What I'm Reading - 8/11/24

When regulation falls short, Musk continues his chaos and SXSW PanelPicker is open

Tropical storm Debby rolled through the DC area on Friday, bringing heavy rain and wind. This was the scene outside of my place on the shore Friday morning.

This made it the perfect day to catch up on reading, do some planning, and have one of those chill yet productive days.

There are lots of stories for you this week, but first, a huge thank you to all of you who sent me feedback on doing the video newsletter. You all like it! I put a short clip on Instagram, and it got FAR more views - like hundreds - than the podcasts on YouTube do. It’s convinced me that I need to develop an actual video strategy, so watch this space. I’ll probably even start posting to TikTok, which I know will make some of you groan, but it is where a lot of action is happening.

One more thing - the SXSW PanelPicker is now live. Please vote for my panel: The Investment Opportunity in Trust and Safety. And, if you are feeling kind, here are a few of my friends’ panels that could use some love as well:

• Preemptive Solutions to Challenges as a Female Founder

• Microdosing for Entrepreneurs: Building the Future 

Have a great Sunday!

What I’m Reading

AI Developments

1. Axios: Scoop: FEC won't act on AI in election ads this year

2. Pluribus: Lawmakers explore AI benefits, risks at national summit

3. Google Deepmind: Mapping the misuse of generative AI 

4. The Washington Post: Disturbing and bizarre AI cat videos are proliferating on social media

5. 404 Media: Where Facebook's AI Slop Comes From 

6. Now + Next: Part 2: The Abundance Institute AI and Elections Update 

7. The Washington Post: Secretaries of state urge Musk to fix AI chatbot spreading false election info

8. The Washington Post: Trump wanted TikTok banned. Now it's a key piece of his online campaign. 

Stories About Specific Countries

1. National Endowment for Democracy: China's Global Challenge to Democracy 

2. Bloomberg: Musk’s Riot Tweets Spur UK to Seek Tougher Online Rules 

3. Microsoft On the Issues: Iran Targeting 2024 US Election

4. Institute for Strategic Dialogue: Online Gendered Abuse and Disinformation During the 2024 South African Elections

5. Euronews: Erdoğan accuses social media of 'digital fascism' after Turkey blocks Instagram

6. POLITICO: Race riots put Britain on collision course with Elon Musk

7. CNBC: As disinformation spreads during UK riots, regulators are currently powerless to take action 

Political & Social Commentary

1. The Washington Post: Elon Musk’s X accused of restricting accounts backing Kamala Harris 

2. Wall Street Journal: Election 2024: Foreign TikTok Networks Are Pushing Political Lies to Americans 

3. Hollywood Reporter: “F*** These Trump-Loving Techies”: Hollywood Takes On Silicon Valley in An Epic Presidential Brawl 

4. The New Yorker: Nancy Pelosi’s Art of Power

5. The New York Times: Where Are the Trumpiest Ads? All Over Truth Social.

6. WIRED: Elon Musk Has Turned X Into His Personal Political Playground

7. CBS News: Democrats turn to influencers to help share their message on social media 

8. Sam Harris / Making Sense: #378 - Digital Delusions 

9. Axios: Dems outspending GOP nearly 2x on presidential race 

10. Vanity Fair: The Woman Who Engineered Donald Trump’s Rise From the Ashes of 2020 

11. The New York Times: Elon Musk Revives Lawsuit Against OpenAI and Sam Altman

12. NDTV: Opinion: Learnings From A Collaborative Effort To Protect Democracy From Misinformation 

13. Fox News: Trump says Mark Zuckerberg called to apologize about photo of assassination attempt

14. CNBC: Elon Musk will interview Trump on Monday night, Republican presidential nominee says 

15. Associated Press: Trump and Harris agree to debate on Sept. 10

16. CBS News: How the biggest global election year in history is shaking out

17. The Hill: 5 lessons learned halfway through the global year of elections 

18. Associated Press: Majority of US adults say democracy is on the ballot but they differ on the threat: AP-NORC poll 

19. Politico: We Mapped JD Vance’s Inner Circle

Legal & Regulatory

1. Business Insider: The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is 'discontinuing' after Elon Musk's X filed an antitrust lawsuit against it 

2. Mozilla: New Research: Tech Platforms’ Data Access Initiatives Vary Widely 

3. POLITICO: It’s Elon Musk’s X and governments are having to live with it

4. Fox Business: Elon Musk's X files antitrust lawsuit against worldwide advertising group 

5. Bloomberg: Google Loses DOJ Antitrust Suit Over Search 

6. TechCrunch: Bluesky adds Techdirt founder Mike Masnick to its board 

Miscellaneous Insights & Reports

1. Sander van der Linden: Whitepaper: Feedback Exercises Boost Discernment of Misinformation for Gamified Inoculation Interventions 

2. The New York Times: CNN's Media Chronicler Strikes Out on His Own 

3. WIRED: NBC’s Olympics Broadcast Isn’t Just Addictive. It’s a New Era of Streaming

4. Morning Consult: Peacock gets the gold 

5. Mashable: Google Maps' new feature will show you where to park

6. Gen Z-Boomer Dictionary: Skibidi Toilet

7. Wall Street Journal: Mark Zuckerberg’s New Image: Gold Chains and Gen-Z Curls

8. The Washington Post: A string of CEO exits might lead to more stepping aside

9. The New York Times: How Post Malone Went Country (Carefully, With a Beer in His Hand)

Career Tips

1. Lenny's Podcast: How embracing your emotions will accelerate your career with Joe Hudson

2. Wild Letters: Tiny Biz Letters #8 - by Nic Antoinette - A super transparent monthly column that takes you behind the scenes of my self-employment

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