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.
Important Items
(There’s so much crazy stuff going on. Here’s some you may have missed.)
President Trump seeks control of science funding
Political appointees would be required to review grants before awards are made. That effectively gives political officials veto power over projects, even when they have passed scientific peer review.
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/03/nx-s1-5844678/trump-science-funding-omb-budget-office-rule-change
Trump officials planned to mark 2.7 million living people as dead, whistleblower claims
New Federal Rule Would Require Federal Funding Recipients To Deny Trans People Exist
https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/fascismnew-federal-rule-would-require
Postal Service won’t deliver mail ballots for states that don’t hand over voter lists, under plan for Trump directive
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/10/politics/postal-service-deliver-mail-in-ballots
Innovation
IBM is pledging more than $10 billion to build fault-tolerant quantum computers by 2029
Starling system, capable of running 20,000 times more operations than current systems, will be ready by 2029. A subsequent system, IBM Quantum Blue Jay, is planned to run one billion quantum operations across 2,000 qubits.
https://qz.com/ibm-quantum-computing-10-billion-fault-tolerant-2029-060326
Technology
The New York Times calls AI’s founding act a theft
HT @BoSacks NYT publisher A.G. Sulzberger says the press has been too timid to fight AI. Now what?
https://www.themediastack.co.uk/p/the-new-york-times-calls-ais-founding
The Centre Daily Times unionizes after backlash to McClatchy’s AI tool
McClatchy’s AI tool repackages existing articles to run as new ones. McClatchy reporters don’t want their bylines on those articles, and are unionizing in response.
The consequences of relying on AI for accurate news
A Media Lab study shows that, much like how GPS has weakened our navigation skills, AI can make us worse at detecting fake news.
https://news.mit.edu/2026/consequences-of-relying-on-ai-for-accurate-news-0609
Your Search Results Are Getting Sloptimized
Businesses have long tried to find ways to get their pages at the top of search results. Now they are scurrying to do the same with chatbots.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/06/google-search-ai-optimization/687495/
KPMG pulls report on AI usage due to apparent hallucinations
KPMG wrote a report describing the successful use of AI by businesses. But the case studies turned out to be AI hallucinations.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/06/13/kpmg-pulls-report-on-ai-usage-due-to-apparent-hallucinations/
Ads in New York must now label AI-generated ‘synthetic performers’
Any ads in New York that feature AI-generated people will now be violating state law if they aren’t clearly labeled.
Predicting AI job exposure
Via @benedictevans Many people would like to analyse which jobs, companies and industries are most exposed to AI, and assign scores, build charts, and map that against the progress of LLMs. I think this is mostly impossible: you don’t know how the jobs will change, you don’t know what else will change around this, and you can’t measure work like that anyway.
https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2026/5/24/ai-job-exposure
Accessibility And AI: How New Tools Are Opening Doors For Indie Authors
HT @craicer
Meta Unveils AI Agents to Automate Ads for Brands and Shoppers
New AI-powered sales and marketing assistants move the platform closer & closer to Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of end-to-end ad automation.
https://www.adweek.com/media/meta-ads-ai-agents-brands-shoppers-assistants/
Instagram is alerting users who were targeted by hackers during AI chatbot attacks
Meta’s AI chatbot let hackers take control of someone’s Instagram, bypassing all security controls including 2 Factor Authorization: over 20k accounts were affected before Meta fixed this.
AI, orientation & compounding value
OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) describes how we adapt under uncertainty. Focus for AI is on Observe & Act stages, but faster Observation without better Orientation results in faster error generation. By @neilperkin.
https://onlydeadfish.substack.com/p/fish-food-691-ai-and-the-ooda-loop
The Coming Organizational Meltdown
By @rishad. Are you ready for the organizational meltdown about to happen at work?
The biggest challenge of an AI age will be organizational design. AI is like hydrochloric acid that burns through all the containers of the past. Different areas and tasks leak into each other while others evaporate away. Since any change in organizational design impacts roles and responsibilities, spans of power, and compensation, it is likely to be resisted and therefore take time, be deeply emotional and challenge every human in an organization.
https://rishad.substack.com/p/the-coming-organizational-meltdown
Microsoft Seeks to Boost Creators at LinkedIn
LinkedIn is introducing a creator marketplace to help advertisers identify creators relevant to their audiences.
https://www.businessinsider.com/linkedin-launching-creator-marketplace-details-2026-6
Music Publishers Are Cautiously Warming to AI Song Generator Startups
The National Music Publishers’ Association used its annual meeting to unveil deals with Udio and Klay, even as the major trade org says its being vigilant about “bad actor” AI companies.
Deezer launches an AI music detector for other streaming services
Nobody would license Deezer’s AI-music detector, so they gave it to everyone. Point it at Spotify, Apple Music, or any of 20 services and it flags the synthetic tracks hiding in your playlists.
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/948153/deezer-ai-music-detector-spotify-apple
Lionsgate Takes Equity Stake in Runway AI, Plans to Draw on Existing Properties for AI-Generated Short-Form Series
Lionsgate and gen-AI company Runway expand their partnership, giving Lionsgate an equity stake in Runway and launching a program to develop and produce new IP.
Reddit to Allow Users to Comment via Video
Reddit users are already able to comment with text, images and GIFs. Now, they can reply with short-form videos.
https://mashable.com/tech/reddit-video-in-comments
Anthropic announces ‘Claude Corps’ to teach nonprofits to use AI more effectively
Anthropic is putting 1,000 paid fellows inside nonprofits, spending $150M for 1-year placements.
https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-ai-claude-corps-daniela-amodei-b1c130a08417d13e1256f8982d233b0e
We tried Google’s AI glasses and they’re almost there
These Android XR glasses offer an in-lens display that puts helpful information in front of you, overlaid on top of the real world. This includes widgets that could display things like the weather, walking directions, Uber pickup details, live translation, and more — even widgets you designed yourself using AI. The glasses will also pair with iOS and Android phones, both in the audio-only format and in the future display version. The glasses were developed in partnership with Warby Parker, Gentle Monster, and Samsung, blending Google’s technology with their brands’ design aesthetics.
https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/22/we-tried-googles-ai-glasses-and-theyre-almost-there/
Amazon unveils latest warehouse robot as tech giants continue AI layoffs
Amazon Proteus is an autonomous mobile robot designed to understand natural language commands from workers & transport items in warehouses.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/05/amazon-robot-proteus-warehouse-ai-layoffs.html
Publishing & Media
New Authors Guild Study: Only 25 Percent of Readers Paid for a New Copy of a Print Book or Ebook Read in the Previous Month
HT @publishingtrend The survey found 19% of books in text format were bought as new print or ebook copies (which give authors the highest royalties) while 6% were accessed through subscriptions, many of which pay authors a fraction of what they would earn on individual sales. Another 10% were bought used, sales which provide authors with no payment. 29% of books read were acquired through libraries, and the remaining 35% of books read were either borrowed from friends or family, came from a reader’s personal collection, or acquired through another source, such as piracy.
Among digital audiobooks, 36% were either purchased or acquired through a paid subscription, with subscriptions outranking audiobook purchases 2-to-1. 37% of audiobooks were sourced through digital library borrowing.
What kind of stories are best at turning local news readers into subscribers? It’s hard news, not the soft stuff
An analysis of billions of visits to a metro newspaper’s website finds that entertainment and sports stories might generate lots of pageviews, but it’s topics like government, transportation, and health that get people to pull out their credit cards.
Condé Nast filed a lawsuit against Goulash Unlimited, the worker-owned collective that revived Gourmet after discovering that Condé had let its trademark lapse
The parent company of the defunct food magazine Gourmet is not pleased that a group of journalists have revived it on their own.
https://www.semafor.com/article/06/07/2026/former-gourmet-magazine-owner-sues-new-gourmet-newsletter
A Bookstore Boom in a Time of Literacy Decline
Here are the two facts, sitting in apparent contradiction. Reading scores for American high school seniors recently fell to their lowest point since the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) first administered the assessment in 1992. Meanwhile, the American Booksellers Association reports that the number of independent bookstores in the United States has grown by 70% since 2020, from roughly 1,900 to more than 3,200. In 2025 alone, 422 new independently owned stores opened nationwide. Barnes & Noble opened more than 50 new locations in 2024 and has plans for 60 more.
https://lithub.com/a-bookstore-boom-in-a-time-of-literacy-decline/
Take Action To Save Federal Funding for Libraries!
The Administration’s FY2027 budget proposal forces the shutdown of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal funding source for libraries and museums.
https://action.everylibrary.org/saveimls2026
Resources & Opportunities
Career Transitions: Finding Your Next Opportunity
6/17 12-1pm via Zoom. FREE for WMG members, $15 for non-members.
Are you looking for your next career move or considering a change of direction? Join WMG for an insightful conversation led by executive recruiter and Headhunter Confidential: The Unwritten Rules for Landing a Job You Love author Kathy Bremer. Kathy will share practical strategies for navigating career transitions, whether you are searching for a new role in your current field or exploring opportunities related to your dream career.
https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6713242
WMG Small Group Socials
Take a look at WMG’s exciting mix of in-person and virtual members-only small group socials! Affinity groups include children’s books, audiobooks/podcasts, and beachgoers. I’m hosting one in July and hope to see you there!!
https://www.womensmediagroup.org/events
LinkedIn Strategies for Career Growth
8/5 12:30-1:30pm via Zoom. FREE for WMG members, $15 for non-members.
Join this event to learn how to improve your LinkedIn profile and position yourself for new career opportunities. Lynne Williams, Executive Director of the Great Careers Network, will share practical tips for strengthening your personal brand and optimizing your profile. Lynne will cover:
- How to clearly define and communicate your personal brand
- How to effectively incorporate keywords throughout your profile
- How to strengthen your headline with a unique selling proposition
- Where to find free tools and resources to enhance your LinkedIn presence
https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6715943
JAWS Webinar: Journalism & AI – Promise or Threat?
Free JAWS webinar 6/17: Join NYU Prof. Meredith Broussard as she discusses the upsides and the downsides of artificial intelligence for journalists and journalism. Learn about the acronyms, the platforms, the handful of ways journalists have used AI in the newsroom, and the many cases where journalists have investigated AI systems to uncover harms.
https://www.jaws.org/news/jaws-webinar-journalism-amp-ai-promise-or-threat
Kari Howard Fund for Narrative Journalism
This grant provides selected journalists with funding to develop a critical piece of long-form narrative journalism. Open to women & nonbinary journalists from anywhere. Apply by 7/12.
https://www.iwmf.org/programs/kari-howard-fund/
Join WNDB Board of Directors
We Need Diverse Books is expanding their Board of Directors, and they’re looking for professionals, educators, and creators who share their belief in the power of diverse literature.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSet7t5KCbmKXd_YeMwhKliNDXgG5jdHamWkReHvmlssFM6H8g/viewform
Launching National Survey on Cellphone-Free Schools and School Library Engagement
School librarians: Are students using the library more in your school now that cellphones are restricted? EveryLibrary Institute is gathering national data to find out. Take the survey.
https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org/survey_cellphone_free_schools_and_libraries
Celebrate New York Music Month This June
Free Performances, Talks, and Rehearsal Space in NYC.
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