morningbuzz

City of Vilnius, Amelia Earhart, Google, More: Sunday ResearchBuzz, November 16, 2025

NEW RESOURCES

Google Blog: Visit Vilnius on Google Arts & Culture. “Lithuania’s capital offers a truly unique blend of old and new, where traditions blend with innovations and modern touches, with a combination of medieval beauty, lush nature, and technological advancements. To share this unique heritage and beauty with the world, the city is thrilled to announce the launch of a new hub on Google Arts & Culture developed in collaboration with 11 of the city’s top museums.”

Scientific American: Amelia Earhart Records Released by U.S. Spy Agency. “The now-released records include reports, maps and communications tracing Earhart’s flight as well as other documents detailing the search after her disappearance. The National Security Agency has also declassified related files and Earhart’s last known communications. The wide-ranging records include a letter from a woman claiming that her mental telepathy indicated Earhart was still alive, and another from a man claiming her grave was located in Spain.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Search Engine Land: Google Discover fixing fake AI spam problem. “Google is working to fix the Google Discover feed by removing the fake AI spam that has been creeping in over the past several weeks.”

Lifehacker: Google’s AI Shopping Push Is Better for Business Than It Is for You . “Today, Google announced three new AI shopping features, all centered around keeping you engaged with its AI throughout the entire shopping process. On the one hand, these features have the potential to make shopping more convenient—on the other hand, maybe lowering friction isn’t the best idea when it comes to spending money.”

Tubefilter: Tubi’s creator slate brings new and returning shows to 100 million monthly active users. “Five months after launching a creator-packed content hub, Tubi is rolling out a related slate of original programs. The Fox-owned streaming service is working with six creators — all of whom have seven-digit subscriber counts on YouTube — to produce exclusive shows that are beginning to roll out this month.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Associated Press: Pope returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of reckoning with colonial past. “The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada as part of the Catholic Church’s reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas.”

BBC: Will AI mean better adverts or ‘creepy slop’?. “Imagine one night, you’re scrolling through social media on your phone, and the ads start to look remarkably familiar. They’re decked out in your favourite colours, are featuring your favourite music and the wording sounds like phrases you regularly use. Welcome to the future of advertising, which is already here thanks to AI.” Ew.

SECURITY & LEGAL

Reuters: China targets internet platforms in draft anti-monopoly rules. “China’s market regulator released draft anti-monopoly guidelines on Saturday that target internet platforms in an attempt to reduce unfair competitive practices.”

IOL (South Africa): Google and YouTube agree to R688 million support package for South African media. “The final Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report launched on Thursday by the Competition Commission marks a joyful day for the media landscape in South Africa and brings hope for a better future, which includes a R688 million Media Support Package over five years, agreed with Google and YouTube.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Nebraska team creates XR experience to reveal life’s interconnections. “‘MuMu: Worlds of Connection Chapter One’ is an experience where players learn about network science — the study of connections that are often complex and hard to see — by investigating how an apple farm thrives when humans, plants, animals and technology coexist in balance. Rather than explaining these connections in a textbook way, the experience lets players feel them.”

North Carolina State University: How Parents and Kids Really Feel About AI-Generated Images in Children’s Books. “A new study finds that while some parents are opposed to the use of AI-generated images in children’s stories, most are willing to accept these images if the text is human-authored and the images have been reviewed by educators, librarians or other experts. However, depending on the nature of the stories, parents and children did raise concerns about errors in the illustrations that might encourage unsafe behavior or lack real-world accuracy.”

The Register: Happy holidays: AI-enabled toys teach kids how to play with fire, sharp objects . “As we head into the holiday season, consumer watchdogs at the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) tested four AI toys and found that, while some are worse than others at veering off their limited guardrails, none of them are particularly safe for impressionable young minds.” Good morning, Internet…

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