iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 22/09/2026

Empathy, feedback and human connection is a huge part of my leadership curriculum at @poynterinstitute.bsky.social , so this is alarming. Also, reading @404media.co, @futurism.com and @wired.com in the morning wakes me up more than 10 cups of coffee. www.404media.co/sherry-turkl...

Screenshot od text that says:
“When people turn to a chatbot, they don’t have to dread the fatigue of genuine give-and-take. And they don’t fear judgment or abandonment. But when we talk to chatbots, we lose the skills required to interact with humans, so chatbots start to feel like a better option. With an alternative, disappointment with people feels unnecessary,” Turkle writes.
What happens when people stop caring that there’s not a human on the other line? We got into that on the podcast.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 18/09/2026

Ok. Now there's this new story out of Alaska. Going to start calling a small group of white AI-tech-bros "A Vulture." anchoragepress.com/this-ai-agen...

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 04/09/2026

Happy Labor Day weekend from the backyard bear.

A photo of a bear in the woods at a house in the forest

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 31/08/2026

So glad @katienotopoulos.bsky.social wrote abnout this. Ive been saving images for the last year to talk about in my sessions. The newest one I've seen is of an SUV for sale and the lead image is AI-generated image showing it totaled. This feels like the Marketplace version of the manosphere.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/08/2026

And one last thing, every AI talk needs the voice of @bencollins.bsky.social present, so I made sure to get a quote in.

Social post by Ben Collins reads: There's an aggressively paid for influence op going on right now to defend Al slop as art and protected speech across platforms. Al execs
realize they have a problem and don't wanna get Marie Antoinette'd. The free ChatGPT trip is the tip of the iceberg. First person to nail it
down gets a Pulitzer.
7:51 PM • Aug 23, 2026
Everybody

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/08/2026

And of course there's non-consensual nudes and child abuse (because people can be monsters).

The image is of a slide and shows headlines about non-consensual porn and child abuse images

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/08/2026

Using fake people to sell books on Instagram

The image shows a runner sitting down. He is ai-generated.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/08/2026

Using fake women to get more eyeballs on their Marketplace listings (the women are usually wearing less clothes than this

The images shows a truck with an AI-generated woman standing in front of it.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/08/2026

Like scaring the shit out of people during a weather crisis (I live in Asheville and saw this as it hit Reddit) www.citizen-times.com/story/news/l...

The photo is a slide of a social media post of a AI-generated tornado in Asheville, NC

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/08/2026

@alexmahadevan.com and I came to LA to speak and lead a workshop for @hackshackers.com on visual AI. On the way I read Corey Doctorow's new book and saw this quote by @greatdismal.bsky.social (my fav author). It was a perfect fit for a session we did, so I switched the title at the last second.

Two presenters are on a stage discussing AI

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 29/07/2026

Rant: I was really trying to come around to practical AI-assisted technology where it helped people accomplish a job they needed to do . . . then last night happened and this Asheville-local put me back into Camp Doomer.

Image of a Facebook post that reads:

"Don't believe everything you hear, and only half of what you see."

Well... I guess my little joke got bigger than I expected.

For everyone who has seen the tornado picture making the rounds on Facebook: it was an Al-generated image that I originally made as a joke on my Snapchat that got shared from there.
It was never intended to fool anyone, but once it got shared around, a lot of people thought it was real.

Stay safe, everyone-and sorry for the confusion!

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 04/07/2026

Spent my 4th enjoying our public lands in Pisgah National Forest. It’s one of the greatest gifts America has given its people.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 28/05/2026

Scratch pork tamales. I make about 100 every year for Friendsgiving. Somewhere along the way this Native learned to make better tamales than frybread.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 07/05/2026

Almost two years and I still can't publicly speak to public radio stations without mentioning what @blueridgepublic.bsky.social meant to Asheville during Helene without tearing up. It was such a delight to work with Reno's KUNR this week and lead their retreat.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 06/03/2026

The world is on fire, but we have a new Metric single, so maybe it’s not so terrible.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 10/01/2026

I watch a lot of woodworking videos on YouTube on Saturday morning and OH MY GOD THESE ARE THE NEW VERSIONS OF NETWORK FISHING SHOWS.

A photo of a tv showing a video of a man woodworking.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 08/11/2025

Hot take: Buc-ee’s is Redneck Tokyo.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 31/10/2025

What’s it’s like to work on the @poynterinstitute.bsky.social AI team with me and @alexmahadevan.com

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 08/10/2025

Living in Florida for nearly 12 years must have prepared me for Singapore, because the weather is not as bad as the Internet made it out to be. It’s also one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited.

The garden by the bay light show in Singapore

A selfie of the user at the national Gallery Museum in Singapore

A balloon lit up at night with the image from the Singapore Grand Prix race

The Merlion statue with Singapore in the background

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 26/09/2025

Happy Neko Case record release day to all who celebrate.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 29/08/2025

I might have the coolest buttons at #ONA25 waiting for you, if you attend and participate at my session on Burnout with Kristen Hare. @journalists.org @poynterinstitute.bsky.social Also, don't forget to let us know the cause of your burnout here >>>> forms.gle/22CHXRrtsa97...

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 30/05/2025

Woke up this morning and the first thought in my head was, "I wonder what ever happened to Rocket From the Crypt?" This album was amazing upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en...

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 24/05/2025

Western North Carolina spring evenings. #Asheville

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 13/05/2025

How it started, how it’s goi g home edition. Also how I’ve been spending my evenings the last few months. Digging rocks out this hill with a pickax.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 28/04/2025

Wild morning in downtown St Pete on the bayfront. Hope everyone is ok. Luckily it is shallow there. #florida

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 23/04/2025

Saw Sinners last night. It was an awesome movie and I just have one note for Ryan Coogler and team . . . can we please get the Choctaw Nation Vampire Hunter movie immediately !??! #Indigenous #NativeAmericans

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 18/04/2025

Any day you get new @rhiannongiddens.bsky.social and Justin Robinson music is a good day. music.apple.com/us/album/wha...

Justin Robinson , playing a fiddle, and Rhiannon Giddens, playing a banjo, stand on a dirt road on the middle of a field. There is a tree line in the background. The image is the record album of their new release, What did the Blackbird say to the Crow

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 09/04/2025

My feed is nothing but gloom, but it’s spring here in Western North Carolina. Heres some much needed color after a dreary post-Helene winter.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 05/04/2025

I spent that past week in NYC chatting with too many wonderful people to list about AI Ethics + Journalism with @poynterinstitute.bsky.social and @apnews.com. More to come soon, but a huge shout out to @alexmahadevan.com and @aimeetwoee.bsky.social! Y'all both made this a wonderful experience.

A small concrete block sitting on the sidewalk, painted white, with two eyes and a wide grin. the phrase "Happy to Chat" is painted on the side in black, block letters. It is part of the Happy to Chat project by started by Allison Owen Jones from Cardiff to combat loneliness within her hometown through the placement of signage on park benches that let strangers know they are open to conversation. This block is at the World Trade Center in NYC.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 17/03/2025

After listening to the album version of Missing for so long it's really weird to hear the Todd Terry remix that was a bigger release.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 08/03/2025

Dog sitting the little guy. Korra is semi-tolerant of Koji.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 03/03/2025

Every antique store I’ve visited has something racist against Natives tucked in the back corner.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/02/2025

I have curated this app with almost nothing but journalism friends, journalists and other news sources. It’s a bleak space to be in. But outside there’s wonderful light over my mountain.

Sunset over a shadowed mountain home in the Blue Ridge Mountains there’s soft light on the driveway down to the house.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 26/02/2025

Google Doc content creators, I am begging with you, please use Pageless document setup unless you're making printable directions. It's so clean, so nice to read, so pretty.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 21/02/2025

Thankfully we were in a position to able to buy a generator and connect it to our house during Helene. Lost power early this morning and it’s in single digit temps … and we have lights and heat.

A home with a stone fireplace and a single light on in an open concept dining room.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 17/02/2025

The wind always gets you. Was blowing so bad this morning my eyes watered when I took the dog out.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 28/01/2025

Everything being said and done does not surprise me one bit. My people's memory of the U.S. policy is long and deadly. The system has always been designed for the wealthy and powerful.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 18/01/2025

I’ve had By the Fire We Carry on my shelf since its release waiting the right time to read it. It’s a powerful journey and just reinforces everything we’re currently experiencing. Even though I knew most of the history I was still so incredibly angry while reading. @rebeccanagle.bsky.social

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 10/01/2025

Korra was a ready for the #Aheville snow to pile up so she can play.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 07/01/2025

Last year I put a lot of work into developing training around Burnout. I wonder if I need to pivot to Despair in 2025. Not being facetious or sarcastic either. I'm very worried about the discourse, fear and concern I am seeing in my feeds to start the year.

A picture of the Burnout Box. It is a small box with the This is Fine meme drawn on top. It is a small comment box where people can put what's burning them out on index cards and submit them to the box through a small opening.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/12/2024

And my office is in the former guest room. As a result I have to remodel the basement for a guest quarters, thus the gym stuff in my new office.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 27/12/2024

Our loft used to be my office but it was never a great solution (plus I hit my head on those beams way toooo many times). Now it’s a very lovely reading nook and vanity area for wife.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 19/12/2024

I’ve found the Top Gear streaming channel on Freevee and now I just need a trillion dollars and garage the size of Rhode Island. Do I need a jet powered kayak? No. Absolutely not. Do I want one? Yes. Yes I do.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 16/12/2024

Wow. Thank you for sharing this. In our family he was just “Uncle Bob”. Even as a kid his name carried reverence. I never heard anything but respect for him and Elsie.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 13/12/2024

I've led a lot of journalists (all types of roles) through sessions on Burnout (with the Burnout Box) this year. I've done it workshops, conferences and private training ... and one thing is evident - we are working people beyond their capacity and well-being.

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Tony Elkins @tonyelkins.com · 08/12/2024

Another successful @poynterinstitute.bsky.social leadership workshop in the books.

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