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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.

Innovation

China Releases “AI Plus” Policy: A Brief Analysis

ICYMI China’s “Internet Plus” plan ten years ago connected people with the internet for restaurants, transportation, and shopping. Now with the rise of generative AI, China is shifting to “AI Plus.” Their plan: In just 3 years, AI assistants, AI “employees,” industry-specific AI agents will become daily necessities for more than 70% of people in China. By 2030, intelligent terminals and AI agents become infrastructure.

https://www.geopolitechs.org/p/china-releases-ai-plus-policy-a-brief

China Is Building a Brain-Computer Interface Industry

Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, read and decode neural activity to translate it into commands. Because they provide a direct link between the brain and an external device, such as a computer or robotic arm, BCIs have tremendous potential as assistive devices for people with severe physical disabilities. NeuroXess has implanted six paralyzed patients with its device. In three of those patients, it was used to accurately decode Chinese speech. For the others, it allowed thought control of digital devices. NeuCyber NeuroTech developed a coin-sized brain chip called Beinao-1 and so far implanted it in five people. The recipients, who are paralyzed, are now able to move a computer cursor and navigate to smartphone apps. There are at least 1 to 2 million patients in the country could benefit from BCIs for assistive and rehabilitative purposes.

https://www.wired.com/story/china-is-getting-serious-about-brain-computer-interfaces/

MND left her without a voice. Eight seconds of scratchy audio gave it back to her

The onset of motor neurone disease left Sarah without a voice + the use of her hands at age 34. 25 years later, AI recreated her voice from 8 seconds of audio on a VHS tape

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1ejvxne7elo

Technology

Anthropic Agrees to Pay $1.5 Billion to Settle Lawsuit With Book Authors

This was in the news last week, but it didn’t specify the settlement amount. Anthropic, a leading AI company agreed to pay authors and publishers after illegally using millions of books. The settlement is the largest payout in history of US copyright cases

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/technology/anthropic-settlement-copyright-ai.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kU8.6hLY.59Ky72SiqjEW&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Apple faces lawsuit over alleged use of pirated books for AI training

Two authors have filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of infringing on their copyright by using their books to train its artificial intelligence model without their consent. The plaintiffs, Grady Hendrix and Jennifer Roberson, claimed that Apple used a dataset of pirated copyrighted books that include their works for AI training. They said in their complaint that Applebot, the company’s scraper, can “reach ‘shadow libraries'” made up of unlicensed copyrighted books, including (on information) their own. The lawsuit is currently seeking class action status, due to the sheer number of books and authors found in shadow libraries.

https://www.engadget.com/ai/apple-faces-lawsuit-over-alleged-use-of-pirated-books-for-ai-training-160016161.html

Warner Bros. Discovery Sues AI Giant Midjourney for Copyright Infringement In Major Legal Battle

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-sues-ai-company-copyright-infringement-1236361610/

Trend: Humans are being hired to punch up AI slop

In the age of automation, human workers are being brought in to fix what artificial intelligence gets wrong. AI-generated content rarely makes for a satisfactory final product on its own, impacting jobs for gig workers.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/humans-hired-to-fix-ai-slop-rcna225969

Why AI Narrators Will Never Be Able to Tell a Real Human Story

It’s not about the voice. Most newcomers say “Everyone has always said I have a great voice, so I should try narrating.” It has nothing to do with their voice, it’s about the ability to tell a story

https://lithub.com/why-ai-narrators-will-never-be-able-to-tell-a-real-human-story/

It’s the End of the Web as We Know It

Via @mgsiegler AI is disrupting web search and publishing. People got all excited because of the power of the click, but at the same time, the infinite canvas of the web just led advertisers and publishers to get high on their own supply. The web – at least with regard to publishing – has increasingly looked like a nightmare of pop-ups, pop-overs, and just generally garish ads that completely – sometimes literally – overshadow the actual content. I’m reminded of the music industry when piracy had crept in. Or the movie industry after DVD sales started to collapse. They eventually found paths to leverage new technology to create better models and just as importantly, better products for consumers.

https://spyglass.org/the-end-of-the-web/

Someone ordered 18,000 cups of water at an AI drive-thru – now fast food chains are reconsidering

Despite early glitches, the chains are eager to identify how AI can help smooth operations – but it’s not always a one-size-fits-all affair.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/someone-ordered-18000-cups-of-water-at-an-ai-drive-thru-now-fast-food-chains-are-reconsidering/

Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image) responsible for 10+ million first-time Gemini app users

Following last week’s announcement, Google shared today how much of a hit Nano Banana has been for the Gemini app: Officially, it’s called Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, but Google is actively referring to it as Nano Banana in various places.

https://9to5google.com/2025/09/04/gemini-app-nano-banana/

Instagram rolls out iPad app with Reels at the center to take on TikTok

The app addresses longstanding complaints about Instagram’s iPad experience, which previously required using a scaled-up iPhone version with blurry visuals and missing features. The new app, available globally on devices running iPadOS 15.1 and later, opens directly to a Reels feed — a nod to what Instagram calls ‘lean-back entertainment’ — with Stories pinned at the top and one-tap access to messaging.

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/instagram-rolls-out-ipad-app-with-reels-center-take-tiktok-2025-09-03/

Google’s Circle to Search can now translate as you scroll

https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/04/googles-circle-to-search-can-now-translate-as-you-scroll/

You can now attach 10,000 character blogs to your Threads posts

Meta rolls out a tool that lets users attach up to 10,000 characters of text to Threads posts, building upon Threads’ 500-character text limit for posts

https://www.theverge.com/news/770391/meta-threads-text-dumps-attachments-10000-characters

iPhone users will soon be able to edit social video for free with Adobe Premiere

It will allow users to record AI-assisted audio, save work for later desktop editing, and export directly to platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram. You’ll also be able to use Firefly, Adobe’s generative AI tool. Adobe pitched the new app as an upgraded, pro-level editor, compared to its current offering, Premiere Rush. Adobe said the new Premiere iPhone app would launch later this month, and the listing on the App Store notes it’s expected Sept. 30.

https://mashable.com/article/iphone-free-adobe-premier-editing

Netflix will let users customize and share clips on mobile

Netflix has updated its “Moments” feature, allowing viewers to choose a start and end point on clips to save and share

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/03/netflix-clips-moments-viral-share-mobile.html

Roblox announces new AI tools and short-form video platform for creators

Roblox is launching its very own TikTok-like short-form viral video platform for in-game moments.

https://mashable.com/article/roblox-moments-short-form-video-ai-tools

Blogging service TypePad is shutting down and taking all blog content with it

TypePad announced that the service would be shutting down on September 30 and that everything hosted on it would also be going away on that date. Export anything you want to save.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/08/one-time-wordpress-competitor-typepad-ends-its-slide-into-obscurity-by-shutting-down/

Amazon trying to become AWS of advertising

Via @maureenkerr Amazon has spotted the gap in retail ads: One interface that can connect it all. It is the same logic that made AWS indispensable. Standardize the messy plumbing, make it scalable, and then sell it back to competitors. If Amazon offers a tested, global infrastructure layer, the temptation will be real: instant demand, proven tools, and scale they could not achieve on their own. But there is a cost. Allowing Amazon into the pipes, even if retailers keep control of the taps, risks handing them too much power.

https://maureenkerr.substack.com/p/amazons-next-move-partner-or-predator

Amazon is ready to enter the AI agent race in a big way, according to internal documents

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ready-enter-ai-agent-race-2025-9

Publishing & Media

BookTok is reviving publishing – but at what cost?

HT @publishingtrend Racking up hundreds of billions of views, BookTok creators have real influence over what bookstores stock and what their customers buy. The viral- and algorithm-driven nature of BookTok often means “the same works are pushed over and over again”, and bestsellers incongruously promoted as “hidden gems.” Critics who dismiss BookTok as “shallow” or “consumeristic” really do “miss the point.” Ultimately, BookTokkers are encouraging people to read “not for grades or prestige but to find joy and sanctuary in deeply troubling times.”

https://theweek.com/culture-life/books/booktok-is-reviving-publishing-but-at-what-cost

James Patterson’s new initiative gives emerging authors up to $50,000 to finish their books

After years of giving millions of dollars to literacy programs, bookstore employees and librarians, James Patterson has now launched an initiative on behalf of emerging authors. He announced the first 12 recipients of grants from his “Go Finish Your Book” campaign. Authors each will receive up to $50,000 to help them complete their manuscript. Patterson’s new program was organized in partnership with PEN America, the Authors Guild and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, among other organizations.

https://apnews.com/article/james-patterson-finish-book-grants-50000-dd7e74a9eb22608e151d157103f448c3

A Camp Where You Can Read All Day (No Kids Allowed)

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/books/bad-bitch-book-club-summer-camp.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jk8.uzrz.4pQ7djlv7-yp&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Women are 1/2 the global population but only 26% of news subjects & sources

MT @amydiehl Only 2 in 100 stories challenges stereotypes. In stories, women are more often quoted as eyewitnesses – not subject matter experts, despite their qualifications.

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2025/09/half-the-world-only-a-quarter-of-the-news

The New York Times Is Shutting Down Its Audio App

The standalone product will shutter in October as the publisher increases audio and video in its flagship News app

https://www.adweek.com/media/new-york-times-audio-app-shuts-down/

NBCUniversal, Amazon strike deal to bring Peacock to Prime Video Channels

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/nbcuniversal-amazon-strike-deal-bring-peacock-prime-video-channels-2025-08-28/

A Conservative Canadian Province Backs Off a Book Ban

The province of Alberta pauses its broad ban on books depicting sex or “inappropriate” topics in schools, after backlash from authors including Margaret Atwood

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/world/canada/alberta-canada-edmonton-school-book-ban.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kU8.0rqT.Zh8aqVbscqYg&smid=url-share

The Legal & ‘Soft’ Censorship Affecting Manga in America

HT @PENamerica On a panel at Anime NYC about the global censorship of manga, Cruz emphasized the toll that book bans can take on authors: “Authors stop writing the content that’s getting censored.”

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2025/all-the-news-and-reviews-from-anime-nyc/the-legal-and-soft-censorship-affecting-manga-in-america/.228090

Resources & Opportunities

WMG Luncheon with Molly Jong-Fast

Join WMG for a very special luncheon featuring outspoken journalist, political commentator, columnist, and podcaster Molly Jong-Fast. Jong-Fast returns to WMG to discuss her New York Times bestselling book, How To Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir. The only child of the groundbreaking feminist writer Erica Jong, whose influential 1973 novel, The Fear of Flying, influenced the founders of WMG, Jong-Fast examines her childhood of privilege set against the backdrop of an erratic mother who was often inaccessible and focused primarily on herself. When her mother slips into dementia, Jong-Fast struggles with “the bereft, broken feeling of something ending before it ever got the chance to start.”

9/10 12-2pm, Barbetta Restaurant, NYC. $65 members, $75 non-members. Open to all – hope to see you there!

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6277261

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

Bookwire Hosts a Free “All About AI” Online Conference

https://publishingperspectives.com/2025/09/bookwire-hosts-all-about-ai-online-conference/

The Publishing Triangle Awards: Submissions Now Open

Deadline 11/25. All awards include honorariums, winners celebrated at April 2026 ceremony at The New School, NYC.

https://publishingtriangle.org/2025/09/the-publishing-triangle-awards-submissions-now-open/

Applications Open for Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists

Via @BincFoundation Deadline 9/20/25. The winning bookseller will be awarded a year-long scholarship for professional development, which includes travel and hotel to attend Winter Institute 2026, travel and hotel to attend their 2026 regional fall tradeshow and a $1,000 stipend to fund a community outreach project.

https://bincfoundation.org/2025-carla-gray-scholarship/

Nominate a Librarian You Love for the I Love My Librarian Award!

Nominations are now open for the 2026 I Love My Librarian Award. Ten librarians from across the U.S. will be selected from over 1,000 nominations to receive $5,000 and the recognition of a lifetime. Deadline 12/15.

https://ilovelibraries.org/article/nominate-a-librarian-you-love-for-the-i-love-my-librarian-award/

NYPL Scholars-in-Residence Program Fellowship 2026-27

Deadline 12/1. Long-term fellowships provide a $35,000 stipend to support postdoctoral scholars and independent researchers who work in residence at the Center for a continuous period of six months. Short-term fellowships are open to postdoctoral scholars, independent researchers, and creative writers (novelists, playwrights, poets) who work in residence at the Center for a continuous period of one to three months. Short-term fellows receive a stipend of $3000 per month.