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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

Married Women Could Be Stopped From Voting Under SAVE Act

In the US, immigrants who are not citizens already cannot vote. This bill is voter suppression – it will affect married women. Much of the documentation listed under the SAVE Act is based on having a birth certificate that matches the person registering to vote. However, as many as 69 million married women in the United States have changed their legal name since getting married, meaning their name does not match their birth certificate.

https://www.newsweek.com/married-women-stopped-voting-save-act-2029325

Texas Banned Abortion. Then Sepsis Rates Soared.

After TX banned abortion, rate of sepsis shot up more than 50% for women hospitalized when they lost their pregnancies in the 2nd trimester. The rate of maternal deaths in TX rose 33% btwn 2019 + 2023.

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-sepsis-maternal-mortality-analysis

Montana seeks to ban mRNA shots as vaccine hesitancy soars

https://www.semafor.com/article/02/18/2025/montana-seeks-to-ban-mrna-shots-as-vaccine-hesitancy-soars

Tracking Federal Actions Impacting the Nonprofit Sector

MT @GrantStation⁩ We are closely monitoring recent federal actions and their impact on the nonprofit sector. This article tracks ongoing developments, providing links to source materials.

https://grantstation.com/gs-insights/tracking-federal-actions-impacting-nonprofit-sector

Tell Congress to Protect Hotspot Access for Patrons & Students

A crucial funding program for hotspots at libraries and schools is under threat. Tell Congress to protect the E-Rate hotspot program and the internet access it enables. Here’s a super easy way to send an email to your local elected officials.

https://oneclickpolitics.global.ssl.fastly.net/messages/edit?promo_id=23502

Literary Organizations Release Joint Statement Decrying Anti-Trans Executive Order

ICYMI

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/97022-literary-organizations-release-joint-statement-decrying-anti-trans-executive-order.html

Gender and Non-Acting Oscar Nominations

Over the span of a decade, women garnered an average of only 26% of all non-acting Oscar nominations. At this rate, it will take 25 years before equal numbers of women are nominated for their skill, excellence, and artistry.

https://womensmediacenter.com/reports/wmc-investigation-2025-gender-and-non-acting-oscar-nominations

Innovation

Astronomers have spotted the largest known object in the universe

The Quipu superstructure is enormous, spanning 1.4 billion light years, and is a massive cluster of galaxy clusters

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2467487-astronomers-have-spotted-the-largest-known-object-in-the-universe/

Technology

New York Times goes all-in on internal AI tools

The New York Times is greenlighting the use of AI for its product and editorial staff, saying that internal tools could eventually write social copy, SEO headlines, and some code.

https://www.semafor.com/article/02/16/2025/new-york-times-goes-all-in-on-internal-ai-tools

Guardian announces partnership with OpenAI

HT @BoSacks Guardian Media Group last week announced a strategic partnership with Open AI that will bring the Guardian’s journalism to ChatGPT’s global users.

https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/guardian-announces-partnership-with-openai-25060

Google Whisk, an image remixing tool, is now available in 100+ countries

Google Whisk lets you upload three images for subject, scene, and style, and remix them into a new creation powered by the Imagen 3 AI model.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/11/google-whisk-an-image-remixing-tool-is-now-available-in-100-countries/

A16Z Voice Update

Voice is one of the most powerful unlocks for AI application companies. It is the most frequent (and information dense) form of communication, made “programmable” for the first time due to AI. For enterprises, AI directly replaces human labor with technology. Voice agents allow businesses to be available to their customers 24/7 to answer questions, schedule appointments, or complete purchases. For consumers, we believe voice will be the first — and perhaps the primary — way people interact with AI. This interaction could take the form of an always-available companion or coach, or by democratizing services, such as language learning, that were previously inaccessible. We are just now transitioning from the infrastructure to application layer of AI voice. As models improve, voice will become the wedge, not the product. We are excited about startups using a voice wedge to unlock a broader platform.

https://gamma.app/docs/a16z-AI-Voice-Update-2025–ttkorld8iy6wfnj?mode=doc

Google’s DeepMind is building an AI to keep us from hating each other

Habermas Machine, by Google’s DeepMind, is AI designed to aid people in resolving conflicts. It relies on caucus mediation principle, where AI acts as mediator, summarizing texts by multiple users, to extract shared ideas & find common ground.

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/10/googles-deepmind-is-building-an-ai-to-keep-us-from-hating-each-other/

Perplexity just made AI research crazy cheap—what that means for the industry

Deep Research generates detailed research reports in minutes and provides advanced AI capabilities. You get 5 free queries per day, or a pro subscription at $20/month includes 500 queries and faster processing.

https://venturebeat.com/ai/perplexity-just-made-ai-research-crazy-cheap-what-that-means-for-the-industry/

Fiverr wants gig workers to offload some of their work to AI

Fiverr is launching a “Personal AI Creation Model” that allows freelancers to train AI on their work, enabling them to automate future jobs and charge customers for AI-generated content

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/fiverr-wants-gig-workers-to-offload-some-of-their-work-to-ai/

New Research Suggests Overreliance on AI Could Hinder Critical Thinking

A study finds that gen AI tools may be “encouraging over-reliance on AI, with confidence in the tool often diminishing independent problem-solving.”

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/new-research-suggests-overreliance-on-ai-could-hinder-critical-thinking/#ftag=COS-05-10aaa0j

Apple and Meta are set to battle over AI-powered humanoid robots

Apple and Meta have shifted their attention to developing AI-powered humanoid robots capable of performing everyday tasks

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-02-16/apple-and-meta-are-set-to-battle-over-new-area-humanoid-robots-m77mwid3

It’s finally over for Humane’s AI Pin — here’s who can get a refund

Humane has been acquired by HP and is ending sales and services for its disastrous AI pin device this month. And only some customers are being offered a refund.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/its-over-for-humanes-ai-pin/

Christie’s AI Art Auction Feb 20 – Mar 05 NYC

https://www.christies.com/en/stories/what-is-ai-art-augmented-intelligence-36dc0897d3584268b5102468a3bf8a8c

Publishing & Media

Getting Rid of Book Blurbs? Easier Said Than Done

Maris Kreizman on One of Publishing’s Eternal Inevitabilities

https://lithub.com/getting-rid-of-book-blurbs-easier-said-than-done/

American Library Association Establishes Public Supporter Program

Using its I Love Libraries website as a platform, the American Library Association has launched a public supporter program intended to generate donations and keep library patrons apprised of the organization’s advocacy work and grants.

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/97124-american-library-association-establishes-public-supporter-program.html

Resources & Opportunities

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!

“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

Navigating AI: A Collective Conversation

MT @NewYork_CM Our next event will be an interactive conversation about AI’s possibilities & challenges. It’s part of a special series called “Thriving Through Change” co-designed by CreativeMornings chapters around the world & made possible by our Global Partner Adobe. 2/28 8:30-10am ET, FREE.

https://creativemornings.com/talks/thriving-through-change-navigating-ai

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Technology * Innovation * Publishing Newsletter #326