#AI for Facebook automation

[technologyequality]

10+ Hours Saved: AI Tools That Make Social Media a Breeze

10+ Hours Saved AI Tools That Make Social Media a Breeze Let’s be real, keeping up with social media feels like a full-time job. Between brainstorming content, filming videos, writing captions, engaging with followers, and remembering to actually run your business, social media can quickly become a time-sucking black hole. But what if you could show up consistently, post daily, and stay…

[tenearthquakes]

on ai - literally got a teams message this morning from someone at work (with no seniority over me. literally just some guy from another dept.) suggesting how we could replace literally 90% of my job with ai - he sent some "proof" designs he'd got the ai to do and everything. like where do men get off.

[striquegcc]

What causes Manual Ad Management to fail in a Digital World?

Did you know about 60% of businesses depend on manual ad campaign management, even in this digital age? While the conventional method may have worked wonders in the past, it doesn’t cope well in today’s digital world. The constraints of manual ad campaigns will result in operational challenges, inefficient expenditures, and missed possibilities for growth.

We need to discover the fundamental causes behind the failure of manual ad management and understand why contemporary approaches like Strique are necessary for growth. 

1. The Complications of Multichannel Advertising.

Challenge: Manual processes get overpowered when broadening to multiple platforms.

Various digital mediums, from web search engines and online social websites to marketplaces and mobile applications, are used by today’s consumers to communicate. Each platform has distinctive guidelines, bidding methods, and target audience specifications. If we manually handle campaigns across all these channels:

Possibilities for mistakes in bidding or targeting will rise.

More time and resources will be utilized.

Satisfactory and reliable performance will become challenging to sustain.

Solution: By incorporating data from multiple platforms, automation tools like Strique specialize in multichannel ad management, facilitating smooth evaluation of campaigns and optimization under a single dashboard.

2. Poor Response to Real-Time Data.

Challenge: Failure to take quick action on insights.

The online advertising world changes within a short span of time. It takes a few hours for keyword trends, customer tastes, and competitive bidding dynamics to evolve. Manual ad management is naturally reactive and prolonged:

Data becomes obsolete even before required steps are performed.

Possibilities to profit on current trends are missed.

Slow and delayed modifications result in wasted ad expenditure and decreased ROI.

Solution: Evaluation of real-time data and instantly modified strategies are some services provided by Strique’s AI-powered algorithms, making sure campaigns remain profitable and budget-efficient.

3. Human Mistakes and Oversights.

Challenge: With complicated campaigns, there’s a greater possibility of errors.

When handling larger campaigns manually, even the most competent marketers can make mistakes. Here are a few popular errors:

Overestimating or underestimated budgets and bids.

Neglecting negative keywords or campaign clashes.

Targeting incorrect audience sectors.

These oversights can stall campaigns, leading to wasteful expenses and missed growth opportunities.

Solution: With less human input, the risk of errors also decreases because of automation, making sure campaigns meet high standards.

4. Insufficient Application of Data.

Challenge: It’s more difficult to capitalize on significant data via manual processes.

Significant amounts of information are produced by modern digital campaigns, which include impressions, clicks, conversions, and consumer behavior statistics. Nevertheless, manually analyzing this data usually:

Restricts the capability to manage and comprehend data efficiently.

Profound conclusions concealed in large datasets are often missed out on.

Greater priority is given to instincts over data-driven decisions.

Solution: Powerful AI and machine learning are utilized by platforms like Strique to evaluate complicated datasets immediately, providing practical insights to improve the process of decision-making.

5. Inefficient Labor Allocation.

Challenge: Significant time and diligence are invested in monotonous tasks.

Valuable time and focus are required by manual ad management, from tracking outcomes to modifying bids and enhancing campaigns. Due to this reason, marketers have:

Less or no time to prioritize strategy and innovation.

More obstacles to deal with in campaign flexibility.

Solution: Strique saves precious time for marketers to devote to intense operations, like enhancing creative resources or creating long-term development strategies, by streamlining repetitive tasks.

6. Ineffective Budget Management.

Challenge: Poor distribution of expenses and excessive spending.

Manually handling budgets often results in:

Lower investments in successful campaigns.

Higher expenditure on poor performing ads.

Trouble in redistributing budgets constantly.

Solution: Each dollar is utilized effectively, enhancing ROI simultaneously with Strique’s AI-driven budget distribution strategies.

Why Strique Is The Best Solution.

Strique is an innovative tool customized for retailing companies and marketers, managing the complications of digital advertising. This is how it deals with the constraints of manual ad management:

Features and Advantages:

AI-Driven Campaign Management: Reduces speculations with real-time adjustments.

Multichannel Advertising Techniques: Works smoothly with platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and marketplaces.

Practical Recommendations in Seconds: Extensive reports and suggestions can be produced by Strique’s AI within a few seconds.

Minimal Product Rejections: Ad adherence is guaranteed and rejections are prevented without requiring internal modifications.

Flexible for Development: Strique evolves with your business, whether it’s handling a few campaigns or thousands of them.

Conclusion.

Traditional ad management is inadequate for the complexities and requirements of contemporary campaigns in today’s digital world. Companies require sophisticated platforms to stay ahead, from handling data-driven strategies to quickly adapting to trends. Strique’s cutting-edge platform reinvents ad management, offering the insights and flexibility in a constantly developing world.

Don’t let manual shortcomings hinder your progress because the current digital world waits for no one! 

Welcome the future of advertising with Strique and discover incomparable accomplishments!

Experience Strique today or request a demo to get started.

[monetizeme]

More than 200 trade union members and technologists gathered in Sacramento this week at a first-of-its-kind conference to discuss how AI and other tech threatens workers and to strategize for upcoming fights and possible strikes. []

A key takeaway from the proceedings: Workers of all stripes are determined to fight — during contract negotiations and amid day to day operations — for the right to negotiate more control over how AI is deployed within companies. Union representatives detailed ways AI threatens jobs, from screenwriting to driving taxis to ringing people up as a cashier. []

The gathering comes as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to begin his second administration and shortly before a Feb. 21 deadline to propose bills for the current session of the California Legislature. Precisely how Trump will respond to issues related to tech and workers is unclear. He has made some promises that seem favorable to big tech, like vowing to cut regulations he sees as harmful to innovation and promising to repeal an executive order signed by his predecessor that put safeguards on AI. 

But he has also positioned himself as an advocate for blue-collar workers left behind by tech elites: Just last month he called automation harmful to workers. Observers have also been left baffled by where, exactly, the incoming president stands on issues like H-1B visas for foreign tech talent or how he might be swayed by high-profile adviser Elon Musk, the omnipresent tech billionaire.

[pickmyurl]

Best AI Marketer in India

Power of AI Marketing @PICKMYURL +919819595495 #pickmyurl

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[awaketake]

Feeling overwhelmed by Followr pricing? This video simplifies it all!

We explain recurring plans, AppSumo LTDs, key terms, and how to build a custom plan. Plus, free trials and guarantees to test the software!

[finnacecommands]

"Skyrocket Your Business Success: The Ultimate Guide to Leveraging ChatGPT for Maximum Impact!"

Let’s face it, running a business in 2024 is a bit like juggling flaming chainsaws while riding a unicycle on a tightrope over a tank full of hungry sharks (or maybe that’s just my Tuesday). There are a million things to do, a never-ending inbox, and enough marketing jargon to make your head spin.

Enter ChatGPT, the superhero with a cape made of words and a utility belt full of artificial intelligence. Now, I’m not saying it’s going to solve all your problems (although it can probably write a pretty convincing apology email to your angry supplier), but it can definitely be a valuable asset in your business arsenal.

What in the World is ChatGPT?

Imagine having a super-powered intern who never needs a coffee break, never complains about bad office lighting, and can whip up a catchy slogan faster than you can say “procrastination.” That’s kind of what ChatGPT is. It’s a large language model, which basically means it’s a computer program that’s really good at understanding and generating human language.

So, How Can This Super Intern Help My Business?

Here’s the fun part: In a surprising number of ways! Let’s break it down:

Stuck staring at a blank page for your next blog post or social media caption? ChatGPT can be your brainstorming buddy. Give it a few keywords or a sentence about your product, and it’ll churn out ideas, outlines, and even full drafts (although you might want to add your own personal touch). Just think of it as a way to overcome writer’s block without resorting to staring at cat videos for an hour (not that there’s anything wrong with that… maybe).

Need catchy headlines, product descriptions that sing, or email subject lines that get opened faster than a free pizza coupon? ChatGPT can be your secret weapon. It can help you craft compelling marketing messages that resonate with your target audience. You know, the kind that makes people say, “Wow, this company really gets me!”

We’ve all been there — dreading the never-ending stream of customer emails. ChatGPT can help you answer frequently asked questions, draft responses, and even power basic chatbots that can handle simple customer inquiries. This frees you up to focus on the more complex issues and, let’s be honest, avoid that feeling of wanting to hide under your desk whenever you see the email notification light blink.

Sometimes the best ideas come from the most unexpected places. ChatGPT can be your brainstorming partner, helping you generate new product ideas, marketing campaigns, or even solutions to your most pressing business challenges. Think of it as a way to tap into a wellspring of creativity without having to wear those goofy brainstorming hats (although, hey, if that gets your team going, who am I to judge?).

Wait a Minute, Isn’t This Just a Fancy Chatbot?

Well, not exactly. Chatbots are great for answering basic questions, but ChatGPT can do so much more. It can be creative, generate different writing styles, and even understand context. Think of it as the difference between a pre-programmed answering machine and a really helpful (and slightly sarcastic) assistant who can actually understand what you’re asking for.

Is There a Catch?

Of course, there’s always a catch (just like that time you bought those miracle weight-loss pills online). ChatGPT is still under development, so its outputs can sometimes be inaccurate or nonsensical. It’s also not a replacement for human creativity and critical thinking. You’ll still need to edit its work, make sure the information is accurate, and inject your own brand voice. But hey, that’s what makes you the boss, right?

So, How Do I Get Started with ChatGPT?

The good news is that ChatGPT is readily available online (with a free tier to test it out). There’s a bit of a learning curve, but there are plenty of resources and tutorials to help you get started.

The Final Word: Your Not-So-Secret Weapon Awaits

Look, ChatGPT isn’t going to magically solve all your business problems. But it can be a powerful tool to help you save time, boost creativity, and streamline your workflow. Do note that it can not completely replace human efforts. So, ditch the flaming chainsaws, ditch the unicycle, and maybe put the hungry sharks on hold for a bit. With Chat GPT by your side, you might just find yourself feeling a little less like a circus performer and a little more like a business rockstar. Just remember it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on ChatGPT

What is the cost of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT offers a free tier with limited features. They also have paid plans with more capabilities, depending on your needs.

Is ChatGPT safe to use?

Though generally secure, it’s vital to keep in mind that the data ChatGPT creates may not always be reliable. Verify information again and refrain from disclosing private information.

Will I lose my job to ChatGPT?

You are not being replaced by ChatGPT, so relax. It is a tool, not a replacement for your current employment, to help you operate more efficiently and quickly.

Is ChatGPT coder capable?

A programmer is still required even if ChatGPT can generate basic code snippets. It is incapable of handling complex coding tasks or understanding the logic behind the code.

Does ChatGPT support several languages?

Indeed! Languages can be translated by ChatGPT, which can also produce original text forms in a variety of languages.

Can personal projects be completed using ChatGPT?

Without a doubt! ChatGPT is a creative partner that can help you with anything from crafting a standout CV to coming up with ideas for your next book.

My tech skills are lacking. Can I continue using ChatGPT?

Although there is a learning curve, ChatGPT is quite user-friendly. Don’t worry, you can get started with a ton of online lessons and tools.

[adsmarketingstrategies]

Top 10 Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2025

As we approach 2025, the digital marketing landscape is rapidly changing. Key trends include AI-driven personalization, voice search optimization, and interactive content, along with video marketing and sustainability.

As we transition into 2025, the digital marketing landscape is undergoing significant transformations at an astonishing speed. Staying ahead of emerging trends is crucial for businesses looking to survive and thrive in this dynamic environment. Below are the top 10 digital marketing trends for 2025 that every marketer should closely monitor and adapt to, ensuring they maintain a strong…

[striquegcc]

The Future of Advertising awaits!

Did you know about 70% of marketers spend hours analyzing their campaign performances? You’re not alone if you find it challenging to achieve consistent profitability with your ad performances! 

The current advertising world is going through a big change. With every passing stage in the marketing field, companies have been introducing innovative strategies and tools that help them engage with their customers. With this constantly evolving digital time, one fundamental question to be asked is: “Are you ready to embrace the upcoming future of advertising?”

With the consistently developing world of digital advertising, embracing new technologies cannot be considered an option, it’s obligatory! Businesses need to keep evolving constantly, with solutions that aren’t just innovative but flexible, productive, and accurate too.

Key drivers shaping the future of advertising.

Introduction of AI integration and automation: It’s a lot simpler to deliver tailored experiences to customers with AI and machine learning. Campaign effectiveness gets improved because of these tools since they allow campaign strategies to be tweaked instantly, forecast how customer demands will change, and optimize ad placements.

Decision-making based on data: In the current competitive market, data analytics are essential as they provide information about evolving customer preferences, campaign performances, and new market trends. This allows marketers to tailor their campaigns and make educated decisions based on what the customers need. 

Multichannel Experiences: There are different ways to maintain communication between brands and customers, like websites, social networking platforms, applications, and physical stores. To keep your campaigns effective, it’s important to incorporate clear and unified messaging across all channels.

Introduction of Strique in the GCC Market

Now what if I told you that you don’t need to spend hours in front of your computer screen to analyze and optimize your campaigns? What if there was a way to have all your reports compiled automatically for you? You want to hear something extraordinary? Strique has landed in the GCC to make your lives simpler! 

Companies are discovering new strategies to improve their digital campaigns, while the GCC goes through a rapid development in the eCommerce field. Strique has been developed for this purpose too!

With the GCC going through an evolution in the eCommerce field, companies are seeking creative ways to enhance their digital marketing strategies. This is where Strique comes into the picture. Strique is a marketing and ad automation platform that is based on data, created to revolutionize marketing campaigns in the GCC.

What Is Strique?

Strique isn’t just your normal promotional tool. It’s a cutting-edge solution to optimize and enhance your ad campaigns, solving problems that companies face in this digital era. 

Strique’s founders, Vatsal Rajgor and Poojan Ajani, created it in 2023 to deliver a fresh perspective in the marketing field.

Vatsal Rajgor and Poojan Ajani, the visionary founders, developed Strique in 2023, providing a new perspective in the field of marketing technology.

Strique’s use of AI, one of its USPs, allows companies to generate extensively detailed reports along with recommendations instantly, providing them with the opportunity to make quick decisions, enhancing campaign outcomes.

One of the main distinguishing features of Strique is the utilization of AI, which enables businesses to develop comprehensive reports and actionable results within seconds, allowing them to make quicker decisions and maximize the campaign results.

Strique specializes in:

Enhancing shopping initiatives: Strique ensures your products are more prominently visible on platforms like Facebook and Google Ads, thus increasing awareness and reducing the chances of rejections.

AI-Driven Insights: By efficiently using advanced AI technology, Strique creates detailed campaign reports along with suggestions and guidance on what needs to be fixed instantly. This saves time and also increases reliability on the software.

Optimizing workflows: Using Strique, companies can seamlessly link to analytical and social tools without requiring any major alterations in the backend and maintaining productivity too.

Maximizing ROI: By using strong data analysis features and AI, Strique finds growth potential, decreases errors, and enhances ROI for ad campaigns.

All of this is achieved by majorly focusing on data and using insights to create campaigns that audiences can relate to at the right time.

What Makes Strique Unique?

Strique offers a few unique benefits, despite the technological market being full of competitors:

Develops detailed reports and actionable results within seconds.

Modifies shopping campaigns to reduce rejections on platforms like Facebook and Google Ads.

Seamlessly connects with analytics and social media platforms to optimize operations.

Utilizing real-time data to make educated decisions to maximize ROI.

Shaping the future of digital advertising!

It’s essential for corporations to become more flexible as the digital advertising industry is evolving. It’s important for them to keep the below recommendations in mind to succeed in the future:

Utilize data to its full potential: Recognize consumer demands and market trends, and develop strategies accordingly. 

Unlock the benefits of automation: Optimize operations to save time to focus on growth strategies.

Flexible to change: Be more open to discovering modern tools and innovations that enhance productivity and efficiency.

Businesses in the GCC can empower themselves more easily to succeed in this digital age by adopting these practices.

Conclusion

Welcome to the latest era of ad campaigns, defined by precision, flexibility, and productivity!

You’ll find tools like Strique at the core of this evolution, that enable companies to overcome obstacles and support new opportunities.

Strique’s arrival indicates an essential turning point as the existence of eCommerce marketing agencies keeps growing in the GCC. Businesses are given the power to shape the future of advertising with Strique, by combining AI-driven outcomes with functionality.

Are you interested in finding out how Strique transforms your data? 

Visit Strique to learn more and sign up for a free 30-day trial!

It’s time to welcome the future with Strique!

[probablyasocialecologist]

Meta has engaged in a “systemic and global” censorship of pro-Palestinian content since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war on 7 October, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW). In a scathing 51-page report, the organization documented and reviewed more than a thousand reported instances of Meta removing content and suspending or permanently banning accounts on Facebook and Instagram. The company exhibited “six key patterns of undue censorship” of content in support of Palestine and Palestinians, including the taking down of posts, stories and comments; disabling accounts; restricting users’ ability to interact with others’ posts; and “shadow banning”, where the visibility and reach of a person’s material is significantly reduced, according to HRW. Examples it cites include content originating from more than 60 countries, mostly in English, and all in “peaceful support of Palestine, expressed in diverse ways”. Even HRW’s own posts seeking examples of online censorship were flagged as spam, the report said. “Censorship of content related to Palestine on Instagram and Facebook is systemic and global [and] Meta’s inconsistent enforcement of its own policies led to the erroneous removal of content about Palestine,” the group said in the report, citing “erroneous implementation, overreliance on automated tools to moderate content, and undue government influence over content removals” as the roots of the problem.

[...]

Users of Meta’s products have documented what they say is technological bias in favor of pro-Israel content and against pro-Palestinian posts. Instagram’s translation software replaced “Palestinian” followed by the Arabic phrase “Praise be to Allah” to “Palestinian terrorists” in English. WhatsApp’s AI, when asked to generate images of Palestinian boys and girls, created cartoon children with guns, whereas its images Israeli children did not include firearms.

[all-the-fish]

Oh, you know, just the usual internet browsing experience in the year of 2024

Some links and explanations since I figured it might be useful to some people, and writing down stuff is nice.

First of all, get Firefox. Yes, it has apps for Android/iOS too. It allows more extensions and customization (except the iOS version), it tracks less, the company has a less shitty attitude about things. Currently all the other alternatives are variations of Chromium, which means no matter how degoogled they supposedly are, Google has almost a monopoly on web browsing and that's not great. Basically they can introduce extremely user unfriendly updates and there's nothing forcing them to not do it, and nowhere for people to escape to. Current examples of their suggested updates are disabling/severly limiting adblocks in June 2024, and this great suggestion to force sites to verify "web environment integrity" ("oh you don't run a version of chromium we approve, such as the one that runs working adblocks? no web for you.").

uBlockOrigin - barely needs any explanation but yes, it works. You can whitelist whatever you want to support through displaying ads. You can also easily "adblock" site elements that annoy you. "Please log in" notice that won't go away? Important news tm sidebar that gives you sensory overload? Bye.

Dark Reader - a site you use has no dark mode? Now it has. Fairly customizable, also has some basic options for visually impaired people.

SponsorBlock for YouTube - highlights/skips (you choose) sponsored bits in the videos based on user submissions, and a few other things people often skip ("pls like and subscribe!"). A bit more controversial than normal adblock since the creators get some decent money from this, but also a lot of the big sponsors are kinda scummy and offer inferior product for superior price (or try to sell you a star jpg land ownership in Scotland to become a lord), so hearing an ad for that for the 20th time is kinda annoying. But also some creators make their sponsored segments hilarious.

Privacy Badger (and Ghostery I suppose) - I'm not actually sure how needed these are with uBlock and Firefox set to block any tracking it can, but that's basically what it does. Find someone more educated on this topic than me for more info.

Https Everywhere - I... can't actually find the extension anymore, also Firefox has this as an option in its settings now, so this is probably obsolete, whoops.

Facebook Container - also comes with Firefox by default I think. Keeps FB from snooping around outside of FB. It does that a lot, even if you don't have an account.

WebP / Avif image converter - have you ever saved an image and then discovered you can't view it, because it's WebP/Avif? You can now save it as a jpg.

YouTube Search Fixer - have you noticed that youtube search has been even worse than usual lately, with inserting all those unrelated videos into your search results? This fixes that. Also has an option to force shorts to play in the normal video window.

Consent-O-Matic - automatically rejects cookies/gdpr consent forms. While automated, you might still get a second or two of flashing popups being yeeted.

XKit Rewritten - current most up to date "variation "fork" of XKit I think? Has settings in extension settings instead of an extra tumblr button. As long as you get over the new dash layout current tumblr is kinda fine tbh, so this isn't as important as in the past, but still nice. I mostly use it to hide some visual bloat and mark posts on the dash I've already seen.

YouTube NonStop - do you want to punch youtube every time it pauses a video to check if you're still there? This saves your fists.

uBlacklist - blacklists sites from your search results. Obviously has a lot of different uses, but I use it to hide ai generated stuff from image search results. Here's a site list for that.

Redirect AMP to HTML - redirects links from their amp version to the normal version. Amp link is a version of a site made faster and more accessible for phones by Bing/Google. Good in theory, but lets search engines prefer some pages to others (that don't have an amp version), and afaik takes traffic from the original page too. Here's some more reading about why it's an issue, I don't think I can make a good tl;dr on this.

Also since I used this in the tags, here's some reading about enshittification and why the current mainstream internet/services kinda suck.

[libraford]

Alright, I said I was going to talk in more detail about the city council meeting to sort of like... demystify the process for people that are nervous about getting involved on the local level.

Just for disclosure- my city is somewhat unique in that the city council has a touch more power than the mayor in terms of decision making and this experience may not be the same across the board.

Secondly- I am kind of in the dark about a lot of the legal stuff.

Okay.

So both our city council and board of ed meetings will meet three times on an issue before making any official decision. Citizens can propose things, but I'm not sure what the official process for that is. I'll have to look into that further.

This past meeting was the final vote meeting for a conversion therapy ban. I heard about it through a couple activism groups on facebook. The measure had been proposed before but then struck down with a previous city council.

If you cannot or do not want to attend a meeting for any reason, you can likely message one of the members of the group organizing around the issue and ask them to speak on your behalf. You can then send that person a written version of what you'd like to say.

If you want to attend, you do not have to speak. Attendance is noted. You do not have to interact with anyone.

IF YOU PLAN ON SPEAKING:

There is a section of every meeting set aside for public comments. Anyone can speak. It does not have to be about a pertinent issue. Last time, a guy got up and talked about AI and automation taking jobs when there was nothing proposed about it.

The rules for speaking will be stated at the beginning of the public comments section. Sometimes there is a sign up sheet to speak, sometimes you can just jump in line.

If you want to speak but you're not a great speaker, I PROMISE YOU that you're not the weirdest person to stand at the podium. You are not the shyest, you do not have the worst stutter. This is not a school presentation where you'll be graded on your performance. You are allowed to read from a prepared statement. You can keep it short, and that is actually preferred because ours has a 3 minute time limit.

If you want to be visible and you want to speak, but do not know what to say, there is absolutely NO SHAME in getting up there and saying "I would like to echo support for (bill)." And in fact, that is a good way to start any speech because it makes it clear what your intentions are.

If you DO speak, they will ask that you state your name and your address (its okay if you just state your suburb instead of full address.) There is a roster to put your name and address. They will not harass you, but it has to go on public record if you spoke at a meeting.

Once the public comments section is over, you cannot speak up any longer during the meeting. The council takes the floor. You may sit back down in the audience or you may leave at any time.

If one of the issues discussed is actionable (an amendment, a bill) the council will discuss it openly and vote on it. They will vote on it for every meeting as a way to gauge support. If its the first meeting on an issue and the vote looks grim, the decision isn't final. The council discussion last night focused on things like potential flaws in the amendment, potential abuses of the rules, anonymity, practical things. Our city council meetings are also attended by a law professional, the city manager, the clerk, and other professionals who are capable of answering the more complicated questions.

Final vote meetings can get a bit heated. Last night there were attendees that were booing council members and speakers that were against the amendment. I personally found that a bit rude, but it seemed that this was something that... happens? People get passionate.

After final votes, the meeting continues. Again, you can leave at any time. I stayed because they were talking about things that are related to my job and kinda interesting.

There's a wrap-up where they may discuss decisions made and other social topics. And then the meeting is adjourned and if you haven't left already you can go.

The people who are advocating for positive change WANT you to be involved in the process, at any level. This is the entry level of involvement that ANYONE can do. My hillbilly ass got up there with all my ain'ts and y'alls and they had to listen because I'm part of their public body.

So anyway, that's what its like to talk at city hall. Its scary, but its not so bad if you write it out first, and I think the more people that get involved on this level the more power we can have.

[novella-november]

Opened Reddit by accident while trying to type in a bands youtube channel and saw this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1guhsm4/well_this_is_it_boys_i_was_just_informed_from_my/

Well this is it boys. I was just informed from my boss and HR that my entire profession is being automated away. For context I work production in local news. Recently there’s been developments in AI driven systems that can do 100% of the production side of things which is, direct, audio operate, and graphic operate -all of those jobs are all now gone in one swoop. This has apparently been developed by the company Q ai. For the last decade I’ve worked in local news and have garnered skills I thought I would be able to take with me until my retirement, now at almost 30 years old, all of those job opportunities for me are gone in an instant. The only person that’s keeping their job is my manager, who will overlook the system and do maintenance if needed. That’s 20 jobs lost and 0 gained for our station. We were informed we are going to be the first station to implement this under our company. This means that as of now our entire production staff in our news station is being let go. Once the system is implemented and running smoothly then this system is going to be implemented nationwide (effectively eliminating tens of thousands of jobs.) There are going to be 0 new jobs built off of this AI platform. There are people I work with in their 50’s, single, no college education, no family, and no other place to land a job once this kicks in. I have no idea what’s going to happen to them. This is it guys. This is what our future with AI looks like. This isn’t creating any new jobs this is knocking out entire industry level jobs without replacing them.

Don't ever let any AI-supporters try to claim that AI will 'never make people lose their jobs!' because it's already been happening before this, and now this thread is full of stories of people talking about people being laid off from jobs they'd worked for 40 years to be replaced by AI :/

*this* is why it is so important to not tolerate generative AI, even when it's "just a joke" or "for a meme" I'm just eternally greatful that Tumblr hasn't been completely swarmed with AI generated images the way facebook has...

[therobotmonster]

From the British Video Games that seem made up post. I'm certain the reblog was mostly joking, and I've anonymized the poster because this isn't about their post in particular, it's just a very illustrative setup for a point I've been wanting to make for awhile.

To be clear, every game in that thread was real, you can track down ROMs, there's screenshots. References going back into previous decades.

But as to the idea that text is a trustable AI tell?

While the people-using-the-tech-as-a-toy (not a criticism) and newbies in the plastic-wrap-and-lens-flare phase (if you were around for early photoshop, you know what I mean) might lead you to think otherwise, I assure you, AI gens are just JPGs and PNGs.

Photoshop works on 'em just fine.

(Each image/panel above consists of numerous gens composited, edited, decolored, reinked, and recolored/lettered from the ground up)

And inpainting and iteration allow for multiple stabs at a readable result. If someone cares, they'll make the text work.

Reasons you still see AI gens with obviously bad English under the fold.

a) the poster is using the generator as a toy and doesn't care if the text makes sense.

b) it's been left in intentionally as engagement bait like typos on Facebook image-text posts.

c) the person is running a scam and doesn't care, because much like the obvious signs in NIgerian prince emails, it's there to filter out savvy responders (this has the bonus of additional reach from reason "B", which spreads the post to more people). Completely autogenerated content usually falls into this category.

d) The Dunning-Kruger Effect.

e) Not everyone using an English-centric generator is fluent in English.

f) it is one of the above curated for the purpose of getting laughs or rage.

And any one sample can fill multiple criteria. These are also true of generally malformed gens. Usually that's an automated system with no human interference or its engagement bait, or both.

This is a problem with behavior and practices, rather than with the tech. Before AI they just had automated layer-composite systems of the sort used for making most NFT collections.

[mariacallous]

Stories about AI-generated political content are like stories about people drunkenly setting off fireworks: There’s a good chance they’ll end in disaster. WIRED is tracking AI usage in political campaigns across the world, and so far examples include pornographic deepfakes and misinformation-spewing chatbots. It’s gotten to the point where the US Federal Communications Commission has proposed mandatory disclosures for AI use in television and radio ads.

Despite concerns, some US political campaigns are embracing generative AI tools. There’s a growing category of AI-generated political content flying under the radar this election cycle, developed by startups including Denver-based BattlegroundAI, which uses generative AI to come up with digital advertising copy at a rapid clip. “Hundreds of ads in minutes,” its website proclaims.

BattlegroundAI positions itself as a tool specifically for progressive campaigns—no MAGA types allowed. And it is moving fast: It launched a private beta only six weeks ago and a public beta just last week. Cofounder and CEO Maya Hutchinson is currently at the Democratic National Convention trying to attract more clients. So far, the company has around 60, she says. (The service has a freemium model, with an upgraded option for $19 a month.)

“It’s kind of like having an extra intern on your team,” Hutchinson, a marketer who got her start on the digital team for President Obama’s reelection campaign, tells WIRED. We’re sitting at a picnic table inside the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, and she’s raising her voice to be heard over music blasting from a nearby speaker. “If you’re running ads on Facebook or Google, or developing YouTube scripts, we help you do that in a very structured fashion.”

BattlegroundAI’s interface asks users to select from five different popular large language models—including ChatGPT, Claude, and Anthropic—to generate answers; it then asks users to further customize their results by selecting for tone and “creativity level,” as well as how many variations on a single prompt they might want. It also offers guidance on whom to target and helps craft messages geared toward specialized audiences for a variety of preselected issues, including infrastructure, women’s health, and public safety.

BattlegroundAI declined to provide any examples of actual political ads created using its services. However, WIRED tested the product by creating a campaign aimed at extremely left-leaning adults aged 88 to 99 on the issue of media freedom. “Don't let fake news pull the wool over your bifocals!” one of the suggested ads began.

BattlegroundAI offers only text generation—no AI images or audio. The company adheres to various regulations around the use of AI in political ads.

“What makes Battleground so well suited for politics is it’s very much built with those rules in mind,” says Andy Barr, managing director for Uplift, a Democratic digital ad agency. Barr says Uplift has been testing the BattlegroundAI beta for a few weeks. “It’s helpful with idea generation,” he says. The agency hasn’t yet released any ads using Battleground copy yet, but it has already used it to develop concepts, Barr adds.

I confess to Hutchinson that if I were a politician, I would be scared to use BattlegroundAI. Generative AI tools are known to “hallucinate,” a polite way of saying that they sometimes make things up out of whole cloth. (They bullshit, to use academic parlance.) I ask how she’s ensuring that the political content BattlegroundAI generates is accurate.

“Nothing is automated,” she replies. Hutchinson notes that BattlegroundAI’s copy is a starting-off point, and that humans from campaigns are meant to review and approve it before it goes out. “You might not have a lot of time, or a huge team, but you’re definitely reviewing it.”

Of course, there’s a rising movement opposing how AI companies train their products on art, writing, and other creative work without asking for permission. I ask Hutchinson what she’d say to people who might oppose how tools like ChatGPT are trained. “Those are incredibly valid concerns,” she says. “We need to talk to Congress. We need to talk to our elected officials.”

I ask whether BattlegroundAI is looking at offering language models that train on only public domain or licensed data. “Always open to that,” she says. “We also need to give folks, especially those who are under time constraints, in resource-constrained environments, the best tools that are available to them, too. We want to have consistent results for users and high-quality information—so the more models that are available, I think the better for everybody.”

And how would Hutchinson respond to people in the progressive movement—who generally align themselves with the labor movement—objecting to automating ad copywriting? “Obviously valid concerns,” she says. “Fears that come with the advent of any new technology—we’re afraid of the computer, of the light bulb.”

Hutchinson lays out her stance: She doesn’t see this as a replacement for human labor so much as a way to reduce grunt work. “I worked in advertising for a very long time, and there's so many elements of it that are repetitive, that are honestly draining of creativity,” she says. “AI takes away the boring elements.” She sees BattlegroundAI as a helpmeet for overstretched and underfunded teams.

Taylor Coots, a Kentucky-based political strategist who recently began using the service, describes it as “very sophisticated,” and says it helps identify groups of target voters and ways to tailor messaging to reach them in a way that would otherwise be difficult for small campaigns. In battleground races in gerrymandered districts, where progressive candidates are major underdogs, budgets are tight. “We don’t have millions of dollars,” he says. “Any opportunities we have for efficiencies, we’re looking for those.”

Will voters care if the writing in digital political ads they see is generated with the help of AI? “I'm not sure there is anything more unethical about having AI generate content than there is having unnamed staff or interns generate content,” says Peter Loge, an associate professor and program director at George Washington University who founded a project on ethics in political communication.

“If one could mandate that all political writing done with the help of AI be disclosed, then logically you would have to mandate that all political writing”—such as emails, ads, and op-eds—“not done by the candidate be disclosed,” he adds.

Still, Loge has concerns about what AI does to public trust on a macro level, and how it might impact the way people respond to political messaging going forward. “One risk of AI is less what the technology does, and more how people feel about what it does,” he says. “People have been faking images and making stuff up for as long as we've had politics. The recent attention on generative AI has increased peoples' already incredibly high levels of cynicism and distrust. If everything can be fake, then maybe nothing is true.”

Hutchinson, meanwhile, is focused on her company’s shorter-term impact. “We really want to help people now,” she says. “We’re trying to move as fast as we can.”

[azspot]

The federal government is being pulled apart by our richest and cringiest tech billionaire, Silicon Valley has gladly trekked to Mar-a-Lago to embrace Trumpworld, and Elon Musk and Facebook alike are instituting mass layoffs in pivots to AI. Venture capitalists have been installed at the highest levels of government, the tech oligarchs are ascendent, and one of the world’s largest social media networks has become a blaring propaganda organ. Meanwhile, the Valley has doubled down on a grow-at-all-costs approach to AI, sinking hundreds of billions into a technology that will automate millions of jobs if it works, might kneecap the economy if it doesn’t, and will coat the internet in slop and misinformation either way.

The tech oligarchs and their AI are taking over. Let's fight back.