Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
CalMatters this year launched a new feature that takes this kind of civic watchdog function a big step further. Its AI Tip Sheets feature uses AI to search through all of this data, looking for anomalies, such as a change in voting position tied to a large campaign contribution. These anomalies appear on a webpage that journalists can access to give them story ideas and a source of data and analysis to drive further reporting. - The Guardian
Moravec’s Paradox - What is hard for humans is easy for machines, and what is easy for humans is hard for machines. For instance, a robot can play chess or hold an object still for hours on end with no problem. Tying a shoelace, catching a ball, or having a conversation is another matter. This is why AI excels at complex tasks like data analysis but also struggles with simple physical interactions, and why developing robots that are effective in the real world will take time and extraordinary technological advances. This paradox is attributed to Hans Moravec, an Austrian who worked at Carnegie Mellon.
What: Join us for a friendly, hands-on workshop designed to help older adults explore the basics of artificial intelligence. We’ll walk through what AI is, how tools like ChatGPT work, and simple ways you can use them in your daily life— from staying organized to getting help with writing, planning, or learning new skills.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: OpenAI Academy & AARP
What: In this webinar, we will explore how automation and Generative AI technology can: automate repetitive tasks like data entry, volunteer onboarding, and impact reporting - freeing up nonprofit staff to focus on what matters most.
Who: Grace Chung, Automation Anywhere
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab
What: This once-monthly webinar is an opportunity for general professional development for members and the mentorship program community. For this month’s event, we welcome Joe Diorio as he brings to our community,
Who: Joe Diorio, who has a book about writing after years working PR. He holds a degree in journalism.
When: 11:30 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Military Veterans in Journalism
What: In this session, we’ll explore cutting-edge methods that are reshaping content accessibility, personalization, and reach. Imagine turning your learning modules into audio podcasts on the fly, offering real-time multilingual access to your courses, and deploying AI-powered coaches that support learners with contextual guidance—anytime, anywhere. You’ll see how these innovations aren’t just futuristic—they’re ready now, and they’re reshaping how we think about learner engagement, scale, and inclusivity.
Who: Garima Gupta, CTDP Founder & CEO, Artha Learning.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Open Sesame
What: This sessions provides a hands-on walkthrough of ChatGPT Edu, with demonstrations of core features and education-specific use cases such as lesson planning and grading assistance.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenAI Academy
What: Our panel will examine: How escalating threats are shaping reporting on health, science, the environment, and campus news; How to approach vulnerable sources ethically; How to verify information when anonymity is necessary; What tools like SecureDrop can do to keep sources safe.
Who: Lizzy Lawrence, Food and Drug Administration reporter at Stat News; Grace Hussain, solutions correspondent at Sentient Media – Emily Spatz, editor-in-chief of The Huntington News; Sharon Lerner, reporter at ProPublica; Harlo Holmes, chief information security officer and director of digital security at Freedom of the Press Foundation; Caitlin Vogus, senior adviser at Freedom of the Press Foundation.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Association of Healthcare Journalists, and the Society of Environmental Journalists
What: A regular gathering for ONA members already using AI in journalism to connect and share ideas, even if you’re not an expert.
Who: Hosted by Director of Programs Meghan Murphy, who leads the AI in Journalism Initiative.
Where: Zoom
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Cost: Free to members
Sponsor: Online News Association
What: Hear from government and industry leaders about the most common obstacles agencies face when deploying AI — and how to overcome them.
Who: Natalie Buda Smith, Director Digital Strategy and AI, Library of Congress; Beth Simone Noveck, Chief AI Strategist, New Jersey; Kent Brake, Solutions Architect, Elastic; Jonathan Hasak, Senior U.S. Public Sector Partnerships Lead, Coursera; Aaron Hunter, Enterprise Account Manager, Coursera; John Lange Product Marketing Manager Public Sector, Tricentis; Jason Langone, Senior Director Global AI Business Development, Nutanix; Luke Norris, Vice President Platform Strategy & Digital Transformation, Granicus.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: GovLoop
What: Join us for a conversation on how agentic AI is reshaping creative strategy. Explore how to enhance ideation, elevate storytelling, and deliver content that connects, while staying ahead of shifting consumer expectations and competitive pressure.
Who: Jennyfer Gouné, head of creative tech & ai product marketing at Amazon Ads; Ryan Sueoka, senior digital advertising strategist at Pattern; Madison Hemphill, lead content strategist at Global Overview.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Amazon Ads
What: You’ll explore the year’s best new and newly updated digital tools for journalism. Learn which AI tools can support your investigative reporting, and explore a range of free or affordable options for social media monitoring, examining websites, and capturing or archiving webpages. By the end of this session, you’ll have an updated digital toolkit and practical ideas to supercharge your investigative work.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $40
Sponsor: Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas
What: This webinar confronts this “Agency Dilemma” directly. We will move beyond the debate of “to use or not to use” and instead explore practical, “human-in-the-loop” pedagogical frameworks designed to manage this tension. Participants will learn concrete strategies to reposition GenAI from a crutch to a “collaborator” or “cognitive stimulator”, ensuring the tool augments—rather than replaces—the development of the learner’s independent critical thinking and personal voice.
Who: Joshua Paiz, Frederick Community College.
When: 3:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: University of Arizona
What: We will continue (from the 101 session) a walkthrough of ChatGPT with more advanced applications, including student engagement strategies, productivity workflows, and how-to examples for additional features.
When: 12:00 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenAI Academy
What: The Smart Brevity practices you can apply to your presentations and speaking sessions. We’ll cover the strategy called “simplify to exaggerate” and walk through how to: Find and outline your story so everything you present supports your desired outcome; Build your deck with a style and format that’s audience first; Deliver your presentation so attention and retention soar; And much more.
Who: Kate Samano, Lead Editor, Axios; Allison Carter, Editor-in-Chief, Ragan Communications and PR. Daily
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Regan Communication
What: Questions around granting confidentiality and anonymity to sources when covering immigration stories.
Who: Lyle Muller, adviser for Grinnell College’s student-run Scarlet & Black newspaper.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $35
Sponsor: iMediaCampus
What: In this session, our speaker will walk you through setting up your TikTok account, and discuss how to create simple video content potential readers want to see. Whether you're a new author or a seasoned pro, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to thrive on TikTok in the New Year.
Who: Laura Perez, an author/publisher with Palmas Publishing and Manra Moon Press.
When: 1:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Author Learning Center
What: This event offers a behind‑the‑scenes look at the scope, goals, and real‑world challenges of AI‑focused roles—from designing innovative digital tools to navigating ethical and technical complexities.
Who: Kate Boyd & Vandana Srivastava from the University of South Carolina’s University Libraries; Anne Grant, Clemson University’s AI Literacy Coordinator.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Association of Southeastern Research Libraries
What: Join us as we dive into the new digital literacies every learner needs. We will explore how to balance human creativity with AI tools, examine the ethics and rights surrounding digital content, and shed light on the growing impact of deepfakes on trust and truth. And yes, the people who live this every day will be with us, our student panelists. They will share how they create, question, remix, and navigate the digital world in real time.
Who: Adam Phyall, Director of Professional Learning, All4Ed; Joseph South, Chief Innovation Officer, ISTE; Shannon McClintock Miller, Future Ready Librarians; Student Panelists.
When: 5 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: All4Ed
What: In this webinar, meet a panel of professionals working in communications and content marketing, who can provide practical guidance on finding clients in these spaces. Learn how to break in, determine your rates and protect yourself from conflicts of interest. Leave with fresh contacts for flexing your freelancing in new directions.
Who: Kim Howard, Director of Communications and Marketing at EMDR International Association; David Rynecki, Founder of Blue Heron Research Partners; Candace White, Deputy Director of Communications and Digital Strategy at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Founder, IIJ.
When: 12:00 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free (though there is a suggested donation of $15)
Sponsor: Institute for Independent Journalists
What: This is the final session of this series ties together everything discussed so far and offers practical guidance on how to communicate the key concepts and best practices, and how they might apply to your particular type of organization, to your colleagues and patrons.
When: 12:00 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Authors Alliance + OCEAN (Open Copyright Education Advisory Network)
What: Learn how to get your journalism into TV and films in a free workshop organized by the team that developed The IP List 2025, a nonprofit project dedicated to surfacing and promoting incredible journalistic IP for the optioning market.
Who: Christine McLaren, Pathos Lab, Head of Journalism Initiatives Pathos Labs.
Where: Zoom
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The IP List from Popshift
"The next time you encounter an unusually polite reply on social media, you might want to check twice. It could be an AI model trying (and failing) to blend in with the crowd. A new study reveals that AI models remain easily distinguishable from humans in social media conversations, with overly friendly emotional tone serving as the most persistent giveaway. Also, the AI models struggled to match the level of casual negativity and spontaneous emotional expression common in human social media posts." -ArsTechnica
Woman Scammed by Ad With Deepfake of Her Doctor – NBC’s Today Show
What the next generation of doctors needs to know about AI – WBUR
AI Accurately Predicts Complication Risk After Kidney Cancer Surgery – Cancer Nursing Today
AI fails to reliably detect pediatric pneumonia on X-ray – Univ of Wisconsin Medicine
People Are Uploading Their Medical Records to A.I. Chatbots – New York Times
Instead of an AI Health Coach, You Could Just Have Friends – Wired
The AI model that uses sounds like coughs & sniffles to predict early signs of disease – Mashable
The right place for AI companions in mental health care – Stat News
We found what you’re asking ChatGPT about health. A doctor scored its answers. – Washington Post
How AI can monitor your movements to improve your health – Fast Company
The perils of politeness: how large language models may amplify medical misinformation – Nature
How conspiracy theories infiltrated the doctor’s office - MIT Technology Review
Microsoft launches 'superintelligence' team targeting medical diagnosis to start – Reuters
AI steps in to detect the world's deadliest infectious disease – NPR
Agentic AI advantage for pharma - Mckinsey
5 Tips When Consulting ‘Dr.’ ChatGPT – New York Times
AI May Be the Cure for Doctor Burnout, After All – Newsweek
Answering your questions about using AI as a health care guide – Washington Post
RTP startup uses AI to fight health insurance denials – Axios
OpenEvidence, the ChatGPT for doctors, raises $200M at $6B valuation – TechCrunch
Low-quality papers are flooding the cancer literature — can this AI tool help to catch them? – Nature
How AI is taking over every step of drug discovery - Chemical & Engineering News
Coalition for Health AI faces escalating attacks by Trump officials, loss of founding member Amazon – StatNews
Empathetic, Available, Cheap: When A.I. Offers What Doctors Don’t – New York Times
How AI scribes could usher in higher medical bills - StatNews
Review of Large Language Models for Patient and Caregiver Support in Cancer Care Delivery – ASCO
Researchers: Toxicity is harder for AI to fake than intelligence – Ars Technica
Journalist Caught Publishing Fake Articles Generated by AI – Futurism
AI video slop is everywhere, take our quiz to try and spot it – NPR
Deepfake of North Carolina lawmaker used in award-winning Whirlpool video - The Washington Post
An MIT Student Awed Top Economists With His AI Study—Then It All Fell Apart. – Wall Street Journal
Deepfakes flood retailers ahead of peak holiday shopping – Axios
AI comes to local elections. Fake videos hit contentious school board races – Columbus Dispatch
Georgia Rep.’s campaign uses AI-generated deepfake of opponent in tight Senate showdown – CBS News
Welcome to the Slopverse Generative AI isn’t hallucinatory. It is multiversal. – The Atlantic
Town’s Christmas art contest ends in scandal: Did the winner use AI? - The Washington Post
The number one sign you're watching an AI video – BBC
AI-generated evidence is showing up in court – NBC News
Investigating a Possible Scammer in Journalism’s AI Era – The Local
How would-be authors were fooled by AI in suspected global publishing scam – The Guardian
University of Hong Kong probes non-existent AI-generated references in paper; prof. says content not fabricated – Hong Kong Free Press
People can't tell AI-generated music from real thing anymore, survey shows – CBS News
Major Study Finds Many Mistakes in AI-Generated News Summaries – TV Tech
AI-generated news sites spout viral slop from forgotten URLs – Harvard’s Nieman Lab
Deepfake Videos Are More Realistic Than Ever. Here's How to Spot if a Video Is Real or AI - CNET
Teacher pleads guilty after being accused of using AI to make sexual videos of 8 students – KGNS-TV
Woman Scammed by Ad With Deepfake of Her Doctor – NBC’s Today Show
Woman accused of using AI to create fake burglary suspect – Fox13 Tampa Bay
AI deepfakes are costing billions in fraud. Can you detect one? Take our quiz - NBC Bay Area
Why major in computer science when you can major in artificial intelligence? From the NYT: At MIT, a new program called “artificial intelligence and decision-making” has become the second most popular major. At the University of California, San Diego, 150 first-year students signed up for a new AI program. The State University of New York at Buffalo has created a stand-alone “department of AI and society.” More than 3,000 students enrolled in a new college of AI & cybersecurity at the University of South Florida.
AI Overviews and AI Mode are dramatically changing organic search traffic. Content creators are focusing on “position zero” — that is, in the search snippet or AI Overview, which appears at the top of many Google search result pages.
The process of optimizing your website’s content to boost its visibility to AI-driven search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Copilot and Google AI) through GEO (generative engine optimization) has some similarities to increased visibility to search engines (Google, Microsoft Bing) through SEO (search engine optimization). SEO is a sort of guessing game, a digital Jeopardy! in which the person creating web content tries to anticipate the query that will bring users to their content. GEO has the same goal, only toward AI overviews and AI mode.
The game has some similarities for both SEO and GEO. They use keywords and contextual phrasing, prioritize engaging content and aim to connect with conversational user queries. Both consider how fast a website loads, mobile friendliness, and prefer technically sound websites.
However, while SEO focuses on metatags, keywords and backlinks, AI models are trained to provide quick, direct responses from the synthesized content gathered from multiple sources. GEO is about, not only the query, but information about the user — from their social media footprint to their Google Docs usage. This informs, not only the search at hand, but future searches. AI will evaluate who created the content, its trustworthiness, and how it fits within the broader knowledge graph the AI is using.
Generative search efforts, therefore, attempt to fit into this reasoning process. AI judges the content value, not just on whether it ends up a part of the final answer, but whether it helps the model reason its way toward that answer. This is why, despite performing all the typical SEO common practices, a GEO effort may not make it to the other side of the AI reasoning pipeline. It’s not enough to be generally relevant to the final answer. Your content is now in direct competition with other plausible answers, so it must be more useful, precise, and complete than the next-best option. In fact, the same content could go through the pipeline a second time and yield a different result. And since newer models are rapidly changing right now, the best GEO may be effective when using an older model but not with a more recently trained model.
There is also a user shift to consider toward longer, more natural queries, from one- or two-word keywords to three- and four-word search terms. Research indicates that queries in AI mode are generally two to three times the length of traditional searches.
What do AI Overviews avoid? Content that is overly generalized, speculative, or optimized for clickbait over clarity. Vague and generic writing underperforms. So what kind of content does the Google AI Overviews favor?
Content that contains the who, what, why
Straightforward content offering distinctiveness; AI rewards niche-specific content
Is written in natural, conversational terms (AI will attempt to deliver its answer in that same way)
Uses strong introductory sentences that convey clear value
Has H2 tags (subheadings) that align with user questions
Is structured to match common question structures (open, closed, probing)
Answers complex questions
Allows for restatement of quires and implied sub-questions, where a main question is broken down into smaller parts; content structured in a way to be easily grabbed — in citable chunks
Contains multi-faceted answers
Is rich in relationships
Has explicit logical structures and supports causal progression
Has clear headlines
Cites sources and has clear authorship
Includes statistics & quotations
Has multimedia integration
Content that tells the world something new
Uses HTML anchor jump links to connect different sections of content to one another
Podcasts that include full transcripts in YouTube video descriptions, which are easily searchable
Appears on YouTube (a Google-owned company) based on the titles, descriptions & transcripts of videos
More information:
What is AI reading? Takeaways from a report on AI brand visibility
How AI Mode and AI Overviews work based on patents and why we need new strategic focus on SEO
What is generative engine optimization (GEO)?
How To Get Your Content (& Brand) Recommended By AI & LLMs
Google Ads data shows query length shift post-AI Mode
The winners and losers of Google’s AI Mode
Stephen Goforth
Experts suggest that computer science degree requirements should move away from coding and align with the expectations of a liberal arts degree—critical thinking and communication skills, along with computational thinking and AI literacy. The new CS coursework would include basic principles of computing and AI, along with hands-on experience in designing software using new AI tools. AI tools can help with the building of prototype programs, check for coding errors and serve as a digital tutor.
Computational thinking involves breaking down problems into smaller tasks, developing step-by-step solutions and using data to reach evidence-based conclusions. AI literacy is an understanding — at varying depths for students at different levels — of how AI works, how to use it responsibly and how it is affecting society. Nurturing informed skepticism should be a goal.
Read more at the NYT: How Do You Teach Computer Science in the AI Era?
What: Panelists will offer firsthand accounts of courage, integrity, and the ongoing efforts to support transparency in government.
Who: Lucy Dalglish, former executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner; Idrees Ali, Reuters; Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post; Olivia Logan; DoD Communications Specialist.
When: 7 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: The Society of Professional Journalists & the Merrill College Journalism Alumni Network
What: Our simple but comprehensive social media workshop will help you learn how to prioritize things and give you a clear formula to be successful on social media.
Who: Ray-Sidney Smith, Digital Marketing Strategist, Hootsuite Global Brand Ambassador, Google Small Business Advisor for Productivity, and Managing Director of W3C Web Services.
When: 10 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $45
Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Duquesne University
What: By attending this lesson, you'll learn: How vibe coding works and how it is being utilized by journalists and non-journalists alike; How vibe coding can help support your own journalistic work; What vibe coding platforms can be used to help accomplish for your goals.
Who: Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism Professor Emerita Retha Hill.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: The New England First Amendment Coalition
What: Our speaker will offer both practical and psychological techniques for dealing with the "No, Nope and No Way" messages that writers face all too often. Discover what works for you and how planning your response to ANY prospective or actual setback leaves you more in control of not only your writing life, but also your personal life.
Who: Award-winning author Laurie Schnebly Campbell.
When: 1:30 pm
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Author Learning Center
What: This session will walk you through the most effective ways to integrate AI tools into your SEO workflow. From refining headlines and decks to content structure and other optimization strategies, you’ll see how Generative AI can support (not replace) your editorial expertise.
Who: Erin Hallstrom, the director of content operations and visibility for Endeavor Business Media; Alexis Gajewski is the associate director or newsroom operations and development for Endeavor Business Media.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: American Society of Business Publication Editors
What: How will emerging technologies like generative AI change student-success initiatives? Discover how institutions are pushing the boundaries of data and analytics to improve student outcomes. Understand how emerging technologies — including generative AI — are reshaping student-success strategies. Explore best practices for maintaining data privacy, security, and ethical use.
Who: Ian Wilhelm Deputy Managing Editor The Chronicle of Higher Education; Kate Giovacchini, Executive Director, Digital Innovations, Trusted Learner Network, Arizona State University; Tiffany Mfume, Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Retention Initiatives, Johns Hopkins University; Mark D. Milliron, President & CEO, National University.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Chronicle of Higher Ed
What: Join us for a forward-looking and thought-provoking conversation about how we keep equity front and center in an era of rapid technological advances. Reporters will gain story ideas, insights and crucial context for covering the coming changes that will remake health care.
Who: Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt is the president of the Commonwealth Fund; Dr. Tina Hernandez-Boussard is a professor of medicine at Stanford University; Katie Palmer is a health tech correspondent at STAT.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California
What: This session dives into creating a unified data ecosystem using Microsoft Fabric and Synapse Analytics, empowering your organization to make informed decisions. We’ll also cover essential practices in data protection and governance to ensure that your data is accessible, understandable, and responsibly managed.
Who: Ryan Harrington, Managing Director of the Data Innovation Lab; Mat St. Cyr, Applications Development Manager; Dharneesh Jayaprakash, Tech Impact Data Engineer.
When: 2:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechSoup
What: From article to algorithm-ready video – converting news or research into scripts tailored for TikTok and Instagram algorithms, with an in-app teleprompter. Cutting production time in half – streamlining audiovisual storytelling for journalists moving from text to video. Fighting disinformation with engagement – leveraging AI-driven scripting to promote trustworthy journalism in social media spaces.
Who: Sophia Smith Galer, the 2024 Georgina Henry Award Winner and the founder of Viralect.
When: 7:30 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Members: £10; Nonmembers: £20
Sponsor: Women in Journalism
What: Join this free 20-minute webinar to become AI-literate in the concepts most immediately to impact your career so you can start the process of upskilling now and thrive in your career for years to come.
Who: Heather Mansfield, Founder of Nonprofit Tech for Good.
When: 1:00 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Nonprofit Tech for Good
What: This session explores the critical shifts reshaping how organisations must protect sensitive information in a boundaryless digital world. We will break down the top risks, the essential capabilities of modern security architectures, and the must-have tools for protecting data across endpoints, cloud platforms, and AI workflows. From zero trust to automated posture management and advanced data discovery, you’ll learn what’s required to stay ahead of adversaries and maintain compliance. Whether you’re modernising your security program or building one from the ground up, this talk equips you with the insights needed to create a future-ready data protection strategy for 2025 and beyond.
Who: Pankul Chitrav, Application Release Engineer, TD Bank.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechTarget
More Info
What: OpenAI employee and Army veteran David Sperry will walk through how servicemembers can use the ChatGPT to simplify the challenging transition from military life, back into the civilian world. David shares his story and walks viewers through practical examples and resources to get started today.
Who: David Sperry, AI Adoption Manager, OpenAI
When: 2:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenAI Academy
What: An inside look at the Synergy Project, a multi-year collaboration between Art League RI, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and the University of Rhode Island which formed scientist-artist pairs to create a common language for science communication. Attendees will meet two Synergy pairs, whose projects transform cutting-edge research revealing how analogy, personification, and abstract art can help audiences grasp complex, unseen climate and ocean processes.
Who: Noah Germolus, environmental chemist at University of Hawai'i at Mānoa; Laurie Kaplowitz, classically-trained painter and Chancellor Professor of Fine Arts at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Clarissa Karthäuser, marine microbiologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Heather Stivison, award-winning visual artist and Chairman of the Board of South Coast Artists, Inc.
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Metcalf Institute and Solutions Journalism Network
What: This workshop will focus on the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service, exploring its datasets and applications. The specific tools that will be presented and used during the session are the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, which offers immediate access to a vast amount of open and free Earth observation data from the Copernicus Sentinel satellites, and the CLMS Data Viewer, which allows users to visualise and interact with CLMS products directly. The webinar is designed to bring the world of environmental journalism closer to Earth observation technology. Through presentations and practical examples, participants will discover how to turn satellite data into evidence-based journalistic stories.
When: 9 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: DG Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Copernicus Land Monitoring Service & the European Journalism Centre.
What: This session will focus on how newsrooms can use UNESCO’s Multimedia Toolkit to strengthen Media and Information Literacy in everyday practice and improve the quality and trustworthiness of their content. Participants will also be introduced to ready-to-use tools from the UNESCO Toolkit, including clear steps, templates, and examples that can be implemented straight away. The session aims to help media professionals strengthen their newsroom workflows and support a more informed public.
Who: Adeline Hulin, Head of Media and Information Literacy and Digital Competencies at UNESCO; Catherine Mackie, Training and Communications Editor at the Thomson Foundation.
When: 2 am, Eastern (3:00 pm, Kuala Lumpur Time)
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free to members
Sponsor: The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union
What: We will review how authors can prepare and deliver great interviews in the New Year. We will discuss the “Dos and Don’ts” of setting up an interview and arranging your media message in advance.
Who: Lindsey Gobel, a freelance publicist and communications professional with over 15 years of experience.
When: 10:30 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Author Learning Center
What: Our speaker will give journalists concrete, legally grounded strategies for gathering the news — especially when interacting with law enforcement. Based on the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’s trainings, the workshop will help journalists plan ahead, make informed decisions in real time, and protect themselves legally in unpredictable environments.
Who: Jennifer Nelson Director, Pre-Publication Review & Journalist Support, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: Online News Association & the International Women’s Media Foundation
What: This session will give independent journalists the chance to pitch directly to editors at leading health publications.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Association of Health Care Journalists
What: In this virtual forum, we’ll explore how institutions can responsibly and ethically meet the moment. With insights from a recent survey, we’ll discuss how colleges are: Working to infuse their operations with AI tools; Building guardrails to avoid the pitfalls associated with the technology; Proposing ways to evaluate student learning; Mapping ways to pay for AI transformation.
Who: Ian Wilhelm, Deputy Managing Editor The Chronicle of Higher Education; Chris Mattmann, Chief Data & Artificial Intelligence Officer, UCLA; Amarda Shehu, Vice President and Chief AI Officer, George Mason University; Jeff Young Host Learning Curve podcast.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Chronicle of Higher Ed
What: Learn why publishing more, more often is now the strongest driver of audience growth. See new AI tools that turn raw video into publish-ready stories in minutes. Watch how AI can multiply your newsroom’s daily output — without adding staff. Discover which story types (briefs, recaps, explainers, updates) build habit and loyalty fastest Leave with a clear, actionable plan to grow audience and revenue in 2026.
Who: Anntao Diaz, one of the industry’s most influential voices on audience growth. After 15 years at Google leading News Consumer Insights and Realtime Content Insights, he helped hundreds of newsrooms understand what truly drives loyalty and engagement. Now at Nota, he’s applying that expertise to next-generation AI — and will explain why publishing “more — and smarter” is now essential.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: New England Newspaper & Press Association
What: Join us for an eye-opening panel discussion as Canadian freelance journalists share first-hand insights from their recent trip to China. From AI and megaprojects to trade diplomacy and Chinese media narratives, we explored where Canada–China relations may be heading — and why freelancers must tell this story.
Who: Owen K. Schalk, a writer and columnist at Canadian Dimension magazine; Maryam Razzaq, a Senior Reporter with the Daily Scrum News; Raul Burbano, Canadian Freelance Union.
When: 7:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Canadian Freelance Union
What: This session brings together faculty who are actively shaping how AI supports case teaching, from content creation to innovative in-class applications. Panelists will share: How to design prompts that spark deeper analysis and engagement; Ways to extend cases through role plays, simulations, and “what if” scenarios Approaches to adapt content for different learners and contexts; Ideas for balancing AI tools with the human judgment that defines the case method
Who: Tawnya Means, Founding Partner & Principal Inspire Higher Ed; David Wood, Lecturer, Operations Management Ivey Business School.
When: 11 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Ivey Publishing
What: We will explore the latest and most impactful AI litigation that affects authors, libraries, archives, and museums.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: Authors Alliance & OCEAN (Open Copyright Education Advisory Network)
What: How are journalists using AI and what direction is it taking in the newsroom? Will it affect basic reporting or even eliminate jobs? What AI skills are hiring managers looking for and what can you do while still in school to enhance your AI marketability? These topics and more will be addressed by our panel of journalists and news managers.
Who: Francesco Marconi, Co-founder Applied XL & Computational Journalist; Gina Chua, Semafor, Executive Editor at Large; Dylan Freedman, The New York Times, A.I. Projects Editor; Matilde Baggio, POLITICO, Newsroom Strategy Editor.
When: 1:00 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Washington Press Club Foundation
What: This talk is designed for educators to explore best practices and practical ways you can utilize AI in the classroom. Then, we'll be joined by for a live Q+A answering your questions. By the end of this session, educators will leave with practical tools, classroom-ready strategies, and a clear, inspiring vision for how AI can meaningfully amplify their practice.
Who: Casey Cuny, 2024 California Teacher of the Year; OpenAI's Fred Fisher.
When: 5 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Open AI Academy
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“Capability density” as a metric to evaluate both the performance and efficiency of LLMs
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Tech Titans Amass Multimillion-Dollar War Chests to Fight AI Regulation – Wall Street Journal
Fears About A.I. Prompt Talks of Super PACs to Rein In the Industry – New York Times
Georgia Rep.’s campaign uses AI-generated deepfake of opponent in tight Senate showdown – CBS News
Robots and AI Are Already Remaking the Chinese Economy - Wall Street Journal
Trump’s attempt to block states from regulating AI sparked pushback from Republicans – Washington Post
AI Is Transforming Politics, Much Like Social Media Did - TIME
How the U.S. Economy Became Hooked on AI Spending - Wall Street Journal
In the A.I. Race, Chinese Talent Still Drives American Research – New York Times
White House pulls back on AI laws executive order – Mashable
Four ways AI is being used to strengthen democracies worldwide – The Guardian
An Economist Asked, How Much Should We Spend to Avoid the A.I. Apocalypse? – New York Times
Chinese hackers used Anthropic's AI agent to automate spying – Axios
The Politics of AI Are About to Explode - Bloomberg
The AI Cold War That Will Redefine Everything - Wall Street Journal
Exploring AI's role in democracy: Here are 5 essential insights – Fast Company
The UK’s fact-checkers are sending their AI to help Americans cover elections – Poynter
How Trump Is Using Fake Imagery to Attack Enemies and Rouse Supporters – New York Times
Political consultant defies court order in lawsuit over AI robocalls that mimicked Biden – AP
Is it ok for politicians to use AI? Survey shows where the public draws the line – The Conversation
Saudi Arabia’s New Power Play Is Exporting A.I. to the World - The New York Times
AI comes to local elections. Fake videos hit contentious school board races – Columbus Dispatch
Large language models should not be used to weed out retracted literature, a study of 21 chatbots concludes. Not only were the chatbots unreliable at correctly identifying retracted papers, they spit out different results when given the same prompts. On average, the 21 chatbots correctly identified fewer than half of the retracted papers. More at Retraction Watch
In a simulated trial, three AI systems acquitted a Black teenager of robbery charges. However, in the real case on which the mock trial was based, the judge quickly found the defendant guilty. The real conviction was appealed, but the North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the verdict. More info
A new project aims to predict how quickly AI will progress – The Economist
I Witnessed the Future of AI, and It’s a Broken Toy – The Atlantic
Is AI Really Eating the World? – Phillip Dubach
How AI Is Changing Higher Education – The Chronicle of Higher Ed
When AI Hype Meets AI Reality: A Reckoning in 6 Charts – Wall Street Journal
Exploring AI's role in democracy: Here are 5 essential insights – Fast Company
AI's Dial-Up Era - Wreflection
AI and the Coming White-Collar Political Upheaval - Wall Street Journal
AI of a thousand faces – Wired
Here’s How the AI Crash Happens - The Atlantic
We Will Not Trust Autonomous AI Agents Anytime Soon – Pawel Brodzinski
The most common opinion about AI - Anil Dash
Silicon Valley Is Investing in the Wrong A.I. – New York Times
Just How Bad Would an AI Bubble Be? - The Atlantic
What Investing in the Age of AI Will Look Like - Wall Street Journal
The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation – Mckinsey
Who Will Pay for the AI Revolution? Retirees - Wall Street Journal
The AI infrastructure of the future - Mckinsey
Google has built an AI model that uses sound signals to "predict early signs of disease." It can identify subtle changes in your coughs, sniffles, breathing, and more. In places where there is difficulty accessing quality healthcare, this technology can step in as an alternative where users need nothing but their smartphone's microphone. For instance, it has been trained on 100 million cough sounds that help detect tuberculosis. More at Mashable
Vector databases – Raw data is converted into lists of numbers (word vectors) so that machine learning models can use them. The vectors are grouped together if they relate to one another. For instance, the word "king" would relate to a man, while "queen" would relate to a woman. A deep learning model (typically a transformer model) will use these vectors to "understand" the meaning of words and their relationships. More than 1,000 numbers can be used to represent a single word. If there are many numbers, then the word vector has a high dimension, making it nuanced. A low dimension for a word vector means the list of numbers is low. While not as nuanced, a low-dimensional vector is easier to work with. Vector data bases is what allows a language model to “recall” previous inputs, draw comparisons, identify relationships, and understand context.
Supervised training - In this type of AI training, the data is labeled by humans before it is given to the AI. The AI might be given a database of messages labeled either “spam” or “not spam.” Supervised learning is the most common type of machine learning and is used in voice recognition, language translation, and self-driving cars. Anything that a person can do in a second can also be performed by AI through supervised training. This is why jobs consisting of a series of one-second tasks are at risk of being replaced by AI (such as a security guard). Most of the present economic value of AI comes from this type of training. However, supervised training is both expensive and time-consuming.
Trump orders wide-ranging "Genesis Mission" to boost AI research – Axios
AI Investors Want More Making It and Less Faking It – Wall Street Journal
The Biggest AI Companies Met to Find a Better Path for Chatbot Companions – Wired
Major music studios strike licensing deals with AI firms - Semafor
In the A.I. Race, Chinese Talent Still Drives American Research – New York Times
How the U.S. Economy Became Hooked on AI Spending – Wall Street Journal
Are we in an AI bubble? Eight charts will help you decide. – Washington Post
The AI boom isn't going anywhere – Axios
How Trillions in New AI Debt Will Test the Bond Market – Wall Street Journal
OpenAI tests ChatGPT in group chats - Axios
Balance sheets, cash flows are showing the strain of AI investments and forcing investors to think about companies differently – Wall Street Journal
When AI Hype Meets AI Reality: A Reckoning in 6 Charts – Wall Street Journal
OpenAI fights order to turn over millions of ChatGPT conversations – Reuters
The risks of giving ChatGPT more personality - Axios
The AI Cold War That Will Redefine Everything – Wall Street Journal
Google, the sleeping AI giant, awakens - Axios
OpenAI Wants Brands to Allow Their Mascots to Appear in Gen AI Videos – Wall Street Journal
AI stocks waver as ‘Big Short’ investor bets against Palantir, Nvidia - Washington Post
Stability AI largely wins landmark UK intellectual property lawsuit brought by Getty Images – Associated Press
Who Will Pay for the AI Revolution? Retirees – Wall Street Journal
A.I. Is a Bubble. Maybe That’s OK. - New York Times
Hundreds of thousands of videos from news publishers like The New York Times and Vox were used to train AI models – Harvard’s Nieman Lab
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