpoint into your reporting toolkit to find stories faster and manage your beat more effectively.

Who: Collenn Kimmett, Google News Initiative.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: New England Newspaper & Press Association

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Tue, Feb 24 - How to Get Your Creative Juices Flowing in the New Year

What: This webinar session will get those creative juices flowing with some new writing exercises and prompts. We will also share some tips to help you move your writing project forward.

Who: Cathy Fyock is The Business Book Strategist. 

When: 1:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Author Learning Center

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Tue, Feb 24 - Digital Security Fundamentals for Student Journalists  

What: In this interactive session, we will highlight tools and tactics to help student journalists secure these critical systems in light of today’s increasingly complex threat environment.

Who: Trainers from Freedom of the Press Foundation.

When: 4:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Freedom of the Press Foundation

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Wed, Feb 25 - How to Pitch Comment Pieces

What: This session explores how to find strong angles, shape timely arguments, and establish authority without overclaiming.

Who: Hannah Fearn, The Independent’s former Comment Editor.

When: 8 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: £7.50

Sponsor: Freelancing for Journalists

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Wed, Feb 25 - Delivering AI-Ready Data: Pipelines, Agents, and Automation at Scale

What: You will learn how to overcome these challenges and equip your organization with robust data pipelines for AI solutions. Attendees will gain expert insights, practical frameworks, and a research-backed understanding of the unique challenges of data integration for AI solutions and emerging practices that successful organizations follow in delivering production applications with impact.

When: 11 am - 3:20 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Transforming Data With Intelligence

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Wed, Feb 25 - How to Maximize $10K/Month in Free Google Ads for Your Nonprofit!

What: We'll teach you everything you need to know about the Google Ad Grant and how to get started. Learn how to build and launch your own successful digital marketing campaign and get ideas from case studies with proven results. Use the power of the Google Ad Grant to amplify your message and attract a broad audience.

Who: Simon Choy is the Founder & CEO of ConnectAd.

When: 1:00 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: CharityHowTo

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Wed, Feb 25 - Recalibrating and charting a path forward after a layoff: A community support session

What: A free community session for recently laid off journalists, where we'll help you design your post-layoff strategy. You'll also have the opportunity to connect with others who have similar experiences and share industry resources to help you find your next steps.

Who: Career coach Phoebe Gavin.  

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Wed, Feb 25 - Social Media Boot Camp

What: This two-day webinar series combines our Social Media 101, 102 topics, and includes more resources for you to elevate your social media presence. Attendees will receive a Social Media Boot Camp Workbook and get additional Q&A time with our experts each day.

Who: Kiersten Hill Headshot Kiersten Hill, Director of Nonprofit Solutions.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Wed, Feb 25 - Building America: Powering the AI Age

What: How America can build new sources of energy and strengthen its energy security in the wake of the artificial intelligence revolution.

Who: Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.); Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.); Tammy Ma, Director of the Livemore Institute for Fusion Technology; Josh Magnuson, Ecolab; Josh Levi, Data Center Coaltion.

When: 9 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Washington Post, Ecolab

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Thu, Feb 26 - Boost your journalism curriculum: Introduction to Media Helping Media

What: We now have access to 400 free training resources for journalists working at all levels, produced by Media Helping Media. We will demonstrate how to download, adapt and use them.

Who: David Brewer, founder and editor of Media Helping Media.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Fojo Media Institute, Linnaeus University, Sweden

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Thu, Feb 26 - Poynter Beat Academy: The midterms, data and America’s safety net

What: Get localized story ideas that explore where data makes a difference and boost your midterm coverage.  

Who: Former U.S. chief data scientist Denice Ross; Colleen Heflin, professor of Public Administration at Syracuse University; Paul Overberg, reporter for The Wall Street Journal’s data team; Elvia Malagón, a health reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Poynter Beat Academy

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Thu, Feb 26 - Automation vs. AI Agents: An Execution Framework for Enterprises

What: We will break down how enterprises can design automation and agent systems that scale without creating chaos. 

Who: Eugina Jordan, CEO and Founder of YOUnifiedAI.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Techtarget

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Thu, Feb 26 - Harnessing AI as a Collaborative Partner for Ethical Research & Writing

What: This session will cover practical approaches to the responsible use of AI as a tool for writing and research.

Who: University of Michigan librarian Yulia Sevrygina; University of Kentucky librarian Helen Bischoff.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Springer Nature

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Fri, Feb 27 - International Public Records

What: FOIA Friday is a community session to connect about all things FOIA and public records. This month, we will be focusing on international public records.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: MuckRock

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Fri, Feb 27 - Crafting Effective AI Prompts: Techniques for Quality Responses

What: This webinar introduces the principles of crafting prompts that produce reliable and high-quality AI outputs. Participants will explore prompt structures, context-setting techniques, and common pitfalls to avoid. Real examples and guided practice will help attendees refine their prompting skills across a range of tasks. By the end, learners will be able to design prompts that consistently yield useful results.

When: 5 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Claremont Graduate University

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Fri, Feb 27 - ASERL Copyright Office Hour

What: Please bring your puzzling and perplexing copyright questions.  Your ASERL colleagues are here to help!

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Association of Southeastern Research Libraries

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Fri, Feb 27 - Introduction to Codex

What: Join us for a beginner friendly, high-level overview of Codex — the AI system that powers code generation. We’ll explain what Codex is, explore examples of how people are using it for real work and everyday tasks, and show how non-technical professionals can benefit from it today. Whether you’re curious about the future of AI and software, want to better collaborate with technical teams, or simply want to understand the possibilities, this webinar is your starting point. No coding experience needed!

Who: Derrick Choi Codex Deployment Engineer, OpenAI.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: OpenAI Academy

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AI Health Advice

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A new study found that AI "health advice from was frequently wrong. However, a closer look at the results tell a different story. "About half the time, mistakes appeared to be the result of user error. Participants didn’t enter enough information or the most relevant symptoms. By contrast, when researchers entered the full medical scenario directly into the chatbots, they correctly diagnosed the problem 94 percent of the time." -New York Times

Using AI to Write an Apology to the Court

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A judge in New Zealand questioned the remorse of a defendant who had used A.I. to write apologies to victims and the court. Increasingly, people are outsourcing many tasks to machines, including writing apologies, eulogies and wedding vows, perhaps saving precious time but also inviting the ire of some of their fellow humans. People apparently believe that certain activities should take work in order to seem genuine. -New York Times

12 Articles about AI & Robotics

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4 Steps When Addressing Inappropriate Behavior

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When someone keeps repeating inappropriate behavior, try the DESC approach.  The four steps are describe, express, specify, and consequences.

1. Describe the objectionable behavior.

2. Express your feelings.

3. Specify what action you want to see.

4. Tell the person the consequences if there is no change in behavior.

12 Recent Articles about AI & Audio/Video

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“I made a mistake”

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Though agentic tools often excel at complicated work, such as synthesizing unfathomable reams of text, they struggle to do something as simple as copy and paste text from Google Docs into Substack. And because they are so powerful, they can also be dangerous: When one venture capitalist recently asked Claude Cowork—Anthropic’s new, more accessible agentic tool—for help organizing his wife’s desktop, the bot subsequently deleted 15 years of family photos. “I need to stop and be honest with you about something important,” the bot told him. “I made a mistake.” -The Atlantic

25 Recent Articles about the Business of Running an AI Company

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AI is advancing too quickly for research to keep up – Axios 

Anthropic got an 11% user boost from its OpenAI-bashing Super Bowl ad, data shows – CNBC

Chinese AI models push pro-China views – Axios

Anthropic raises $30B at $380B valuation - Axios

A “QuitGPT” campaign is urging people to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions - MIT Tech Review  

Anthropic has signed a multiyear deal with Atlassian Williams F1 Team, its first major sports partnership. - Axios  

Google Plans to Double Spending Amid A.I. Race – New York Times

AI arms race approaches IPO reckoning - Axios

Anthropic ‘destructively’ scanned millions of books to build Claude - The Washington Post

Meta Overshadows Microsoft by Showing AI Payoff in Ad Business – Wall Street Journal

In the AI boom, this energy company is suddenly flying high - Axios

Inside an AI start-up’s plan to scan and dispose of millions of books - The Washington Post

The Drama at Thinking Machines, a New A.I. Start-Up, Is Riveting Silicon Valley - The New York Times  

Intel Shares Slide as Costs Pile Up in Bid to Meet AI Demand – Wall Street Journal

Are we in an AI bubble? Economists share the clues to look for – NPR  

What Apple and Google’s Gemini deal means for both companies: They’re putting up a united front against AI newcomers – The Verge

The AI race is creating a new world order – Rest of World  

Apple Teams Up With Google for A.I. in Its Products - The New York Times

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records – The Verge

Google is adding an "AI Inbox" to Gmail - Axios 

How to kill a rogue AI Shutting off the internet? Detonating a nuke in space? None of the options are very appealing. – Vox

If U.S.-China AI Rivalry Were Football, the Score Would Be 24-18 - Wall Street Journal 

Meta Buys AI Startup with Chinese roots for More Than $2 Billion – Wall Street Journal

LLM adoption is roughly on trend, but the underlying drivers are shifting – EpochAI

US to mandate AI vendors measure political bias for federal sales – Reuters

What we really believe

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Every person expects to be treated as a person. The proof that he really believes there are some unconditional values is that he expects his freedom and dignity to be respected. In his actions, he may not always respect others, but in his reactions, he proves that he always expects others to respect his freedom and dignity. Hence, human expectations are the key to what a man believes to be absolute.

Norman Geisler, Options in Contemporary Christian Ethics

How AI might slow scientific progress

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“One of my growing concerns is that A.I. could inadvertently slow scientific progress. The theoretical physicist Max Planck is often credited with saying that “science advances one funeral at a time.” I am mindful that I may be quite wrong in my viewpoints. However, if my opinion becomes encoded into A.I. systems and persists indefinitely, will it hinder the evolution of new scientific ideas?” - Tamara Kolda, who runs MathSci.ai, a consultancy in the San Francisco Bay Area, quoted in the New York Times

AI Definitions: Imitation Learning

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Imitation Learning – This is a popular method for training robots, along with reinforced learning. The robots learn by watching humans or by being given data on other robots which are being operated by humans. Out of fashion for decades, it has recently come back into favor in robotics because of AI. The downside to this technique is the need for large amounts of data for the robots to imitate new behaviors.

More AI definitions

18 Recent Articles about the Impact of AI on Health Care

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Health Advice From A.I. Chatbots Is Frequently Wrong, Study Shows – New York Times

As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts – Reuters

ChatGPT can analyze Apple Watch health data. Here’s how a doctor views it. - The Washington Post

Why some hospitals are making their own ChatGPTs for patient records – Stat News

A.I. Is Making Doctors Answer a Question: What Are They Really Good For? – New York Times

‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk – The Guardian

I let ChatGPT analyze a decade of my Apple Watch data. Then I called my doctor. – MSN

Institutions are missing AI’s real potential for drug discovery – Semafor

AI-generated sensors open new paths for early cancer detection - MIT News

Your next primary care doctor could be online only, accessed through an AI tool – NPR

What are the limits to biomedical research acceleration through general-purpose AI? – Nature

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records – The Verge

Utah permits nation's first AI drug prescriptions – Axios

Hospitals Are a Proving Ground for What AI Can Do, and What It Can’t – Wall Street Journal

Where Is All the A.I.-Driven Scientific Progress? - New York Times

40 million people turn to ChatGPT for health care - Axios

Researchers create a machine learning model “to distinguish paper mill publications from genuine cancer research articles.”- The BMJ

In China, A.I. Is Finding Deadly Tumors That Doctors Might Miss - New York Times

23 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism & Media

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Tue, Feb 17 - The Sports Moments Shaping Marketing in 2026 

What: This session will examine how brands are evolving their planning, creative, and media approaches — looking ahead to moments like the 2026 World Cup, alongside other major events such as the Winter Games, March Madness, and the NBA Playoffs and Finals — and what the broader sports calendar signals for marketers preparing for the year ahead.

Who: Bill Bradley, deputy TV, media, and sports editor at ADWEEK; Adam Azor, EVP., Global Marketing, Sportradar.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: SportRadar & ADWEEK

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Tue, Feb 17 - Beyond the Page: Monetizing Your Writing and Editing Skills with Retreats, Workshops, and Coaching

What: In this webinar, established writers and editors share how they created wildly successful new avenues in their businesses. You’ll hear their stories and learn how they created new programs, events, and offerings that allow them to make money while helping others.

Who: Elizabeth Hanes, award-winning health journalist and content writer; AJ Harper, an editor and publishing strategist; Jennie Nash, the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator; Gwen Moran is a longtime freelance writer, editor, and content strategist.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Society of Journalists and Authors

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Wed, Feb 18 - Arts & Entertainment by the Numbers: A Free One-Day Data Journalism Workshop 

What: The virtual workshop will cover:  What “data journalism” means for arts and entertainment; Spreadsheets 101: Sorting, filtering, and summarizing basic data in Google Sheets — no math required; Cleaning Practice: How to fix messy artist names, genres, and labels — and why consistency matters; Quick Analysis: How to find simple story patterns (Patterns, Trends, Outliers); Visualization Basics: Building a visualization in Flourish, focused on storytelling; Finding Credible Data: Where to get trustworthy arts and culture data; Writing with Data: Turning your finding into a “nut graf” that connects the number to people and context; Using AI Responsibly: How to use tools like ChatGPT to speed up cleaning, analysis, and writing while staying accurate.

Who: Jill Blackman, Medill lecturer and director of data journalism.

When: 9 am – 5 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications

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Wed, Feb 18 - Storytelling for Impact 

What: Join us as we go through tips, techniques and tools to help the modern marketer tell better and more impactful stories to activate their audiences around ideas and actions.

Who: Kiersten Hill, Director of Nonprofit Solutions

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom                                                                                                          

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Wed, Feb 18 - Building the Skills AI Can’t Replace 

What: Explore how to balance technology-driven learning with human-centered development. Learn how to build programs that prepare employees to work alongside AI, solve complex problems and lead with insight and creativity.

Who: Paul George, Facilitating Consultant, Corporate Visions; Dan Rust, Vice President, Leadership & Commercial Development, Infopro Learning; Abby Paterson, Solution Architect, Hemsley Fraser; Rick Maloney, VP of Strategic Accounts, Hemsley Fraser; Ryan Heinl, CEO, SIY Global; Sarah Plummer, Sales Engineer and Solutions Consultant, Allego Jessica Peck, Senior Sales Content Manager, Allego.

When: 11 am to 3:45 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Industry

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Wed, Feb 18 - Disability Narrative Webinar Series: IEEE Spectrum

What: Our guest will lead us through a conversation at the intersection of disability, technology and responsible storytelling.

Who: Stephen Cass with IEEE Spectrum.

When: 11:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Military Veterans in Journalism

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Wed, Feb 18 - Boost Your Workflow with AI: Productivity Tips and Strategies 

What: Explore how generative AI can streamline your daily work tasks in this practical, hands-on session. We'll highlight the GenAI tools available to the Duke community and demonstrate how they can assist with common activities such as summarizing meeting notes, drafting emails, generating images, and brainstorming ideas. Whether you're new to AI or looking to expand your toolkit, this session will provide actionable tips and real-world examples to help you get started confidently.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Duke University

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Wed, Feb 18 - AI in Student-Powered Reporting: Ethical Practices for Students and Communities

What: We will highlight AI policies and practices.

Who: Joshua Darr, associate professor at the Newhouse School of Public Communications and a senior researcher in the Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship at Syracuse University.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: University of Vermont Center for Community News

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Wed, Feb 18 - AI Lessons Learned: Beyond the Hype — What It Really Takes to Deploy AI in Government

What: This event is focused on practical, hard‑earned lessons from government AI implementations — and how leaders are turning those lessons into smarter, safer, more impactful AI programs.

Who: Rebecca Cai, Chief Data Officer, State of Hawaii; Marcus Thornton, Deputy Chief Data Officer, Virginia Office of Data Governance and Analytics; Mike Gilger, Chief Technology Officer and Director of Products, Modus Operandi; Aaron Hunter, Enterprise Account Manager, Coursera; Meghan Richter, Head of Marketing, Yoonify; Rohhit Tandon, Co-Founder & CEO, Yoonify; Bryan Rosensteel  Head of Public Sector Product Marketing, Wiz.   

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

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Wed, Feb 18 - Digital Advertising Trends Defining 2026 

What: This session explores how marketers are adapting their strategies as AI, cross-channel planning, and smarter measurement become essential for staying competitive in 2026.

Who: Ryan Joe, editor in chief at ADWEEK; Brianna Gays, Chief Marketing Officer, Smartly; Rejeesh Ramachandran, Head of Marketing Transformation, Analytics & MarTech, TD Bank.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: ADWEEK

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Wed, Feb 18 - Beyond the Byline: Leveraging Events to Forge Community and Strengthen News 

What: Delve into how to utilize events to foster a deep sense of community, enhance trust in journalism, and ultimately strengthen your ability to provide essential news and information. Attendees will gain practical insights and inspiration for designing and executing a diverse range of events that prioritize connection and engagement, learning how to measure their success in building a more resilient and connected audience that actively supports their news organization.

Who: Executive Director Jake Hylton, Lookout.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Thu, Feb 19 – Covering Climate Across Beats

What: How to make the climate connection across beats. We’ll share practical tips for identifying climate angles in everyday stories, explore examples from newsrooms around the world, and show you how even one sentence can transform your reporting. No science background required, just a willingness to connect the dots!

When: 6 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Covering Climate Now

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Thu, Feb 19 – Science Journalism in a Polarised World: entry barriers, online abuse and how to tackle them

What: A discussion as to how aspiring journalists and writers can be better supported at the start of their careers - and cope with some of the challenges of working in it.

Who: Andy Ridgway, UWE; Vera Novais, ABSW.

When: 10:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to Members

Sponsors: Association of British Science Writers and the Science Communication Unit at the University of the West of England, UK

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Thu, Feb 19 - Trauma Reporting: Best Practices in Turbulent Times 

What: This session will explore ethical challenges, interviewing victims and survivors, informed consent, verification and corroboration, and how to balance compassion with rigorous reporting.    

Who: Bruce Shapiro, Executive Director, The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: The Global Center for Journalism and Trauma & The Virginia Press Association   

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Thu, Feb 19 - Ethical Use of AI in Teaching   

What: In this webinar, we will decode the rise of AI in the classroom, discuss the challenges it presents, and brainstorm effective strategies for educators to respond to these challenges. We will collaboratively discuss whether there exists a possibility for the ethical use of AI, and what its future looks like in the classroom.

Who: Akshay Sharan, Claremont Graduate University.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Claremont Graduate University

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Thu, Feb 19 - AI & Copyright Licensing – A New Frontier 

What: This webinar will help journalists make sense of the evolving AI licensing landscape and report on it with clarity and confidence. We’ll unpack what “AI licensing” really means, how early one-off deals are turning into structured revenue-sharing systems, and why recent agreements in media and entertainment could shift the conversation from conflict to cooperation.

Who: Jonathan Barnett, University of Southern California School of Law professor and director of its Media, Entertainment and Technology Law Program; Sara Guaglione, a senior media reporter at Digiday;  Michael D. Smith, Carnegie Mellon University professor of information technology and public policy; co-director of the Initiative for Digital Entertainment Analytics.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: National Press Foundation

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Thu, Feb 19 - Best Practices for Attracting and Hiring a Student Intern

What: You’ll learn simple, effective strategies for building a strong internship opportunity that appeals to today’s students. We’ll cover where to find qualified candidates, how to create compelling internship roles, and what steps to take to ensure a smooth and successful hiring process. Whether you’re offering your first internship or improving an existing program, this session will give you practical tools you can use right away.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, PennWest University

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Thu, Feb 19 - Trump and Higher Ed: The Latest  

What: We will ll unpack the most pressing issues in higher-ed policy, helping you stay informed and prepared for the year ahead.

Who: Sarah Brown, The Chronicle’s news editor; Rick Seltzer, author of the subscriber-only Daily Briefing newsletter.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Chronicle of Higher Ed

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Thu, Feb 19 - Ask Me Anything: Local News, Trusted Messengers and History

What: Takeaways from recent API Local News Summits on local identity and history and civic discourse across generations. Panelists will situate those practical takeaways in the context of a rising trend: collaborations between local media and local influencers.

Who: Samantha Ragland of the American Press Institute; Kwasi Hope, an historian and award-winning speaker.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: American Press Institute & the Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism & Citizenship

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Thu, Feb 19 - How AI Policies Are Impacting Gov IT

What: A rapid‑fire briefing on the top data and AI trends shaping federal strategy. Industry and government experts will break down how budget compression, national AI standards, and new security requirements are accelerating the rise of secure “AI enclaves” across U.S. government cloud regions.

Who: Jennifer Franks Director, Center for Enhanced Cybersecurity, Government Accountability Office; Natalie Buda Smith Director of Digital Strategy, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Library of Congress; Amy R. Ritualo Acting Chief Data and AI Officer, Dept. of State; Stephen Moon CTO, Public Sector, Snowflake.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

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Thu, Feb 19 - Marketing with Ethical AI: Ensuring Fairness & Inclusivity 

What: This webinar for marketing will explore how ethical AI principles are reshaping marketing at Microsoft. Expect to learn how to create marketing campaigns that resonate with diverse audiences while upholding ethical standards.

Who: Nia Joseph, AI Products & Systems Lead Microsoft; Ray Sims, Senior Responsible AI Manager Microsoft.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The Association of National Advertisers

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Fri, Feb 20 - Covering Protest and Controversial Topics: Understanding the Risks and Staying Safe 

Who: Lauren Walsh, managing director of journalist safety initiatives at the Foley Foundation; Tom Durkin, director of safety education at the Foley Foundation.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: University of Vermont

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Fri, Feb 20 - Learn about Data Liberation Project 

What: The Data Liberation Project is an initiative to identify, obtain, reformat, clean, document, publish, and disseminate government datasets of public interest. We’ll answer any questions, take your feedback and show you the newest tools on our platform. We’ll also feature case studies on how to use our services, new user orientations, showcasing new MuckRock features and more.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: MuckRock

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AI Definitions: OpenClaw AI

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OpenClaw AI – This open-source artificial-intelligence agent is designed to assist users with everyday tasks, such as reading and sorting email, scheduling calendar events, and making purchases. Text it on a variety of platforms and it will remember your messages and preferences, send you reminders and automate tasks for you. While its creator promises a capable assistant, critics warn it is not a polished, enterprise-ready product but a rough outline of a tool with significant security concerns, especially since it is still at work after users have logged off. OpenClaw was released as open-source software on the platform GitHub in November of 2025 under the name Clawdbot, which was briefly changed to Moltbot.

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