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Daily Archives: April 10, 2024

AP Study – AI is already reshaping newsrooms

“A new study from AP – Generative AI in Journalism: The Evolution of Newswork and Ethics in a Generative Information Ecosystem reveals that generative artificial intelligence is already reshaping newsroom roles and workflow. Nearly 70% of newsroom staffers from a variety of backgrounds and organizations surveyed in December say they’re using the technology for crafting social media posts, newsletters and headlines; translation and transcribing interviews; and story drafts, among other uses. One-fifth said they’d used generative AI for multimedia, including social graphics and videos…”

This report serves as a snapshot of how the industry has grappled with the initial promises and challenges of generative AI toward the end of 2023. In this report, we present a survey of 292 individuals in the news industry about how they use and want to use generative AI and what they see as the main ethical and practical issues around developing responsible usage. We collected survey responses for three weeks, from December 4 to December 22, 2023, with the AP circulating the survey among its email lists of news organization practitioners and through various social media and Slack-group postings. Fully 81.4% of respondents indicated that they were knowledgeable about generative AI   and 73.8% indicated that they or their organization had already used generative AI in some capacity. The average number of years worked in the news industry by respondents was 18 years. In other words, our sample reflects how some of the more savvy and seasoned members of the profession are reacting to the technology.”

How to Stop Your Data From Being Used to Train AI

Wired: “If you’ve ever posted something to the internet—a pithy tweet, a 2009 blog post, a scornful review, or a selfie on Instagram—it has most likely been slurped up and used to help train the current wave of generative AI. Large language models, like ChatGPT, and image creators are powered by vast reams of our… Continue Reading

What you need to know about the plastic crisis

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): “Global annual production of plastic has increased exponentially over the past 65 years, growing from 2 million metric tons in 1950 to 460 million metric tons in 2019. Much of this plastic quickly becomes waste, and plastic waste is found everywhere, including the farthest reaches of the Arctic, the deep seabed, and even… Continue Reading

USPTO AI Guidance Highlights Risks for Practitioners and Public

IP Watchdog: “The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced guidance for practitioners and the public regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the preparation of filings for submission to the Office. The guidance comes two months after the Office issued a guidance memorandum for the Trademark and Patent Trial and Appeal Boards… Continue Reading

Japan Gives Washington 250 Cherry Trees as Replacements

The New York Times [unpaywalled]:  “Japan is giving the United States 250 cherry trees to replace more than 100 that will be torn up during construction around the Tidal Basin in Washington, the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Wednesday. The gift honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence,… Continue Reading

Transportation Climate Impact Index

2024 U.S. Transportation Climate Impact Index: How metros rank across 8 key factors – “With transportation still representing the top source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S., new federal funding and regulations hope to spur climate-friendly infrastructure. Meanwhile, agencies across the nation are working to drive down Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), boost walking… Continue Reading

Virtual Reality and the ‘Virtual Wall’

EFF: “When EFF set out to map surveillance technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, we weren’t exactly sure how to do it. We started with public records—procurement documents, environmental assessments, and the like—which allowed us to find the GPS coordinates of scores of towers. During a series of in-person trips, we were able to find even… Continue Reading