
Welcome, Automaters!
Like I said yesterday, itβs been quite the week!
Two major newspapers just got totally playedβthey published a summer reading list packed with fake books straight out of AIβs imagination, and nobody noticed until readers started calling it out.
Letβs break down this wild mix-up and find out how a bot managed to slip right into serious journalism.
Here's what we have for you today
ποΈ Major Newspapers Completely Duped by AI

Two major newspapers just got totally exposed for recommending a bunch of fake books for summer reading.
Yep, like, completely made-up titles written by AI.
This all started when The Chicago Sun-Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a βSummer Reading List for 2025β in their print editions (last week). At first glance, it looked solidβbig-name authors, thoughtful blurbs, the kind of list youβd rip out and take to the bookstore.
Except... Reddit sleuths quickly noticed something weird. Only five out of the fifteen books actually exist. The rest? Hallucinated by a chatbot.

One of the most awkward moments? The list claimed Brit Bennettβauthor of The Vanishing Halfβhad a new book out called Hurricane Season that βexplores family bonds tested by natural disasters.β
Sounds deep. Very Oprahβs Book Club. But also, very fake. The truth is, she never wrote that. The book doesnβt exist. Like, at all.
So how did this AI fever dream make it into two respected newspapers?
Well, meet Marco Buscaglia, the guy behind the list. He created it for a syndicated insert that both papers published. Turns out, he used AI to generate the content, admitted he didnβt double-check anything, and then justβ¦ sent it off.
The Sun-Times immediately tried to backpedal, saying the insert wasnβt their editorial content and hadnβt been approved by their newsroom. They posted on Bluesky, making it clear they take the mistake seriously and are βlooking into it.β
Meanwhile, the Inquirer was doing its own clean-up, pulling the content from its digital edition and admitting the AI-generated fluff violated their internal policies. According to their CEO, the newsroom had nothing to do with any of it.
But here's the thing: there was no clear sign that the content wasnβt written by actual journalists.
To the average reader flipping through the paper, it looked official. Like something the paperβs culture editor would have approved over a cappuccino. But nopeβit was all a bot doing its best βpretend to be a book criticβ impression.
And honestly, this kind of mess couldnβt come at a worse time.
The Sun-Times (which was bought by Chicago Public Media in 2022) has already had a rough yearβlaying off 20% of its staff back in March. And WBEZ, the NPR station under the same umbrella, has cut multiple podcasts and gone through several rounds of layoffs.
The Inquirer? Same boat. They also did layoffs this year, and trust in local journalism is hanging by a thread as it is.
The bigger picture here?
AI hallucinations are still a very real problem.
Even the latest models sometimes spit out total fiction, but with the confident swagger of a tenured journalist. And when no human editor steps in to check the facts, this is what happens: Fake books. Fake blurbs. Real outrage.
So yeah. An AI wrote a summer reading list. The newspapers printed it. Most of the books were totally made up. Everyoneβs embarrassed. Readers are confused. And somewhere, Brit Bennett is probably wondering why strangers keep congratulating her on a novel sheβs never heard of.
If you ask me, weβve officially reached the point where AI needs a babysitter. Because left alone, itβll just start writing fanfic and calling it journalism.
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π₯ Huaweiβs AI Chips Spark New U.S.-China Clash

So, remember when the U.S. dropped those new guidelines warning companies not to touch advanced Chinese chipsβespecially Huaweiβs Ascend AI chips?
Yeah, wellβ¦ China saw that and said, βAbsolutely not.β
Now theyβre calling it out as discriminatory and straight-up sabotageβaccusing the U.S. of wrecking the diplomatic progress both sides made literally days ago.
Hereβs what went down:
The U.S. Commerce Department issued a fresh warning, saying that using Chinese AI chips could violate export controlsβbasically telling American firms not to even think about it.
And of course, Chinaβvery much not amusedβfired back, demanding the U.S. βcorrect its wrongdoingsβ and reverse the chip guidanceβ¦ or brace for impact.
In short, Chinaβs Commerce Ministry made it crystal clear: if the U.S. keeps pushing, theyβre ready to clap back with βresolute measures.β
Theyβre accusing the U.S. move of being:
An abuse of export control laws
Based on βunfounded accusationsβ
A typical act of unilateral bullying and protectionism.
And hereβs the mic-drop line from Beijing: βTrying to trip others wonβt make yourself run faster.β
Translation? Sabotaging us wonβt make your tech win any medals.
What makes all this even more awkward? The U.S. and China just agreed to a surprisingly friendly 90-day tariff truce after high-level talks in Genevaβwhere both sides promised to ease up on the whole triple-digit tariff drama.
Even more ironic? Chinaβs Vice Commerce Minister and the U.S. Trade Rep literally met again last week in South Korea during an APEC meetingβbut no oneβs saying anything about what went down. So yeah, weβre all just out here guessing.
Bottom line? Washingtonβs trying to protect its AI edge.Beijingβs not cool with being cast as the villain. And even though both sides smiled for the cameras recently, behind the scenesβ¦ itβs giving βweβre not over this.β
π§±Around The AI Block
π¨βπ» Mistral launches Devstral AI model for coding.
π€ Google is stuffing even more ads into its AI results.
π Amazon launches generative AI tool to answer shoppers' questions.
ποΈ Shopify unveils AI-driven store builder to revolutionize E-commerce.
π€¦ Google rejected giving publishers more choice to opt out of AI Search.
π Volvo will be the first to install Googleβs Gemini in its cars.
π€ Googleβs AI agents will bring you the web now.
π Meta launches a program to encourage startups to use its Llama AI models.
π οΈ Trending Tools
RescueTime tracks time spent on applications and websites to provide insights into productivity and help manage time effectively.
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Zapier automates workflows by connecting different apps and services, enabling automatic data transfer and task automation.
Synthesia creates professional videos with avatars in multiple languages.
Trello is a project management tool that uses AI to automate tasks and workflows within boards and cards.
π€ ChatGPT Prompt Of The Day: Turn FAQs into Persuasive Sales Copy
Your FAQs arenβt just a list of answered questionsβtheyβre a goldmine for sales.
They reveal real objections or hesitations, so by answering them clearly and confidently, you can address concerns before they arise, build trust, and guide potential customers toward a purchase.
This approach saves you time and strengthens your messaging by turning genuine concerns into powerful sales points.
Hereβs how to use this strategy effectively:
Choose Real, Frequent Questions: Pick questions you actually receive often to make the copy relevant and authentic.
Focus on Objections: Identify concerns or doubts behind the questions and address them head-on in your sales copy.
Use Clear, Reassuring Language: Your tone should ease worries and build confidence in your product or service.
Include Calls to Action: After answering, encourage readers to take the next stepβwhich could be to buy, contact, or learn more.
Keep It Conversational: Write like youβre talking to a friend to make the copy engaging and relatable.
Hereβs an example:
Turn these 3 common questions I get into persuasive sales copy that removes objections and builds trust. For each question:
Identify the underlying concern or objection behind the question.
Address that objection clearly and confidently using reassuring, easy-to-understand language.
Use a conversational tone that sounds friendly and relatable, as if speaking directly to a potential customer.
Include a strong call to action at the end of each response that encourages the reader to take the next step (such as buying the product, contacting us, or learning more).
Make sure the sales copy feels authentic by basing it on real, frequently asked questions to ensure relevance and trustworthiness.
Here are the questions: [insert questions here]
Hereβs a sneak peak:
Upgrade now to see the complete prompt video. And vote this for your Workout of the Week!
Is this your AI Workout of the Week (WoW)? Cast your vote!
That's all we've got for you today.
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