After layoffs and an AI scandal, CNET's staff is unionizing

CNET, the venerable tech site which began publication nearly 30 years ago, has become the latest digital media company whose staff have chosen to band together and demand more. The CNET Media Worker's Union (CMWU) today sent a letter to Red Ventures, the private equity concern which purchased CNET in 2020, seeking recognition of a bargaining unit of nearly 100 workers including editors, writers, and video producers. According to CMWU, a supermajority of those in the unit signed union authorization cards.Like the overwhelming majority of other organized digital publications, the workers who make up CMWU are responding in large part to an increasingly hostile financial climate in the industry. CNET has not been spared the same tumult that has led to the shuttering of Buzzfeed News and VICE's decision to file for bankruptcy: the company went through three brutal rounds of layoffs over recent months, the most recent of which stripped approximately a dozen staffers from the masthead. "We lost a lot of really great reporters," Laura Michelle Davis, an editor with CNET and organizing committee member, told Engadget.According to Davis, that sense of uncertainty led to a number of voluntary departures, but also to the surviving staff choosing to organize. Despite those cuts, according to the union's statement sent to management today, staff have continue to be "subjected to ongoing restructuring, cost-cutting austerity measures, shifting job roles and promotion freezes." CMWU has... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-05-16 16:13:18 UTC ]
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Judge rules that AI-generated art isn't copyrightable, since it lacks human authorship

A federal judge has agreed with US government officials that a piece of artificial intelligence-generated art isn't eligible for copyright protection in the country since there was no human authorship involved. "Copyright has never stretched so far [...] as to protect works generated by new... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-21 15:00:33 UTC ]
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Microsoft retracts AI-written article advising tourists to visit a food bank on an empty stomach

Microsoft reportedly published — and retracted — an AI-generated article that recommended people visit a Canadian food bank as a tourist attraction. The article “Headed to Ottawa? Here’s what you shouldn’t miss!” included recommendations for catching a baseball game, honoring fallen soldiers at... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-18 18:27:01 UTC ]
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An Iowa school district is using AI to ban books

It certainly didn't take long for AI's other shoe to drop, what with the emergent technology already being perverted to commit confidence scams and generate spam content. We can now add censorship to that list as the Globe Gazette reports the school board of Mason City, Iowa has begun leveraging... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2023-08-14 20:25:41 UTC ]
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Markus Dohle, Ethan Mollick to Keynote AI Webinar

Former Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle and Ethan Mollick, associate professor at the Wharton School and author of the newsletter 'One Useful Thing,' will present keynote addresses at PW’s Artificial Intelligence: Revolution and Opportunity in Trade Publishing webinar on September 27. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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News Corp profits dive 75% as Rupert Murdoch-owned company hints at AI future

Poor result weighed down by lower print and digital advertising at News Corp Australia, a division that includes flagship newspaper The AustralianRupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has recorded a steep 75% drop in full-year profit but sees opportunities ahead as it expands the use of cost-saving... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-11 00:14:07 UTC ]
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The future of art is in AI’s hands

An ongoing lawsuit by artists against AI’s biggest players highlights how copyright law can’t keep pace with AI. Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming many industries and communities around the world. One of the first groups to feel its impact—and also generate some of its fiercest... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-08-10 06:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon removes books ‘generated by AI’ for sale under author’s name

Jane Friedman claims she had to fight against Amazon’s refusal to remove the misattributed titles because she had not trademarked her nameFive books for sale on Amazon were removed after author Jane Friedman complained that the titles were falsely listed as being written by her. The books, which... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-09 14:28:36 UTC ]
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Google says AI systems should be able to mine publishers’ work unless companies opt out

The tech company’s latest proposal about generative AI turns copyright law on its head, and could especially hurt smaller content creators, say expertsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastPublishers should... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-08 23:00:40 UTC ]
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On AI, Textual Integrity, and Bookselling (shelftalker)

On the defense of textual and editorial standards as a better path for the bookselling industry. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-04 11:00:00 UTC ]
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PW Sets AI Webinar for September 27

Artificial Intelligence: Revolution and Opportunity in Trade Publishing, a half-day online program, will run the afternoon of September 27. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Washington, D.C.'s Solid State Books Unionizes

Workers at Solid State Books have unanimously voted to ratify its first union contract during a virtual meeting attended by 100% of the store's staff, according to United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400, which represents workers at the store. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The UK’s IPG Announces AI Training for Independent Publishers

The UK's Independent Publishers Guild plans to have training in early October on issues and approaches in artificial intelligence. The post The UK’s IPG Announces AI Training for Independent Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-25 17:09:49 UTC ]
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HC Union Files Grievance After Unit Chair Terminated

The union has filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that union unit chair Stephanie Guerdan was "wrongfully terminated" last week because of her union ties. HC called the allegations "patently false." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Google has a new AI tool for journalism—but should we trust tech to meddle in newsrooms?

Historically, big tech’s attempts to shape how the media operates have often done more harm than good. Google has a new plan to help save journalism—or at least make it easier for journalists to work. The company has been pitching a generative AI-powered product, nicknamed Genesis, to major... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2023-07-21 11:48:19 UTC ]
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Toppan Leefung Empowers Staff to Move Forward

The last decade has witnessed an incredible transformation at Toppan Leefung Printing Limited, with the company evolving from a printing corporation into a multifaceted and diversified conglomerate. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Google testing AI tool that writes news articles

Tool is said to have been pitched to several US news outlets as an aid for journalists rather than a replacementGoogle is testing an artificial intelligence tool that can write news articles, in the latest evidence that the technology has the potential to transform white-collar professions.The... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-20 12:04:29 UTC ]
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Margaret Atwood among thousands of authors demanding compensation from AI companies

Margaret Atwood, James Patterson and Suzanne Collins are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies. ... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-07-18 21:52:26 UTC ]
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James Patterson, Margaret Atwood among thousands of writers urging AI companies to honor copyrights

James Patterson, Suzanne Collins and Margaret Atwood are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-07-18 20:54:45 UTC ]
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Layoffs Begin at Penguin Random House as Buyout Departures Come into Focus

Names of some employees who have accepted the publisher's "voluntary separation offer" are beginning to come out—even as a letter from Penguin Random House CEO Nihar Malaviya confirmed that long-rumored layoffs have become a reality. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Authors Join the Brewing Legal Battle Over AI

Two new class action copyright lawsuits ramp up the growing scrutiny of large language models and other generative artificial intelligence tools. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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