Innovation
A Meta prototype lets you build virtual worlds by describing them — www.theverge.com
Meta, formerly Facebook, showed off a prototype of an AI world creation system that could power its “metaverse” Horizon virtual worlds. #AI
Meta’s Zuckerberg: ‘AI is perhaps the most important foundational technology of our time’
www.zdnet.com
Zuckerberg said Meta will make “a single model that can understand hundreds of languages” and “a universal speech translator” that would offer instantaneous translation between all languages.
China Is About to Regulate AI — and the World Is Watching
On March 1, China will outlaw algorithmic discrimination as part of what may be the world’s most ambitious effort to regulate artificial intelligence. Sweeping rules will cover algorithms that set prices, control search results, recommend videos, and filter content.
Alfa Romeo have created an ‘NFT-Blockchain integrated electric vehicle’ which can be used to verify that the car has been serviced correctly and ensure a more transparent resale process — beincrypto.com
Technology
Hundreds of Salesforce employees object to NFT plans
MT @TRF_Stories Hundreds of Salesforce employees are rebelling after the tech giant announced plans to launch an #NFT cloud. In an open letter, workers raised environmental and fraud concerns — and some have even threatened to quit.
Silicon Valley Must Pull the Plug on the Kremlin
Google, Facebook and Twitter host, amplify and in some cases even help monetize Vladimir Putin’s propaganda outlets. This must stop. Via @justinhendrix
Fed Up With Google, Conspiracy Theorists Turn to DuckDuckGo — www.nytimes.com
“The data void is the key problem at the core of this technology, and there’s no algorithm that can fix it. The more automated things become, the more vulnerable we are.”
Absent or Swinging Prices Keep Consumers Guessing
HT @JulieBlattberg Online shopping was supposed to give consumers more power and freedom. Instead, costs are so fluid that household goods fluctuate almost like Bitcoin. #Amazon
Retailers Quietly Deploying Controversial Technology To Combat Crime Spree
Macy’s and a dozen other large retailers are quietly using controversial facial-recognition technology to fight a rise in smash-and-grab robberies and other coordinated attacks.
Their Bionic Eyes Are Now Obsolete and Unsupported
This is a scary cautionary tale: These early adopters found out what happened when a cutting-edge marvel became an obsolete gadget… inside their bodies.
Meta has ramped up its counterattack against TikTok by launching its short-video product Reels for all global Facebook users.
www.wsj.com
Meta launched its short-video product Reels for all global Facebook users and introduced many new features for advertisers.
LinkedIn launching its own podcast network
LinkedIn is piloting its own podcast network from top creators and will include original podcasts from its own news team. #LinkedIn #podcasting
Publishing & Media
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to be Acquired by Veritas Capital
Vivendi Increases Lagardere Takeover Offer
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
As expected, Vivendi filed its official tender offer for the remaining shares of Lagardere (which owns Hachette Book Group) with the French competition authority (Autorité des marchés financiers) for approval.
Hachette Livre announces an agreement to acquire a majority stake in board game company La Boîte de Jeu
Amazon, Penguin Random House, and leading authors win $7.8 million judgment against international e-book piracy ring
Spotify’s first “bookcast” features Dolly Parton and James Patterson — www.axios.com
The pair reimagine their book “Run, Rose, Run” in a new audio experience. Spotify is debuting its first “bookcast” — an audio experience that blends story narration with original music and sound.
Wiley Pairs with Top Wikipedia Editors for Improved, Direct Citations
Understanding the Ukraine Crisis: A Reading List
A reading list on Russia, Ukraine, and the rise of Vladimir Putin
Condé Nast inks deal with TikTok to monetize exclusive content
Condé Nast will produce exclusive content for its GQ and Vogue TikTok channels (and in print), with a joint sales effort by the two companies to develop more opportunities for advertisers on the platform. #TikTok
Tencent-backed academic network to launch ‘open access’ journals
MT @michellemanafy Academia believes promise of rapid peer review in free publications will disrupt sector
Black Press Archives at Howard University Gets Preserved, Digitized Thanks to $2 Million Grant
You can now read 200-plus e-edition newspapers nationwide with your USA TODAY subscription
Subscribers to USA Today can now read more than 200 USA Today Network e-edition newspapers spanning the nation.
Will Trade Desk’s Direct-To-Publisher Ad-Tech Solution Shake Up Digital Advertising?
MT @BoSacks including Reuters, the Washington Post, Gannett/USA Today Network, Conde Nast, McClatchy, Hearst Magazines, Hearst Newspapers and more
Resources & Opportunities
The National Black Writers Conference 2022 Program
RT @wordisdiversity The Center for Black Literature presents the 16th National Black Writers Conference from March 30 to April 2, 2022. NBWC2022 early registration open until February 28, 2022. Register here for the four-day online event: https://buff.ly/3sD68lh #authorevent #WritingCommunity
Library of Congress Accepting Applications for 2022 Literacy Awards until March 4 — www.loc.gov
HT @BISG
Pulitzer Center Launches AI Accountability Network
RT @_KarenHao·🚨 Incredible opportunity alert 🚨The @pulitzercenter is giving 6–8 journalists up to $20k each to report on the social impacts of AI & automation. So excited to see such a major journalism institution put their weight behind these kinds of stories. 😍
Afro Future Summit 2022 2/28
Afro Future Summit “Creating An Inclusive Reality; How to Live, Work, And Build in the Metaverse”- free, virtual event in partnership with Microsoft, Meta Reality Labs, Google Cloud, AWS, IBM Cloud, Hubspot, Sendgrid, & More.
Anyone arriving to NYC from Ukraine who needs immigration legal assistance can access free services from the City’s ActionNYC Hotline
MT @MarkLevineNYC Anyone arriving to NYC from Ukraine who needs immigration legal assistance can access free services from the City’s ActionNYC Hotline. Call 800–354–0365, or call 311 and say “ActionNYC”. Ukrainian language translation available. Learn more at: http://nyc.gov/actionnyc
Did you sign up for this virtual WMG event yet? It’s this week, so sign up quick!! Hear from kick-ass women in publishing: Dominique Raccah, Cindy Spiegel, Lavaille Lavette, and Jennifer Goldstein. 3/1 at 6pm ET. Free for members, $15 for non-members.