AI Definitions: Big Data

Big Data - Data that’s too big to fit on a single server, unstructured and fast-moving. In contrast, small data fits on a single server, is already in structured form (rows and columns), and changes infrequently. If you are working in Excel, you are doing small data. Two NASA researchers (Michael Cox and David Ellsworth) first wrote in a 1997 paper that when there’s too much information to fit into memory or local hard disks, “We call this the problem of big data.” Many companies end up with big data not because they need it, but because they haven’t bothered to delete the data that has become irrelevant. Thus, big data is sometimes defined as a condition where the cost of keeping data around is less than the cost of figuring out what to throw away.

Big Data serves large-scale web applications and vast sensor networks. Data science, meanwhile, looks to create AI models that capture underlying patterns in complex systems and then turn those models into working applications. Although big data and data science both offer the potential to produce value from data, the fundamental difference between them can be summarized in one statement: collecting does not mean discovering. Big data collects. Data science discovers.  

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18 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism, & Media

Mon, Oct 5 - AI Lies, Packets Don’t! Using Network Data To Stop AI Attacks

What: In this session cyber defenders will learn how they can tap into familiar network tools to fight back against even the most sophisticated AI attacks.

Who: Laura Wilber, Sr Analyst, Office of the CTO, Enea; Will Baxter, Head of Product, Team Cymru.

When: 9 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: TechTarget

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Mon, Oct 5 - Before You Adopt AI: Five Questions Every Nonprofit Should Answer First

What: This session explores a practical approach to thinking about AI readiness and offers a roadmap for beginning mission-aligned conversations that support responsible adoption.

Who: Molly Terbovich-Ridenhour, AMR, in partnership with Consultants for Good.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab

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Mon, Oct 5 - A paper tiger for the press: Why ‘independent’ editorial boards can’t protect journalism

What: We'll discuss the Paramount News Editorial Independence Board, what lessons can be learned from similar past boards, and whether the government's role in creating the Paramount board and possibly enforcing its activities violates the First Amendment.  

Who: Mariel Garza, co-founder and executive editor at Golden State and former editorials editor at the LA Times; Bill Grueskin, professor of professional practice at Columbia University School of Journalism and former deputy managing editor at The Wall Street Journal; Margaret Sullivan, Guardian columnist and former public editor of The New York Times and media columnist for The Washington Post; Dick Tofel, principal of Gallatin Advisory and former president of ProPublica; Moderated by Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at FPF.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Freedom of the Press Foundation

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Tue, Oct 6 - Smartphone filming for journalists: Tell stronger stories with the kit you already have

What: We will share simple, effective techniques to help you capture clear sound, frame interviews professionally, and avoid common mistakes that can undermine otherwise strong journalism. The focus is on quick wins and real-world tips you can apply immediately, without needing expensive kit or complicated software.

Who: Samantha Smith, Managing Director of Ocean City Media and spent 25 years at the BBC working across news and current affairs as a producer and editor; Chris Quevatre, Creative Director at Ocean City Media and a former BBC journalist, presenter and video producer. He is an experienced self-shooting director.

When: 7:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: members £10, nonmembers £25        

Sponsor: Women in Journalism

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Tue, Oct 6 - Cover the Upcoming Elections with More Confidence  

What: Get free resources and know-how to enhance your coverage of the 2026 midterm election. This webinar, designed especially for rural and smaller media, will give you everything you need to report on upcoming state, county and local contests.

Who: Bill Gates, director, Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory at Arizona State University’s School of Public Affairs, Phoenix; Patty Hansen, former Coconino County recorder, Flagstaff; Joseph Jaafari, founder and editor-in-chief, LOOKOUT magazine, Phoenix; Jerod MacDonald-Evoy, reporter, Arizona Mirror, Phoenix; Becky Pallack, co-founder, Arizona Luminaria, Tucson; Camryn Sanchez, senior field correspondent, KJZZ-FM, Phoenix.

When: 9:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

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Tue, Oct 6 - How AI Is Rewriting the Rules for Nonprofit Websites and What You Should Do About It

What: This session is designed to help nonprofits understand the new rules of the web and build a digital presence that works in an AI-driven world.

Who: Julian Gerace, Jr. Director of Data Solutions, Tapp Network; Chelsea Ganc, Senior Account Manager, Tapp Network.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: TechSoup

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Wed, Oct 7 / Thu, Oct 8 – Mental Health in Journalism Summit 2026 (Pre-Summit program)

What: Pre-Summit program (4 experiential workshops and region-based networking sessions).

Who: Natalia Tamburini, PCC ICF Certified Coach, Operations Coordinator at The Self-Investigation.

When: 8 am, Eastern  

Where: YouTube

Cost: Pre-Summit program Free                  

Sponsor: The Self-Investigation

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Wed, Oct 7 – Covering Data Centers

What: The one-hour session will feature two journalists who are doing deep investigative reporting on data centers with support from the Fund.

Who: Lauren Ober, whose reporting for Reveal examined local response to plans for a huge data center in Northern Virginia; Edward Donnelly, who has uncovered corporations’ covert lobbying efforts to change regulations so they can build data centers in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Fund for Investigative Journalism

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Wed, Oct 7 – AI for Editing

What: A hands-on workshop exploring a practical process for using tools like ChatGPT and Claude to strengthen drafts without giving up your editorial judgment or voice. WE will walk through how to prompt AI for different kinds of editing support, from identifying unclear passages and tightening copy to reviewing structure, tone, and consistency.

Who: Tom Shroder, award-winning journalist, writer, and former Washington Post Magazine editor.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Eventbrite

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Center for Cooperative Media

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Thu, Oct 8 / Fri, Oct 9 - Mental Health in Journalism Summit 2026

What: The Summit program will feature two days of keynotes, panels, case studies, workshops, and lightning talks with speakers from across the global journalism ecosystem.

Who: Dozens of speakers.

When: 8 am – 12 pm, Eastern both days

Where: YouTube

Cost: $78.58                                               

Sponsor: The Self-Investigation

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Thu, Oct 8 - Defending press freedom against vexatious lawsuits

What: How can journalists and media organisations recognise, resist and respond to SLAPPs and other legal pressures designed to silence independent journalism? This webinar will bring together journalists, legal experts and media researchers to examine the growing challenge of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) and other forms of legal pressure on independent journalism.

Who: Beatrix Vissy, senior legal officer and Anti-SLAPP Litigation & Advocacy Coordinator at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union; Judge Dragomir Yordanov, who will explore developments in Bulgaria’s case law and efforts to strengthen legislation addressing SLAPPs; Saška Cvetkovska, editor-in-chief of the Investigative Reporting Lab, who will share her experience of smear campaigns, harassment and SLAPPs in North Macedonia.

When: 9:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: International Federation of Journalists; the European University Institute

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Thu, Oct 8 - AI for Business Model Design -Â Build a Business That Actually Makes Money

What: In this webinar, you’ll use AI tools to design, test, and refine your business model so you know exactly how you make money, who pays you, and why your numbers work. Come with an idea and leave with a strong business model.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center, Widener University

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Thu, Oct 8 - Adaptive AI: Making News Selectable and Engaging

What: Most AI tools generate or just summarize content. This session introduces a fundamentally different approach. Adaptive AI that restructures original news into a new interactive format for diverse audiences without generating new information. Built on a new Digital Engagement Model, it adapts content to readers’ interests, available time, and environment while preserving the integrity of the original reporting.

Who: Ronald Yaros, the director of the Digital Engagement Lab and an associate professor in the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Thu, Oct 8 - Impact in Journalism: Assessing the Present, Building the Future

What: This is the public launch of the Pulitzer Center’s research report, “Impact in Journalism: A Global Report on Current Practices, Challenges, and Emerging Trends.” You’ll hear from the coauthors and explore findings from the research report such as: How do journalists conceptualize impact, and how do they put it into practice? What barriers do newsrooms and freelancers face when working to engage people? Where can we identify opportunities to build systems and resources that make audience-centered journalism sustainable?

Who: Flora Pereira, Pulitzer Center Staff; Jazmín Acuña Grantee.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Thu, Oct 8 - Covering the Rising Risk of Flooding

What: Poynter faculty and journalists experienced in data-driven flood coverage will show local, state and regional reporters how to identify communities at risk, find and use reliable flood data and prepare coverage before disaster strikes.

Who: Jon Greenberg, Poynter Faculty; Marccus D. Hendricks, Associate Professor and Director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab, University of Maryland; Sarah Kaplan, Climate and science reporter, The Washington Post; Kaitlin Lange, News Director, IndyStar.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsors: Poynter & The Hennecke Family Foundation

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Thu, Oct 8 - AI’s Impact on Career Readiness: Teaching ‘Human Skills’

What: Attendees will learn: How institutions are teaching teamwork, communication, and navigating difference; Which practical approaches can help assess these skills in the classroom; What strategies document those skills so they show up on transcripts and mean something to employers.

Who: Shea Vance, Reporting Fellow, The Chronicle of Higher Education.

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: The Chronicle of Higher

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Fri, Oct 9 - Pressing Prompts Community Conversation

What: For instructors across all disciplines who are seeking ways to integrate AI ethics into their classrooms. Unlike a static set of “best practices,” Pressing Prompts is grounded in principles of critical pedagogy and educational experimentation, encouraging instructors and students to examine how AI raises crucial questions about our academic responsibilities, knowledge, labor, judgment, and learning.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: Duke University

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Fri, Oct 9 - 'The Next Journalism' — A book talk

What: One of the nation’s leading journalism thinkers discusses his new book — and how journalism must change to serve democracy.

Who: Tom Rosenstiel, Eleanor Merrill Scholar on the Future of Journalism; Professor of the Practice·University of Maryland.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free                                                   

Sponsor: University of Maryland

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28 Recent Articles about the Dangers of AI

The body image battle is real in 2026, but the bodies may not be – Axios

How would AI actually kill all humans? Here are the top 5 scenarios – The Conversation

Behind the Curtain: AI titans' biggest private fear - Axios

AI doesn’t need a conscience. It needs a leash - Washington Post

AI assessors says current science hasn't caught up to the safety measures people want - NPR

AI Companies’ New Plan to Keep Themselves From Destroying Everything - The Atlantic

The specter of AI-enabled bioweapons is a wake-up call for biotech - MIT Tech Review

Will A.I. Kill Us? Can It Hack My Bank Account? Your A.I. Questions Answered - New York Times

Why are there concerns AI could threaten humanity, and how real are they? – BBC

How DraftKings Uses A.I. to Target the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose - New York Times

AI agents blew the whistle on their cheating colleagues – MIT Tech Review

They hacked a TikTok user’s camera, with help from free AI – Washington Post

Why AI Isn’t Likely to Wipe Out Humanity With Bioweapons – Wired

AI has transformed the Pentagon’s aging networks into a national security risk – Washington Post

A.I. Queries From Abroad Raise Fears of a Biological Weapons Race – New York Times

Despite police department ban, facial recognition technology lingers in Milwaukee’s criminal justice system – Wisconsin Watch

Users in Houthi-held Yemen tried to develop advanced weapons with AI, Anthropic says – Associated Press

Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Efforts to Build Biological Weapons – New York Times

Behind the Curtain: The AI twilight zone – Axios

Both Democrats and Republicans Are Increasingly Worried About AI's Environmental Impact – TIME

A Hacking Tool Built With A.I. Can Breach Phones Without a Click – New York Times

AI hysteria jumps the shark – Washington Post

Welcome to the Age of AI Crime and Punishment – Bloomberg

Anthropic Researcher Quits Over ‘Out-of-Control’ AI Fears – Wall Street Journal

Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I. – New York Times

Man Used Poisoned Google AI Overviews to Trick Women Into Thinking He Was an NFL Player, FBI Says – Futurism

AI is eating website traffic, websites are blocking AI – and reliable information is getting harder to find – The Conversation

The AI Backlash Gets Professional – The Atlantic

AI Definitions: Stealth Crawler

Stealth Crawler (AI crawlers) – This type of web crawler scrapes content from sites, often ignoring whether a site wants them to do so or not. Stealth crawlers may disguise themselves as ordinary visitors, making it hard for publishers to identify and stop them. Since stealth crawlers don’t identify themselves, the traffic could come from an AI company or a company mining data it can resell. Publishers are asking for laws that would require AI crawlers to disclose their identity and purpose. Critics say these laws are too broad—that crawlers often benefit the public by facilitating academic research, investigative reporting, etc. For example, Meta stopped researchers from using automated tools that studied misinformation on Facebook. Observers point out that blocking AI crawlers can make sites less visible—preventing them from showing up in AI summaries and answers may be similar to blocking Google crawlers, which would keep a site from appearing in Google search results. Some observers believe scraping has become a billion-dollar industry.  

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22 Articles about AI’s impact on College Faculty & Administrators

Higher Ed’s AI Integration Overhyped, New Data Shows – Inside Higher Ed

As the coding boom fades, AI is forcing colleges and computer science grads to adjust – Fast Company

Dartmouth’s Provost Quietly Used AI in His Published Work. It’s Touched Off a Campus Firestorm. – Chronicle of Higher Ed

An M.I.T. Report Warns A.I. Is Causing ‘Cognitive Surrender.’ Universities Are in a Bind. – New York Times

Congress Crawls Toward Higher-Ed AI Regulation – Chronicle of Higher Ed

Report: Student Protections Haven’t Kept Up With Higher Ed’s Adoption of AI – Inside Higher Ed

Higher Education Does Not Need More AI Tools but Better AI Experiences – Campus Technology

It could be a long time before independent research emerges on learning outcomes. – Inside Higher Ed

Harvard College’s Dean: ‘Everyone Is Using AI All the Time for Everything’ – Chronicle of Higher Ed

The big college major rethink – Axios

Can AI Help Colleges Reach Struggling Students Earlier? – Inside Higher Ed

The Academic-Integrity Council Can’t Keep Up With AI – Chronicle of Higher Ed

AI Slop Is a Tenure Problem, Not Just a Tech Problem – Inside Higher Ed

How ‘Chaos’ Surrounding AI Can Sink a College Presidency - Chronicle of Higher Ed

Chinese universities are cutting language majors to make way for AI – Rest of World

Does Your College Need a Librarian for AI? – Chronicle of Higher Ed

The ‘Nonexistent’ Research on AI’s Benefits for Education - Inside Higher Ed

Colleges Are Building A.I. Degrees, Hoping Students Will Come – New York Times  

A New ‘AI-First’ College Aims to Offer Cheaper, Employer-Friendly Degrees – Chronicle of Higher Ed

Half of Campus Tech Leaders Question AI’s ROI – Inside Higher Ed

Spelman College Names an A.I. Expert as Its New President – New York Times  

AI Is a ‘Wicked Problem.’ That’s the University’s Specialty. – Chronicle of Higher Ed

Don’t form strong beliefs about AI (yet)

Don’t form strong beliefs about AI (yet). Even in the frontier labs, no one knows what the future holds. Those outside the labs don’t even know what the present holds, because they haven’t seen the most advanced models, which haven’t been released. If you are sure you know what will happen, or what we should do about it, you are nurturing what writer and satirist Ambrose Bierce called “a vagrant opinion without visible means of support.” - Megan McArdle writing in the Washington Post

24 Recent Articles about AI & Academic Scholarship

One professor’s AI-assisted output: 200 papers and 14 books this year – Washington Post

AI saves scientists seven hours a week, Google paper finds – Research Professional News

What if AI can make Science Better, not just Faster? - Bradley Max Segal

AI co-scientists are revolutionizing how research is done – Nature

The AI Discourse in Academia is Toxic. It Doesn’t have to be.- Ran Blekhman

Can researchers trust that AI models won’t leak their ideas? – Science Business

Who gets credit in the AI era? OpenAI maths bombshell sparks debate – Nature

AI conference drowning in abstracts, with roughly 50,000 submissions before the deadline – The Decoder

Journal editor developing system to weed out authors “submitting AI-assisted papers they ‘don’t understand.' - Nihar Shah

Use and Effects of LLMs in Peer Review: A Randomized Experiment and Survey at ICML 2026 – arXiv

Provost of Dartmouth Busted Using AI for His Own Writing in Newspapers and Academic Journals – Futurism

South Korean Government New Guidelines mandate of AI Disclosure in Research – Chosun  

Could AI Be Better at Peer Review Than Humans? – Chronicle of Higher Ed

All corners of academia will soon be flooded with AI-generated research - Giorgio Gilestro

Misconduct case dropped against AI expert after claims of AI use in recent book – Retraction Watch

AI in peer review should be a second reader, not a judge – KevinMD

Three-quarters of researchers unsure what use of AI to disclose - Research Professional News

The “synthetic validity” problem in AI-generated science – PNAS

A psychology journal has retracted a paper on how using generative AI can affect confidence in work tasks – Retraction Watch

It could be a long time before independent research emerges on how AI should—or shouldn’t—be used to improve learning outcomes. – Inside Higher Ed

Scholars are divided over how much AI use is acceptable. - Chronicle of Higher Ed

Analysis of predatory journals using AI generated papers – Springer

AI Paper Mills Now Taint One in Ten Cancer Studies: France Cuts Big Publisher Ties – Tech Times

Why funders should investigate if AI is making research more conservative – Science Business

Professors & Students are in a Bind

Professors and students are often in a bind about what they should do: Use more A.I. to stay relevant, or dial back to preserve learning and thinking? Getting answers from a bot can create the illusion of learning” for students who reach for A.I. at the first hint of struggle. At the same time, the potential of these technologies to augment work across campus is immense. -New York Times