While I focus on Technology, Innovation, and Publishing, because I have a platform, I also flag items that I think are important, which you might have missed, and try to include a bunch of resources & opportunities. My goal is to surface at least one interesting tidbit you didn’t see. How did I do – did you learn something new?

Important Items

COVID summer wave grows, especially in West, with new variant LB.1 on the rise

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-summer-wave-grows-new-variant-lb-1/

Innovation

A quantum-entangled photon traveled 35km under Boston streets

Harvard & Amazon created a quantum network transmitting qubit photon over fiber-optic cable, looking to build a network that can catch, store, & transfer info stored in light

https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/16/24158365/quantum-computing-network-aws-amazon-harvard

Researchers leverage shadows to model 3D scenes, including objects blocked from view

This technique could lead to safer autonomous vehicles, more efficient AR/VR headsets, or faster warehouse robots.

https://news.mit.edu/2024/researchers-leverage-shadows-model-3d-scenes-blocked-objects-0618

Technology

Publishers Association welcomes manifesto commitments on AI and creativity

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/publishers-association-welcomes-manifesto-commitments-on-ai-and-creativity

When was the last time you finished a book? You need an AI reading companion like me

Margaret Atwood, Marlon James, Lena Dunham, Roxane Gay: We’ve all agreed to be turned into AI reading companions by a mysterious company called Rebind.

https://www.wired.com/story/i-am-laura-kipnis-bot-and-i-will-make-reading-sexy-and-tragic-again/

Ashton Kutcher Says Soon ‘You’ll Be Able to Render a Whole Movie’ Using AI

MT @benedictevans A number of filmmakers said AI might not replace the lead director for core storytelling, but will take over a lot of the boring generic 2nd-unit stuff – ‘give me 10 options for an establishing shot of a house to this description.’

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/ashton-kutcher-ai-movies-sora-hollywood-1236027196/

Google DeepMind’s new AI tool uses video pixels and text prompts to generate soundtracks

The new video-to-audio tool will automatically match sounds to the appropriate scenes.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/18/24180854/google-deepmind-ai-video-pixels-text-prompts-generate-video-soundtracks

Snapchat AI turns prompts into new lens

Snapchat’s upcoming on-device AI model could transform your background — and your clothing — in real time.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/19/24181965/snapchat-ai-prompt-custom-lens

Google to Test Context ‘Notes’ for YouTube

YouTube will soon allow users to add “notes” that will provide context on some of its videos as part of a new feature.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/youtube-tests-context-notes-feature-videos-2024-06-17/

Chrome on Android can read webpages out loud from within the app

Google is rolling out a new option called “Listen to this page” that can read a webpage out loud from within the Android Chrome browser, and you can change the language.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/16/24179757/google-chrome-android-listen-to-this-page-website-reader

TikTok ads may soon contain AI-generated avatars and language dubbing from your favorite creators

TikTok says this will help brands and creators develop global audiences and allow brands to “add a human touch to their content” where real models presenters otherwise be used.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/17/24179971/tiktok-ads-ai-generated-avatars-creators-language-dubbing

TikTok’s AI tool accidentally let you put Hitler’s words in a paid actor’s mouth

TikTok posted a link to an internal version of new AI digital avatar tool without guardrails, letting users create videos that say anything, incl telling ppl to drink bleach

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/21/24183335/tiktok-ai-symphony-digital-avatar-generator-moderation

Neo-Nazis Are All-In On AI

Extremists are developing their own hateful AIs to supercharge radicalization and fundraising—and are now using the tech to make weapon blueprints and bombs. And it’s going to get worse.

https://www.wired.com/story/neo-nazis-are-all-in-on-ai/

A Generation of AI Guinea Pigs

Children are becoming beta testers for a new generation of AI tech. “Whatever AI is actually good for, kids will probably be the ones to figure it out”—but they’ll also be the ones who’ll experience some of AI’s worst effects

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/06/kids-generative-ai/678694/

My Memories Are Just Meta’s Training Data Now

Meta’s plans to use personal content posted by Facebook and Instagram users to train algorithms suggest our digital histories are being repackaged to teach AI about—and how to mimic—humanity.

https://www.wired.com/story/my-memories-are-just-meta-training-data-now/

Perplexity Is a Bullshit Machine

A WIRED investigation shows that the AI-powered search startup Forbes has accused of stealing its content is surreptitiously scraping—and making things up out of thin air.

https://www.wired.com/story/perplexity-is-a-bullshit-machine/

The Pixelbot 3000 turns simple AI prompts into Lego mosaic masterpieces

This custom printer uses DALL-E 3 to turn anything you can think of into brick-built art.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/17/24180250/lego-printer-pixel-art-artificial-intelligence

There Are Things That Machines Can’t Do (And Never Will)

Via @DigitalTonto “We teach people that everything that matters happens between your ears, when in fact it actually happens between people.”

https://digitaltonto.com/2024/there-are-things-that-machines-cant-do-and-never-will/

Building Human Skills for the AI Economy

Via @ToddMcLees Durable Skills Can Help People Flourish in Partnership with AI

https://medium.com/human-skills-project/human-skills-for-the-ai-economy-a4c644a5380d

AI for the rest of us

While OpenAI and Google are trying to prove that they are the best at AI, Apple leaned into a narrative of what else we can do with AI. By @natolambert

https://www.interconnects.ai/p/apple-intelligence

AI Is Already Wreaking Havoc on Global Power Systems

The world is adding artificial intelligence data centers so fast that they are straining power grids and threatening clean energy goals around the world.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-ai-data-centers-power-grids/

Latent Expertise: Everyone is in R&D

Ideas come from the edges, not the center. By @emollick

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/latent-expertise-everyone-is-in-r

The next next thing in AI and AR

Meta deprioritizing VR and its Oculus business to focus on reproducing the surprising success of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. And Apple is focusing on a cheaper Vision headset.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/21/24183015/meta-apple-ar-vr-ai-ilya-sutskever-perplexity

Instagram now lets users livestream exclusively to their Close Friends list

While Instagram launched live broadcasts back in 2016, they were always meant to be public and open to everyone who follows you. The feature is widely used by celebrities and influencers as a way for them to connect with fans. For regular users, the idea of going live to everyone who follows you may not be appealing.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/20/instagram-now-lets-users-livestream-exclusively-to-their-close-friends-list/

U.S. Government Sues Adobe for Hidden Termination Fees When Canceling Subscription

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/17/us-government-sues-adobe-hidden-fees/

How to Objectively Measure the “Fundability” of Your Startup

By Charlie O’Donnell

https://www.thisisgoingtobebig.com/blog/2024/6/5/is-my-startup-fundable-venture-capital

Publishing & Media

Book Business AI Showcase: Spines and Storywise

In the third of an ongoing series of articles spotlighting book business–related AI startups, we take a look at Spines, an AI-powered self-publishing platform, and Storywise, a tool to help publishers and agents manage manuscript submissions.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/95210-book-business-ai-showcase-spines-and-storywise.html

Has the DEI backlash come for publishing?

HT @KathMSchmidt A new study reveals positive changes since 2020. But can they last?

https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2024/06/diversity-publishing-backlash-study/678734/

Why Diversity in Book Publishing Matters

And why you should care. Via @KathMSchmidt

https://kathleenschmidt.substack.com/p/why-diversity-in-book-publishing

Here’s A First: Some Actual Amazon Book Sales Data

Amazon sells the majority of books, to the tune of more than 70% of all books (print, digital, and audio) sold in the U.S. At least according to a leaked, 25-page document that Business Insider got its hands on.

https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-original-book-business-booming-2024-6

Book girl summer: Why brands are leaning into the literary world

Miu Miu’s ‘Summer Reads’ pop-ups are the latest in a line of fashion-literature tie-ups, as houses embrace the written word as a means for cultivating an intellectual brand identity.

https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/book-girl-summer-why-brands-are-leaning-into-the-literary-world

Barnes & Noble Buys Denver’s Tattered Cover Bookstores for $1.83 Million

B&N will buy the bankrupt Denver bookstore chain. The 4 remaining locations will continue to operate under that name. B&N anticipates that it will retain most of the 70 employees

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/95312-barnes-noble-buys-denver-s-tattered-cover-bookstores.html

New York’s First Black Librarians Changed the Way We Read

HT @publishingtrend How the women who ran libraries during the Harlem Renaissance built collections and, just as important, communities of writers and readers.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/19/arts/harlem-renaissance-librarians-libraries-books-literature.html

BookNet Canada: Free Sources for Reading Surpass Paid

BookNet Canada finds survey respondents in all formats saying they used free-book sources last year more than they paid for books.

https://publishingperspectives.com/2024/06/booknet-canada-free-sources-for-reading-surpass-paid/

Audible’s best listens of 2024 (so far)

https://www.audible.com/blog/best-of-the-year-editorial-2024

Minute Media breathes new life into Sports Illustrated

The vast majority of staffers who were laid off during the transition of Sports Illustrated’s publishing rights have been rehired

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/18/sports-illustrated-minute-media

As TikTok grapples with weightier topics, journalists are tuning in to deliver the news

Journalists are using TikTok to reach a wider audience, find stories and teach media literacy as the platform itself seems to be changing

https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2020/as-tiktok-grapples-with-weightier-topics-journalists-are-tuning-in-to-deliver-the-news/

The Schools That Are No Longer Teaching Kids to Read Books

“It didn’t even feel like learning.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/06/nyc-schools-stopped-teaching-books/678675/

Here Come The Public School Closures

It’s a chilling realization that Orient-Macksburg is but the first Iowa district to be dissolved under myriad anti-public good legislation. Students deserve taxpayer-funded public institutions to help educate them.

https://bookriot.com/here-come-the-public-school-closures/

Mission Independent School District (TX) is banning over 600 titles because of conservative activist demands

MT @veronikellymars They used BookLooks and RatedBooks and other similar non-professional sources to “rate” the books they demanded an entire school district ban and the district did it without a blink. There’s been no review or assessment. 600+ books gone from shelves.

https://www.progresstimes.net/2024/06/13/mission-cisd-agreed-to-remove-676-books/

Resources & Opportunities

Authors Unite to Fight Book Bans

The Authors Guild is partnering with a new grassroots organization called Authors Against Book Bans (@AuthorsABB) to mobilize authors and illustrators in the fight against the growing number of book bans and challenges across the country.

https://authorsguild.org/news/authors-unite-to-fight-book-bans/

The 3rd annual #Pitblk

MT @_Pitch_Blaque The 3rd annual #Pitblk will take place 9/21/24-9/25/24 on our Pitch Site. Agents/editors will be able to access the site and review pitches from 9/30/24-10/4/24. Visit our website http://pitblk.com/faq to sign up for our mailing list and more info on the rules and process.

https://www.pitblk.com/faq