To live in freedom
/To live in freedom, one must grow used to a life full of agitation, change, and danger. -Alexis de Tocqueville
AI Definitions: Big Data
/Big Data - Data that’s too big to fit on a single server, unstructured and fast-moving. In contrast, small data fits on a single server, is already in structured form (rows and columns), and changes infrequently. If you are working in Excel, you are doing small data. Two NASA researchers (Michael Cox and David Ellsworth) first wrote in a 1997 paper that when there’s too much information to fit into memory or local hard disks, “We call this the problem of big data.” Many companies end up with big data not because they need it, but because they haven’t bothered to delete the data that has become irrelevant. Thus, big data is sometimes defined as a condition where the cost of keeping data around is less than the cost of figuring out what to throw away.
Big Data serves large-scale web applications and vast sensor networks. Data science, meanwhile, looks to create AI models that capture underlying patterns in complex systems and then turn those models into working applications. Although big data and data science both offer the potential to produce value from data, the fundamental difference between them can be summarized in one statement: collecting does not mean discovering. Big data collects. Data science discovers.
15 Articles about Relationships with AI
/A.I. Anxiety Is Spilling Into the Therapist’s Office – New York Times
Your new AI friend is adorable. It also wants your data – Yahoo News
The Middle Schoolers Ditching Real Friends for AI Chatbots – Wall Street Journal
How deep do AI relationships really go? An expert in attachment theory explains – The Conversation
Chatbots are still falling short in mental health conversations with kids – Washington Post
The Dead Silence of AI Therapy – The Atlantic
‘I’m listening hard’: Teens increasingly turn to AI chatbots for mental health support – inewsource
What happens when your parent falls in love with an A.I. chatbot? - New York Times
She told no one about her agony except ChatGPT. What her death reveals about AI risks – NPR
New data shows people are getting personal with AI - Washington Post
How AI Advice Is Undermining Eating-Disorder Therapy - Wall Street Journal
Gen Z dating apps like Ditto ditch swiping in favor of AI matchmaking - TechCrunch
China Wants More Babies—So It’s Cracking Down on Chatbot Love Affairs - Wall Street Journal
Sacrificing the Gift
/To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift - Steve Prefontaine
To Do Right
/To do right because of reputation, to do right because it is the correct thing, to do right to escape criticism, all such motives will fail sooner or later. To do right because I love is the one and only lasting motive. "Love never fails." G. Campbell Morgan
18 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism, & Media
/Mon, Oct 5 - AI Lies, Packets Don’t! Using Network Data To Stop AI Attacks
What: In this session cyber defenders will learn how they can tap into familiar network tools to fight back against even the most sophisticated AI attacks.
Who: Laura Wilber, Sr Analyst, Office of the CTO, Enea; Will Baxter, Head of Product, Team Cymru.
When: 9 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechTarget
Mon, Oct 5 - Before You Adopt AI: Five Questions Every Nonprofit Should Answer First
What: This session explores a practical approach to thinking about AI readiness and offers a roadmap for beginning mission-aligned conversations that support responsible adoption.
Who: Molly Terbovich-Ridenhour, AMR, in partnership with Consultants for Good.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab
Mon, Oct 5 - A paper tiger for the press: Why ‘independent’ editorial boards can’t protect journalism
What: We'll discuss the Paramount News Editorial Independence Board, what lessons can be learned from similar past boards, and whether the government's role in creating the Paramount board and possibly enforcing its activities violates the First Amendment.
Who: Mariel Garza, co-founder and executive editor at Golden State and former editorials editor at the LA Times; Bill Grueskin, professor of professional practice at Columbia University School of Journalism and former deputy managing editor at The Wall Street Journal; Margaret Sullivan, Guardian columnist and former public editor of The New York Times and media columnist for The Washington Post; Dick Tofel, principal of Gallatin Advisory and former president of ProPublica; Moderated by Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at FPF.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Freedom of the Press Foundation
Tue, Oct 6 - Smartphone filming for journalists: Tell stronger stories with the kit you already have
What: We will share simple, effective techniques to help you capture clear sound, frame interviews professionally, and avoid common mistakes that can undermine otherwise strong journalism. The focus is on quick wins and real-world tips you can apply immediately, without needing expensive kit or complicated software.
Who: Samantha Smith, Managing Director of Ocean City Media and spent 25 years at the BBC working across news and current affairs as a producer and editor; Chris Quevatre, Creative Director at Ocean City Media and a former BBC journalist, presenter and video producer. He is an experienced self-shooting director.
When: 7:30 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: members £10, nonmembers £25
Sponsor: Women in Journalism
Tue, Oct 6 - Cover the Upcoming Elections with More Confidence
What: Get free resources and know-how to enhance your coverage of the 2026 midterm election. This webinar, designed especially for rural and smaller media, will give you everything you need to report on upcoming state, county and local contests.
Who: Bill Gates, director, Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory at Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, Phoenix; Patty Hansen, former Coconino County recorder, Flagstaff; Joseph Jaafari, founder and editor-in-chief, LOOKOUT magazine, Phoenix; Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, reporter, Arizona Mirror, Phoenix; Becky Pallack, co-founder, Arizona Luminaria, Tucson; Camryn Sanchez, senior field correspondent, KJZZ-FM, Phoenix.
When: 9:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists
Tue, Oct 6 - How AI Is Rewriting the Rules for Nonprofit Websites and What You Should Do About It
What: This session is designed to help nonprofits understand the new rules of the web and build a digital presence that works in an AI-driven world.
Who: Julian Gerace, Jr. Director of Data Solutions, Tapp Network; Chelsea Ganc, Senior Account Manager, Tapp Network.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
Wed, Oct 7 / Thu, Oct 8 – Mental Health in Journalism Summit 2026 (Pre-Summit program)
What: Pre-Summit program (4 experiential workshops and region-based networking sessions).
Who: Natalia Tamburini, PCC ICF Certified Coach, Operations Coordinator at The Self-Investigation.
When: 8 am, Eastern
Where: YouTube
Cost: Pre-Summit program Free
Sponsor: The Self-Investigation
Wed, Oct 7 – Covering Data Centers
What: The one-hour session will feature two journalists who are doing deep investigative reporting on data centers with support from the Fund.
Who: Lauren Ober, whose reporting for Reveal examined local response to plans for a huge data center in Northern Virginia; Edward Donnelly, who has uncovered corporations’ covert lobbying efforts to change regulations so they can build data centers in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Fund for Investigative Journalism
Wed, Oct 7 – AI for Editing
What: A hands-on workshop exploring a practical process for using tools like ChatGPT and Claude to strengthen drafts without giving up your editorial judgment or voice. WE will walk through how to prompt AI for different kinds of editing support, from identifying unclear passages and tightening copy to reviewing structure, tone, and consistency.
Who: Tom Shroder, award-winning journalist, writer, and former Washington Post Magazine editor.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Eventbrite
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Center for Cooperative Media
Thu, Oct 8 / Fri, Oct 9 - Mental Health in Journalism Summit 2026
What: The Summit program will feature two days of keynotes, panels, case studies, workshops, and lightning talks with speakers from across the global journalism ecosystem.
Who: Dozens of speakers.
When: 8 am – 12 pm, Eastern both days
Where: YouTube
Cost: $78.58
Sponsor: The Self-Investigation
Thu, Oct 8 - Defending press freedom against vexatious lawsuits
What: How can journalists and media organisations recognise, resist and respond to SLAPPs and other legal pressures designed to silence independent journalism? This webinar will bring together journalists, legal experts and media researchers to examine the growing challenge of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and other forms of legal pressure on independent journalism.
Who: Beatrix Vissy, senior legal officer and Anti-SLAPP Litigation & Advocacy Coordinator at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union; Judge Dragomir Yordanov, who will explore developments in Bulgaria’s case law and efforts to strengthen legislation addressing SLAPPs; Saška Cvetkovska, editor-in-chief of the Investigative Reporting Lab, who will share her experience of smear campaigns, harassment and SLAPPs in North Macedonia.
When: 9:30 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: International Federation of Journalists; the European University Institute
Thu, Oct 8 - AI for Business Model Design -Â Build a Business That Actually Makes Money
What: In this webinar, you’ll use AI tools to design, test, and refine your business model so you know exactly how you make money, who pays you, and why your numbers work. Come with an idea and leave with a strong business model.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Widener University
Thu, Oct 8 - Adaptive AI: Making News Selectable and Engaging
What: Most AI tools generate or just summarize content. This session introduces a fundamentally different approach. Adaptive AI that restructures original news into a new interactive format for diverse audiences without generating new information. Built on a new Digital Engagement Model, it adapts content to readers’ interests, available time, and environment while preserving the integrity of the original reporting.
Who: Ronald Yaros, the director of the Digital Engagement Lab and an associate professor in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Online News Association
Thu, Oct 8 - Impact in Journalism: Assessing the Present, Building the Future
What: This is the public launch of the Pulitzer Center’s research report, “Impact in Journalism: A Global Report on Current Practices, Challenges, and Emerging Trends.” You’ll hear from the coauthors and explore findings from the research report such as: How do journalists conceptualize impact, and how do they put it into practice? What barriers do newsrooms and freelancers face when working to engage people? Where can we identify opportunities to build systems and resources that make audience-centered journalism sustainable?
Who: Flora Pereira, Pulitzer Center Staff; Jazmín Acuña Grantee.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Pulitzer Center
Thu, Oct 8 - Covering the Rising Risk of Flooding
What: Poynter faculty and journalists experienced in data-driven flood coverage will show local, state and regional reporters how to identify communities at risk, find and use reliable flood data and prepare coverage before disaster strikes.
Who: Jon Greenberg, Poynter Faculty; Marccus D. Hendricks, Associate Professor and Director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab, University of Maryland; Sarah Kaplan, Climate and science reporter, The Washington Post; Kaitlin Lange, News Director, IndyStar.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: Poynter & The Hennecke Family Foundation
Thu, Oct 8 - AI’s Impact on Career Readiness: Teaching ‘Human Skills’
What: Attendees will learn: How institutions are teaching teamwork, communication, and navigating difference; Which practical approaches can help assess these skills in the classroom; What strategies document those skills so they show up on transcripts and mean something to employers.
Who: Shea Vance, Reporting Fellow, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The Chronicle of Higher
Fri, Oct 9 - Pressing Prompts Community Conversation
What: For instructors across all disciplines who are seeking ways to integrate AI ethics into their classrooms. Unlike a static set of “best practices,” Pressing Prompts is grounded in principles of critical pedagogy and educational experimentation, encouraging instructors and students to examine how AI raises crucial questions about our academic responsibilities, knowledge, labor, judgment, and learning.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Duke University
Fri, Oct 9 - 'The Next Journalism' — A book talk
What: One of the nation’s leading journalism thinkers discusses his new book — and how journalism must change to serve democracy.
Who: Tom Rosenstiel, Eleanor Merrill Scholar on the Future of Journalism; Professor of the Practice·University of Maryland.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: University of Maryland
All the Time
/Preach the gospel all the time; if necessary, use words -St. Francis of Assisi (who is celebrated on Oct. 4, the traditional anniversary of his death in 1226)
It’s Training me to be More Like it
/“I will catch myself when I’m writing where I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I shouldn’t have even written that. I should have just let AI do it because it sounds the same,” he says. “It’s trained me to be more like it, instead of the reverse.” -Katherine Bindley writing in the Wall Street Journal
There is more to life
/There is more to life than increasing its speed. - Mahatma Gandhi, born Oct. 2, 1869
28 Recent Articles about the Dangers of AI
/The body image battle is real in 2026, but the bodies may not be – Axios
How would AI actually kill all humans? Here are the top 5 scenarios – The Conversation
Behind the Curtain: AI titans' biggest private fear - Axios
AI doesn’t need a conscience. It needs a leash - Washington Post
AI assessors says current science hasn't caught up to the safety measures people want - NPR
AI Companies’ New Plan to Keep Themselves From Destroying Everything - The Atlantic
The specter of AI-enabled bioweapons is a wake-up call for biotech - MIT Tech Review
Will A.I. Kill Us? Can It Hack My Bank Account? Your A.I. Questions Answered - New York Times
Why are there concerns AI could threaten humanity, and how real are they? – BBC
How DraftKings Uses A.I. to Target the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose - New York Times
AI agents blew the whistle on their cheating colleagues – MIT Tech Review
They hacked a TikTok user’s camera, with help from free AI – Washington Post
Why AI Isn’t Likely to Wipe Out Humanity With Bioweapons – Wired
AI has transformed the Pentagon’s aging networks into a national security risk – Washington Post
A.I. Queries From Abroad Raise Fears of a Biological Weapons Race – New York Times
Despite police department ban, facial recognition technology lingers in Milwaukee’s criminal justice system – Wisconsin Watch
Users in Houthi-held Yemen tried to develop advanced weapons with AI, Anthropic says – Associated Press
Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons – New York Times
Behind the Curtain: The AI twilight zone – Axios
Both Democrats and Republicans Are Increasingly Worried About AI's Environmental Impact – TIME
A Hacking Tool Built With A.I. Can Breach Phones Without a Click – New York Times
AI hysteria jumps the shark – Washington Post
Welcome to the Age of AI Crime and Punishment – Bloomberg
Anthropic Researcher Quits Over ‘Out-of-Control’ AI Fears – Wall Street Journal
Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I. – New York Times
Man Used Poisoned Google AI Overviews to Trick Women Into Thinking He Was an NFL Player, FBI Says – Futurism
AI is eating website traffic, websites are blocking AI – and reliable information is getting harder to find – The Conversation
The AI Backlash Gets Professional – The Atlantic
AI Definitions: Stealth Crawler
/Stealth Crawler (AI crawlers) – This type of web crawler scrapes content from sites, often ignoring whether a site wants them to do so or not. Stealth crawlers may disguise themselves as ordinary visitors, making it hard for publishers to identify and stop them. Since stealth crawlers don’t identify themselves, the traffic could come from an AI company or a company mining data it can resell. Publishers are asking for laws that would require AI crawlers to disclose their identity and purpose. Critics say these laws are too broad—that crawlers often benefit the public by facilitating academic research, investigative reporting, etc. For example, Meta stopped researchers from using automated tools that studied misinformation on Facebook. Observers point out that blocking AI crawlers can make sites less visible—preventing them from showing up in AI summaries and answers may be similar to blocking Google crawlers, which would keep a site from appearing in Google search results. Some observers believe scraping has become a billion-dollar industry.
11 Articles from Sept 2026 about Data Science & AI
/From Words to Vectors: What Happens in Between?
The 3 Roles of Context for AI Agents
Your AI Assistant Wrote the Code. Who Checked the Defaults?
Why You Think Like a Bayesian but Were Taught Like a Frequentist
Coding Agents Don't Need Longer History — They Need Intent Continuity
A Beginner’s Guide to World Models
The future of Earth observation: Private satellites and AI bring benefits but also pose risks
A visual guide to how graph neural networks work under the hood
How to Work with AI Coding Agents A practical guide to getting better code, not just more code
We're Talking Like Chatbots Now
/People are spending so much time with AI that they’re adopting chatbots’ favorite phrases in conversation, Slacks, emails and texts. Some call them LLM’isms, others refer to it as “Claude speak.” -Wall Street Journal
To be Trusted
/To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. –George MacDonald
18 (mostly free & one-hour) Journalism Courses about Audio, Video, & Various Topics
/Journalism: Audio & Video
Clear, Strong Writing for Broadcast Journalism $10.
Digging Deeper Into Broadcast Journalism
Powerful Writing: Leverage Your Video and Sound
Writing for the Ear (Five-part course)
Journalism Courses on Various Topics
Ethics of Journalism Build or refine your process for making ethical decisions $25.00
Journalism Fundamentals: Craft & Values $10.
Make Design More Inclusive: Defeat Unconscious Bias in Visuals
22 Articles about AI’s impact on College Faculty & Administrators
/Higher Ed’s AI Integration Overhyped, New Data Shows – Inside Higher Ed
As the coding boom fades, AI is forcing colleges and computer science grads to adjust – Fast Company
Dartmouth’s Provost Quietly Used AI in His Published Work. It’s Touched Off a Campus Firestorm. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
An M.I.T. Report Warns A.I. Is Causing ‘Cognitive Surrender.’ Universities Are in a Bind. – New York Times
Congress Crawls Toward Higher-Ed AI Regulation – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Report: Student Protections Haven’t Kept Up With Higher Ed’s Adoption of AI – Inside Higher Ed
Higher Education Does Not Need More AI Tools but Better AI Experiences – Campus Technology
It could be a long time before independent research emerges on learning outcomes. – Inside Higher Ed
Harvard College’s Dean: ‘Everyone Is Using AI All the Time for Everything’ – Chronicle of Higher Ed
The big college major rethink – Axios
Can AI Help Colleges Reach Struggling Students Earlier? – Inside Higher Ed
The Academic-Integrity Council Can’t Keep Up With AI – Chronicle of Higher Ed
AI Slop Is a Tenure Problem, Not Just a Tech Problem – Inside Higher Ed
How ‘Chaos’ Surrounding AI Can Sink a College Presidency - Chronicle of Higher Ed
Chinese universities are cutting language majors to make way for AI – Rest of World
Does Your College Need a Librarian for AI? – Chronicle of Higher Ed
The ‘Nonexistent’ Research on AI’s Benefits for Education - Inside Higher Ed
Colleges Are Building A.I. Degrees, Hoping Students Will Come – New York Times
A New ‘AI-First’ College Aims to Offer Cheaper, Employer-Friendly Degrees – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Half of Campus Tech Leaders Question AI’s ROI – Inside Higher Ed
Spelman College Names an A.I. Expert as Its New President – New York Times
AI Is a ‘Wicked Problem.’ That’s the University’s Specialty. – Chronicle of Higher Ed
Don’t form strong beliefs about AI (yet)
/Don’t form strong beliefs about AI (yet). Even in the frontier labs, no one knows what the future holds. Those outside the labs don’t even know what the present holds, because they haven’t seen the most advanced models, which haven’t been released. If you are sure you know what will happen, or what we should do about it, you are nurturing what writer and satirist Ambrose Bierce called “a vagrant opinion without visible means of support.” - Megan McArdle writing in the Washington Post
Throw your heart
/Throw your heart over the bar and your body will follow.
24 Recent Articles about AI & Academic Scholarship
/One professor’s AI-assisted output: 200 papers and 14 books this year – Washington Post
AI saves scientists seven hours a week, Google paper finds – Research Professional News
What if AI can make Science Better, not just Faster? - Bradley Max Segal
AI co-scientists are revolutionizing how research is done – Nature
The AI Discourse in Academia is Toxic. It Doesn’t have to be.- Ran Blekhman
Can researchers trust that AI models won’t leak their ideas? – Science Business
Who gets credit in the AI era? OpenAI maths bombshell sparks debate – Nature
AI conference drowning in abstracts, with roughly 50,000 submissions before the deadline – The Decoder
Journal editor developing system to weed out authors “submitting AI-assisted papers they ‘don’t understand.' - Nihar Shah
Use and Effects of LLMs in Peer Review: A Randomized Experiment and Survey at ICML 2026 – arXiv
Provost of Dartmouth Busted Using AI for His Own Writing in Newspapers and Academic Journals – Futurism
South Korean Government New Guidelines mandate of AI Disclosure in Research – Chosun
Could AI Be Better at Peer Review Than Humans? – Chronicle of Higher Ed
All corners of academia will soon be flooded with AI-generated research - Giorgio Gilestro
Misconduct case dropped against AI expert after claims of AI use in recent book – Retraction Watch
AI in peer review should be a second reader, not a judge – KevinMD
Three-quarters of researchers unsure what use of AI to disclose - Research Professional News
The “synthetic validity” problem in AI-generated science – PNAS
A psychology journal has retracted a paper on how using generative AI can affect confidence in work tasks – Retraction Watch
It could be a long time before independent research emerges on how AI should—or shouldn’t—be used to improve learning outcomes. – Inside Higher Ed
Scholars are divided over how much AI use is acceptable. - Chronicle of Higher Ed
Analysis of predatory journals using AI generated papers – Springer
AI Paper Mills Now Taint One in Ten Cancer Studies: France Cuts Big Publisher Ties – Tech Times
Why funders should investigate if AI is making research more conservative – Science Business
Professors & Students are in a Bind
/Professors and students are often in a bind about what they should do: Use more A.I. to stay relevant, or dial back to preserve learning and thinking? Getting answers from a bot can create the illusion of learning” for students who reach for A.I. at the first hint of struggle. At the same time, the potential of these technologies to augment work across campus is immense. -New York Times