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. Please let me know what you think.

Technology

The AI summer

Hundreds of millions of people have tried ChatGPT, but most of them haven’t been back. Every big company has done a pilot, but far fewer are in deployment. Some of this is just a matter of time. But LLMs might also be a trap: they look like products and they look magic, but they aren’t. Maybe we have to go through the slow, boring hunt for product-market fit after all.

https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2024/7/9/the-ai-summer

Like It or Not, Publishers Are Licensing Books for AI Training—And Using AI Themselves

Via @JaneFriedman

https://janefriedman.com/like-it-or-not-publishers-are-licensing-material-for-ai-training-and-using-ai-themselves/

The Media Industry’s Race To License Content For AI

Via @BillRosenblatt AI content licensing initiatives abound. More and more media companies have reached license agreements with AI companies individually.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/billrosenblatt/2024/07/18/the-media-industrys-race-to-license-content-for-ai/

Academic authors ‘shocked’ after Taylor & Francis sells access to their research to Microsoft AI

Academic publisher Taylor & Francis, which owns Routledge, had sold access to its authors’ research as part of an AI partnership with Microsoft—a deal worth almost £8m ($10m) in its first year.

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/academic-authors-shocked-after-taylor–francis-sells-access-to-their-research-to-microsoft-ai

How Generative AI Could Reinvent What It Means to Play

87% of game studios use AI in their workflow—transforming pre-programmed characters and branching into unpredictable, open, and generative play experiences that are never the same twice.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/06/20/1093428/generative-ai-reinventing-video-games-immersive-npcs/

Apple, Nvidia, Anthropic Used Thousands of Swiped YouTube Videos to Train AI

Creators claim their videos were used without their knowledge.

https://www.wired.com/story/youtube-training-data-apple-nvidia-anthropic/

The VR winter continues

Meta has spent at least $50bn on VR and AR so far, but we’re still in the VR winter: the devices aren’t good enough or cheap enough and the user base is flat. But no matter how good the devices get, how many people will care?

https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2024/7/8/the-vr-winter-continues

How One Bad CrowdStrike Update Crashed the World’s Computers

A defective CrowdStrike update sent computers around the globe into a reboot death spiral, taking down air travel, hospitals, banks, and more with it Here’s how that’s possible.

https://www.wired.com/story/crowdstrike-outage-update-windows/

Nearly half of Amazon’s warehouse workers are injured during Prime Day

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/17/tech/amazon-warehouses-prime-day-injuries-senate/index.html

Publishing & Media

Frankfurt and Bologna Partner on Games Business Center

The Frankfurt Book Fair and Bologna Children’s Book Fair will team up to create a joint Games Business Center, integrating the two fairs’ copyright businesses and expanding their existing TV, film, and licensing offerings

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=4828

Readers Pick Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/reader-best-books-21st-century.html

Literary Adaptations Lead The Way in Emmy Nominations

#ReadTheBookFirst! HT @publishingtrend Shōgun; Ripley; Feud: Capote vs. the Swan; Lessons in Chemistry; Slow Horses; Red, White & Royal Blue; The Sympathizer; All the Light We Cannot See; and Masters of the Air.

https://bookriot.com/2024-emmy-nominees-literary-adaptations/

Are authors now writing for TV producers rather than readers?

Is the entertainment industry’s enthusiasm for snapping up novels having an impact on writers?

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/long-island-compromise-taffy-brodesser-akner-apple-tv-adaptation-b2577929.html

West Harlem lacks publicly accessible bookstores. A former bookseller hopes to change that.

HT @publishingtrend John McGregor sees the lack of bookstores “almost as a crime” in a community that has historically faced barriers to literacy.

https://www.columbiaspectator.com/city-news/2024/07/15/west-harlem-lacks-publicly-accessible-bookstores-a-former-bookseller-hopes-to-change-that/

Journalists Face Employment Shift

Today, nearly 1 in 10 reporters work at a nonprofit. Nationally, public relations reps now outnumber reporters almost 2 to 1.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/07/12/news-reporters-journalism-jobs-census/

Books About Disability Are Popular Banning Targets

Via @veronikellymars.

https://bookriot.com/book-bans-and-disability/

Resources & Opportunities

WMG Small Group Gatherings!

Sign up quick for @WMG_NYC‘s members-only small group gatherings. They’re really special, as you get to meet other members in small groups. Choices include drinks & light bites in Westchester, afternoon tea in Soho, a free in-person New Member Social, a virtual gathering about jobs, or lunch w me!

https://www.womensmediagroup.org/events

Call for WMG Mentors!

WMG has had 30-minute mentors in the Summer for our CUNY fellows for a long time. I started year-round mentoring of WMG scholarship winners a few years ago, and this year we’re adding peer mentoring. WMG Members: Sign up TODAY!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSesVa6W4d_jPUHmpU1gMRHIO393qNkWf66oxbm6urSkP1bQRA/viewform

The McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism

RT @newmarkjschool Got a story idea but need some funding? Consider applying to our McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism. The deadline for the fall fellowship cycle is Oct. 6, 2024. Awardees receive up to $15K in funding. Start putting together your proposal today!

https://www.mcgrawcenter.org/the-harold-w-mcgraw-jr-business-journalism-fellowships/

Podcast grants 101: How to get funding for your show

Podcasts cost money, and podcast grants can help. Discover the various grants available and essential tips for a successful application. Via @thethoughtcard

https://www.descript.com/blog/article/podcast-grants-101

Pitch Call Database

MT @job_writers Announcing our new Pitch Call Database 🕵️‍♀️ This resource allows you to see all the information you need to know — pay rates, deadlines, editor contacts, pitch guides, & more — all in one place! Sign up for TWJN Pro to get access to 500+ freelance opps 👇

https://thewritersjob.beehiiv.com/upgrade

Technology * Innovation * Publishing Newsletter #301