An AI illusion of Safety

A.I. suggestions “work covertly, sometimes very powerfully, to change not only what you write but what you think.” The result, over time, might be a shift in what “people think is normal, desirable, and appropriate.”  We often hear A.I. outputs described as “generic” or “bland,” but averageness is not necessarily anodyne. Vauhini Vara, a novelist and a journalist whose recent book “Searches” focusses in part on A.I.’s impact on human communication and selfhood, told me that the mediocrity of A.I. texts “gives them an illusion of safety and being harmless.” - Kyle Chayka writing in The New Yorker

The Red Marks

A news story I wrote for a graduate class was returned to me covered in red marks. I had a choice of one of two reactions: I could have said to myself, "Well, I can't do this." I could have thrown up my hands, given up, and moved on to something else. The assumption being that either I could write well or I couldn't write well, and once I put my talents on display, we would know which one was true.

But there is another way to react: I could decide to adjust, change my strategy, and learn from the professor's feedback. This attitude assumes that learning is not about fixed intelligence, but rather a matter of persistence. This pathway requires the student to humble themselves, ask questions, and struggle.

This process is especially difficult to accept if your ego is riding on whether you can perform new tasks effortlessly from the start. The alternative is to see yourself as a person of value and worth, regardless of performance. Of course, if God declares you to be of value simply because you are you, who are you to argue?

Stephen Goforth

22 Articles about how AI is Affecting Jobs

What Is Gen Z Supposed to Do When AI Takes Entry-Level Jobs? - New York Magazine  

AI Won’t Replace You — But Your Predictability Will. Here’s How to Stay Irreplaceable. - Entrepreneur

The Boss Has a Message: Use AI or You’re Fired – Wall Street Journal

AI Broke Interviews – Yusuf Aytas

OpenAI looks to replace the drudgery of junior bankers’ workload - Bloomberg

Miran says impact of AI on labor ‘very difficult’ to predict - Semafor

Here’s what will really affect jobs in the age of AI – Washington Post

Recruiters Use A.I. to Scan Résumés. Applicants Are Trying to Trick It. – New York Times

AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity – Harvard Business Review  

Big Tech Told Kids to Code. The Jobs Didn’t Follow. (podcast) – New York Times 

AI is taking on live translations. But jobs and meaning are getting lost. - Washington Post

Artists are losing work, wages, and hope as bosses and clients embrace AI – Blood in the Machine

AI is causing anxiety about the future of the workforce. But are there AI-proof jobs? – NPR

AI is supercharging Gen Z workers — if they can land a job - Washington Post 

AI job anxiety: It's real, and coming at the worst time – Axios

A new sign that AI is competing with college grads – The Atlantic

5 ways job seekers can improve their AI literacy - Washington Post 

The Computer-Science Bubble Is Bursting – The Atlantic  

Bosses are seeking ‘AI literate’ job candidates. What does that mean? - Washington Post 

AI-generated ‘workslop’ is here. It’s killing teamwork and causing a multimillion dollar productivity problem, researchers say – CNBC

Automation comes for tech jobs in the world capital of AI - Washington Post

Laid Off to Launch: A Toolkit for Journalists - News Revenue Hub

25 Recent Articles about AI & Journalism

Will AI Replace Journalists Or Test Their Integrity? What MIT Researcher Said - NDTV

Inside Reuters’ agentic AI video experiment – Digiday

A.I. Sweeps Through Newsrooms, but Is It a Journalist or a Tool? – New York Times

X Is Using AI Fact-Checkers – Columbia Journalism Review

Trust Networks as Antidote to AI Slop - Pawel Brodzinski

Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory – BBC

‘Existential crisis’: how Google’s shift to AI has upended the online news model – The Guardian

New ChatGPT writing guidelines at Axel Springer-owned Business Insider - Status

How AI will upend the news – Semafor

Can the news industry stop AI theft? It might be a long shot. – Washington Post

Wired and Business Insider remove ‘AI-written’ freelance articles – Press Gazette 

I Tested How Well AI Tools Work for Journalism - Columbia Journalism Review

What's behind the TikTok accounts using AI-generated versions of real Latino journalists? – NBC News  

The first copyright challenge by a major Japanese news publisher against an AI company. - Harvard’s Nieman Lab

Inside the quiet takeover of local journalism by AI - Fast Company

Newsrooms tap AI experts - Axios

What is AI reading? Takeaways from a report on AI brand visibility – MuckRack 

Politico’s recent AI experiments shouldn’t be subject to newsroom editorial standards, its editors testify – Harvard’s Nieman Lab

Parkland Shooting Victim Recreated as AI for Jim Acosta Interview. – The Guardian

If AI Won't Follow the Rules, Should the Media Even Try? – Fast Company  

AI presents challenges to journalism — but also opportunities - The Harvard Gazette  

Most journalists use AI; few newsrooms have policies – Editor & Publisher

AI-generated news sites spout viral slop from forgotten URLs – Harvard’s Nieman Lab

Prompting tips for journalists using AI image generators – JournalismUK

Major Study Finds Many Mistakes in AI-Generated News Summaries – TV Tech

What Causes Technological Adoption

Popular culture presents consumer technology as a never-ending upward progression that continuously makes things better for everybody. In reality, new tech products usually involve a set of tradeoffs where improvements in areas like usability or design come along with weaknesses in areas like privacy & security. Sometimes new tech is better for one community while making things worse for others. Most importantly, just because a particular technology is “better” in some way doesn’t guarantee it will be widely adopted, or that it will cause other, more popular technologies to improve.

In reality, technological advances are a lot like evolution in the biological world: there are all kinds of dead-ends or regressions or uneven tradeoffs along the way, even if we see broad progress over time.

Anil Dash

10 Weaknesses We All Share

These biases are broad tendencies rather than fixed traits or universal behavioral laws. Everyone does not uniformly share them. Plus, multiple influences contribute to a given behavior. Agents of fake news attempt to exploit these natural biases.

1. FALSE MEMORIES. Studies have shown we are susceptible to false memories. We selectively remember our own experiences, much less historical and cultural events. Planting fake memories has become easier these days with AI-enhanced photo and video forgeries on the internet.   

2. CONFIRMATION BIAS. We tend to seek information that confirms what we already believe to be true. Do I want to believe this report because it is well-sourced and reported, or because it fits with what I already believe?  

3. CORRELATION VS CAUSATION. Just because events or statistics have a connection does not mean we can assume one is the cause of the other.

4. WE OVERVALUE NARRATIVE. Placing a fact in the context of a story increases the likelihood that people will believe it—even when the story limits the likelihood of the fact being true. We are drawn to tidy, clear stories and not ambiguity. 

5. FOOLED BY RANDOMNESS. Humans tend to read meaning into the unexpected and the improbable, even where there is none.   

6. OVERSIMPLIFICATION. To avoid conflict and uncomfortable thinking, we oversimplify to reduce tension. Soon, one side looks good, and the other is dismissed as evil.  

7. SUNK COST FALLACY. We hang on to a course of action or an idea when we have invested in it being true, even when circumstances and reasoning show we should abandon it.

8. GOOGLE SEARCH RELIANCE. Google is not neutral. When you Google something, the algorithm isn’t weighing facts but various factors, such as your search history. Google tailors your results to what you want—or what the search engine “guesses” you want. Because of this personalization, you are probably getting different results than the person sitting next to you. Be critical of search engines as you are critical of the media. Don’t assume the first link or the first page that comes up when you Google something is the best answer to your question.

9. AVAILABILITY BIAS. This shortcut for making quick decisions gives your memories and experiences more credence than they deserve, making it hard to accept new ideas and theories. If it exists close to us, it seems more real or more important.  

10. REGRESSION TO THE MEAN. The is an understanding that while there are highs and lows, the data will mostly likely return to the “mean” or average before long. Just because you are coughing and sick from a cold today it is not reasonable to assume you will remain in this state forever. You will return to your normal state in a matter of time.      

AI Definitions: AI Trainer

AI trainer (or AI tutor) – This is the job of helping the AI find and digest the best, most useful data and then teaching the AI to respond in accurate and helpful ways. When AI companies were launching, they often used workers in poor countries to perform tedious data labeling, but now there's demand for more specialized knowledge. Some companies are paying significant hourly rates for high-skilled experts to share their expertise. This includes those in computer science, real estate, law, medicine, writing etc. They are asked to judge AI for their respective fields.

More AI definitions

27 Recent Articles about AI Fakes

AI Photo of Fake Fire Causes Panic at Texas High School – Gizmodo 

Can YOU spot the fake faces? – Daily Mail

New AI law used to charge middle school student who allegedly shared fake nude images of classmate - WWL-TV

What parents need to know about Sora, the generative AI video app blurring the line between real and fake – ABC News

Chatbots are surprisingly effective at debunking conspiracy theories  - MIT Technology Review

More AI actors are in development - Deadline

How conspiracy theories infiltrated the doctor’s office - MIT Technology Review

AI models remain easily distinguishable from humans in social media conversations – ArsTechnica

X Is Using AI Fact-Checkers – Columbia Journalism Review 

AI hallucinates because it’s trained to fake answers it doesn’t know – Science

US student handcuffed after AI system apparently mistook bag of chips for gun – The Guardian

Woman sent husband AI photos of intruder as a prank. He called 911. – Washington Post

Activist Robby Starbuck Sues Google Over Claims of False AI Info – Wall Street Journal  

How Trump Is Using Fake Imagery to Attack Enemies and Rouse Supporters – New York Times

My journey into the artificial world of Sora 2 – Poynter

Low-quality papers are flooding the cancer literature — can this AI tool help to catch them? – Nature  

OpenAI blocks Sora 2 users from using MLK Jr.'s likeness after "disrespectful depictions" – CBS News

AI video app tops the download charts —horrifying many families of dead celebrities - Washington Post

Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report – Financial Review

Platforms are normalizing the practice of using public figures in AI video  – Columbia Journalism Review  

How Scammers Use AI and Cryptocurrency to Defraud Churches – Ministry Watch

How AI-powered hackers are stealing billions – The Economist

Fake microscopy images generated by AI are indistinguishable from the real thing. – Chemistry World

In an era of AI slop and mid TV, is it time for cultural snobbery to make a comeback? - The Guardian

A Short video from Particle6 in the UK that features AI ‘Actor’ Tilly Norwood (and is completely AI generated) – Particle6 

Creator of AI Actress Tilly Norwood Responds to Backlash: “She Is Not a Replacement for a Human Being” – Hollywood Reporter

Charlie Kirk's AI resurrection ushers in a new era of digital grief – Religious News Service

St. Pete police say woman faked crime using AI-generated image – Fox13

AI Definitions: Synthetic audience

Synthetic audience (or synthetic research) - The use of AI to create an artificial audience modeled on an actual human audience so that a company can use that synthetic audience like a focus group for research purposes.

More AI definitions

Which Jobs Will Change a lot Due to AI

When looking for jobs that will change a lot due to AI, I’d look at repetition of one rote task, each task being relatively independent, closed (not requiring too much context), short (in time), forgiving (the cost of mistake is low), and automatable given current capability. Even then, I’d expect to see AI adopted first as a tool. -Andrej Karpathy, the computer scientist who coined the term vibe coding

Love in Action

Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing - Fyodor Dostoevsky (Born Nov 11, 1821)

22 Articles about how Businesses are using AI

The Boss Has a Message: Use AI or You’re Fired – Wall Street Journal

Agentic brains and ‘digital gardeners’: How one CEO runs his AI office – Semafor

The British news publication The Times is using AI to model synthetic focus groups from human audiences – Digiday

AI Is Co-Writing Financial Reports. Here’s Why That Matters. – Wall Street Journal  

AI Is Teaching the Next Generation of M.B.A.s the Classic Case Study – Wall Street Journal  

By one estimate, 80 percent of U.S. stock gains this year came from A.I. companies. – Financial Times  

How Can Leaders Adapt to AI? – Wharton

‘Default to AI or Else,’ Says New Opendoor CEO in a Companywide Email. It’s a Lesson in Emotional Intelligence - Inc 

Visa preps for AI holiday shoppers, agentic commerce - Axios

Deloitte to refund government, admits using AI in $440k report – Financial Review

Morgan Stanley warns the AI boom may be running out of steam - Quartz

There Are Two Economies: A.I. and Everything Else - New York Times

An agreement with the AI startup to make AI movies can serve as a cautionary tale of the pitfalls of embracing a technology too early – The Wrap 

Why executives can’t afford to ignore Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) - MuckRack

Designing for humans: Why most enterprise adoptions of AI fail – Mark Greville  

Making cash off ‘AI slop’: The surreal business of AI video - The Washington Post  

Companies Are Pouring Billions Into A.I. It Has Yet to Pay Off. - New York Times 

GM Raided Silicon Valley to Build Its New AI Team. Here’s What It’s Doing. – Wall Street Journal 

An entrepreneurial revolution is coming across America - The Washington Post  

Taco Bell Rethinks Future of Voice AI at the Drive-Through – Wall Street Journal 

What's on the horizon for AI and public libraries? – Web Junction

AI’s Power Rush Lifts Smaller, Pricier Equipment Makers – Wall Street Journal

Podcasts about Journalism

The 404 Media Podcast —  A journalist-owned digital media company exploring the way technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world. 

The Digiday Podcast — A weekly show about subscriptions, commerce, the modern newsroom, content creation, audio, streaming, and more.  

Freelancing for Journalists - How to approach freelancing, covering topics ranging from how to get started and what to include in pitches, to how to negotiate rates. Each episode includes guests on different career paths, and who have a variety of perspectives.    

IRE Radio Podcast (Investigative Reporters and Editors) — Behind the story with award-winning reporters, editors and producers to hear how they broke some big stories.

It's All Journalism — The series talks to working journalists about how they do their jobs, the latest trends in journalism, and the changing state of digital media. (not being updated) 

Journalism History — A scholarly journal covering the history of mass media.    

The Journalism Salute — A spotlight on interesting and important journalists and journalism organizations. 

The Kicker — This Columbia Journalism Review podcast explores serious and challenging topics related to journalism and media. (not being updated) 

Longform Podcast (longform.org) — A weekly conversation with a non-fiction writer on how they tell stories. (not being updated)  

Media Voices — Major media industry news each week from three experienced freelance journalists. The focus is on the business side of media and its impact on journalists’ work.

On the Media — Produced by WNYC radio, this is a weekly investigation into how the media shapes our worldview.  

Reveal (The Center for Investigative Reporting) — A look at CIR’s investigative reporting, focusing on real-world impact—from civil and criminal investigations to new laws and policies, better-informed conversations and community-driven solutions. 

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism — A discussion of the Institute's research on trends in media. Based at the University of Oxford, this think tank offers research on the future of journalism.   

The Tip Off — A behind the scenes look at standout investigative reporting from the journalists themselves. (not being updated) 

WriteLane (Tampa Bay Times and Poynter) — Some episodes explore a piece of the writing process: finding ideas, interviewing, seeking structure. Others dive deep into a single story, breaking down the how and why. Some include interviews with other journalists. (not being updated) 

Examples of older podcasts about journalists doing journalism: 

I'm Not A Monster (BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE PBS) — “How did an American family end up in the heart of the ISIS caliphate? Over four years, journalist Josh Baker unravels a dangerous story where nothing is as it seems.”   

The Other Latif (Radiolab)  — “How did this nerdy suburban Muslim kid come to be imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay?” 

The Canary | Washington Post Investigates —  “Two women and a shared refusal to stay silent. A seven-part podcast hosted by investigative reporter Amy Brittain.”

White Lies (NPR) — “In 1965, Rev. James Reeb was murdered in Selma, Alabama. Three men were tried and acquitted, but no one was ever held to account. Fifty years later, two journalists from Alabama return to the city where it happened, expose the lies that kept the murder from being solved and uncover a story about guilt and memory that says as much about America today as it does about the past.” 

The Line (Apple) — “Explore the impact of the forever wars on the U.S. Navy SEALs through the lens of the Eddie Gallagher case.”

The Lazarus Heist (BBC)  — “‘Almost a perfect crime.’ The hacking ring and an attempt to steal a billion dollars. Investigators blame North Korea. Pyongyang denies involvement. The story begins in Hollywood.” 

In the Dark (American Public Media) — “We investigate the case of Curtis Flowers, a Black man from Winona, Mississippi, who was tried six times for the same crime. Flowers spent more than 20 years fighting for his life while a white prosecutor spent that same time trying just as hard to execute him.”

Fluid & Crystallized Intelligence

British psychologist Raymond Cattell in the early 1940s introduced the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Cattell defined fluid intelligence as the ability to reason, analyze, and solve novel problems. Innovators typically have an abundance of fluid intelligence. It is highest relatively early in adulthood and diminishes starting in one’s 30s and 40s. Crystallized intelligence, in contrast, is the ability to use knowledge gained in the past. Think of it as possessing a vast library and understanding how to use it. It is the essence of wisdom. Because crystallized intelligence relies on an accumulating stock of knowledge, it tends to increase through one’s 40s, and does not diminish until very late in life. Careers that rely primarily on fluid intelligence tend to peak early, while those that use more crystallized intelligence peak later. 

Arthur C. Brooks writing in The Atlantic

22 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism & Media

Mon, Nov 10 - AI-Powered Internal Comms: Rewriting the Rules of Employee Engagement

What: How to harness the power of AI video tools to create dynamic, accessible and highly engaging content. From leadership announcements to training modules, we’ll explore how AI can help you captivate your team, improve knowledge retention and build a stronger, more connected company culture.

Who: Wes Hennings, Customer Success Manager Vimeo; Sean Devlin, Editor Ragan Communications.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Vimeo

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Ragan Communications & Vimeo

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Mon, Nov 10 - You May Be Small But You Can Be Mighty: Empowering Nonprofits with AI-Powered Advocacy

What: Join us for an engaging session on how nonprofits can harness AI tools to make their advocacy more strategic and efficient, to boost small teams with big missions. You’ll learn how AI can automatically summarize complex bills, detect legislative changes, and surface related policy trends. We’ll also explore how AI-driven audience segmentation and personalization can amplify your supporter outreach, helping constituents take action that truly matters. Walk away with practical tips and live tools demos to integrate AI into your advocacy workflow.

Who: Sara Baker & Grant Campbell of FastDemocracy.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab

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Mon, Nov 10 - The “Flex Journalist” — Mastering Modern Storytelling

What: How to present information across a variety of mediums, demonstrating a command of video, podcasts, writing and reporting.

Who: Molly Boigon works, a technology and innovation reporter for Automotive News.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: American Society of Business Publication Editors

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Mon, Nov 10 - The 3 AI Approaches Every Communicator Must Tackle for 2026

What: We will cut through the hype to reveal the three most critical AI approaches for communicators in 2026. We’ll explore how to use AI to boost your own productivity, why controlling narratives (not just stories) is the key to impact and how to partner with IT and HR to shape employee-centric AI and EX projects from the ground up. 

Who: Lara Dobson, Vice President, Product Marketing Staffbase; Frank Wolf Frank Wolf, Co-Founder and CSO Staffbase; Allison Carter, Editor-in-Chief Ragan Communications and PR Daily.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Regan Communication

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Mon, Nov 10 – Grant Writing: How to Be Efficient with AI for Grant Writing and Best Practices

What: Learn how to use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) while responding to proposals without sacrificing accuracy, ethics, or your organization’s voice. We’ll demonstrate practical workflows for aligning responses with the RFP, refining for clarity and tone, and accelerating research synthesis with source checks. Along the way, we will flag common pitfalls and guide how to prevent them. You’ll see why humans must lead and where AI can meaningfully support you.

When: 4 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: The Steadman Group & Colorado Providers Association

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Tues & Wed, Nov 11 & 12 - JournalismAI Festival

What: Explore how artificial intelligence is transforming newsrooms worldwide.

Who: Journalists, editors, and media leaders.

When: 4 – 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Google News Initiative

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Tue, Nov 11 - AI Innovator Collaborative

What: A regular gathering for ONA members already using AI in journalism to connect and share ideas, even if you’re not an expert.  

Who: Hosted by Director of Programs Meghan Murphy, who leads the AI in Journalism Initiative.

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free to members

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Tue, Nov 11 - Beyond the Hype: Turning AI Lessons Into Comms Impact 

What: You’ll walk away with—Real examples of how AI can save time without losing authenticity; Common pitfalls to avoid when bringing AI into comms; Practical ways to blend tools and strategy to build trust and engagement.

Who: Carolyn Clark, VP of corporate communications and experience at Simpplr; Sean Devlin, Editor Ragan Communications.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Regan Communications

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Tue, Nov 11 - Teaching Your Sales Team to Master A.I. Tools and Prompts Every Day

What: In this webinar, you’ll learn practical strategies for integrating A.I. into your daily sales processes, from prospecting to personalized outreach and faster deal closures.

Who: Ryan Dohrn Founder, SalesTrainingWorld.com.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Allego

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Wed, Nov 12 - NotebookLM and Multimodal AI

What: This 10-part programme is designed to equip you with the AI skills, ethical awareness, and practical tools needed to thrive in the fast-evolving media landscape. Each session blends expert-led instruction with real-world examples and hands-on demonstrations.

Who: Stacie Chan is the former AI Partnerships Manager at Google; former journalist at NBC Universal and CBS Interactive.

When: 7:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: £10 members, £20 nonmembers

Sponsor: Women in Journalism

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Wed, Nov 12 - The PR Mindset: Thinking Beyond the Skillset in a Shifting World

What: Hear from global experts in public relations on how PR is evolving

 to meet the demands and expectations of the modern business world. No registration required. 

Who: Panelists Katie Topping, Former EVP of Communications & Marketing for the Northwest Education Association; Phil Hoffman, VP of Executive Communication at SAP; Melissa Havel, Chief Communications Officer at Turnitin; Moderator Attila Schillinger, Director of Public Relations Program, UO School of Journalism and Communication.

When: 9 am, Pacific

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: University of Oregon School of Journalism & Communication

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Wed, Nov 12 - Preparing Students for Al-Driven Research Careers

What: Our presenters for this month's AI in Practice webinar will share proven strategies for building robust AI literacy in higher education classrooms and reveal how AI is revolutionizing materials science research. Whether you're a faculty member designing curriculum, an administrator planning institutional AI strategy, or a researcher mentoring the next generation, this virtual session will equip you with concrete strategies to better prepare students for the AI-driven research landscape.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University

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Thu, Nov 13 - ChatGPT Foundations: Getting Started with AI

What: Whether you're brand new to AI or looking to sharpen your skills, this introductory session will provide a clear and practical foundation for using ChatGPT effectively. Ideal for: Beginners and curious learners — no technical background required.

Who: Juliann Igo GTM, OpenAI.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Open AI Academy

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Thu, Nov 13 - Native & Sponsored Content Evolution: New Opportunities for News Media

What: Join us for this timely webinar as we explore the history, current trends, and future opportunities of native advertising. Whether you're in editorial, sales, or leadership, you'll gain fresh ideas and practical strategies to make native content work smarter for your newsroom and your advertisers.

Who: Korena Keys, Founder of Key Media Solutions.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $35

Sponsor: Online Media Campus

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Thu, Nov 13 - Cracking Open Cold Cases

What: A practical workshop on reopening and reporting on cold cases, and finding the truth buried in decades-old evidence. Drawing on his experience helping solve cold cases, Mitchell will walk through how to piece together investigations that law enforcement left unresolved and how to turn fragments of old records into new leads.

Who: Award-winning investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: MuckRock's Sunlight Research Center

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Thu, Nov 13 - Advancing High-Quality Science Journalism: Challenges and Pathways Forward

What: This webinar will discuss the challenges to reporting on science in today's landscape and surface the needs and opportunities for bolstering science, health, and medical journalism.

Who: Lauren Feldman, Professor and Chair of Journalism & Media Studies, Rutgers University; Tracy Baim, Executive Director, Press Forward Chicago; Siri Carpenter, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief, The Open Notebook; Tim Franklin, Sr. Associate Dean, Director, Medill Local News Initiative, Northwestern University; Duy Linh Nguyen Tu, Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Professional Practice, Columbia Journalism School.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: National Academies

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Thu, Nov 13 - How Schools Are Navigating AI Advances

What: This forum will explore how schools across the country are facing the challenges of AI. Join us to: Gain an understanding of the rising role of AI in schools; Hear insights from educators and experts about the benefits and drawbacks of using AI for teaching and learning; Discover how schools are crafting AI use policies and building strategies to integrate the technology into teaching, learning, and school management;. Pick up ideas on how to use AI in developmentally appropriate ways.

Who: Kevin Bushweller, Deputy Managing Editor, Education Week; Lauraine Langreo Staff Writer, Education Week; Michael Lubelfeld, Superintendent of Schools,  North Shore School District 112 (IL); Aaron Cinquemani, Principal, Woodstock Union Middle and High School & Co-founder, Greentime.ai; Christina Nuñez Ed, Tech Resource Teacher, Albuquerque Public School; Justin Reich, Director of Teaching Systems Lab & Associate Professor of Comparative Media Studies/Writing, MIT.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Education Week

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Thu, Nov 13 - Introduction to Proposal Writing

What: This indispensable class will give you a step-by-step guide to creating a grant proposal to a foundation. It will include: The basic elements of a grant proposal, including the need statement, project description, and evaluation plan; A model outline of the essential components of any grant proposal; The "do's" and "don'ts" of writing, planning and submitting a proposal; The methods for building a relationship with a potential funder, from initial outreach to follow-up and reporting.

Who: Lori Guidry, Educational Programming Manager, Candid.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Candid

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Thu, Nov 13 - Bias, Bots, and Bad Data: Navigating Ethical Minefields in AI-powered Learning

What: This webinar dives into the messy, often opaque world of AI decision-making in learning tools—from biased content recommendations to algorithmic nudging and inaccurate and even harmful predictive analytics. We’ll explore real-world examples, dissect common sources of bias, and provide a practical framework for evaluating the ethical risks of AI-powered solutions in your learning ecosystem. Whether you’re just beginning to implement AI or already working with vendors, this session will help you ask better questions, spot red flags, and act as a steward of ethical learning design.

Who: Stella Lee, AI Literacy Architect, EdTech & Learning Innovation Strategist, Digital Learning & Workforce Development.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Open Sesame

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Thu, Nov 13 - 2025 Journalist Development Series: Bart Womack

What: This once-monthly webinar is an opportunity for general professional development for members and the mentorship program community.  For this month’s event, we welcome veteran and author Bart Womack as he brings his knowledge on Breaking Barriers: Telling Trauma Stories with Trust and Sensitivity.

Who: Command Sergeant Major retired Bart E. Womack, served the United States Army with distinction for over 29 years. He sits on the Board of Directors for Veterans Media Corporation and serves as a Producer and Show Host for The Veterans Channel; USA Today White House Reporter Davis Winkie will serve as moderator.

When: 6 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Military Veterans in Journalism

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Thu, Nov 13 - How to Gain Customers with a LinkedIn Company Page

What: Need to know how to build your LinkedIn company page? Want details on how to create your banner and logo images? Understand the differences from your personal profile?  Learn about special features you can use? If so, join us for a presentation with live demos so you leave with takeaways and actionable items.

Who: Lynne Williams, Ed.D. Candidate, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Area Great Careers Group and SCORE Mentor.

When: 6 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center Widener University

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Sun, Nov 16 - Body and Mind in the Field - Safety for Visual Journalists

What: This special webinar explores both the physical and psychological challenges that visual journalists face while reporting from the field. Designed for photographers and storytellers working in unpredictable environments—from conflict zones to protests, and beyond, the session provides practical strategies to help assess risks, stay safe, and build resilience in the face of trauma and burnout.

Who: Lauren Walsh, a professor at New York University and Managing Director of Journalist Safety Initiatives with the James Foley Foundation; Marcus Yam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent and photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: W. Eugene Smith Fund and the Eddie Adams Workshop

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It's Not

It’s not rocket surgery.

AI Supervision

One coding team spent 3 days fixing what should have been a 2-hour problem. They had "saved" time by having AI generate the initial implementation. But when it broke, they lost 70 hours trying to understand code they had never built themselves. The time you save upfront gets charged back with interest later. The best teams avoid this because the human engineer actually understands the code. They shaped it. They made the key decisions. The AI just handled the mechanical work of typing it out. The new constraint is: "Can we understand the code we're writing fast enough to keep moving?" Treat code review as a comprehension verification step, not just a bug-catching exercise. - Paul Sangle-Ferriere

Discomfort & Progress

The short-term discomfort of adopting a new routine will always be less than the ongoing stress and disappointment of not making progress on your most important goals. - Jeff Su

22 Articles about AI & Legal Issues

Agentic AI: From statistical patterns to strategic partners – Reuters  

Stability AI largely wins landmark UK intellectual property lawsuit brought by Getty Images – Associated Press  

AI startup Perplexity launches tool to speed up patent research – The Verge

Federal judges using AI filed court orders with false quotes, fake names – Washington Post

AI Works Do Not “Compete” with Works of Authorship – Illusion of More

Activist Robby Starbuck Sues Google Over Claims of False AI Info – Wall Street Journal  

These people ditched lawyers for ChatGPT in court – NBC News

A novelist’s books were used to train A.I. chatbots. So she sued and won the largest copyright settlement ever. – New York Times

Disney sends cease and desist letter to Character.AI – Axios  

Record labels claim AI generator Suno illegally ripped their songs from YouTube – The Verge

California’s New AI Regulations Take Effect Oct. 1: Here’s Your Compliance Checklist – Jackson Lewis  

Rolling Stone Publisher Sues Google Over AI Summaries - Wall Street Journal 

A federal judge blasted the $1.5 billion AI copyright settlement in the Anthropic case – Bloomberg

Anthropic tells US judge it will pay $1.5 billion to settle author class action - CNN

Almost Every State Has Its Own Deepfakes Law Now – 404 Media

AI Does Little to Reduce Law Firm Billable Hours, Survey Shows - Bloomberg 

Texas attorney general accuses Meta, Character.AI of misleading kids with mental health claims – Tech Crunch

Anthropic Settles Major AI Copyright Suit Brought by Authors – Bloomberg

Large US law firm apologizes for AI errors in bankruptcy court filing – Reuters

10 FAQs About California’s New Algorithmic Discrimination Rules – National Law Review

California’s landmark frontier AI law to bring transparency – AL Jazeera

“Future of Professionals” report analysis: Why AI will flip law firm economics – Reuters

12 Articles about AI & Data Privacy

The glaring security risks with AI browser agents - TechCrunch 

OpenAI to launch ChatGPT for teens with parental controls as company faces scrutiny over safety – CNBC

How to use ChatGPT without giving up your data – Washington Post

The Impending Wave of Shadow AI - UniteAI

Age Verification Is Sweeping Gaming. Is It Ready for the Age of AI Fakes? – Wired

How churches use data and AI as engines of surveillance – MIT Tech Review

AI systems ‘ignorant’ of sensitive data can be safer, but still smart - Washington Post

Nearly 100,000 ChatGPT Conversations Were Searchable on Google – 404 Media

A data scientist on how AI is being used to profile you – NPR

AI therapy is a surveillance machine in a police state – The Verge

Are LLM firewalls the future of AI security? – Computer Weekly

AI in education's potential privacy nightmare - Axios