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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.

Technology

Computers can’t surprise

HT @PublishersWkly Readers live in hope for organic associations, speculative leaps and surprise inferences. Whereas, to an AI, which is fed the answer before the question, ‘surprise’ remains an elusive concept.

https://aeon.co/essays/sure-ai-can-do-writing-but-memoir-not-so-much

Audiences have clear expectations when it comes to AI

Media companies are increasingly using AI to improve recommendations and personalize the audience’s viewing experience. The primary focus centers on reducing friction in discovery and helping audiences decide what to watch more easily.

https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2026/01/26/audiences-have-clear-expectations-when-it-comes-to-ai/

People who use chatbots for news consider them unbiased and “good enough,” new study finds

Even when they talked about chronic factual errors and complained about chatbots failing to provide up-to-date information, interviewees were quick to forgive chatbots and continue using them to stay informed.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/people-who-use-chatbots-for-news-consider-them-unbiased-and-good-enough-new-study-finds/

How publishers from Dow Jones and Business Insider to People Inc. are approaching AI in 2026

Publishers continuously assess how to use AI without compromising editorial standards. Here’s how they’re doing it.

https://digiday.com/media/digiday-research-how-publishers-from-dow-jones-and-business-insider-to-people-inc-are-approaching-ai-in-2026/

Slate Editorial Staffers Ratify a New Contract w guardrails around the use of AI in the newsroom

The deal w WGA East introduces a new article establishing both protections against the implementation of AI, as well as guidelines for the development of a public-facing editorial policy on its use.

https://deadline.com/2026/01/slate-contract-wga-east-ai-protections-1236700165/

News publishers limit Internet Archive access due to AI scraping concerns

Outlets like The Guardian and The New York Times are scrutinizing digital archives as potential backdoors for AI crawlers. As a result of news publishers limiting access, some of the web’s history of getting lost.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news-publishers-limit-internet-archive-access-due-to-ai-scraping-concerns/

AI-generated news should carry ‘nutrition’ labels, thinktank says

The Institute for Public Policy Research also argues that tech companies must pay publishers for content they use.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/30/ai-generated-news-should-carry-nutrition-labels-thinktank-says

UK Creative Industries Call for AI Regulatory Framework

86% of UK authors surveyed say AI reduced their earnings, 72% say job opportunities were cut, & 57% say their career is no longer sustainable.43% of literary translators say earnings fallen due to AI.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/99566-u-k-creative-industries-call-for-an-ai-regulatory-framework.html

AI psychosis warning: The “assistant axis” controlling model behavior

WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg warns of AI psychosis as Anthropic researchers identify neural patterns governing AI personas and methods to prevent harmful drift.

https://ppc.land/ai-psychosis-warning-the-assistant-axis-controlling-model-behavior/

Amazon in Talks to Invest Up to $50 Billion in OpenAI

https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/amazon-in-talks-to-invest-up-to-50-billion-in-openai-43191ba0

Anthropic rewrites Claude’s guiding principles—& says AI might have a kind of consciousness or moral status

They’re moving from training model w simple principles—choose the least racist/sexist response—to teach AI why it should act in certain ways.

https://fortune.com/2026/01/21/anthropic-claude-ai-chatbot-new-rules-safety-consciousness/

Shopify Merchants to Pay 4% Fee on ChatGPT Checkout Sales

If your online store uses Shopify, & you opt in to checkout through ChatGPT, you’ll pay a 4% commission on any purchases, on top of other fees. (Gemini is not charging at the moment.) However, if your Shopify product feed isn’t optimized for ChatGPT (structured data, complete attributes, real-time inventory), you won’t get found in the first place. 78% of Shopify stores are invisible to ChatGPT Shopping. Worth auditing before paying the fee.

https://www.pymnts.com/news/ecommerce/2026/shopify-merchants-to-pay-4percent-fee-on-sales-made-through-chatgpt-checkout/

How AI Is Reshaping Advertising for the 1st Time in a Decade

Governance Becomes a Differentiator – Trust will shape adoption. Leaders need clear internal rules for conversational data use, disclosure standards, & consent—before regulation makes those decisions.

https://www.bcg.com/x/the-multiplier/how-ai-is-reshaping-modern-advertising

Rebooting Ad Ethics For The Era Of AI

The Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) is only 5 years old and it’s already rebooting its founding principles to catch up with the impact of AI.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/412228/rebooting-ad-ethics-for-the-era-of-ai.html?edition=141340

The AI revolution is here. Will the economy survive the transition?

If you last played with LLMs in November, you’re now wildly miscalibrated about the frontier.

https://post.substack.com/p/the-ai-revolution-is-here-will-the

ICE Issues RFI For ‘Ad Tech Compliant’ Data

The agency is “gathering information to better understand how the industry’s commercial Big Data and ad tech providers can directly support investigations activities,” the request stated. ICE added that it aims “to understand the current state of Ad Tech compliant and location data services available to federal investigative and operational entities, considering regulatory constraints and privacy expectations of support investigations activities.”

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/412314/ice-issues-rfi-for-ad-tech-compliant-data.html

OpenAI Confirms $200,000 Minimum Commitment for ChatGPT Ads

https://www.adweek.com/media/exclusive-openai-confirms-200000-minimum-commitment-for-chatgpt-ads/

Meta Bets the Farm, Apple Milks the Cows

Meta & Apple have opposite strategies around AI right now…. Apple, like Meta, failed in their 1st attempt at AI. The difference is that while Zuck doubled-down on their internal efforts, Cook doubled back.

https://spyglass.org/meta-apple-ai-strategy/

Meta’s Reality Labs cuts sparked fears of a ‘VR winter’

Meta’s deprioritizing virtual reality in favor of artificial intelligence and Internet-connected smart glasses has chilled the VR industry.

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/24/metas-reality-labs-cuts-sparked-fears-of-a-vr-winter.html

Meta to test premium paid subscriptions on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/26/meta-to-test-premium-subscriptions-on-instagram-facebook-and-whatsapp/

TikTok’s ownership shakeup sends creators scrambling amid chaos and uncertainty

https://digiday.com/media/tiktoks-ownership-shake-up-sends-creators-scrambling-amid-chaos-and-uncertainty/

TikTok Star Khaby Lame Signs $975 Million Deal to Monetize Global Fan Base

Khaby Lame, the world’s biggest TikToker, partners with Nasdaq-listed Rich Sparkle in a $975M, 36-month deal to monetize his fan base, including an AI version

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-27/tiktok-star-khaby-lame-signs-975-million-deal-to-monetize-global-fan-base

Spotify rolls out group chats

Users can now share the podcasts, playlists, and audiobooks they’re listening to with up to 10 people.

https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/29/spotify-rolls-out-group-chats/

Publishing & Media

Yes, romance & fantasy novels are political.

HT @publishingtrend The way people worry about women reading romantasy now is an exact mirror of what they worried about women reading romance in the 18th century.

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5690372

Shein’s arrival on the book market: what effect will it have on the printed book chain?

HT @publishingtrend

https://www.printindustry.news/story/51052/sheins-arrival-on-the-book-market-what-effect-will-it-have-on-the-printed-book-chain

After Mamdani Nods to ‘Heated Rivalry,’ Library E-Book Downloads Surge

The number of downloads of “Heated Rivalry,” surged by 529 percent after Mr. Mamdani’s news conference. 86 percent of the downloads on Sunday happened after Mr. Mamdani’s endorsement. The library had made an unlimited number of copies of the series available on its app on Saturday, and since then “Heated Rivalry” has been downloaded more than 5,000 times, she said. Altogether, the six books in the series have been downloaded more than 13,000 times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/nyregion/mamdani-heated-rivalry-library.html?unlocked_article_code=1.I1A.DFKr.wpvO8-KOzfav&smid=url-share

Agents Are Looking for the Next Heated Rivalry on Fanfic Sites

HT @publishingtrend Fanfic writers are super-well equipped to do well in publishing: Fanfic readers have expectations, you’re juggling multiple stories across genres, and have tight fandom deadlines.

https://www.vulture.com/article/rachel-reid-agent-fanfiction-romance-pipeline-heated-rivalry.html

Trends shaping web publishing priorities in 2026

Via @DCNorg HT @BoSacks

https://digitalcontentnext.org/blog/2026/01/19/trends-shaping-publishing-priorities-in-2026/

A scrappy story-sharing tool with local newsroom DNA gains traction

Plucky Wire was incubated in an unlikely place for a journalism technology: the tiny Granite State News Collaborative. Now, it’s being used by hundreds of outlets countrywide.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/a-scrappy-story-sharing-tool-with-local-newsroom-dna-gains-traction/

Fighting Book Bans, Coast to Coast

Legal teams fan out to the north, south, east, and west for the freedom to read. #teamPRH

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99479-fighting-book-bans-coast-to-coast.html

Defendants in CO Book Removal Case Abandon Appeal

CO school district sued in book removal case abandoned its appeal of judge’s ruling to return of 19 titles to classroom & library shelves, marking a tentative win for freedom to read advocates.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/99542-defendants-in-crookshanks-v-elizabeth-school-district-abandon-appeal.html

Book Community Supports Minneapolis Amid ICE Raids

https://pen.org/book-community-supports-minneapolis/

Resources & Opportunities

Bookstore & Brasserie with Kathleen Schmidt

2/12 6:30 p.m. ET. WMG members only; FREE

Join Women’s Media Group Board member Kathleen Schmidt for an evening of bookstore love and camaraderie! We’ll meet at 6:30 at the bookstore for shopping in the East Village of NYC and then walk to dinner to talk about our favorite books.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6509655

Creative Power, Responsible Practice

2/17 12-1 p.m. ET Free for WMG members; $15 for non-members (Zoom)

As AI tools become ubiquitous in writing and reporting, many professionals are asking the same questions: What’s allowed? What’s ethical? And what could put my work—or job—at risk? This program brings together experts in AI ethics to unpack what responsible AI use actually looks like and answer urgent practical questions about ethics, ownership, and professional responsibility. Panelists will address what writers and journalists should—and should not—do when using AI, the business risks organizations must consider, and how to draft and follow effective AI ethics guidelines. Learn how to approach copyright and attribution and use AI thoughtfully, legally, and in ways that protect both your work and your values.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6542066

WMG Job Seekers

2/23, noon; Penguin Random House, NYC. WMG members only; FREE

Are you looking for a job, underemployed, or planning to pivot? Women’s Media Group is pleased to offer our first Job Seekers event of the year to network, share tips, and offer support. Come join us for a free, in-person, members-only small group 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 WMG Board member Keline Adams, Director at Penguin Random House. Feel free to bring your own lunch.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6509718

Film Screening: Women Laughing

3/19 5:30-7:30 p.m. Society of Illustrators, 128 E. 63rd St., NYC

$25 for WMG and Society of Illustrators members; $30 for non-members

Join acclaimed cartoonists Roz Chast, Liza Donnelly, and Emily Flake for a private screening of the acclaimed new documentary, Women Laughing, in which Donnelly, director and producer, set out to explore her lifelong passion for women’s humor and cartooning with a probing look at the history of women cartoonists at The New Yorker. The film offers a unique insider’s look at the state of women’s humor over the last century through the perspectives of pioneering women cartoonists, then and now, who have wrestled with some of the central social issues of our time in a field historically dominated by men. Inspired by Donnelly’s book, Very Funny Ladies, it includes intimate conversations with some of the most celebrated and groundbreaking New Yorker cartoonists, including our featured guests, plus Sarah Akinterinwa, Liana Fink, Amy Hwang, and Bishakh Som. In a panel discussion after the event, the film’s producer, Judith Mizrachy, talks with Chast, Donnelly, and Flake about their creative processes and current challenges and opportunities for women cartoonists.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6542015