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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

The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed 600,000 people, 2/3 of them children.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary/the-shutdown-of-usaid-has-already-killed-hundreds-of-thousands

The Group Behind Project 2025 Wants RFK Jr. to ‘Study’ the Pill

Well, this happened quicker than anticipated: the Heritage Foundation is calling on HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to commission a safety study on oral contraception. We’re talking about the country’s most powerful conservative organization—the group responsible for Project 2025—urging the federal government to get the ball rolling on restricting contraception.

https://jessica.substack.com/p/the-group-behind-project-2025-wants

Supreme Court rejects call to overturn its decision legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide

Some good news! The Supreme Court rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The justices, without comment, turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the high court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-50eb4ad421911696e742d8c4fb4962fd

Technology

Spotify’s new audiobook recap feature uses AI to remind you of the story so far

Spotify is launching a new AI feature for audiobooks that summarizes what you’ve already heard without needing to rewind. While the Recap button is always present on supported titles, you will have to listen to more than 15–20 minutes of the audiobook to get a summary, according to the Spotify blog post on the feature. After that, Recaps will be “regularly updated” as you progress through the audiobook. It’s “designed to help people finish the books they start,” the company says in the blog.

https://www.theverge.com/news/819476/spotify-audiobook-ai-recaps-short-summary

A.I. Sweeps Through Newsrooms, but Is It a Journalist or a Tool?

It helps & hurts – “AI is an extraordinary tool for journalists. But, as with much of technology, it comes with significant risks

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/business/media/ai-news-media.html?unlocked_article_code=1.0E8.Z3IE.F-yBBrQwXM0e&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Time Digs Into Magazine Archive with New AI

Time has launched an AI agent that lets people ask questions and receive responses from its 102-year-old archive.

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/10/time-ai-agent-ask

Japanese Publishers & Creators Join Forces to Demand AI Copyright Protections

In a rare show of solidarity, a coalition of 19 groups including major publishing houses and the Japan Cartoonists Association issued a public challenge to OpenAI. The statement strongly criticised the current opt-out system employed by Sora 2, whereby copyrighted materials may be used for training unless copyright holders explicitly request exclusion. Japanese copyright law, by contrast, requires prior consent and does not permit infringement based on retrospective objections.

https://thenewpublishingstandard.com/2025/11/15/japanese-publishers-call-openai-ai-copyright-protections/

LinkedIn is making it easier to search for people with AI

Instead of searching for an exact name, job title, or company, you can enter a more descriptive search, such as “Northwestern alumni who work in entertainment marketing,” or even pose a question, like “Who can help me understand the US work visa system?”

https://www.theverge.com/news/819908/linkedin-ai-people-search-launch

Perplexity to pay Snap $400M to power search in Snapchat

https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/06/perplexity-to-pay-snap-400m-to-power-search-in-snapchat/

Matthew McConaughey, Michael Caine Team With ElevenLabs for AI-Generated Versions of Their Voices

McConaughey, who is investing in the company, using tech for Spanish-language edition of his newsletter; Caine joins new Iconic Voice Marketplace

https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/matthew-mcconaughey-michael-caine-ai-voice-elevenlabs-1236574041/

Tinder to use AI to get to know users, tap into their Camera Roll photos

HT @benedictevans This is ironic – online dating companies always wanted to find ways for you to explain your personality so that they could find better matches, but that was always too hard, and Tinder short-circuited the whole industry with a radically different ‘just swipe’ approach. Now AI might be able to solve this – just scan the camera roll and find the patterns.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/05/tinder-to-use-ai-to-get-to-know-users-tap-into-their-camera-roll-photos/

The agentic commerce opportunity: How AI agents are ushering in a new era for consumers and merchants

By 2030, the US B2C retail market alone could see up to $1 trillion in orchestrated revenue from agentic commerce, with global projections reaching as high as $3 trillion to $5 trillion, according to McKinsey.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-agentic-commerce-opportunity-how-ai-agents-are-ushering-in-a-new-era-for-consumers-and-merchants

Are you listening to bots? Survey shows AI music is virtually undetectable

97% of listeners cannot distinguish between artificial intelligence-generated and human-composed songs.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/are-you-listening-bots-survey-shows-ai-music-is-virtually-undetectable-2025-11-12/

Google will let users call stores, browse products, and check out using AI

Google is infusing AI into just about every part of how people shop online — including having an AI tool call local stores on a human’s behalf and purchase items automatically. Google users in the US have access to a slew of new AI shopping features, targeting tasks like searching for products, comparing similar items, tracking prices, and finally hitting check out.

Shoppers will be able to select items and specifications like color or size, and name the price they want to spend — if the item dips below that, Google’s agentic checkout will ping the shopper, confirm they want to buy it, then use Google Pay to complete the transaction. The feature will begin rolling out with merchants including Wayfair, Chewy, Quince, and some Shopify sellers.

https://www.theverge.com/news/819431/google-shopping-ai-gemini-agentic-checkout-calling

Google’s NotebookLM will now do ‘deep research’

Google is adding Deep Research and more file types to NotebookLM.

https://www.theverge.com/news/820022/google-notebooklm-gemini-deep-research

Google is introducing its own version of Apple’s private AI cloud compute

Google says Private AI Compute maintains privacy while tapping cloud resources.

https://www.theverge.com/news/818364/google-private-ai-compute

Google to build solar-powered data centers — in space

Google outlined plans to launch AI chips (Tensor Processing Units) into low-earth orbit attached to satellites, keeping them constantly in view of the sun, and run off solar power. TPUs would be deployed as constellation traveling together, for high-bandwidth wireless communications.

https://www.semafor.com/article/11/04/2025/google-wants-to-build-solar-powered-data-centers-in-space

The Commodity Paradox: Why AI Eats Tokens, Not Articles

HT @BoSacks Publishers see articles. AI sees word counts. AI wants to commoditize the content.

https://creativelicensinginternational.com/licensing-brief/the-commodity-paradox-why-ai-eats-tokens-not-articles/

Publishing & Media

TikTok Launches Podcast Network with iHeartMedia

TikTok is breaking into podcasting with a creator-driven network powered by iHeart’s massive audio reach.

https://www.adweek.com/media/tiktok-launches-podcast-network-with-iheartmedia/

A 2026 Text Strategy for AI Discoverability

Per @JoePulizzi Podcasters should treat every episode as a data asset and include transcript, re-purpose on other channels, and build text authority so AI can find it. The future belongs to the indexed.

https://www.thetilt.com/ai/a-2026-text-strategy-for-ai-discoverability

Stop-Motion As an “AI-Proof” Art Form

Guillermo del Toro described the medium as “AI-proof,” arguing that its handcrafted imperfection is exactly what makes it human.

https://variety.com/2025/film/global/ted-sarandos-guillermo-del-toro-stop-motion-studio-ai-debate-1236545720/

‘This should be a wake-up call’: trade responds to inclusive organisations closing

A number of UK inclusive organizations for books have closed, book publishing responds.

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/news/this-should-be-a-wake-up-call-trade-responds-to-inclusive-organisations-closing

Resources & Opportunities

Bursting the Blue-Red Bubbles

12/4 at noon. Lunch included. Red Rooster Harlem (the acclaimed Marcus Samuelsson restaurant), NYC. $85 members | $95 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

WMG Member Social with WMG Co-Presidents

12/16 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET. WMG members only. FREE (Zoom)

Join WMG Co-Presidents Jodi Brockington and Jane Wesman for a virtual Member Social, a community-building celebration for all WMG members. We strongly encourage members based outside of New York to join us. This isn’t just another Zoom meeting; it’s a chance to pause, connect, and invest in your professional community. We’ll begin with a warm welcome from WMG’s leadership, then move into facilitated breakout sessions where you’ll introduce yourself, highlight a current goal or challenge, and meet peers whose skills or interests might align with yours. Afterwards, we’ll bring everyone back together for a wrap-up where we’ll share resources, upcoming WMG programs, and ways to stay engaged—whether you’re seeking a mentor, offering support to someone else, or exploring a new idea. The result? A stronger connection to WMG’s thriving network and fresh momentum for your next act in media.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6429132

The Art of Being Irreplaceable: Creativity in the Age of AI

1/22, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET. Free for WMG members; $15 for non-members (Zoom)

Are you afraid that AI is going to take your job? Yes—we all are! Yet one truth remains: artificial intelligence can mimic style, but it can’t replicate soul. Join Women’s Media Group for a thought-provoking session with award-winning author Jane K. Cleland, whose new book, Beat the Bots: A Writer’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI, offers a roadmap for writers determined to stay both relevant and inspired. Guided by acclaimed publishing expert Jane Friedman, Cleland will share practical exercises to nurture imagination, spark original thinking, and resist creative conformity. Expect practical creativity boosters, encouragement to take risks, and a renewed sense of purpose in your storytelling journey. It’s not about resisting technology—it’s about harnessing what only humans can do.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6429044

WMG Comedy Night: Smart Laughs, Big Energy

1/27 6pm (VIP Reception) | 7:15 pm General Admission

Get ready for a night of fearless, full-throttle comedy with Women’s Media Group, celebrating women who rule the mic and the moment. Featuring Sarah Cooper, Ophira Eisenberg, and Phoebe Robinson — plus more comedians to be announced — this live show brings together some of the funniest and most fearless voices in entertainment. Bring friends, bring your sense of humor, and get ready to laugh, connect, and unwind with WMG. Reserve your spot today — general admission seats will go fast!

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6425404

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Technology * Innovation * Publishing Newsletter #362