Practicing Pitches to AI Avatars

Harvard Business School is using chat and video avatars of its professors in an online boot camp, called Foundry, that it launched in April. Students can pull the A.I. versions of H.B.S. professors into a group text chat to help advise them on their start-up ideas. They can also practice their pitch to customers or venture capitalists with A.I. video avatars that look like the professors. The avatars ask follow-up questions and dispense advice based on both their own expertise and a body of Harvard Business School research and frameworks. - New York Times

AI definitions: AI Translator

AI Translator (or trust director) – This is a title for a person who understands AI well enough to explain its mechanics to others, particularly to leaders and managers, so they can make effective decisions. These workers will not only explain what the AI output means (especially when it is technical) but also how trustworthy the information and conclusions are. This role may fall under that of a compliance officer, helping organizations understand contracts and reports written by AI.

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20 Articles about Cover Letters & Personal Statements

AI definitions: Causal Inference

Causal Inference - The scientific method for determining the cause-and-effect relationship between variables. Causal AI is the software application of that science. Getting to an exact cause can be difficult. A 2021 study found that even in reputable medical journals, a quarter of the published papers failed to identify the correct cause. This is one reason why an AI model can have a high degree of accuracy and still make poor recommendations. If a model is determined to be “accurate,” it means the AI is effective at identifying patterns. However, “accuracy” provides no information about whether those patterns will continue during intervention. In other words, is it possible for machine learning to make a good prediction, but not identify the cause accurately. Note: Most machine learning applications work fine without causal reasoning and do not need that added layer of engineering. It’s when the AI moves from pattern recognition to decision-making that causal reasoning can become essential.

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CEOs & Profs are Using A.I. Doubles

Consultants and executive coaches who don’t have the bandwidth to address every inquiry are referring some clients to their A.I. doubles. Harvard Business School professors have incorporated A.I. versions of themselves into courses and office hours. And executives are using their A.I. avatars to address employees in other countries in their own languages. - New York Times

20 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism, & Media

(And one weekend event on free speech)

Mon, June 8 - Work Smarter with AI Agents - Build them with Octonous

What: This session will explore Octonous, Mozilla.ai's agent platform, and learn how to build AI agents tailored to your team's workflows. ​No technical skills required. Just bring your curiosity.

Who: Caroline Bohu, Solutions Engineer at Mozilla.ai.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Mozilla.ai

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Mon, June 8 - Why Your Website Matters More Than Ever

What: Walk away knowing: Where your website is silently losing donors and what to fix first; What today's funders and supporters actually expect when they land on your site; The practical steps to turn your website into your hardest-working team member; How to make meaningful improvements without a massive budget or a full rebuild.

Who: David Pisarek, CEO of Wow Digital.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Techsoup, Canada

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Tue, June 9 - Santa Marta and the Future of Climate Journalism

What: A discussion about the recent Santa Marta conference focused on transitioning away from fossil fuels — and the future of climate journalism.

Who: Keisuke Katori, Senior Staff Writer, Asahi Shimbun; Saorla McCabe, Advisor on Communication and Information Strategy and Policy, UNESCO; Phil Newell, Communications Co-Chair, Climate Action Against Disinformation; Elena González, Local Television Engagement Manager, Covering Climate Now; Kyle Pope, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives & Co-Founder, Covering Climate Now.

When: 9:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: CCNow & UNESCO

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Tue, June 9 - The Future of Learning Isn’t Content, It’s AI, Simulation, Coaching and Judgment

What: How learning teams can help employees develop judgment, operational fluency, and the human skills AI can’t replace. As AI becomes increasingly capable of prediction and information generation, the real differentiator will be a workforce that knows how to interpret, apply, question, and act on AI-driven insights.

Who: Karl Kapp, Director, Institute for Interactive Technologies, Bloomsburg University.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: ELB Learning

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Tue, June 9 - 'Investigating the Ocean' Webinar Series: 'How To Track Ships Like a Pro Using OSINT'

What: This session dives into vessel tracking and maritime monitoring using open-source intelligence. Journalists will learn how ships move, how to follow them in real time, and how to detect suspicious behavior such as illegal fishing, transshipment, or AIS manipulation. The session will also introduce satellite imagery and remote sensing tools to monitor ocean activity beyond what vessels report themselves.

Who: Fernanda Buffa, Pulitzer Center; Davide Mancini ORN Fellow; Federico Acosta Rainis, Pulitzer Center.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Tue, June 9 - Trauma-informed Reporting: A Mental Health Reporting Project

What: Master trauma-informed reporting to cover mental health with accuracy, empathy and impact.

Who: Lisa Armstrong, Assistant Professor, UC Berkeley.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Poynter

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Tue, June 9 - Social Media Boot Camp, Part 1

What: We’ll teach you practical tips and tools for extending your cause and mission via social media. We cover the basics of using social media for your nonprofit organization and give you handy tips for the most useful social media platforms for nonprofits.

Who: Kiersten Hill, Director of Nonprofit Solutions.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Tue, June 9 - Let's talk AI-powered conversion propensity models

What: Lessons learned from the panelists’ work and an open the discussion about what's worked and how they've experimented in this space.

Who: Chicago Public Media's Ellery Jones, Aditi Mukund, and Mark Chonofsky.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Tue, June 9 - Rise of independent journalists: Q&A with creators Levi Ismail and Chelsea Cox

Who: Levi Ismail, Creator and NewsChannel5 journalist; Chelsea Cox, Content creator journalist.

When: 4 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Center for Scholastic Journalism at Kent State University & and Trusting News

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Wed, June 10 - LinkedIn for Small Business

What: In this session, you’ll learn how to optimize your profile to attract ideal clients, create content that gets seen without spending hours online, and turn connections into real business conversations. Whether you’re launching your first business or scaling an established one, you’ll walk away with a practical 30-day action plan to make LinkedIn work for your business goals.

Who: Karen Seymour, Founder and CEO of KJS Digital Marketing.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Temple University

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Wed, June 10 - The Future of Medical Writing: Applying AI Through a Human-Centric Lens + Demo

What: This session provides a practical view of how organizations can move from experimentation to scalable impact—while keeping medical writers central to the process.

Who: Melissa Morine, Senior Staff AI Staff Engineer, Weave Bio; Nancy Smith, RAC SVP, Medical Writing Services, Syner-G.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to members

Sponsor: American Medical Writers Association

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Wed, June 10 - Encouraging Self-directed Learning in Your Online Learning Environment

What: This webinar to help you define self-directed learning, identify barriers within your online learning environment, and make changes so that learners can drive their professional growth.

Who: Jeremy Tuttle, Director of Learning Design at Niche Academy.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Niche Academy

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Wed, June 10 - AI Has a Black Problem

What: We'll look into how AI sees race, why it matters more than most people realize and what it looks like to navigate a world that's increasingly being built by machines trained on our blind spots. We'll talk about who's at the table when these technologies are created, who's missing, and why that gap has real consequences for our communities. 

When: 7 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Luna

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Thu, June 11 - Ask Me Anything: 2026-2027 AI Accountability Network Fellowships

What: Learn more about joining the fifth (2026-2027) cohort of our Al Accountability Fellowships.

Who: Joanna S. Kao, Pulitzer Center; Si Err Yap, AI Fellow; Maria Karienova, Pulitzer Center.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Thu, June 11 - You Are the Experience: What Your Audience Actually Responds To

What: You’ll experience firsthand what truly captures attention, builds connection, and invites participation. Through a series of intentional moments, we’ll explore five specific experiences that consistently spark audience response and how to bring them to life using the tools available to you.

Who: Kassy LaBorie speaker, author, Virtual training pioneer.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Aha Slides

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Thu, June 11 - The KPI Reset: Measuring What Actually Matters 

What: This session focuses on how publishers can move beyond surface-level metrics and build KPI frameworks tied directly to financial outcomes. 

Who: Reilly Kneedler, an AlignSimple data and audience analytics expert.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $35

Sponsor: Online Media Campus

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Thu, June 11 - Public Sector Social Media: How to balance Creativity and Constraint

What: Whether you're a seasoned social media pro or you're just dipping your toes into the digital waters, you'll walk away with actionable tips, new friends in social . . . and maybe even a giveaway prize!

Who: Jake MacDonald, Hey Orca!

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Hey Orca

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Thu, June 11 - Social Media Boot Camp, Part 2

What: Now it’s time to use social media to stand out from the crowd. You’ll learn a few advanced social media tips and tricks, elevate your social media presence through micro strategies and activate your advocates.

Who: Kiersten Hill, Director of Nonprofit Solutions.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

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Fri, June 12 - Codex for Faculty and Researchers

What: Explore how faculty and researchers can use Codex to move from a research question or teaching need to a working prototype faster. This session will show practical workflows in higher education. We’ll focus on realistic academic use cases, including how to give Codex clear context, review its work, and keep humans in control of research quality and reproducibility.

Who: Gaurav Kaila, AI Deployment Manager, OpenAI.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Open AI Academy

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Fri, June 12 - AI & the Creation: Friends or Foes?

What: A moderated discussion and theological responses to the ways in which AI can contribute to planetary flourishing and the ways in which AI contributes to environmental concerns.

Who: Greg Cootsona, Executive Director of AI and Faith; Jim Stump, the Vice President at BioLogos; Sharon Talbot, marketing strategist; Leslie Herrmann, a scholar-advocate; Braden Molhoek, the Director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences

When: 5:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom (hybrid)

Cost: Free

Sponsors: The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union & New College Berkeley.

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Sat, June 13 - Free Press Workshop 2026

What: Learn how to assert your right to press freedom and use the law to improve your reporting. This event is open to current undergraduate and graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities, with a special focus on those involved in journalism. Attendees will hear from experts in the field about the importance of student journalism and how to protect a free and open press.

When: 9 am – 5:30 pm

Where: In person (WHYY, Philadelphia)

Cost: Free

Sponsor: FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)

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AI definitions: World Models

World Models – These are AI systems that build up an internal approximation of an environment. Through trial and error, these bots use the representation to evaluate predictions and decisions before applying the results to real-world tasks. This contrasts with LLMs, which operate on correlations within language rather than on connections to the word itself. In the late 1980s, world models fell out of favor with scientists working on artificial intelligence and robotics. The rise of machine learning has brought interest in developing these systems back to life.

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AI Detector Ban

Indiana University's Kelley School of Business explicitly states that AI detection tools are not approved for use because they are "highly unreliable" and can produce both false positives and false negatives. Instead of trying to catch students using AI, the university is encouraging professors to rethink how they teach and assess student work in the age of generative AI. -Tom’s Guide

17 Surprising Things AI Can Do Now