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Spotlight Series on AI #1: Legal and Ethical Implications of AI in Editing

Understand the legalities of using AI when editing.

Clarity about the ethics of using AI when editing.

Suggestions for best practices around using AI while editing.

Package Description

Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Time: 2-4 p.m. ET
Cost: $49 for members; $79 for nonmembers.

ACES is excited to launch its inaugural Spotlight Series this spring, a recurring virtual educational series focusing on topics that are trending in the editing community. Considering the reach of AI across industries and communities, it may not be surprising that it was selected as this year’s topic.

In the session, a panel of experts will each give a 15-minute lightning talk, followed by a moderated Q&A from the online participants. This, the first session of the new series, focuses on the legalities and ethics of editors using AI in their work. Go to the ACES Spotlight Series page for details.

Three learning objectives:

  1. Understand the legalities of using AI when editing.

  2. Clarity about the ethics of using AI when editing.

  3. Suggestions for best practices around using AI while editing.

Cost: $49 members / $79 nonmembers

Panelists:

  • Patricia Loo, licensing and subsidiary rights management
    Rights & Permissions Officer
    International Monetary Fund

  • Jasmine McNealy, the legal and policy environment at the intersection of editing and AI
    Professor, Department of Media Production, Management, and Technology
    University of Florida

  • Joseph J. Perry, Esq., contracts and intellectual property
    Literary Attorney
    The Law Offices of Joseph J. Perry, Esq.

  • Nancy Sims, copyright and licensing
    Director, Copyright and Scholarly Communication, Content, and Collections
    University of Minnesota Libraries

Complete information and panelists’ bios are available on the ACES website.

© 2021 ACES. The American Copy Editors Society is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

ACES: The Society for Editing
180 S. Western Ave. #132
Carpentersville, IL 60110
training@aceseditors.org
www.aceseditors.org

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Teams’ invasive Wi‑Fi tracking sparks backlash as users say Microsoft crossed a line — “There must be a team at Microsoft tasked with making Teams worse”

I definitely prefer working at home. Despite the arguments that interaction between workers sparks creativity, I find that my staff is so used to working online, that they’re just as creative working on their own computers.

I’ve noticed that when I tell Sam’s or Walmart I’m on my way to pickup my order, they immediately start tracking me. Why do they need to know where I’m coming from?

From Windows Central

By Kevin Okemwa published 2 days ago

A vast majority of users feel like Microsoft Teams’ Wi‑Fi location tracking feature crosses the line between productivity and surveillance.

The Microsoft Teams logo is seen in this photo illustration on 22 August, 2023.

(Image credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto)

Last year, I reported on a new Microsoft Teams feature, which raised controversy and privacy concerns among most users. The feature in question automatically updates a user’s work location when their device is connected to an office Wi-Fi network — becoming your boss’s lapdog, by snitching on your live location.

Shortly after the post became viral, Microsoft quietly changed how the feature works, as highlighted below:

“When users connect to their organization’s Wi-Fi, Teams will soon be able to automatically update their work location to reflect the building they’re working from. This feature will be off by default. Tenant admins will decide whether to enable it and require end-users to opt-in.”

Microsoft Teams app and logo running on a laptop and smartphone.

“Microsoft is blurring the lines between coworker collaboration and IT oversight.

IT wise, yes the info was always there. But nobody is asking IT to snitch on you. The entire point of this is that your boss just has to click your name on Teams and now they know where you are. No IT requests, no privacy/ethics concerns, no breach of trust. It’s just right there at any time.

What’s the next step? The same tracking but for your phone? Microsoft letting your boss look at your screen? Sending your boss daily reports on click rates, words typed, program usage, etc?”

Interestingly, some users seem unfazed by the change, claiming that most Microsoft products and services already ship with this feature in some shape or form. “Most Microsoft products already meet the criteria for what we’d normally call spyware. What’s another drop in a flooded bucket?” a Reddit user indicated.

Some users came up with some interesting ideas on how to bypass the new Teams feature’s invasive nature, suggesting using a wired connection at the office instead of Wi-Fi. “I just won’t install teams on my phone then, and when I’m working remote they can’t find me anyway they can just message me and I’ll answer from the laptop,” another Reddit user indicated.

On the other hand, some users suggested that Microsoft’s efforts were seemingly misplaced and indicated that it should redirect them to fix some UI and UX elements in its Windows operating system. “God forbid they spend time to make the Windows search actually search my computer again,” a user indicated.

After reviewing hundreds of comments, it’s clear that users either want the feature scrapped entirely or simply don’t care, since many work remotely. “I swear there must be a team at MS that is just tasked with making Teams worse,” a user indicated on Reddit.

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Earliest known writing dates back over 40,000 years

Stone Age artifacts in Germany are editing writing’s timeline.

Previously, the oldest known human writing was from Mesopotamia, about 3000 years ago! This is pretty rudimentary writing, but we do copy editing, and you’d be surprised at how rudimentary today’s writing is! We post funny AI mistakes periodically! Watch this space for more!

Andrew Paul

Published Feb 23, 2026 3:00 PM EST

The Adorant figurine from Geißenklösterle Cave, approximately 38,000 years old, consists of a small ivory plate bearing an anthropomorphic figure and multiple sequences of notches and dots. The application of these marks suggests a notational system, most notably in the rows of dots on the back of the plate.

The Adorant figurine from Geißenklösterle Cave, approximately 38,000 years old, consists of a small ivory plate bearing an anthropomorphic figure and multiple sequences of notches and dots. The application of these marks suggests a notational system, most notably in the rows of dots on the back of the plate. Credit: Landesmuseum Württemberg / Hendrik Zwietasch

New evidence published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates humans experimented with symbolic writing as much as 40,000 years ago. If true, the discoveries dramatically recontextualize the history of communication, given the earliest known written languages are Mesopotamian proto-cuneiforms dating back to around 3000 BCE.

“The artifacts date back to tens of thousands of years before the first writing systems, to the time when Homo sapiens left Africa, settled in Europe, and encountered Neanderthal,” explained Ewa Dutkiewicz, a study co-author and archaeologist at Berlin’s Museum of Prehistory and Early History.

Dutkiewicz and colleagues have spent years analyzing 260 relics recovered from Stone Age cave sites in the Swabian Jura, a remote mountain range located in southwestern Germany. These include a small mammoth figurine carved from the extinct animal’s tusk along with the Adorant, a famous ivory carving that appears to depict a human-lion figure with outstretched arms. These and many other similar artifacts also feature frequently repeating sequences of lines, crosses, dots, and notches.

The mammoth figurine from Vogelherd Cave, approximately 40,000 years old, bears multiple sequences of crosses and dots on its surface.

The mammoth figurine from Vogelherd Cave, approximately 40,000 years old, bears multiple sequences of crosses and dots on its surface. Credit: Universität Tübingen / Hildegard Jensen

The team then entered over 3,000 geometric carvings into a Stone Age sign database, and examined them using various computational analysis tools. They didn’t expect to translate any of the messages, but instead used the analysis to compare and contrast their attributes with writing systems that developed later.

“There are plenty of theories, but until now there has been very little empirical work carried out on the basic, measurable characteristics of the signs,” added Christian Bentz, a study co-author from Germany’s Saarland University.

Bentz explained that using methods like quantitative linguistics and statistical modeling allowed them to compare the symbols found on the Paleolithic artifacts to early cuneiform, as well as modern writing formats. With this approach, they could estimate just how much information could be contained within the carved symbols.

“The human ability to encode information in signs and symbols was developed over many thousands of years. Writing is only one specific form in a long series of sign systems,” he said. “We continue to develop new systems for encoding information. Encoding is also the basis of computer systems.”

The results surprised researchers. Although they initially theorized the proto-cuneiform would share more similarities to present-day writing systems, it seems that the Mesopotamian communication method looks more like its Stone Age ancestors. This means that writing may have changed very little for tens of thousands of years. While the exact meanings of Paleolithic Germany’s artifacts remain a mystery, the team is confident it does not represent any spoken language.

“The signs on the archaeological objects are frequently repeated–cross, cross, cross, line, line, line. This type of repetition is not a feature found in spoken language,” said Bentz.

The team can also now begin narrowing the scope of possible interpretations. The discoveries also highlight that in terms of cognitive capabilities, Stone Age humans had already achieved a similar capacity to the present-day descendents.

“There are many sign sequences to be found on artifacts. We’ve only just scratched the surface,” said Dutkiewicz.

Editor’s note: Think he MEANT that to be a pun?

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Preauthorization for traditional Medicare

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The Trump Administration is introducing Preauthorization for traditional Medicare, even though it is the item most consumers find as most burdensome in our healthcare system.

Here are the items selected for review this year. I could find no justification for this selection other than “The WISeR Model tests the use of enhanced technology to decrease certain wasteful (low-value) services shown to have little to no clinical, evidence-based benefit. Technology companies participating in the model help streamline the review of medical necessity for select items and services earlier in the claims process to: 1) reduce inappropriate utilization, 2) lower spending in Original Medicare, 3) expedite decision making and(4) ease provider administrative burden.”

Who has shown these items to have no clinical, evidence-based benefit? RFK Jr?

1. Arthroscopic Lavage and Arthroscopic Debridement for the Osteoarthritic Knee (NCD 150.9)

2. Induced Lesions of Nerve Tracts (NCD 160.1)

3. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (NCD 160.18)

4. Phrenic Nerve Stimulators (NCD 160.19)

5. Electrical Nerve Stimulators (NCD 160.7)

6. Incontinence Control Devices (NCD 230.10)

7. Sacral Nerve Stimulators for Urinary Incontinence (NCD 230.18)

8. Diagnosis and Treatment of Impotence (NCD 230.4)

9. Percutaneous Vertebral Augmentation for Vertebral Compression Fracture (L34228, L38201, L35130)

10. Epidural Steroid Injections for Pain Management (L39015, L39240, L36920)

11. Cervical Fusion (L39741, L39758, L39793)

12. Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (L38307, L38310, L38385)

13. Application of Bioengineered Skin Substitutes to Lower Extremity Chronic Non-Healing Wounds (L35041) and Wound Application of Cellular and/or Tissue Based Products (CTPs), Lower Extremities (L36690)

14. Deep Brain Stimulation (NCD 160.24) – implementation delayed and will not occur on January 1, 2026; to be re-evaluated for implementation in a future performance year

15. Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar Decompression for Spinal Stenosis (NCD 150.13) – implementation delayed and will not occur on January 1, 2026; to be re-evaluated for implementation in a future performance year.

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The Funk Chronicles! Happy Black History Month!

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We’re transcribing a collection of oral histories with Funk Musicians! Dr. Scot Brown from UCLA send us a list of links with interviews with artists and more!

View the video at The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center on YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC2jUqktpZH7x472KoVNNXdQ

Interview with JARA HARRIS and members of the FUNK group, “SLAPBAK” BAND on the Funk Chronicles, with your host, David Webb & Co-host Jasmine Summers “The Super Soul Sister” from the syndicated radio show called “The Dayton Scene Radio Show.” This interview was recorded at DATV Studios in Dayton Ohio on August 20, 2024.

The (“Fearless Leader”) Jara Harris started the Rock/R&B/Funk Band “SLAPBAK” in 1990, when Jara was only 20 years old. In 1991,”TJ” Quake joined the band as a production assistant/roadie, and then in 1995 he joined the band and became the (hype-man) and singing/rapper. In 1997, Jara Harris, John “Fingazz” Stary, and “TJ” QuakeShot wrote the song “Futurevoid” for the band. “SLAPBAK’s” debut album, Fast Food Funkateers, was released in 1992, and they released a follow-up album later that year.

Back in the 1990s When Jara started “SLAPBAK,” everyone thought the name meant the slappin’ of Jara’s thumbs up against his bass strings. Some even thought that it meant slapping’ back against society because he never drank, smoked or tried drugs in his life. Well, years later we discovered that “SLAPBAK” means none of the above, a matter of fact “SLAPBAK” isn’t even a noun.

It’s a verb…. it’s an untouched force of action. This band hates hype, just like their song says “Don’t Talk About It, Be About It” which means they are all about the delivery. This is the reason “SLAPBAK” hates bios or introductions before they hit the stage. The show and the music speaks for itself. They have an undeniable sound that Jara has finely tuned over the years he calls “Urban Crunch.” This is a sound made up of Funk, Rock, Hip Hop & Alternative that is mixed up in his own special way.

Here is some of the things I know for a fact. In the early 1990’s they signed to Warner Brothers and released their debut album “Fast Food Funkateers”. This record included George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley (James Brown), Larry Blackmon (Cameo), Dawn Silva (Brides of Funkenstein). Needless to say this only gave “SLAPBAK” the title “The New Keeper of the Funk” by 92.3 The Beat.

Their single “True Confession” had video rotation on BET and did well with radio. Since then Slapbak has produced 7 more cds. They have toured and performed with artists like Snoop Dogg, Mint Condition, George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, Bootsy Collins, Roger Troutman and Zapp, The Time, 2 Live Crew, Fishbone and Digital Underground just to name a few. Then “Shock G” looked up “SLAPBAK” after seeing them 8 years prior and asked Jara Harris of “SLAPBAK” to be Digital’s band as well as an opening act. “SLAPBAK” toured and recorded with them for several years. Shortly after the tour “SLAPBAK” started working with Verdine White from Earth, Wind & Fire.

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This has always been a stand alone band. They’ve toured in Europe 3 times and they’re about to go back to support the release of their latest cd “Underground Mayhem. “SLAPBAK’s” music has mutated quite a bit over the years and like the music has, so has the band. Some musicians that came through the Slapbak camp have gone off to play with The Time, Nikka Costa, Erukah Badu, The Gap Band, Good Charolette, Ben Harper, 112, Jordin Sparks to name a few, but the new band is the most interesting combination yet. You have African-American, Caucasion, Mexican and Japanese ages ranging from 20 – 40. This wasn’t planned, this is just the pieces of the puzzle that fit. This band will make you a true believer that music is truly universal!!!!!

“We are keeping Funk alive for the next Generation of children”. Let’s make history together – join us!!!
Funk fans, make a donation and help us build “TheFunkCenter” a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in Dayton, Ohio.

“GET YOUR SWAG ON FUNK FANS.”
The moment you’ve been waiting for, get your Funky Merch Galore right here at TheFunkCenter Gift Store. click on our web store link, at the bottom of the page. “WE ARE KEEPING FUNK ALIVE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.”

https://thefunkcenter.store

For more information visit our website at www.thefunkcenter.org and follow us on Twitter @thefunkcenter. Be sure to like us on Facebook & subscribe to our YouTube channel The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center.

The views and opinions expressed on Funk Chronicles are those of the interviewees/guest and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Funk Music Hall of Fame & Exhibition Center (dba TheFunkCenter). Any content provided by our interviewees/guest are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

Here’s a link to the YouTube video, while I figure out how to display it here.

https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC2jUqktpZH7x472KoVNNXdQ

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Rethinking Courtesy Titles in Obituaries

It’s time to show respect by not overemphasizing gender. https://consciousstyleguide.com/rethinking-courtesy-titles-in-obituaries/

By Steve Bien-Aimé • March 20, 2019

When we die, we lose much of our say in how we want our lives, achievements, and identities framed in obituaries—that power is given to editors and journalists, who often follow industry norms.

Even though most U.S. publications have stopped using courtesy titles, exceptions are sometimes made for obituaries, where Mr., Ms., and so on are used to show respect. For example, Philly.com, the website for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, generally does not use honorifics; however, in a 2018 obit for legendary Philadelphia Eagles player Tommy McDonald, an honorific was used—for him and no one else. Honorifics also hold a precious place in certain cultural contexts, such as racial or regional. Using titles in the South, for example, can be a matter of respect and even racial equality.

Even though most U.S. publications have stopped using courtesy titles, exceptions are sometimes made for obituaries.

Gendered honorifics, however, can have unintended harms. For some, the discomfort arises from the inherent emphasis on one part of a person—gender—when we go through life with many identities. Language shapes how we interpret reality, so placing a gender modifier before a person’s name gives the impression that we should be viewed through gender first and that all other characteristics fall in descending importance. The resulting issue is that some people don’t want to be viewed primarily through their gender. Also, courtesy titles for men and women are unequal: Before the use of Ms., the courtesy titles Miss and Mrs. revealed a woman’s marital status when married and unmarried men shared the status-free Mr.

The courtesy titles with longevity are ones without a gender bias. Because of systemic erasure of women’s achievements, some women with a PhD have added Dr. to their Twitter handles. My Northern Kentucky University colleague Alina Campan, an associate professor in computer science, says that while Mrs. is too general for her, she would want to be called Professor in an obituary because “My career defines a lot of who I am. I act in this role, and it has become an inherent part of my personality.”

Placing a gender modifier before a person’s name gives the impression that we should be viewed through gender first.

Associated Press Stylebook editor Paula Froke noted that AP style generally recommends not to use courtesy titles. However, she said by email that “If the person was a medical doctor, we would use Dr. as the title on first reference in an obituary just as we would in any other kind of story. Same with the Rev., when relevant.” Journalism bellwether The New York Times, which still uses courtesy titles except in certain sections, permits alternate courtesy titles, said the Times’ associate managing editor for standards, Philip B. Corbett, in an email. Mx., for example, has seen increasing acceptance for those failed by gender binaries or don’t believe in gendered honorifics.

Though journalists have begun using Mx., its usage is drawing attention in different ways. After The New York Times used Mx. in 2015, it explained its decision in a column: “People inside and outside the newsroom wondered if ‘Mx.’—an unfamiliar term to many—had suddenly taken its place alongside ‘Mr.’ and ‘Ms.’ in our stylebook’s entry on courtesy titles. The short answer is no. Or not yet. Or perhaps, ask me again in a while. Things are changing fast in this area.”

The courtesy titles with longevity are ones without a gender bias.

Recognizing societal changes, the 2017 Associated Press Stylebook called for editors and journalists to modify their language: “In stories about people who identify as neither male nor female or ask not to be referred to as he/she/him/her: Use the person’s name in place of a pronoun, or otherwise reword the sentence, whenever possible. If they/them/their use is essential, explain in the text that the person prefers a gender-neutral pronoun. Be sure that the phrasing does not imply more than one person.”

Introducing new terms and meanings can be a balancing act. While the visibility of Mx. indicates progress, explaining why Mx. was used for specific people might inadvertently overemphasize an aspect that is not germane to the story, such as the person’s gender. However, providing detailed explanations might be part of necessary growing pains as it takes a conscious effort to normalize new practices. As such, some educators are bringing the knowledge into the classroom: One substitute teacher engages with students about gender diversity by introducing themself with Mx.

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Mx., for example, has seen increasing acceptance for those failed by gender binaries or don’t believe in gendered honorifics.

It’s important to differentiate between someone highlighting one of their identities (such as gender) versus an outsider’s description presenting their own bias (such as that gender is the primary identity). Habitual use of gendered honorifics reinforce one identity over and over, which causes other elements of one’s life to be overlooked. Determining the salience of something so personal as identity is hard—for some it’s their job, for others it’s their family roles—especially when the subject isn’t here to clarify. Thus, it’s time to end gendered courtesy titles in obits. As linguistic conventions evolve (as they always do), we must remember our complexity as individuals and to respect one another by not overemphasizing one identity in lieu of others.

Steve Bien-Aimé is an assistant professor of journalism at Northern Kentucky University. Before receiving his doctorate from Penn State’s College of Communications, Steve worked as a copy editor at The News Journal in Delaware and The Baltimore Sun and served in a variety of functions at FOXSports.com, departing as deputy NFL editor. His research interests include race and gender portrayals in news and sports media.

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