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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. This is a double issue, so there are a lot of links. Please let me know what you think.

Important Items

US Funding Cuts Are Helping Criminals Get Away With Child Abuse and Human Trafficking

Services supporting victims of online child exploitation and trafficking around the world have faced USAID and State Department cuts—and children are suffering as a result.

https://www.wired.com/story/doge-usaid-state-department-child-exploitation/

An Adviser to Elon Musk’s xAI Has a Way to Make AI More Like Donald Trump

A researcher affiliated with Elon Musk’s xAI startup is researching a method to alter the politics of Grok and better align the chatbot with conservatives.

https://www.wired.com/story/xai-make-ai-more-like-trump/

Rethink Your News Habits (or at least your doomscrolling!)

HT @JaneFriedman Via @mjrobbins Now seems a very good time to think about your news habits, about the value you’re getting from the people you follow. Are you in a position to do anything useful with this information? Do you need the unfiltered noise blasted into your face hour by hour? Do you feel more informed or empowered by what you’re scrolling through? Or would it be better to step back, slow down, breathe, and let the light in.

https://martinrobbins.substack.com/p/denial-of-service

Innovation

Can deep learning transform heart failure prevention?

Cardiac Hemodynamic AI monitoring System (CHAIS) is a deep neural network capable of analyzing ECG data from a single lead—the patient only needs to have a single adhesive, commercially-available patch on their chest, which they can wear outside of the hospital, untethered to a machine.

https://news.mit.edu/2025/can-deep-learning-transform-heart-failure-prevention-0210

Technology

Adobe’s Sora-rivaling AI video generator is now available for everyone

Adobe launched text- and image-to-video AI generator, Generate Video, available through its Firefly web app. Output to 1080p @ 24 frames/second, clip length limit is 5 seconds.Designed for commercial use, ensuring copyright safety. Paid features include Scene to Image and Translate Audio and Video.

https://www.theverge.com/news/610876/adobe-generate-video-ai-public-beta-available

Microsoft offers authors $5,000 to train AI on their books

ICYMI HT @publishingtrend Microsoft has offered HarperCollins a licensing deal to use their books to train AI models, with authors receiving half of the $5,000 per book fee. The offer has left many authors unsure whether to accept, as it’s difficult to determine whether the compensation is fair. But the average annual income for authors in the U.S. is only $20,000 or less. Authors are grappling with the decision to allow their work to be used in AI training, weighing the financial benefits against the potential impact on their intellectual property and the uncertainty of fair compensation in the context of generative AI.

https://the-decoder.com/microsoft-offers-authors-5000-to-train-ai-on-their-books/

How DeepSeek stacks up when citing news publishers

DeepSeek’s web and app chatbot have three different settings: the default standard mode; “Search” mode, where it browses the web in real time while responding; and “DeepThink” mode, where it walks through its reasoning before providing a response. In standard mode, it hallucinated URLs to news publications on several occasions. Overall, in standard mode, while web search was turned off, DeepSeek regularly encouraged me to move off platform — to exit the chatbot interface and seek out a more reliable source, usually the news outlet that had published the story. In DeepThink mode, DeepSeek stated plainly that its response to my queries could violate copyright. It also acknowledged that these articles were likely paywalled, and that it could “violate policy” not to make that clear to users.

https://www.niemanlab.org/2025/02/how-deepseek-stacks-up-when-citing-news-publishers/

GitHub Copilot previews agent mode as market for agentic AI coding tools accelerates

GitHub Copilot previews agent mode. It enables developers to generate, refactor, and automatically fix code with simple prompts. Project Padawan is a fully autonomous software engineering agent that can manage entire development tasks.

https://venturebeat.com/ai/github-copilot-previews-agent-mode-as-market-for-agentic-ai-coding-tools-accelerates/

Brain Typing AI

Neuroscience researchers at Meta are able to analyze people’s brains as they type and determine what keys they’re pressing, just from their thoughts. They were measured from outside the skulls using a magnetic scanner and processed using a deep neural network.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/07/1111292/meta-has-an-ai-for-brain-typing-but-its-stuck-in-the-lab/

Researchers created an open rival to OpenAI’s o1 ‘reasoning’ model for under $50

AI researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington were able to train an AI “reasoning” model for under $50 in cloud compute credits. The model, known as s1, performs similarly to cutting-edge reasoning models, such as OpenAI’s o1 and DeepSeek’s R1, on tests measuring math and coding abilities. The s1 model is available on GitHub, along with the data and code used to train it. To some, the idea that a few researchers without millions of dollars behind them can still innovate in the AI space is exciting. But s1 raises real questions about the commoditization of AI models.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/05/researchers-created-an-open-rival-to-openais-o1-reasoning-model-for-under-50/

Amp Robotics raises $91M to build more robot-filled waste-sorting facilities

Amp Robotics deploys 400 robots which use AI-enabled cameras to watch the flow of trash, identify what can be recycled, and pick them out w/ robotic arms.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/05/amp-robotics-raises-91m-to-build-more-robot-filled-waste-sorting-facilities/

Publishing & Media

Why America is falling in love with romance bookstores

HT @publishingtrend Bookstores dedicated to romance novels are thriving thanks to TikTok and a desire for third places.

https://www.fastcompany.com/91275764/rise-of-romance-bookstores

Will the Diamond Bankruptcy Change the Comics Business Forever?

Diamond’s downfall is particularly shocking given its near monopoly of the direct market for more than 20 years. Despite consistent complaints from the comics business, the company remains an industry institution: it runs Free Comic Book Day, a huge program for retail awareness; its Previews catalog is considered the bible for buyers at comics shops and beyond; and for years, it worked directly with stores to extend credit during rough patches.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/97080-will-the-diamond-bankruptcy-change-the-comics-business-forever.html

A Fairytale Pairing: Stephen King and Maurice Sendak To Reimagine Hansel and Gretel In New Book

https://people.com/stephen-king-and-maurice-sendak-to-reimagine-hansel-and-gretel-in-new-book-11679189

Dotdash Meredith Sees Off-Platform Ad Targeting as Big Revenue Driver

In earnings call, the IAC CFO said orders w D/Cipher are 50% larger than orders without and accounted for over half of digital revenue. Now they’re allowing advertisers to use its targeting across the open web.

https://www.amediaoperator.com/news/dotdash-meredith-sees-off-platform-ad-targeting-as-big-revenue-driver/

A post-mortem of The Sun’s last failed attempt at a paywall

Always interesting to learn from failure! MT @benedictevans via the NewsCorp exec responsible.

https://substack.com/home/post/p-156657600

Valentines For Anti-Book Censorship Advocates

https://buttondown.com/wellsourced/archive/valentines-for-anti-book-censorship-advocates/

How Authors Against Book Bans helped defeat attempted library censorship in Florida

Calls and letters work! Keep ’em up!! AABB organized a successful letter-writing campaign, an encouraging win in the fight against book bans: The school board in St. Johns County, Florida, an extremely red part of the country, was considering banning six books: Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Normal People by Sally Rooney, Storm and Fury by Jennifer Armentrout, and Strange Truth by Maggie Thrash. The books had previously been reviewed by a district committee, who recommended that they remain available to borrow. The superintendent of schools agreed, but the school board, which includes some very conservative voices, ignored that lengthy process and decided to hear an appeal to remove the titles. AABB’s membership rallied, writing hundreds of letters to the school board, who ultimately decided to keep the books on the shelves. It was a win for Florida, readers, and AABB.

https://lithub.com/authors-against-book-bans-helped-defeat-attempted-library-censorship-in-florida/

Resources & Opportunities

Celebrating Black History Month: Clips & Conversation with a Filmmaker

In celebration of Black History Month, WMG member Lisa Durden will share the inspiration behind Blind Divas, a documentary film she is writing, directing, and producing. She will speak about her journey as a Black journalist, the importance of telling stories that reflect the Black experience, and the behind-the-scenes process—from production to fundraising to marketing—involved in making this film. Via Zoom 2/19 6-7:15pm ET. FREE for WMG Members, $20 for non-members.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6039817

Podcasts and Beyond: Using Audio To Build Your Brand, Spread Your Message, or Promote Your Business

Audio has become a crucial tool for establishing your profile as a subject matter expert and a thought leader in your field. Whether it’s through podcasts, audiobooks, or narrated articles, voice-driven storytelling offers a tremendous opportunity to connect with listeners in an intimate, personal, and memorable way. Courtney Reimer, a distinguished podcast strategist and content development expert, will guide you through the key benefits of incorporating audio into your media portfolio and how to make it a powerful part of your storytelling toolkit. 2/26 12-1pm ET on Zoom. FREE for WMG Members, $15 for non-members.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6039828

Creating a High-Impact TEDx Talk

Join this session to learn how to create a high impact TEDx Talk. Marketing veteran Bridget Marmion will be in conversation with Terri Trespicio, whose TEDx Talk “Stop Searching for Your Passion” has been viewed over 8 million times. 3/4 6-7pm ET on Zoom. FREE for WMG Members, $15 for non-members.

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/event-6070677

WMG Members-Only Golden Gatherings

To conclude WMG’s milestone 50th Anniversary year (March 2024-March 2025), we are offering several Golden Gatherings—small group socials designed to deepen member-to-member connections with one another and with the larger WMG community as we embark on our next 50 years. Sign up for a Golden Gathering today!

Book Marketing Meetup at The Players with Jane Wesman

Thursday, February 20, 6:00 p.m. ET

In-person – The Players, Manhattan

“Golden Girls” Virtual Productivi-TEA Party with Paula Rizzo

Thursday, February 27, 3:00 p.m. ET

Zoom

Dinner for Children’s Book Authors/Aspiring Authors/Lovers with Gabrielle Gayagoy Gonzalez

Monday, March 3, 6:00 p.m. ET

In-person – Bar, Manhattan

Library Lovers Unite! with Miriam Tuliao

Thursday, March 6, 2:00 p.m. ET

In-person – NYPL, Manhattan

Celebrate Women’s History Month with Stacey Ashton

Saturday, March 8, 10:30 a.m. ET

In-person – Museum, Manhattan

Sisters in DEI Lunch with Kathy Sandler

Monday, March 10, 12:30 p.m. ET

In-person – Restaurant, Manhattan

Dinner and Symphony Space Show with Jennifer Perry

Wednesday, March 12, 5:15 p.m. ET

In-person – Restaurant, Manhattan

Chic & Seek at M.M.LaFleur with Jodi Brockington

Thursday, March 13, 6:00 p.m. ET

In-person – M.M.LeFleur, Manhattan

Inkluded Academy

MT @diversebooks Applications for Inkluded Academy are now open! For BIPOC publishing professionals looking to break into the industry, Inkluded Academy is a tuition-free, career-focused publishing course.

https://www.inkluded.org/academy-applications

HarperCollins UK Author and Design Academy

The HarperCollins Author and Design Academy trains and supports creators from underrepresented and ethnic backgrounds to become successful writers and designers in the publishing sector. The free six-week programme equips students with the tools to succeed in publishing.

https://www.harpercollinsacademy.co.uk

Book Art Research Fellowship

Researchers and scholars in art history, literature, book history, library science, or museum studies, conservation studies – apply by 2/28 @center4bookarts

https://centerforbookarts.org/book-art-research-fellowship

WFF Housing Stability Grant for Artists

MT @nyfacurrent We’re accepting apps for the inaugural application cycle of the WFF Housing Stability Grant for Artists thru Apr 8. The program will provide grants of $30K, distributed over 3 yrs, to 5 NYC-based visual artists.

https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/wff-housing-stability-grant-for-artists/

Get Lit NYPL February Book Club: Imani Perry with musical guest Bilal

Join WNYC’s Alison Stewart and Imani Perry for a live conversation about her newest book Black In Blues, followed by a special musical performance from Bilal. Free streaming tix still available. 2/26 6-7pm ET.

https://www.showclix.com/event/get-lit-february-book-club-imani-perry/tag/twitterpost

The Library After Hours: A Century of The New Yorker

As The New Yorker turns 100 in February 2025, The New York Public Library is mounting a new exhibition, A Century of The New Yorker, that draws on the Library’s extensive collections to illustrate the magazine’s fascinating history and expansive cultural reach. Join us at the Library After Hours for special access to the exhibition, plus one-night-only events including curator talks, trivia, 16mm films, live music, and more. Pay-what-you-wish tickets sold out, but a limited number of tickets at the door. 2/28 7-10 pm ET.

https://www.showclix.com/event/library-after-hours-new-yorker/tag/twitterpost

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