Reminder: I optimized this newsletter for subscription. If you’re reading this on my blog or Medium (via website or email), please subscribe at https://www.sandlertechworks.com/ for the best user experience (and to get it in a timely fashion).
While I focus on Technology, Innovation, and Publishing, because I have a platform, I also flag items that I think are important. I also try to include some resources & opportunities. Please let me know what you think.
Innovation
AI Can Read Your Thoughts — The Future Of Brain-Computer Interfaces
Technology
Judge Delays Preliminary Approval in Anthropic Copyright Settlement
How Business Executives Can Use AI To Market Their Nonfiction Books
Books by Bots
Librarians grapple with the challenges that the surge of AI-generated books create for libraries.
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2025/09/02/books-by-bots/
ElevenLabs launchs direct sales for AI-generated audiobooks
Offers authors & publishers 60% royalty on net sales w no exclusivity requirements. The app lets creators produce audiobooks advanced features like AI multicast narration & music integration.
Dotdash Meredith sues Google for antitrust violations, seeking damages
The publishing giant filed a comprehensive lawsuit alleging Google’s monopolistic practices harmed ad revenues and violated federal competition laws through systematic market manipulation.
https://ppc.land/dotdash-meredith-sues-google-for-antitrust-violations-seeking-damages/
A Huge Google Change Coming ‘Soon’ Should Terrify News Publishers
HT @BoSacks Google AI search as default threatens to accelerate “Google Zero,” the point at which they stop sending any traffic whatsoever to an outside site.
Ad industry reacts to the Google search remedies ruling
AI in Advertising Use Case Map
HT @benedictevans @iab mapped AI use cases across the advertising campaign lifecycle.
https://www.iab.com/guidelines/ai-in-advertising-use-case-map/
The Role of Agentic AI in Modern Publishing
The Washington Post uses Haystacker to help reporters analyze large volumes of video, photo, & text to detect patterns. The New York Times released Echo to summarize articles, generate headline options, and help draft newsletter and social posts.
https://complexdiscovery.com/editorial-intelligence-the-role-of-agentic-ai-in-modern-publishing/
Skip The Boring Bits: Google Photos AI Automatically Highlights Your Videos
YouTube’s multi-language audio feature for dubbing videos rolls out to all creators
Claude can create PDFs, slides, and spreadsheets for you now in chat
https://www.zdnet.com/article/claude-can-create-pdfs-slides-and-spreadsheets-for-you-now-in-chat/
The Job Market Is Hell
Young people are using ChatGPT to write their applications; HR is using AI to read them; no one is getting hired.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/job-market-hell/684133/
OpenAI plans an AI-powered job platform to certify and connect workers
https://the-decoder.com/openai-plans-an-ai-powered-job-platform-to-certify-and-connect-workers/
AI recruiters could be the unlikely solution to career catfishing, with job seekers admitting they’d rather interview with a bot
Substack’s new in-app payments frustrate publishers: “One option is terrible for us, the other is terrible for our readers”
Ask Ralph is an AI stylist tool for Ralph Lauren shoppers
It provides multiple shoppable visuals of complete outfits using available inventory, personalized to the user’s prompts, with styling tips. To help mimic an in-store stylist, it interprets context.
Showrunner wants to use generative AI to recreate lost footage from an Orson Welles classic
The aspiring ‘Netflix of AI’ has a plan to remake the original cut of Welles’ adaptation of The Magnificent Ambersons.
https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/772635/showrunner-orson-welles-the-magnificent-ambersons
Saving The Web From AI’s Oligarchs
AI Chatbots Now Get News Wrong 1 Out Of 3 Times
Are bad incentives to blame for AI hallucinations?
https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/07/are-bad-incentives-to-blame-for-ai-hallucinations/
All the news from Apple’s iPhone 17 event
https://www.theverge.com/news/772434/apple-iphone-17-event-news
Apple’s iPhone 17 Event Recap
AirPods offer a new live translation feature – you can listen to someone speak in their language, & AirPods will play back translated audio in your language. Your iPhone will display your words in their language & read them aloud.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/apple-iphone-17-event-recap-20250909/
Apple Watch hypertension alerts feature receives FDA clearance
https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/11/apple-watch-hypertension-alerts-feature-receives-fda-clearance/
Netflix turns to Amazon to make its ads easier to buy
https://digiday.com/marketing/netflix-turns-to-amazon-to-make-its-ads-easier-to-buy/
The Worst Part of Tiny Bookshop Is Also the Most Accurate
A new cozy management game that lets you open and run your own independent bookstore is surprisingly close to the retail experience — for better and worse.
https://www.vulture.com/article/how-accurate-is-tiny-bookshop.html
China’s social media platforms rush to abide by AI-generated content labelling law
WeChat & Douyin launched new features to comply. The new law requires explicit (clearly visible to users) & implicit (watermarks in metadata) labels for AI text, images, audio, & video.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/chinas-social-media-platforms-rush-093000758.html
Humanoid Robots: The Scaling Challenge
Despite hype and optimistic projections, the humanoid robot industry faces hurdles like battery life, reliability, safety, and low demand for large deployments
https://spectrum.ieee.org/humanoid-robot-scaling
AI Could Make the Smartphone Passé.What Comes Next?
Meta is betting on smartglasses, Amazon’s looking at “ambient computers,” including home speakers. Wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches and necklaces) centered around AI assistants could replace smartphones.
New Apple Patent Reveals Dynamic Dimming System for Future Smart Sunglasses
Apple patent for smart sunglasses allows dynamic adjustment of transparency of optical modules letting users transition btwn immersive virtual environments & real-world visibility.
Firefox launches ‘shake to summarize’ on iPhones
The browser will tap into Apple Intelligence to generate AI summaries of what you’re reading when you shake the phone.
https://www.theverge.com/news/774129/firefox-shake-to-summarize-ios-ai-launch
Ant Digital Arm Puts $8 Billion Energy Assets on Its Blockchain
Publishing & Media
Readerlink Buying Baker & Taylor
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=5060#m68862
Reading Skills of 12th Graders Hit a New Low
The Fanficification of Publishing: Breakthrough or Big Mistake?
HT @publishingtrend Once the internet’s dirty little secret, fanfiction has become a publishing darling. One fanfic enthusiast weighs in on the implications.
https://bookstr.com/article/the-fanficification-of-publishing-breakthrough-or-big-mistake/
School cell phone ban creates surge in JCPS library visits
Kids still love to read — they just need fewer distractions.After a school-day cell phone ban, students checked out 1,000 library books in just 2 weeks — compared to 2,000 all of last school year!
https://www.wave3.com/2025/09/02/school-cell-phone-ban-creates-surge-jcps-library-visits/
Jon Meacham Calls Booksellers ‘Soldiers in a Cause of Englightenment, Democracy, Dissent’
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=5059#m68845
Book Tours and Their Horror Stories
HT https://crimereads.com/book-tour-weirdest-questions-audience/
Gossip: Sparkle Pop/Ad Populum Plans To Sell Off Free Comic Book Day
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/gossip-sparkle-pop-ad-populum-plans-to-sell-off-free-comic-book-day/
The ‘Archeologists’ Unearthing China’s Pre-Digital Fonts
HT @benedictevans Movable type printing techniques filled the interlude between woodblock carving and digital publishing. Now, enthusiasts are bringing it back.
https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1017560
Revenue Trends For Niche Media
HT @BoSacks
As NYT for Kids is axed, other youth products finding success
Kid Scoop News expanding reach of its standalone monthly print product, The Week Junior is the fastest growing magazine in US, and Norway’s government is encouraging literacy prompting new news products for kids.
https://wan-ifra.org/2025/08/as-nyt-for-kids-is-axed-other-youth-products-are-finding-success/
Why Would a County Evict Its Public Library Over $1?
Behind The Push to Decimate A Josephine County (OR) Library
https://bookriot.com/josephine-county-library/
What’s Next for PRH’s Intellectual Freedom Taskforce?
Penguin Random House launched its Intellectual Freedom Taskforce in May 2023. Its work is far from over. #teamPRH
Resources & Opportunities
WMG Job Seekers with Susan McCulloch and Susan Gordon
Are you looking for a job, underemployed, or planning to pivot? Women’s Media Group is pleased to offer our second Job Seekers event of the year to share tips and support. Come join us for a free, virtual, members-only session. Connect with each other, hear from an expert, and come armed with questions! Former WMG Membership Chair Susan McCulloch will be in conversation with fellow WMG member Susan Gordon, owner of Lynne Palmer Executive Recruitment, Inc. FREE, Members Only, 9/25 12-1pm ET via Zoom.
https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6312933
WMG New Member Social
Join WMG Co-Presidents Jodi Brockington and Jane Wesman for a virtual New Member Social, a fun and informal way for members to connect and get to know each other. You’ll have a chance to tell us about yourself and why you joined WMG, as well as learn about upcoming programs and benefits. Meet the other talented, high-energy women, all ready to assist one another in their professional endeavors, who make WMG such an extraordinary organization. This social is open to WMG members who have joined within the past year—and to other members who want to learn more about what WMG has to offer.
10/8 6-7pm ET virtual FREE, Members Only
https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6340101
Transforming Literacy: Reading for the Future and Other Tools
Program from @nybookforum 9/17 5:30-8 at Macmillan NYC.
https://newyorkbookforum.org/event/transforming-literature/
The Definitive AI Forum for Media, Information & Events (UK)
11/25.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/flashesflames/1776600
2026 Mentorship applications from We Need Diverse Books now open!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5YCJ46jza0P0ath4EyfzVC2SPaIgip-f4XtVdQtPGUwDc-g/viewform
Latino Voices in Children’s Literature: Writing Contest
Deadline 10/13. The contest is open to Latino authors who are at least 18 years of age or older and residing anywhere in the US. The contest’s mission is to elevate authentic, culturally relevant children’s stories written by and about Latino people. Every entry is considered for publication and three cash prizes will be awarded.
Post Wave Prize for Illustration
https://postwavepublishing.com/about/about-post-wave-prize-for-illustration/
2026 Jason Reynolds / Simon & Schuster Travel Grant Application Now Open
The grant will cover the expenses of 5 Black/African American youth or teen services librarians or school librarians/media specialists who work in either public or school libraries. Recipients will receive $1,500-$3,000 to pay for expenses related to attending the ALA Annual Conference.
Call for New WSQ Editors
https://www.feministpress.org/news/call-for-new-wsq-editors
Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar Awards
For graduate + undergrad students. Winners get either a $3K scholarship for ind work or $4K fellowship to fund time in a bureau of a leading news organization (e.g., AP, Reuters, Bloomberg). Deadline 11/15.
https://www.overseaspressclubfoundation.org/scholar-awards-program
After 5 Years, Sleepovers Are Finally Back At NYC’s Museum Of Natural History — The First One Is This October
https://secretnyc.co/a-night-at-the-museum-overnight-experience-sleepovers-return-amnh/
Want to read my old newsletters or subscribe? Go to my blog here.