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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.

Important Items

Planet’s first catastrophic climate tipping point reached w coral reefs

Widespread death of coral reefs is the first climate tipping point reached in series of catastrophic and potentially irreversible scenarios, per report by 160 scientists from 25 countries.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/13/coral-reefs-ice-sheets-amazon-rainforest-tipping-point-global-heating-scientists-report

CBP will photograph non-citizens entering and exiting the US for its facial recognition database

https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/cbp-will-photograph-non-citizens-

entering-and-exiting-the-us-for-its-facial-recognition-database-184557905.html

DHS Wants a Fleet of AI-Powered Surveillance Trucks

US border patrol is asking companies to submit plans to turn standard 4×4 trucks into AI-powered watchtowers—combining radar, cameras, and autonomous tracking to extend surveillance on demand.

https://www.wired.com/story/dhs-wants-a-fleet-of-ai-powered-surveillance-trucks/

Innovation

Google DeepMind partners w fusion startup

SPARC, leveraging powerful high-temp superconducting magnets, aims to generate net fusion energy (more power from fusion than needed to sustain it), a critical milestone on path to viable fusion energy

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/16/google-deepmind-clean-energy-fusion

Technology

Salesforce sued by authors over artificial intelligence software

Novelists Molly Tanzer and Jennifer Gilmore said in the complaint that Salesforce infringed copyrights by using their work to train its xGen AI models to process language.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/salesforce-sued-by-authors-over-artificial-intelligence-software-2025-10-16/

Three writers argue their views on the use of AI by authors

@Shimmr_AI’s Nadim Sandek: Fear AI no more than a typewriter.

Toby Litt: The new collaborator.

Society of Authors CEO Anna Ganley: Hold on to our shared humanity.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03064220251382209

Google Taps Creators for YouTube Shopping

More than 500,000 creators now use YouTube Shopping, enabling viewers to buy products directly from videos

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-10-18/shopping-youtube-influencers-ecommerce-google

OpenAI is reportedly working on an AI music-generation tool

OpenAI working w Julliard students to help create training data. They envision something that could be used to generate guitar accompaniment for a vocal track or to add music to videos.

https://www.engadget.com/openai-is-reportedly-working-on-an-ai-music-generation-tool-204208186.html

Snapchat makes its first open prompt AI Lens available for free in the US

Snapchat has made its “Imagine Lens,” an AI image-generation tool previously for subscribers, free for all U.S. users to create custom AI Snaps from prompts.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/snapchat-makes-its-first-open-prompt-ai-lens-available-for-free-in-the-us/

Google Earth AI wants to help us spot weather disasters and climate issues before they happen

Google Earth lets users ask chatbot-style ques to find changes in climate. It could eventually predict disasters + identify the communities likely to be affected

https://www.techradar.com/pro/google-earth-ai-wants-to-help-us-spot-weather-disasters-and-climate-issues-before-they-happen

An Opinionated Guide to Using AI Right Now

@emollick‘s updated guide on which AI tools to use right now, some tips on how to use them, and how to avoid falling into some common traps.

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/an-opinionated-guide-to-using-ai

The Case for Optimism in the Age of AI

As generative AI continues to suck the life out of every conversation in the creative industry, artists have reason to be optimistic about the future of human creativity, and we’ve got the receipts to back it up.

https://www.truegrittexturesupply.com/blogs/news/the-case-for-optimism-in-the-age-of-ai

Detection firm finds 82% of herbal remedy books on Amazon ‘likely written’ by AI

HT @publishingtrend With gingko “memory-boost tinctures”, fennel “tummy-soothing syrups” and “citrus-immune gummies,” AI “slop” has come for herbalism, a study published by a leading AI-detection company has found.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/oct/22/detection-firm-finds-82-of-herbal-remedy-books-on-amazon-likely-written-by-ai

What to know about Atlas, OpenAI’s new free web browser

OpenAI wants people to know that there are risks using Atlas, especially in agent mode. There is always some risk that attackers could access your data or take actions as you on logged in sites.

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/21/openai-atlas-what-to-know

Two days after OpenAI’s Atlas, Microsoft relaunches a nearly identical AI browser

Copilot can “see and reason over your open tabs, summarize and compare info.” “Actions” to fill out forms or book hotels, “Journeys” let it trace connections btwn open tabs.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/23/two-days-after-openais-atlas-microsoft-launches-a-nearly-identical-ai-browser/

Amazon fixes huge AWS outage that broke much of the internet – here’s what happened

A massive Amazon outage takes down Venmo, Snapchat, Alexa, Ring, Wordle, Reddit and much of the internet. The issues was caused by a simple Domain Name System (DNS) error, but it tool all day to fix, and the impact was massive and global, with over 1,000 businesses impacted, with many companies still dealing with issues days later.

https://www.techradar.com/news/live/amazon-web-services-alexa-ring-snapchat-fortnite-down-october-2025

The AWS Outage Was a Nightmare for College Students

The outage impacted online learning platform Canvas – the #1 learning management system used by 4,000+ U.S. colleges and millions of students worldwide.

https://www.wired.com/story/the-aws-outage-was-a-nightmare-for-college-students/

Anthropic Has a Plan to Keep Its AI From Building a Nuclear Weapon. Will It Work?

Anthropic partnered with the US government to create a filter meant to block Claude from helping someone build a nuke. Experts are divided on whether its a necessary protection—or a protection at all.

https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-has-a-plan-to-keep-its-ai-from-building-a-nuclear-weapon-will-it-work/

Hundreds of public figures, incl Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak & Virgin’s Richard Branson urge AI ‘superintelligence’ ban

Before becoming CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman wrote that “development of superhuman machine intelligence (SMI) is probably the greatest threat to the continued existence of humanity.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk said earlier this year that there was “only a 20% chance of annihilation” when discussing the risks of advanced AI surpassing human intelligence.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/22/800-petition-signatures-apple-steve-wozniak-and-virgin-richard-branson-superintelligence-race.html

Report: AI Assistants Linked to News Errors

Leading AI assistants misrepresent news content in nearly half their responses, according to new research

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ai-assistants-make-widespread-errors-about-news-new-research-shows-2025-10-21/

The long-predicted deepfake dystopia has arrived with Sora 2

Per NewsGuard, Sora 2 produced convincing, news-style vids for known false claims in mins — incl those tied to Russian propaganda. Some Sora-generated fakes already went viral, misleading millions

https://the-decoder.com/the-long-predicted-deepfake-dystopia-has-arrived-with-sora-2/

People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help

The Federal Trade Commission received 200 complaints mentioning ChatGPT between November 2022 and August 2025. Several attributed delusions, paranoia, and spiritual crises to the chatbot.

https://www.wired.com/story/ftc-complaints-chatgpt-ai-psychosis/

The Housing Market Is Already Terrible. A.I. Is Making It Even Worse.

While digital staging is nothing new to real estate, bot-made listings are forcing homebuyers and professionals to ask themselves if this is a straight-up deceptive practice.

https://slate.com/business/2025/10/home-buying-artificial-intelligence-slop-real-estate.html

Facebook’s new button lets its AI look at photos you haven’t uploaded yet

Meta’s opt-in Facebook feature lets its AI scan users’ camera rolls to find and suggest edits or collages from unpublished photos, raising privacy concerns.

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/802102/meta-facebook-opt-in-ai-edits-photos-camera-roll

OpenAI’s ‘embarrassing’ math

They had claimed GPT-5 had solved several previously unsolved Erdős math probs, a statement quickly debunked by experts. GPT-5 only found existing research papers containing those solutions.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/19/openais-embarrassing-math/

Training AI on “Brain Rot” Content Causes Lasting Cognitive Damage

Feeding LLMs low-quality, high-engagement content from social media lowers their cognitive abilities.

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-brain-rot

Printing Money: Paxos Mints, Then Burns $300 Trillion in PayPal Stablecoins

Paxos accidentally minted $300 Trillion (> than 2.5 times larger than the entire world’s GDP) in PayPal stablecoins and then destroyed them.

https://decrypt.co/344463/printing-money-paxos-mints-burns-300-trillion-paypal-stablecoins

GM plans to launch eyes-off driving, Google AI and other new in-vehicle tech by 2028

Google Gemini AI will begin rolling out in GM cars next year. In 3 years, they plan to let drivers go hands free and take their eyes off road (but people can take control of car when they want).

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/22/gm-tech-google-ai.html

Amazon unveils AI smart glasses for its delivery drivers

They can scan packages hands-free, follow walking directions, and capture proof of delivery. They have a vest controller with a swappable battery and an emergency button. It supports prescription and light-adjusting lenses.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/amazon-unveils-ai-smart-glasses-for-its-delivery-drivers/

Uber wants drivers to train AI in their free time

What could go wrong? Uber’s new “digital tasks” program lets drivers get paid for small jobs that help train AI models when they’re not driving. As driverless robotaxis begin to fill streets in scattered cities across the U.S., Uber is enlisting its gig workforce to help train the technology that could replace them.

https://www.axios.com/2025/10/20/uber-ai-jobs-drivers-training-digital-tasks

Dizzying deal delirium: How the AI bubble bursts

In July, MIT found 95% of organizations achieved zero return on investment, despite spending $30 billion to $40 billion on GenAI across more than 300 initiatives.

https://fortune.com/2025/10/07/how-will-the-ai-bubble-burst-nvidia-openai-dotcom-circular/

Google AI Mode: Powerful Search, Poor Usability

Google’s new AI Mode provides a new way to search the web but is hampered by discoverability and navigation issues — especially for AI novices. Via

@nngroup

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/google-ai-mode/

Walmart deploys millions of new sensors in retail’s first large-scale deployment of IoT tech

HT @benedictevans Walmart is deploying millions of ambient Internet of Things battery-free sensors throughout its U.S. supply chain with a plan to reach 4,600 locations by the end of 2026. Walmart will know in real time exactly where merchandise is located across Walmart Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets, more than 40 distribution centers, and covering an estimated 90 million pallets of inventory when at full scale.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/15/walmart-deploying-millions-of-internet-iot-sensors-across-us.html

Amazon Plans to Replace More Than Half a Million Jobs With Robots

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/technology/inside-amazons-plans-to-replace-workers-with-robots.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vE8.mljr.EGvvtOs5_bZO&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

The Most Reviled Tech CEO in New York Confronts His Haters

ICYMI Avi Schiffmann says he’s enjoying the angry reaction to the Friend AI pendant. Is he serious?

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/10/friend-ai-companion-ads/684451/

Publishing & Media

New Report Urges Publishers to Capitalize on Hidden Strengths

Folks are tired of screens, publishers can collaborate, engage community, and use AI for efficient operations

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/98913-new-report-urges-publishers-to-capitalize-on-hidden-strengths.html

Booker prize launches £50,000 children’s award

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/oct/24/booker-prize-launches-childrens-booker-frank-cottrell-boyce

Rolling Stone Merges With Vibe magazine

https://pitchfork.com/news/rolling-stone-merges-with-vibe/

Publishing Futures: Academic Publishing

A report from a community-led review of the open research publishing ecosystem.

https://www.cambridge.org/us/universitypress/what-we-offer/research-publishing/publishing-futures

TikTok didn’t mean to become a breaking news platform – but it did

“If your newsroom isn’t visible on TikTok in the first hour after a major event breaks, you’re invisible

https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/tiktok-didn-t-mean-to-become-a-breaking-news-platform-but-it-did/s2/a1291688/

In Medill’s latest State of Local News report, a “festering, 20-year-old problem” looms larger than ever

136 US newspapers closed in the past year. “Digital news sites don’t come close to replacing the number of newspapers and journalism jobs being lost. And the digital news providers are almost entirely concentrated in metro areas, leaving vast swaths of the country with little to no access to local news.”

https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/10/in-medills-latest-state-of-local-news-report-a-festering-20-year-old-problem-looms-larger-than-ever/

Patron-Supported Journalism Can’t Be the Future of News

An under-discussed force in felling the journalism industry is the emergence of platforms standing to make a profit as the middleman in the writer-audience relationship. They profit from the churn of creators, taking a cut whether or not those creators make a living wage. The myth of independence is part of their marketing.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/patron-supported-journalism-cant-be-the-future-of-news

Top 10 key media trends of 2025

HT @BoSacks

https://www.marketing-interactive.com/10-key-media-trends-2025

58 Books You Need to Read (Recommended by People Who Know)

42 Writers, Editors, and Booksellers on the best books they’ve read in the last 25 years.

https://lithub.com/58-books-you-need-to-read-recommended-by-people-who-know/

Why Carnegie’s Libraries Are Getting $10,000 Checks

Every Carnegie Library in America is receiving a $10,000 gift in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/nyregion/carnegie-libraries-checks.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wk8.Gz1O.dqIdlXK2QVKN&smid=tw-share

Penguin Random House and United for Libraries Announce 2026 Grant Program for Rural and Small Libraries

#TeamPRH

https://global.penguinrandomhouse.com/announcements/penguin-random-house-and-united-for-libraries-announce-2026-grant-program-for-rural-and-small-libraries/

Federal Judge Rules Texas Book Ratings Law Unconstitutional

The bill (HB 900) would require bookstores “to assign subjective, confusing, and unworkable Rating Requirements,” using a 16-step process, and “encourages ad hoc judgments which can vary from bookseller to bookseller.”

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/98927-federal-judge-orders-permanent-injunction-against-texas-book-ratings-law.html

Email your legislators to support libraries

https://action.everylibrary.org/emailreps

Resources & Opportunities

Book Marketing Meetup with Catherine Cioffi and Ann-Marie Nieves

10/30 5:15pm In person Westchester – WMG Members Only

Join WMG member Catherine Cioffi for a Small Group Social with special guest Ann-Marie Nieves, founder of Get Red PR. Ann-Marie will share insights about the differences between publicity and marketing strategies across three popular publishing paths — self-publishing, hybrid, and traditional publishing — to help you navigate the promotional landscape with confidence.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6384958

AI for Authors & Book Publishers: Fauzia Burke in Conversation with Jane Wesman

11/5 12-1pm ET Virtual – All are welcome

Join WMG for a focused virtual session with Fauzia Burke, founder of FSB Associates and author of Online Marketing for Busy Authors. Fauzia will demystify how artificial intelligence is transforming publishing — from creating a media kit to discovering audiences. She’ll lead a thoughtful discussion on the promise and pitfalls of AI for writers and publishers, highlighting the essential skills authors and media professionals need to stay ahead. Drawing on real-world examples, Fauzia will share practical tools and frameworks to help you use AI responsibly and creatively. You’ll come away with actionable strategies to integrate AI into your marketing and promotion efforts — and learn how to leverage new technologies to elevate your message, strengthen your brand, and build lasting connections with readers. She will be in conversation with Jane Wesman, Co-President of WMG and President of Jane Wesman Public Relations, Inc.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6389643

Words as Weapons: Women, Online Abuse, & the Fight for Digital Safety

11/12 5:30-7:30pm at Penguin Random House, 1745 Broadway, NYC.

$15 for members; $20 for non-members. All are welcome.

Includes wine and light bites.

Online harassment isn’t just a tech problem. It’s a systems problem—rooted in misogyny, racism, surveillance, and disinformation. And women in media are among the most targeted. Journalists. Editors. Authors. Truth-tellers. Women who dare to speak publicly. You’ll hear from powerhouse women who’ve endured harassment, fought back, and supported others through it. You’ll gain insights into the structural forces behind digital abuse—and the strategies being developed to confront them. We won’t just name the harm. We’ll share real tools for healing, resilience, and collective protection—because staying silent is no longer an option.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6393924

Live Performance of “If Beale Street Could Talk” with Literature to Life

11/15 2pm Girls Write Now NYC

Join WMG member Elise Thoron for a performance and discussion of If Beale Street Could Talk, put on by her company, Literature to Life. James Baldwin’s story about abiding love in the face of injustice remains disturbingly poignant sixty years after it was first published. Told from the perspective of its young heroine, this is the story of one family’s fight for justice in a society where institutional discrimination has the power to destroy lives, a theme that resonates today with audiences from all walks of life. If Beale Street Could Talk will be performed by Channie Waites, and was adapted and directed by Elise. This event will be held at Girls Write Now, which is a scholarship partner of WMG. Space is limited.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6384992

Bursting the Blue-Red Bubbles

12/4 at noon. Lunch included. Red Rooster Harlem (the acclaimed Marcus Samuelsson restaurant), NYC

Early Bird (until 11/4): $75 members | $85 non-members

Join WMG for a powerful and timely conversation with Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House Press Secretary and author of the highly anticipated memoir, Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines. The discussion will be moderated by Natasha S. Alford, Senior Vice President at TheGrio.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6406290

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