Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
Prompts - Instructions for an AI. It is the main way to steer the AI in a particular direction, indicate your intent, and give it a context to work in. It can be time-consuming if the task is complex.
More AI definitions here.
What AI struggles with is not intellectual difficulty or specialized skills and knowledge, but with messy workflows. Jobs that require juggling multiple pieces of information, responding to changing environments, or unclear goals remain challenging for even the most advanced AI tools. Think about it. Secretaries and even the office intern are constantly multi-tasking with shifting priorities. AI can’t handle that chaos yet. Writers and programmers also have the added vulnerability of high freelancing rates. Companies can easily swap in AI for non-staff employees without HR getting involved. The more a job involves collaboration, co-operation, and a little bit of mess, the harder it is to automate. -John Burn-Murdoch, Financial Times
Is “ethical AI” an oxymoron? - Hidde
MIT study finds that AI doesn’t, in fact, have values – Tech Crunch
The Unbelievable Scale of AI’s Pirated-Books Problem – The Atlantic
AI transparency framework – UX Design
Dark Side of GenAI: Ethical Dilemmas Threatening Our Future – Analytics Insights
GenAI synthetic data create ethical challenges for scientists – PNAS
"Humans in the loop" make AI work, for now- Axios
Will AI jeopardize science photography? - Nature
Aligning AI with human values - MIT
Knowing less about AI makes people more open to having it in their lives – new research – The Conversation
Should we disclose our use of AI — and if so, does it signal intelligence or laziness? – UX Design
Logging off life but living on: How AI is redefining death, memory and immortality - The Conversation
AI is My Research & Writing Partner. Should I disclose it? – Wired
The case for a Hippocratic Oath for artificial intelligence – Global Gov Forum
What I’m Hearing in China This Week About Our Shared Future – New York Times
Why neglecting AI ethics is such risky business - and how to do AI right - ZDnet
New book delves into the ethical dilemmas of using AI – Durham University
Two students in Austria created a program that is attending classes and is treated like any other student. It attends lectures, turns in artwork for assignments, collaborates with classmates and will receive grades on submitted work. ‘Flynn’ is testing the boundaries of artificial intelligence tools, and could, in theory, progress toward a diploma.” - Washington Post
If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense making them. -Laurence J. Peter
We need to bridge the fault line emerging in debates about AI and the future of news – Reuters
What news audiences can teach journalists about artificial intelligence – Editor & Publisher
How AI is steering the media toward a ‘close enough’ standard – Fast Company
The LA Times Has ‘Moved On’ From AI-Driven Bias Meter After KKK Snafu – The Wrap
The New York Times’ Zach Seward on embracing AI – Depth Perception
Audiences are still skeptical about generative AI in the news – Poynter
Will A.I. Save the News? – New Yorker
AI tools have fueled a rise in expert commentator—who are not real – Press Gazette
Bloomberg Has a Rocky Start With A.I. News Summaries – New York Times
Independent says readers ‘often prefer’ stories provided by new AI service to human-written versions of those articles– Press Gazette
How ProPublica Uses AI Responsibly in Its Investigations - ProPublica
AI search has a news citation problem - Digital Content – Digital Content Next
Newsquest now employing 36 ‘AI-assisted reporters’ – Press Gazette
AOL’s AI Image Captions Terribly Describe Attempted Murder – 404 Media
AI in the newsroom: What researchers learned from the AP and the BBC – Journalism Resources
What Journalists Should Know About Deepfake Detection in 2025 – Columbia Journalism Review
We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News. – Columbia Journalism Review
Gannett seeks AI sports editor amid union tensions, past controversies – Awful Announcing
Patch says it has expanded to nearly every town in the U.S. using AI – Axio
LA Times to display AI-generated political rating on opinion pieces - The Guardian
Key Questions for Journalists to Consider Before Using Generative AI – The Open Notebook
Meet the journalists training AI models for Meta and OpenAI – Nieman Lab
How DeepSeek stacks up when citing news publishers - Nieman Lab
The Dangerous A.I. Nonsense That Trump and Biden Fell For - New York Times
How AI “expert sources” have duped journalists and four tips on how to avoid being the next victim – Dynamics of Writing
Is this AI or a journalist? Research reveals stylistic differences in news articles – Tech Explore
5 ways science journalists can leverage AI in their work - International Journalists' Network
“Over the course of the next 10 years, AI-powered institutions will rise in the rankings. US News & World Report will factor a college’s AI capabilities into its calculations. Accrediting agencies will assess the degree of AI integration into pedagogy, research, and student life. Corporations will want to partner with universities that have demonstrated AI prowess. In short, we will see the emergence of the AI haves and have-nots. Prepare for an ever-widening chasm between resource-rich, technologically advanced colleges and those that are cash-starved and slow to adapt to the age of AI.” - Chronicle of Higher Ed
Red Teaming - Testing an AI by trying to force it to act in unintended or undesirable ways, thus uncovering potential harms. The term comes from a military practice of taking on the role of an attacker to devise strategies.
More AI definitions here.
The lesson of disenchantment begins with the discovery that if you want to change – really to change, and not just to switch positions – you must realize that some significant part of your old reality was in your head, not out there. The flawless parent, the noble leader, the perfect wife, and the utterly trustworthy friend are an inner cast of characters looking for actors to play the parts. One person is on the lookout for someone older and wiser, and another is seeking an admiring follower. And when they find each other they fit like the interlocking pieces of a puzzle.
Or almost. Actually, the misfit is greater than either person knows, or even wants to know. The thing that keeps this misperception in place is an “enchantment,” a spell cast by the past on the present. Most of the time, these enchantments work fairly well, but at life’s turning points they break down. Almost inevitably, we feel cheated at such times, as though someone were trying to trick us. But usually the earlier enchanted view was as “real” as we could manage a the time. It corresponded to a self-image and a situation and it could not change without affecting ourselves and others.
William Bridges, Transitions
YouTube rolls out a free AI music-making tool for creators – Tech Crunch
You can now give Google’s AI video model camera directions – The Verge
The hidden cost of AI video generators that no one warns you about - Zdnet
A Notable Advance in Human-Driven AI Video – Unite AI
Adobe’s Sora-rivaling AI video generator is now available for everyone – The Verge
AI & the Power of Small Teams - Jorge Arango
Super Bowl Ad Results: AI Can’t Compete With Sentimental Stories – Wall Street Journal
OpenAI, Google and Runway race to generate AI video - Axios
This new AI technology enhances video analysis by detecting human actions in real time – Tech Radar
Twelve Labs is building AI that can analyze and search through videos – Tech Crunch
Linking auditory and visual place perceptions with soundscape-to-image generative artificial intelligence – Science Direct
Sony is experimenting with AI-powered PlayStation characters – The Verge
AI entrepreneur sent avatar to argue in court - The Register
AI avatar generator Synthesia does video footage deal with Shutterstock – The Guardian
Amazon says its AI video model can now generate minutes-long clips - Tech Crunch
‘Human-in-the-loop’ is not always a meaningful mitigation. When an AI model relies on thousands of data points to come to conclusions. It wouldn't really be possible for a human to sift through that amount of information to determine if the AI output was erroneous. -MIT Tech Review
Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military – MIT Tech Review
AI Military AI is here. Some experts are worried – Fast Company
Pentagon signs AI deal to help commanders plan military maneuvers – Washington Post
A German startup specializing in geospatial data, is using sensing technology in autonomous vehicles to map the seafloor to strengthen underwater military defense – Wall Street Journal
A.I. Military Start-Up Anduril Close to Deal That Would Value It at $28 Billion – New York Times
Military AI Will Mean Overhauling Test as Well as Tactics: DOD’s First AI Chief – Air & Space Forces Magazine
The US Central Command is employing large language models for some of its processes – AFCEA
Military takes on question of when AI is the right thing to do – Military Aerospace
Meta Permits Its A.I. Models to Be Used for U.S. Military Purposes - New York Times
The Technology for Autonomous Weapons Exists. What Now? – Undark
Air Force continues to expand its version of ChatGPT following summer launch – Stripes
This Space Spy Agency’s AI Shift May Hint at Your Company’s Future Facing- Inc
Microsoft workers say they were fired for protesting Israel’s use of AI – ABC News
8 countries that are scaling up AI in their military – Quartz
Oracle to provide cloud computing, AI services to Singapore military – Reuters
No one in a relationship problem is ever totally innocent or totally guilty. With this belief, people can always keep the door open to their own faults without engaging in excessive, guilt-provoking self-incrimination. Holding back anger for even a short time and engaging in self-analysis in private has the effect of tempering the expression of anger. Confession altars our goals from changing others to changing the relationship.
Gary Collins, Counseling and Anger
Sentiment analysis (also known as opinion mining or emotion artificial intelligence) – A tool using natural language processing techniques to collect and analyze the tone behind how people interact online with a brand. It attempts to get past numbers (mentions, comments, etc.) to extract subjective qualities from data—including attitudes, emotions, sarcasm, confusion or suspicion. Sentiment analysis makes use of data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence and computational linguistics to arrive at actionable insights.
More AI definitions here.
Courage is when somebody sits down with their hurt. They name it and they feel it. Only then will it begin to fade. – Jonny Thomson
What: An introduction to ChatGPT designed for beginners. Only a free ChatGPT account is required to follow along.
Who: Lois Newman and Solutions Engineer Mohammed Husain, both from OpenAI.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenAI Academy
What: Learn how to optimize layout, content, accessibility features, and navigation on your website. This session will provide strategies for designing user-friendly, visually compelling websites that connect with diverse audiences and reflect your mission. Whether you're revamping an existing site or building a new one, this workshop will empower your nonprofit to create a digital presence that is both impactful and inclusive.
Who: Kyle Barkins, Co-Founder of Tapp Network; Jon Hill, Web Project Manager at Tapp Network.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
What: How can newsrooms disclose their use of AI in ways that build trust and demonstrate ethical practices? Learn how to disclose your use of AI with customizable language for a variety of use cases, including: writing content, transcribing interviews and translating content. People want transparency. Let's give it to them and model responsible use of AI in our newsrooms.
Who: Lynn Walsh, Trusting News assistant director and SPJ past president.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
What: Is this the future of independent journalism? Can writers really make money, or is the real benefit in influence – and what’s the balance? This webinar will explain how to build a successful Substack.
Who: David Andelman, Deadline Club board member and author of Andelman Unleashed along with established Substackers Claire Atkinson and Richard Galant.
When: 6 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Deadline Club
What: This presentation will delve into the evolution from traditional DevOps to the advanced usage of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to automate and optimize the software development and delivery processes. This includes automating code scanning, testing and deployment processes while eliminating the threats in each possible way in the cycle.
Who: Jyotirmayee Pradeep Kumar, Vice President- CoreDev DevOps.
When: 4 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: BrightTalk
What: Discover the latest AI and automation tools and techniques to make professional L&D graphics, slides, and covers. Quickly turns text, data, and ideas into professional, at-a-glance designs. Also, learn three AI truths that impact your job and our industry for years to come.
Who: Mike Parkinson Author, Owner, Billion Dollar Graphics.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Training Magazine Network
What: The panelists will discuss their experiences with and reporting on adversarial administrations, the recent court ruling against the White House for barring the AP from its press pool, and other alarming efforts to sideline journalists — along with how we can push back against these threats to public accountability and the free flow of information.
Who: Brian Karem, journalist and former White House correspondent; Stephanie Sugars, senior reporter for the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker; Caitlin Vogus, senior adviser at Freedom of the Press Foundation (moderator).
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Journalists
What: A panel discussion on what the rise of agentic AI means for innovation, competition, and policy, how prepared the United States is to keep pace, and what policy shifts might be needed to ensure consumers and businesses can successfully develop and deploy AI agents.
Who: A.J. Bhadelia, AI Public Policy, Cohere; Erica Finkle, AI Policy Director, Meta; Avijit Ghosh, Applied Policy Researcher in the Machine Learning and Society Team, Hugging Face; Helen Toner, Director of Strategy and Foundational Research Grants, Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET); Hodan Omaar, Senior Policy Manager, Center for Data Innovation (moderator).
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Center for Data Innovation
What: Lessons for journalism students and small-market journalists everywhere about what the appropriate standards are in deciding whether - and how - to accept a news release or an op-ed.
Who: Michael de Yoanna, managing editor, Mountain West News Bureau.
When: 1:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists Colorado Pro Chapter
What: You will get essential takeaways on: Building trusted channels: How to create accessible, community-driven media platforms that reach underserved audiences; Fighting misinformation and reclaiming narratives; Strategies to identify, debunk, and prevent the spread of false information while restoring accurate and authentic community stories; Local journalism today: Exploring the challenges and opportunities for journalists in the current political and media landscape; Empowering BIPOC publishers: Lessons, tools, and resources to enhance impact, ensure safety and promote sustainability.
Who: Maritza L. Félix, founder of Conecta Arizona, a Spanish-language news service that connects communities along the U.S.-Mexico border.
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Indiegraf
What: How nonprofits used technology in 2024 and what’s ahead for 2025. Based on anonymized data from Okta’s nonprofit customers, this annual report reveals the most-used apps, the fastest-growing security tools, and the evolving cyberthreat landscape. You’ll gain insights into how nonprofits are advancing their missions with technology — and where there’s still room for growth.
Who: Shruti Ramaswami, TechSoup Vice President, Strategy & Strategic Relationships; Stephen Jackson, TechSoup Director, Strategic Communications; Remy Champion, Okta Head of Tech for Good; Taylor Whitfield, Okta Manager, Tech for Good.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: TechSoup, Okta for Good
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it will not always be so. -Mary Jean Irion
I had the most satisfying Eureka experience of my career while attempting to teach flight instructors that praise is more effective than punishment for promoting skill-learning. I was telling them about an important principle of skill training: rewards for improved performance work better than punishment of mistakes. This proposition is supported by much evidence from research on pigeons, rats, humans and other animals.
When I had finished my enthusiastic speech, one of the most seasoned instructors in the audience raised his hand and made a short speech of his own. He began by conceding that positive reinforcement might be good for the birds, but he denied that it was optimal for flight cadets. This is what he said,
“On many occasions I have praised flight cadets for clean execution of some aerobatic maneuver. The next time they try the same maneuver they usually do worse. On the other hand, I have often screamed into a cadet’s earphone for bad execution, and in general he does better one his next try. So please don’t tell us that reward works and punishment does not, because the opposite is the case.”
This was a joyous moment of insight, in which I saw in a new light a principle of statistics that I had been teaching for years. The instructor was right – but he was also completely wrong! His observation was astute and correct: occasions on which he praised a performance were likely to be followed by a disappointing performance, and punishments were typically followed by an improvement. But the inference he had drawn about the efficacy of reward and punishment was completely off the mark.
What he had observed is known as regression to the mean, which in that case was due to random fluctuations in the quality of the performance. Naturally, he praised only a cadet whose performance was far better than average. But the cadet was probably just lucky on that particular attempt and therefore likely to deteriorate regardless of whether or not he was praise. Similarly, the instructor would shout in to a cadet earphones only when the cadet’s performance was usually bad and therefore likely to improve regardless of what the instructor did. The instructor had attached a causal interpretation to the inevitable fluctuations of a random process.
Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow
When faces go virally wrong AI portraiture and the crisis of the profile picture - UX Design
ChatGPT's new image generator - how to use it for free - ZDnet
Google’s AI Mode now lets users ask complex questions about images – Tech Crunch
15 Expert Tips For Brands Using AI Imagery In Advertising – Forbes
Will AI jeopardize science photography? – Nature
AI-generated photos are warping our sense of reality and hurting small businesses along the way – Washington Post
How to Use AI in Photoshop: The Biggest Features, Plus Expert Tips – CNET
Google’s new AI tool uses image prompts instead of text - CNN
People are using Google’s new AI model to remove watermarks from images – Tech Crunch
Experts fail to reliably detect AI-generated histological data – Nature
Hobbyists discover how to insert custom fonts into AI-generated images – Arstechnica
How Google Used AI to Re-Create ‘The Wizard of Oz’ for the Las Vegas Sphere – Wall Street Journal
New AI chips transfer data using light instead of electricity for greater speed – Reuters
New AI algorithm to predict risk of cardiovascular events, heart-related death – AP 7am
AI is shaking up the hidden world of earthquake forecasting – The Star
This new AI tool changes a speaker's accent to American English in real-time - hear for yourself – Zdet
Doctors Told Him He Was Going to Die. Then A.I. Saved His Life.- New York Times
Arizona Supreme Court taps AI avatars to make the judicial system more publicly accessible – Associated Press
Agibot unveils AI model that allows humanoid robots to perform real-world tasks – SCMP
How A.I. Is Changing the Way the World Builds Computers - New York Times
Artificial intelligence finds 5,000-year-old civilization beneath Dubai desert – Jerusalem Post
AI made its way to vineyards. Here’s how the technology is helping make your wine – Associated Press
Google Cloud unveils AI-powered weather predictions - Axios
The New Leverage: AI and the Power of Small Teams – Jarango
Duke Health develops AI model that predicts mental health illness risks for adolescents – CBS 17
AI can outperform humans in predicting correlations between personality items – Nature
McDonald’s Gives Its Restaurants an AI Makeover - Wall Street Journal
These AI powered earbuds pack a secret — you can record and translate speech – Tom’s Guide
Earth AI is using AI algorithms to identify overlooked deposits of critical minerals – Tech Crunch
Surveillance software uses machine learning and motion analysis to help retailers catch shoplifters – Financial Times
A weather model that offers a faster and more efficient alternative to traditional forecasting methods – The Register
A small robot can be used to detect and potentially treat cancers found in the large intestine – Medical Express
A new AI tool helps recruitment agencies automate outreach and follow-ups - Financial Times
Krisp is using AI to change user accents during phone calls in real-time. - Tech Crunch
Scientists in the UK have developed an AI model that speeds up the diagnosis of coeliac disease – The Guardian
AI and satellites help aid workers respond to Myanmar earthquake damage – Associated Press
Meta Unveils Mind-Reading AI That Types Your Thoughts with Shocking Precision – The Brighter Side
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