Stifling my Soul
/In some situations, I am rewarded for being willing to stifle my soul. -Parker Palmer
ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
How Students are Using AI: Here's what the Data Tell Us
/AI use by students is increasing.
The higher the education level, the more likely that students will use AI.
Business, STEM, and social-science majors are more likely to use AI and are less likely to have concerns about using it than humanities majors.
Top uses by students: information or getting explanations (50-70 percent of respondents in the studies cited above); generating ideas or brainstorming (40-50 percent); and writing support, including checking grammar, editing, starting a paper, and drafting an essay (30-50 percent).
86 percent of students who use ChatGPT for assignments say their use was undetected.
A plurality of students think AI will have both positive and negative consequences.
A study of high-school students conducted before and after AI became mainstream found no increase in the percentage of students who cheat.
15-25 percent of students across several studies feel AI should not be allowed at all in education or refuse to use it themselves.
In a survey asking students why they use AI, the strongest agreement was with the statement that AI “will not judge me” followed by anonymity.
Four out of five students think their institutions have not integrated AI sufficiently.
55 percent of students think overreliance on AI in teaching decreases the value received from a course.
89 percent are worried about AI grading.
Students think AI is important, in other words, but not that it should replace professors.
Read more in The Chronicle of Higher Ed
18 Articles about AI’s future
/The ‘godfather of AI’ reveals the only way humanity can survive superintelligent AI – CNN
AI is a Floor Raiser, not a Ceiling Raiser - Elroy
AI is eating the Internet An exploration of the Internet to come - Paoramen
Salesforce CEO: humans and AI bots will soon work side by side - Axios
The Unnerving Future of A.I.-Fueled Video Games – New York Times
What is Jevons Paradox? And why it may — or may not — predict AI’s future – Northeastern
The AI Replaces Services Myth – Founding Mode
The next AI breakthrough will be how well your agent knows you – Semafor
AI is changing the world faster than most realize - Axios
Should we root for AI? – Product Party
AI could erase half of entry-level white collar jobs in 5 years, CEO warns - Zdnet
Madison Avenue Braces for the AI Apocalypse – Hollywood Reporter
Little-known cells might be key to human brain’s massive memory: This could be a “fresh source of inspiration” for AI technology – Washington Post
Why Superintelligent AI Isn’t Taking Over Anytime Soon – Wall Street Journal
Why We’re Unlikely to Get Artificial General Intelligence Anytime Soon – New York Times
Anticipating a world in which the most meaningful creative work takes place in a "dark forest" web – New Yorker
How OpenAI, Google and AI makers are leaving the web behind - Axios
How AI could create the first one-person unicorn - Economist
How will AI affect my job?
/The answer to the question, “How will AI affect my job?” might be better stated: “Does AI look like it is going to do the most highly skilled parts of my job or the low-skill parts?” If it’s the former, your pay and business value will fall. If it’s the latter where AI can do the mundane parts of your job for you, then you might get paid more (and it might get more fun).
The Truth about Empathy
/Empathy is not feeling sorry for someone in physical or emotional pain—that’s sympathy. Rather, it is mentally putting yourself in the suffering person’s shoes to feel their pain. It’s the difference between “Get well soon” and “I can imagine how much discomfort you must be feeling right now.”
Empathy can “make us worse at being friends, parents, husbands, and wives,” because sometimes an act of love involves doing something that causes pain rather than relieving it, such as confronting an awful truth.
Arthur C. Brooks writing in The Atlantic
15 Articles about how Businesses are using AI
/Who gets cheap flights and hotel upgrades? AI will decide. - Washington Post
Is It Still Disney Magic if It’s AI? – Wall Street Journal
Anthropic’s Claude AI became a terrible business owner in experiment that got 'weird' - TechCrunch
AI Is Coming for the Consultants. Inside McKinsey, ‘This Is Existential.’ – Wall Street Journal
Managers let AI assess raises, promotions, even layoffs, survey finds - Axios
Call Center Workers Are Tired of Being Mistaken for AI - Bloomberg
Small businesses are using AI, but not spending much - Axios
‘It destroys the purpose of humanity’: Customers are saying no to AI - Washington Post
Consumers have less trust in offerings labeled as being powered by artificial intelligence – Wall Street Journal
Anthropic launches its first big disruption to the finance industry - Axios
How to Navigate an AI Bull Market – Wall Street Journal
The Three Layers of ROI for AI Agents – Henry Pray
How AI could create the first one-person unicorn – Economist
Ad Agencies’ Low Growth Will Drag On as They Adjust to Era of AI, Barclays Says – Wall Street Journal
Small business AI adoption jumps to 68% as owners plan significant workforce growth in 2025 – Fox Business
Teachers Using AI
/Nearly a third of K–12 teachers say they used the technology at least weekly last school year. Sally Hubbard, a sixth-grade math-and-science teacher in Sacramento, California, told me that AI saves her an average of five to 10 hours each week by helping her create assignments and supplement curricula. “If I spend all of that time creating, grading, researching,” she said, “then I don’t have as much energy to show up in person and make connections with kids.” Lila Shroff writing in The Atlantic
the optimist and the pessimist
/In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. -Daniel L. Reardon
16 Articles about the Business of Running an AI Company
/Why Perplexity’s CEO couldn’t wait for perfection to launch an operating system for the AI era - Semafor
The New ChatGPT Resets the AI Race – The Atlantic
Nvidia, AMD agree to pay U.S. government 15% of AI chip sales to China - Washington Post
Why Apple’s Tim Cook Is the Odd Man Out in the AI Race - Wall Street Journal
OpenAI released GPT-5, a big upgrade to ChatGPT. Here’s what to know. - Washington Post
The bidding war for top AI talent masks a deepening crisis in the broader market for tech skills. - Axios
Perplexity accused of scraping websites that explicitly blocked AI scraping – Tech Crunch
OpenAI’s ChatGPT to hit 700 million weekly users, up 4x from last year – CNBC
Tech giants ramp up spending as AI starts to deliver - Axios
The AI Company Capitalizing on Our Obsession With Excel - Wall Street Journal
OpenAI's and Microsoft's AI wishlists - Axios
AI is eating the Internet An exploration of the Internet to come - Paoramen
Seriously, Why Do Some AI Chatbot Subscriptions Cost More Than $200? – Wired
The paradox eating AI's profits – Quartz
Investors Are Suddenly Pulling Out of AI – Futurism
How Distillation Makes AI Models Smaller and Cheaper – Quanta Magazine
Rewriting Prompts Doesn't Always Work
/MIT study: Surprisingly, rewriting prompts using generative AI led to worse performance. The team found that the automatic rewrites often added extra details or changed the meaning of what users were trying to say, leading the AI to produce the wrong kind of image. It shows how AI systems can break down when designers make assumptions about how people will use them. -MIT
17 Webinars this week about AI, Journalism & Media
/Tue, Aug 12 - Translating Clinical Data into Compelling Visuals: A Guide to Graphical Abstract
What: We will take you through designing visual abstracts for clinical research. Learn how to create visuals that not only summarize your study but also captivate journal editors and readers.
Who: Valeria Panissa Health Science, Pharmacovigilant Analyst.
When: 9 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Editage
Tue, Aug 12 - Finding Your Voice in Longterm Storytelling
What: A behind the scenes look at "Trembling Earth" — a three-year project focused on protecting Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp.
Who: David Walter Banks, photographer and environmental advocacy artist.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Society of Environmental Journalists
Tue, Aug 12 - Beyond Content: Designing AI for Coherence, Growth, and Shared Meaning
What: This session offers a grounded approach to integrating AI into real learning workflows—not as a shortcut, but as a tool for reflection, decision-making, and team growth. Whether you’re just getting started or trying to deepen your practice, you’ll leave with fresh ways to use AI for designing better prompts, structuring learning conversations, and supporting real-world outcomes.
Who: Dox Brown, Educe LLC.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenSesame
Tue, Aug 12 - Buzzwords to Blueprints: What AI on Campus Actually Looks Like
What: A dynamic conversation on how universities are moving from hype to hands-on innovation. Our panel will explore specific and creative ways institutions are encouraging students to use AI responsibly and effectively—whether through course design, new creative tools, partnerships with tech companies, or campus-wide initiatives. The goal of this webinar is for attendees to walk away with fresh examples, practical takeaways, and a better understanding of how forward-thinking colleges are turning AI from theory into action.
Who: Asim Ali Ph.D, Executive Director of the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Auburn University, California State University Monterrey Bay CIO; Tara Hughes, Adobe Senior Product Marketing Manager; Dhruva Chandrasekhar; Senior Writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education Rick Seltzer.
When: 1:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Whiteboard Advisors
Tue, Aug 12 - Ways to make your next Reel really take off
What: We’ll explore proven strategies to help your Reels gain traction, from crafting scroll-stopping hooks and choosing the right audio, to timing, tagging, and maximizing engagement after you post. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to take your short-form video game to the next level, this session will leave you with fresh ideas and actionable tips to boost your reach and results.
Who: David Arkin, Founder, David Arkin Consulting.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Local Media Association
Tue, Aug 12 - Introduction to Proposal Writing
What: This indispensable class will give you a step-by-step guide to creating a grant proposal to a foundation. It will include: The basic elements of a grant proposal, including the need statement, project description, and evaluation plan. A model outline of the essential components of any grant proposal The "do's" and "don'ts" of writing, planning and submitting a proposal. The methods for building a relationship with a potential funder, from initial outreach to follow-up and reporting.
Who: Ivonne Simms, Educational Programming Manager, Candid.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Candid
Tue, Aug 12 - AI Innovator Collaborative: Let’s Write It: Workshop To Write AI Use Disclosures
What: What Trusting News is learning about what news consumers think about AI use in journalism and draft your own disclosure language around AI use. Whether you’re thinking about labeling AI-generated visuals, explaining how AI helps with summarizing and translating stories or disclosing tools used in story development, we’ll help you do it clearly, responsibly and in a way your audience understands.
Who: Trusting News’ Lynn Walsh.
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Online News Association
Wed, Aug 13 - The Big Why: The case for strengthening climate and environmental journalism in Africa
What: This webinar will delve into the fundamental reasons why robust and impactful climate and environmental journalism is an indispensable pillar of an informed society and a sustainable future. The discussion will explore the state of climate and environmental journalism in Africa, identify the needs and gaps, and opportunities for multistakeholder collaboration.
Who: Marystella Simiyu, Africa Senior Legal Officer, IPI; Tulani Ngwenya, Associate Journalist, Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism; Lydia Kembabazi, Africa Program Manager, IPI; Ibrahima Yakubu, Founder of the African Climate Reporters; Farah Wael, Advocacy and Engagement Director, Women in News
When: 5 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: International Press Institute
Wed, Aug 13 - Cloud Attack and Defend: Emerging Threats
What: Explore the evolving landscape of cyber threats targeting Cloud and AI environments. We’ll share the latest findings on real-world threats. Discover the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by adversaries, and gain actionable strategies to fortify your defenses.
Who: Chris Hosking, SentinelOne.
When: 8 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: SentinelOne
Wed, Aug 13 - Integrating AI with the Kirkpatrick Four Levels: Revolutionizing Evaluation
What: We will explore the fusion of AI and the Kirkpatrick Model to enhance training evaluations. Discover how AI can refine program planning, generate innovative brainstorming techniques, and elevate data analysis and presentation, all while maintaining essential human oversight.
Who: Vanessa Milara Alzate, Owner and CEO of Kirkpatrick Partners and Founder of Anchored Training; Myra Roldan, founder and CEO of UnDesto AI.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: OpenSesame
Wed, Aug 13 - AI-Powered Search: New Frontiers in Marketing with Google
What: We’ll reveal the future of search and how AI is transforming the way people discover and engage with content. Explore cutting-edge innovations like AI Overviews, Lens, and Circle to Search—and uncover what they mean for shifting consumer behavior. Walk away with actionable insights to evolve your marketing strategy and stay ahead in this new era of search.
Who: Cecilia Wong Global Product Lead, Head of Search Creatives & Formats Google.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Association of National Advertisers (ANA)
Wed, Aug 13 - The “Big Beautiful Bill”: What it means for taxes
What: We will inform journalists on the biggest tax cuts and tax policy changes that are part of the new law. We’ll dive into how these changes could impact readers and viewers, look at what these provisions mean for the federal deficit, and also explore which groups of people can expect to see the biggest benefits from the law and who might not. Whether you’re new to writing about taxes or have dipped your toe into writing about them before, our policy experts will be ready to answer your burning questions on how the new law stands to impact Americans’ pocketbooks and more.
Who: Shai Akabas, Vice President, Economic Policy·Bipartisan Policy Center; Andrew Lautz Director, Tax Policy·Bipartisan Policy Center.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsors: Bipartisan Policy Center & The Journalism Center at the National Press Club
Wed, Aug 13 – Open Source Threat Intelligence: Still a Reliable Tool Amidst the AI and Machine Learning Hype
What: In this presentation, we will highlight while automating threat intelligence is great, the human factor in gathering timely and critical information from open sources is equally important. Companies cannot simply rely solely on AI algorithms despite the hype.
Who: Ralph Villanueva, IT Security & Compliance Analyst.
When: 5 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: TechTarget
Thu, Aug 14 - Beyond Basic AI – How Structured Content Unlocks Next-Level Intelligence
What: You’ll discover how structured content can power your technology ecosystem and enable deeper, more actionable insights from your proprietary materials. From fueling intelligent chatbots to supporting semantic search across your content ecosystem, this webinar will show you how to move beyond basic AI and into a new era of intelligent learning solutions.
Who: Chris Kocher, senior solutions architect at MadCap.
When: 11 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: MadCap Software
Thu, Aug 14 - How to Master Media Relations: Targeting, Tailoring, Timing
What: We'll explore proven strategies for precision targeting and crafting personalized pitches that resonate with journalists and build stronger relationships over time. You’ll also learn how to ensure your media lists are accurate and up to date, craft outreach that gets responses, and streamline your workflow without sacrificing quality. Whether you’re looking to improve your pitch performance or build long-term media connections, this webinar will help you level up your approach.
Who: Karen Swim, APR, is the Founder of Words For Hire, a B2B, Technology, and Healthcare PR and Marketing agency and the President of Solo PR Pro.
When: 12:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Public Relations Today
Fri, Aug 15 - The Freelance Life: What to know and how to grow
What: Whether you're just stepping into the freelance world or looking to grow your independent journalism business, this half-day virtual conference is designed to equip you with practical tools, insider knowledge, and expert guidance. Participants will hear from seasoned freelancers, editors, and an attorney about today’s freelance landscape and learn how to build their businesses, successfully pitch stories, and thrive as an independent journalist in an evolving industry. With tailored tracks for both new and experienced freelancers, this conference is your chance to sharpen your strategy, expand your network, and get inspired.
Who: Kaitlyn Arford, freelance journalist; Allison Prang, NPCJI, freelance journalist; Mythili Sampathkumar, freelance journalist; Ellen Lee, Wirecutter; Cari Shan, freelance journalist; Katie Hawkins-Gaar, freelancer writer/consultant; Allison Prang, NPCJI, freelance journalist; Cari Shane, freelance journalist; Lisa Armstrong; UC Berkeley; Danny Freedman, freelance journalist; Beth Francesco, moderator; Lynn Oberlander, Ballard Spahr; Anjuman Ali, The Washington Post; Melanie Eversley, Black News & Views; Natalie Shutler, New York Magazine; Alexandra Sifferlin, The New York Times.
When: 12 pm – 4:15 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: $25 for National Press Club members and students, $35/public
Sponsor: National Press Club
Fri, Aug 15 - Crafting Narrative Investigations with Power and Precision
What: A hands-on workshop exploring the art and craft of narrative investigations — a storytelling approach that uses real people as the engine of deep, fact-based journalism. Narrative investigations rely on scenes, dialogue, character, and emotional stakes to bring truth to life — merging the immersive power of fiction with the rigor of investigative reporting.
Who: Investigative journalist Andrea Ball.
When: 12 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Sunlight Research Center
Good Listening
/Good listening takes practice; it’s actually a discipline. It doesn’t come easily or naturally. Listening means more than just hearing what a person says. A counselor I know expressed the difference like this: “hearing captures the words a person speaks; listening captures the meaning and the feeling beneath those words.” Listening is the mental step by which we become more aware of the other person than we are of ourselves. The best definition of listening I ever came across is that given by Norman H. Wright, who said, “Listening is not thinking about what you are going to say when the other person has stopped talking.’
Heart Writing
/“Say, ‘Lord, I don’t know if you’re there. If you’re there, write something on my heart.’ And He will.” -Arthur Brooks
A Good Prompt Should Include
/A good AI prompt should include:
Sample content
Specific guidance on tone, length, structure, word count, etc.
An example:
Write a 1,000-word article on estate planning, targeting mid-aged professionals in the southeast US. The tone should be informative but approachable. Use plain language and a clear structure so it’s easily scannable. Include actionable tips and examples. Our firm focuses on public service professionals, such as teachers and firefighters, so please use language, scenarios, and tips that are relevant to this audience.
Keep providing feedback until the output meets your requirements.
More at JD Supra
A Great Story
/In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story. -Jeff Bezos
Study Finds the Best Prompters Aren't Software Engineers
/The data suggests that prompting is more about communication than coding. The best prompters weren’t software engineers. They were people who knew how to express ideas clearly in everyday language, not necessarily in code. -MIT Study
AI Definitions: Artificial Intelligence
/Artificial Intelligence (AI) – AI typically refers to computers that imitate the human thinking process, so they that are able to make some decisions on their own without the need of human intervention. The defining feature of artificial intelligence is that the behavior is learned from data rather from being explicitly programmed. AI can effectively mimic and mix established patterns in creative ways. However, it does not perform as well at breaking expectations and conventional forms to create entirely new things.
More AI definitions here
Your self-evaluations
/Your self-evaluations are important because they influence most areas of your behavior, defining the limits of what you will attempt. You avoid an activity if your self-concept predicts you will perform so badly as to humiliate yourself. For instance, if your self-concept includes the belief that you would be a poor ice skater, you might never try it, and will indeed remain a poor ice skater. Often people excuse themselves with “That’s just the way I am.” By using this excuse, they deny themselves opportunities for personal growth.
Sharon and Gordon Bower, Asserting Yourself
22 Recent Articles about Using AI
/How to Use AI for Website Content and Still Appear Human - JD Supra
Study: Generative AI results depend on user prompts as much as models – MIT
Google’s NotebookLM can now make narrated slideshows with AI – The Verge
I'm a college writing professor. How I think students should use AI this fall – Mashable
Startup Writer builds corporate AI agent that doesn’t go off-script - Semafor
Seriously, Why Do Some AI Chatbot Subscriptions Cost More Than $200? – Wired
How neurodivergent people are using AI tools – Reuters
We asked 2,000 Substack publishers how they’re using and thinking about AI. Here’s what we found. - Substack
YouTube Shorts is adding an image-to-video AI tool, new AI effects – TechCrunch
Do people click on links in Google AI summaries? - Pew Research Center
The AI Replaces Services Myth – Mert Deveci
Try these hidden ‘NOPE’ buttons to stop AI content How to turn off AI in Google – Washington Post
AI Search Is Growing More Quickly Than Expected – Wall Street Journal
OpenAI Unveils Agent That Can Make Spreadsheets and PowerPoints - Wall Street Journal
Google AI's new trick: Turn any image into a brief video - Axios
Building a Personal AI Factory – John Rush
The New Skill in AI is Not Prompting, It's Context Engineering – Philipp Schmid
6 tips to avoid using AI chatbots all wrong - Washington Post
How artificial intelligence is transforming the way people use the internet - NPR
AI chatbots’ content rules often frustrate users, study finds - Washington Post
Get Started With ChatGPT: A Beginner's Guide to Using the Super Popular AI Chatbot – CNET
Duke Just Introduced An Essay Question About AI—Here’s How To Tackle It - Forbes
The Question that Will Predict How AI Impacts Your Job
/A clarifying question: does AI look like it is going to do the most highly skilled part of your job or the low-skill rump that you’ve not been able to get rid of? The answer to that question may help to predict whether your job is about to get more fun or more annoying — and whether your salary is likely to rise, or fall as your expert work is devalued. -Tim Harford