Tyler Dukes
@mtdukes.bsky.social
Lead editor, AI innovation in journalism at McClatchy. Former News & Observer I-team. Duke University adjunct. 2017 Nieman Fellow. Powered by gas station coffee and eastern NC barbecue.
Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to always be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media. www.404media.co/leaked-email...
Leaked Email Suggests Ring Plans to Expand ‘Search Party’ Surveillance Beyond Dogs
Ring's CEO told staff the feature is “first for finding dogs,” indicating a plan to expand.
www.404media.co
February 18, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Ring’s controversial, AI-powered “Search Party” feature isn’t intended to always be limited only to dogs, the company’s founder, Jamie Siminoff, told Ring employees in an internal email obtained by 404 Media. www.404media.co/leaked-email...
Among my many questions about this approach are how we differentiate between “frontline” and “signature” journalism. How do we train reporters to do the latter if they never do the former?
Under an experimental project at Mediahuis, AI agents are involved in the writing, fact checking, legal checking and editing of news stories but a human would always check the finished product before it is published pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/r...
Mediahuis trials use of AI agents to carry out 'first-line' news reporting
Belgium-based news publisher Mediahuis is experimenting with automating the production of its “first-line” news using AI agents.
pressgazette.co.uk
February 18, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Among my many questions about this approach are how we differentiate between “frontline” and “signature” journalism. How do we train reporters to do the latter if they never do the former?
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Under an experimental project at Mediahuis, AI agents are involved in the writing, fact checking, legal checking and editing of news stories but a human would always check the finished product before it is published pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/r...
Mediahuis trials use of AI agents to carry out 'first-line' news reporting
Belgium-based news publisher Mediahuis is experimenting with automating the production of its “first-line” news using AI agents.
pressgazette.co.uk
February 18, 2026 at 11:57 AM
Under an experimental project at Mediahuis, AI agents are involved in the writing, fact checking, legal checking and editing of news stories but a human would always check the finished product before it is published pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/r...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
These are the more interesting questions to me about AI usage.
What are these people going to be like once the chatbots era recedes. What work are they going to be ready for.
What are these people going to be like once the chatbots era recedes. What work are they going to be ready for.
Yesterday my friend told me about her PHILOSOPHY students all using ai for their assignments and like come the fuck on man you’re in Uni doing the subject thats Thinking about Thinking and u refuse to Think
February 18, 2026 at 12:08 PM
These are the more interesting questions to me about AI usage.
What are these people going to be like once the chatbots era recedes. What work are they going to be ready for.
What are these people going to be like once the chatbots era recedes. What work are they going to be ready for.
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
NYT OpEd asked me to explain vibe coding to a general audience, and I took a swing. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/o...
Opinion | The A.I. Disruption Is Actually Here, and It’s Not Terrible
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 12:17 PM
NYT OpEd asked me to explain vibe coding to a general audience, and I took a swing. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/o...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
ICE protesters turn their attention to private prison company in North Carolina (Gift link)
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
ICE protesters turn their attention to private prison company in North Carolina
The company wants to hold people for Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a closed private prison in Eastern North Carolina.
www.charlotteobserver.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:23 PM
ICE protesters turn their attention to private prison company in North Carolina (Gift link)
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
“In 2024, Stream Data Centers purchased and then knocked down an entire 55-home subdivision in Elk Grove Village, Ill., a data-center hub near Chicago, to build three data centers totaling 2.1 million square feet. The company paid nearly $1 million per house.”
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Land Grab for Data Centers Is One More Obstacle to Much-Needed Housing
Resistance grows to more land sales in Northern Virginia. “They’d rather have homes than data,” said a former Prince William County supervisor.
www.wsj.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:25 AM
“In 2024, Stream Data Centers purchased and then knocked down an entire 55-home subdivision in Elk Grove Village, Ill., a data-center hub near Chicago, to build three data centers totaling 2.1 million square feet. The company paid nearly $1 million per house.”
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
www.wsj.com/real-estate/...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Help spread the word: We're hiring for a Weekend Host/Reporter at WUNC News. The application deadline is March 2. @wunc.org
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/313...
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/313...
February 17, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Help spread the word: We're hiring for a Weekend Host/Reporter at WUNC News. The application deadline is March 2. @wunc.org
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/313...
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/313...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Phil Gonzalez from CBS, welcome to the Verge’s background policy www.theverge.com/policy/88000...
![CBS spokesperson Phil Gonzales provided The Verge with the same statement claiming
Colbert was not blocked from broadcasting the interview that was given to Variety and other outlets, but refused to attribute it by name per The Verge's background policy. Asked for a name, Gonzales wrote, "Respectfully, you don't need to use the statement. We will keep that in mind next time verge as us to reply [sic]."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x56l2n7i7babgdzqul4bd433/bafkreiecp7ghxndbvxo2ek6gdld4lcehxv2dnrzzqccn347oyoexaz2ctq@jpeg)
February 17, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Phil Gonzalez from CBS, welcome to the Verge’s background policy www.theverge.com/policy/88000...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
“The numbers tell a painful story. The impact on journalists of color is staggering and devastating,” the Post Guild said in its statement on Friday. “We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization.”
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
Washington Post layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, preliminary Guild data shows
"We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization."
www.niemanlab.org
February 14, 2026 at 2:42 PM
“The numbers tell a painful story. The impact on journalists of color is staggering and devastating,” the Post Guild said in its statement on Friday. “We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization.”
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
Time to put all my money in hoop-and-stick futures.
AI is revolutionizing the world! A Playstation now costs $5,000 and this is the last phone you will ever own.
“.. ‘many system vendors will go bankrupt or exit product lines due to a lack of memory. Mobile phone production will be reduced by 200-250 million units, and PC and TV production will be significantly reduced.’ Yikes.”
@pcgamer.com #DRAM
www.pcgamer.com/hardware/mem...
@pcgamer.com #DRAM
www.pcgamer.com/hardware/mem...
February 17, 2026 at 10:21 PM
Time to put all my money in hoop-and-stick futures.
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Greene said that after friends, family members, and coworkers began emailing him about the resemblance, he became convinced that the voice was replicating his cadence, intonation, and use of filler words like "uh."
techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/l...
techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/l...
Longtime NPR host David Greene sues Google over NotebookLM voice | TechCrunch
The longtime host of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” is suing Google, alleging that the male podcast voice in the company’s NotebookLM tool is based on him.
techcrunch.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Greene said that after friends, family members, and coworkers began emailing him about the resemblance, he became convinced that the voice was replicating his cadence, intonation, and use of filler words like "uh."
techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/l...
techcrunch.com/2026/02/15/l...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Ben Goertzel, popularizer of the term AGI and creator of the Sophia robot, congratulating Jeffrey Epstein the day after Epstein was released from prison.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
February 17, 2026 at 5:45 AM
Ben Goertzel, popularizer of the term AGI and creator of the Sophia robot, congratulating Jeffrey Epstein the day after Epstein was released from prison.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
Goertzel is mentioned in the files nearly 800 times, including well after the Miami Herald investigation in 2018.
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
February 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is
“We still too often accept tech on the terms it has been offered; and too often those terms are ill-suited to our needs or are changed unilaterally, harming our business and communities.”
Thinking today about tech literacy in our newsrooms and the rational ethics of rejecting an innovation:
kiesow.net/the-ethics-o...
kiesow.net/the-ethics-o...
The ethics of journalism tech
On the lecture circuit, I almost never repeat the same slide deck twice. Usually, events move too quickly for the exact lesson to be replayed.
The one exception: a discussion about the ethics of jour...
kiesow.net
February 17, 2026 at 1:38 PM
“We still too often accept tech on the terms it has been offered; and too often those terms are ill-suited to our needs or are changed unilaterally, harming our business and communities.”
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Some thoughts on how our writing will evolve — no more scintillating leads and witty kickers? — if we're writing news mostly for machines and AI agents to read and summarize for human users instead of directly for humans. My latest post for the Tow-Knight Center at CUNY.
bit.ly/4akceOn
bit.ly/4akceOn
Attention Spans
Are you the sort of person who loves stories that start with a question?
restructurednews.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Some thoughts on how our writing will evolve — no more scintillating leads and witty kickers? — if we're writing news mostly for machines and AI agents to read and summarize for human users instead of directly for humans. My latest post for the Tow-Knight Center at CUNY.
bit.ly/4akceOn
bit.ly/4akceOn
Great advice for those of us in journalism covering AI technologies or experimenting with how to use them responsibly.
Honestly, I think things would get A LOT clearer if everyone involved described the systems in terms of what they actually do, rather than via these wishful mnemonics.
February 15, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Great advice for those of us in journalism covering AI technologies or experimenting with how to use them responsibly.
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
me when new AI thing
February 15, 2026 at 2:35 AM
me when new AI thing
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Kudos to @newsobserver.com for sustaining (even with depleted resources) a traditional community connection that has become rare in 2026: election endorsements.
We no longer take for granted this vital service, which lately has been abandoned by newspapers from @nytimes.com to @indyweek.bsky.social.
We no longer take for granted this vital service, which lately has been abandoned by newspapers from @nytimes.com to @indyweek.bsky.social.
N&O endorsements: Our choices in Wake County’s state House and Senate primaries
In blue Wake County, GOP primary candidates seek to take on Democratic incumbents
www.newsobserver.com
February 14, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Kudos to @newsobserver.com for sustaining (even with depleted resources) a traditional community connection that has become rare in 2026: election endorsements.
We no longer take for granted this vital service, which lately has been abandoned by newspapers from @nytimes.com to @indyweek.bsky.social.
We no longer take for granted this vital service, which lately has been abandoned by newspapers from @nytimes.com to @indyweek.bsky.social.
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
I had some fun pulling OpenAI's mission statement out of their IRS tax filings from 2016 to 2024, loading them into a git repo with fake commit dates and then taking a look at the diffs simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/13/...
The evolution of OpenAI’s mission statement
As a USA 501(c)(3) the OpenAI non-profit has to file a tax return each year with the IRS. One of the required fields on that tax return is to “Briefly …
simonwillison.net
February 13, 2026 at 11:40 PM
I had some fun pulling OpenAI's mission statement out of their IRS tax filings from 2016 to 2024, loading them into a git repo with fake commit dates and then taking a look at the diffs simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/13/...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
In 2021, I reported on an internal meeting at Facebook about discussions to put facial recognition on new smartglasses. One of their execs complained about the coverage and said the co would have a "very public discussion" about the tech.
They never did. And now: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
They never did. And now: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:21 PM
In 2021, I reported on an internal meeting at Facebook about discussions to put facial recognition on new smartglasses. One of their execs complained about the coverage and said the co would have a "very public discussion" about the tech.
They never did. And now: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
They never did. And now: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
I was part of a round table on how NYT is covering the Epstein files, with new tech and old-school reporting. Our work is far from over:
How The Times Is Digging Into Millions of Pages of Epstein Files
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:59 PM
I was part of a round table on how NYT is covering the Epstein files, with new tech and old-school reporting. Our work is far from over:
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
Reposted by Tyler Dukes
SAVE Tool Keeps Mistakenly Flagging Voters as Noncitizens, Sparking Confusion for States
www.propublica.org/article/save...
www.propublica.org/article/save...
“Not Ready for Prime Time.” A Federal Tool to Check Voter Citizenship Keeps Making Mistakes.
The Department of Homeland Security pushed out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.
www.propublica.org
February 13, 2026 at 12:24 PM
SAVE Tool Keeps Mistakenly Flagging Voters as Noncitizens, Sparking Confusion for States
www.propublica.org/article/save...
www.propublica.org/article/save...
Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash www.theverge.com/news/878447/...
Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
Flock off
www.theverge.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash www.theverge.com/news/878447/...