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German publisher Alex Springer — which owns Politico, among other media properties — has inked a deal with OpenAI, which means ChatGPT will be able to include news in its responses to prompts. Debate over the pros and cons is robust, and there are implications for organizations trying to get their news into the mix. In the December long-form episode, Neville and Shel explore the ramifications and possible next steps. Also in the show:

• Starbucks has suffered vandalism and other blowback based on disinformation shared online. Is the iconic coffee company handling it well?
• The presidents of three top-tier universities gave cringeworthy testimony before a Congressional committee. Who counseled them before their appearances?
• Researchers worked with generative AI tools to develop a strategic plan for introducing a new service to a metropolitan community. How did it go?
• There will be a lot of elections across many countries in 2024. How will AI affect the outcomes?
• People want media organizations to disclose when they use AI in the preparation of reports. How much does that affect their trust of the content?
• In his tech report, Dan York dives deep into movements in the fediverse.

The next monthly, long-form episode of FIR will drop on Monday, January 29.

We host a Communicators Zoom Chat each Thursday at 1 p.m. ET. For credentials needed to participate, contact Shel or Neville directly, request the credentials in our Facebook group, or email fircomments@gmail.com.

Special thanks to Jay Moonah for the opening and closing music.

You can find the stories from which Shel’s FIR content is selected at Shel’s Link Blog. Shel has started a metaverse-focused Flipboard magazine. You can catch up with both co-hosts on Neville’s blog and Shel’s blog. Neville’s Asides blog is also available.

Links from this episode:

• ChatGPT: News articles will be used to train AI models
• OpenAI strikes ‘first of its kind’ deal with publisher Axel Springer to use its news content in ChatGPT
• The New York Times’ first director of AI signals key role the technology will play in news production
• OpenAI partners with major news publisher Axel Springer
• Partnership with Axel Springer to deepen beneficial use of AI in journalism
• Starbucks wages a battle against misinformation amid stock struggles
• Starbucks CEO says ‘We stand for humanity,’ looks to separate company from Israel-Palestine statements by labor union
• Starbucks Workers United (@SBWorkersUnited) on X
• Crisis communicators face blowback after disastrous college hearing
• Major Harvard Donor Len Blavatnik to Pause Donations to Harvard, Report Says
• Can GenAI Do Strategy?
• Prompt Architect – an update
• 2024 is world’s biggest election year ever – and AI experts say we’re not prepared
• States are lagging in tackling political deepfakes, leaving potential threats unchecked heading into 2024
• 2024’s election cycle faces risk from deepfakes
• FIR #352: AI and Elections – Should We Panic? – FIR Podcast Network

Links from Dan York’s Report

• Enter the Fediverse
• Engage a Wider Audience With ActivityPub on WordPress.com
• Bluesky posts are finally visible if you’re not logged in
• Dan York (@danyork.bsky.social)
• Wikipedia (@wikipedia@wikis.world)
• Wikipedia Year in Review

About Shel Holtz

Shel Holtz, SCMP, ABC, IABC Fellow, is senior director of Communications at Webcor, a commercial general contractor headquartered in San Francisco. Before joining Webcor, Shel spent 21 years as principal of Holtz Communication + Technology. In addition to integrating technology into communications strategies, his expertise includes strategic communications planning, change management, organizational culture, business initiatives and communications research. Full bio

About Neville Hobson

Neville Hobson is a communicator, social strategist, consultant, digital change agent, writer, and podcaster. He is co-founder and co-host of the 'For Immediate Release' podcast. Since 2000, his career has focused on working with organisations globally to help them leverage his experiences, knowledge and subject-matter expertise of social networks, social media marketing, analytics and insights reporting, to create and build foundations for authentic engagement and to expand online reach and influence. Full bio