#Chatgpt Newsletter

[ainewsletter]

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[alinladaru]

🚫 TikTok banning, Bitcoin halving și Roboți industriali

DISRUPTION. S-a inventat bateria care nu rămâne niciodată fără energie. ChatGPT poate face triajul pacienților mai bine decât oamenii. Meta a lansat primele două versiuni ale Llama 3 și Boston Dynamics a venit cu un nou model de robot care schimbă industria. [EXPLAINER] Boston Dynamics schimbă paradigma în robotica industrială. Adio Atlas hidraulic, bun venit modelului electric, care ar putea…

[rochelledelborrello]

Hello there,

Sorry I've been AWOL over the past few weeks, been a little under the weather but feeling much better now. Finally getting back to writing my newsletter.

This week I had a bit of a catch up with my paid subscribers and wrote about my impressions of AI and ChatGPT.

Be sure to go over and subscribe to read the full post and participate in my special readers poll.

Sometimes, I talk about Sicily.

Other times, I talk about whatever is on my mind.

My writing is always lightning, the mental load and sharing something of my thoughts with you.

The randomness of my newsletter A Load Off My Mind is always what you need.

[affascinailtuocuore]

Il PARLAMENTO EUROPEO ALLA PROVA DEL VOTO. Un punto a favore: l’ AI ACT (Regolamento  Intelligenza Artificiale) 

Dal 6 al 9 Giugno 2024 i cittadini UE sono chiamati a rinnovare il Parlamento europeo. L’evento riveste una grandissima importanza, specialmente in questo periodo in cui sembra che l’unica politica internazionale vincente sia farsi la guerra o affidarsi a partiti populisti di destra.   “Le prossime elezioni europee rappresentano un appuntamento tra i più importanti degli ultimi tempi. Il futuro…

[graphic-sailor-austria]

6 Tipps als Grafiker ChatGPT zu nutzen

Du bist sicherlich mit den Herausforderungen vertraut, die mit dem kreativen Prozess einhergehen. Aber hast du schon einmal daran gedacht, eine künstliche Intelligenz wie ChatGPT in deine Arbeit einzubeziehen? In diesem Blogartikel werde ich dir sechs wertvolle Tipps geben, wie du ChatGPT als Grafiker optimal nutzen kannst. Lass uns gemeinsam in die Welt der Kreativität und KI eintauchen!

1. Hol dir Inspiration für neue Ideen

Manchmal fühlt man sich als Grafiker wie in einer kreativen Sackgasse. Aber keine Sorge, ChatGPT ist hier, um dir aus der Patsche zu helfen! Nutze diese leistungsstarke KI, um neue Inspirationen für deine Designs zu erhalten. Stelle Fragen, lass dich von den Antworten überraschen und lasse ChatGPT deine Kreativität anregen. Wer weiß, welche außergewöhnlichen Ideen dabei entstehen können?

2. Erhalte schnelles Feedback zu deinen Entwürfen

Feedback ist für jeden Grafiker von unschätzbarem Wert. Aber manchmal braucht man eine schnelle Einschätzung, ohne lange auf Rückmeldungen warten zu müssen. Genau hier kommt ChatGPT ins Spiel. Lade deine Entwürfe hoch, stelle gezielte Fragen und erhalte sofortiges Feedback. ChatGPT kann dir helfen, Designprobleme zu identifizieren, Verbesserungsvorschläge zu machen und dich in die richtige Richtung zu lenken.

3. Entdecke neue Designtrends und Stile

Die Designwelt entwickelt sich ständig weiter und es ist wichtig, immer auf dem neuesten Stand zu sein. ChatGPT kann dir helfen, neue Designtrends und Stile zu entdecken. Frage nach den aktuellen Trends in der Branche, erhalte Informationen über innovative Techniken oder lass dir von ChatGPT Beispiele für gelungene Designs zeigen. Mit diesem Wissen kannst du dein Portfolio erweitern und dich von der Konkurrenz abheben.

4. Erweitere deine Fähigkeiten und Kenntnisse

Als Grafiker ist es entscheidend, sich kontinuierlich weiterzuentwickeln und neue Fähigkeiten zu erlernen. ChatGPT kann dir dabei helfen, dein Wissen zu erweitern. Stelle Fragen zu spezifischen Designtechniken, lass dir Tutorials geben oder hole dir Tipps für den Umgang mit bestimmten Designsoftware. Nutze ChatGPT als deinen virtuellen Mentor und werde zu einem noch vielseitigeren und erfahrenen Grafiker.

5. Finde passende Farbkombinationen und Schriftarten

Die Auswahl der richtigen Farbkombinationen und Schriftarten kann einen erheblichen Einfluss auf das Erscheinungsbild deiner Designs haben. Mit ChatGPT als deinem Assistenten hast du Zugriff auf eine Fülle von Wissen und Kreativität. Frage nach harmonischen Farbschemata, erhalte Vorschläge für kontrastreiche Kombinationen oder lass dir typografische Empfehlungen geben. ChatGPT kann dir helfen, visuelle Elemente zu verbessern und deinen Designs den letzten Schliff zu verleihen.

6. Verwandle Text in visuelle Grafiken

Als Grafiker bist du oft mit der Aufgabe konfrontiert, Text in ansprechende Grafiken umzuwandeln. ChatGPT kann dir dabei helfen, diese Herausforderung zu meistern. Teile den Text mit ChatGPT, frage nach Vorschlägen für Layouts, Schriftarten und Illustrationen, und lasse dich von den generierten Ideen inspirieren. Mit der Unterstützung von ChatGPT kannst du textbasierte Inhalte in ein visuell ansprechendes Design verwandeln und deine Botschaft effektiv kommunizieren. Fazit Die Integration von ChatGPT in deinen Arbeitsprozess als Grafiker kann viele Vorteile bieten. Von Inspiration und Feedback über das Entdecken neuer Designtrends bis hin zur Erweiterung deiner Fähigkeiten und der Unterstützung bei der Gestaltung visueller Elemente – ChatGPT ist ein wertvolles Werkzeug, das dir helfen kann, noch kreativer und effizienter zu arbeiten. Sei offen für die Möglichkeiten, die diese künstliche Intelligenz bietet, und lass dich von ihr bei deinem grafischen Schaffen unterstützen. Nutze diese sechs Tipps, um das volle Potenzial von ChatGPT als Grafiker auszuschöpfen. Viel Erfolg und viel Spaß beim Experimentieren und Gestalten! Read the full article

[miatsai]

ConCurrent Seattle, or, What Happens When I Get Cranky

I was going to do this whole post about how genAI is ruining so much of what makes us human - human thought, human creativity, human connection - but as it so happens, I am also tired. So let's run this down:

On April 30, the con chair of WorldCon posted a statement answering questions about whether WorldCon had used ChatGPT in any of its processes. The answer was yes. It was used in panelist vetting.

The reaction was immediate and negative. Writers in general don't like genAI, especially writers who've had their work stolen for the LLM to train on (which is most of us). We also dislike the environmental impact of this!

Because it was used for vetting, a lot of panelists chosen for WorldCon began doubting whether they were chosen fairly.

On May 2nd, an apology was issued. The chair promised another update on what actions WorldCon would take to remedy the problem. Unfortunately, WorldCon had already lost a lot of trust in the community.

An explanation of what ChatGPT was used for and the prompt given to it dropped on May 6.

I was one of the authors who'd applied to WorldCon but got ghosted (I don't even get newsletters from them despite signing up). I'm not on the panelist list. Neither were some authors whose voices I thought truly belonged at WorldCon. Well, when I get cranky, I move. I decided that I was going to create a fringe con to run during one day of WorldCon, with stellar programming and wonderful panelists - and I'd do it with no genAI. No LLMs, no GPT, nothing but human brains and human work.

I present to you: ConCurrent Seattle.

Credit goes to @inkcurlsandknives for the logo design!

ConCurrent is a one-day, in-person only, masks required SFFH programming track intended to be an alternate to WorldCon. If you're in Seattle on Thursday, August 14, 2025, please drop in to see us! Admission is free, but registration is required (we'll have that process sorted out soon). I've got a bananas lineup of authors, I can promise you that. The sparklecorns will be sparkling.

But to make it run, ConCurrent will cost us 5000 USD. I've been crowdfunding for the last couple of weeks and we're halfway there! That's the good news. So now we need another push to get fully funded. If you wanna put your middle fingers up at genAI, I'd super appreciate it if you could send some dollars my way.

Yeah, that's it. This con is happening. It's gonna be a blast. I'm hyped for these panels. Please help defray the cost and I'll see you in Seattle!

(And after you go to ConCurrent, you can go see @charliejaneanders with Annalee Newitz, Cecilia Tan, Becky Chambers, Darcie Little Badger, and Andrea Hairston at Writers with Drinks at 7 p.m. at Town Hall Seattle!)

[gwynndolin]

More thoughts on geepeetee:

I have not and will not ever pay for a gpt subscription, I think it's far too expensive and is so unneeded for my day to day tasks that I could never justify ever buying it.

That being said, my dad does, so I am just logged in to his account. This is pretty miserable because it keeps a list of all of the chats you start with it and my dad never deletes his. Most of them are all pretty innocuous (he makes a newsletter for his patch team that is themed after a different media property each week, it's cute) but some of them are just. Uhhh.

Basically, when I read some of these I get the same sort of sinking feeling that one might get when they first start speaking to a family member with Alzheimers or dementia. Where like, the reality of the situation starts dawning on you; that you didn't realize that it could get this bad? And you know they're never coming back from it?

This is primarily why I am complaining about GPT's (recent) proclivity for being far too afraid to challenge the user. Because basically no matter what you feed it, it will always try to make you seem like a fucking genius for ever coming up with that idea. And a lot of my dad's chats with GPT are like this.

There was one in particular where he was trying to get it to discuss with him why Gen X is The Best Generation and how He's Not Racist he's just Real and so on. And GPT was so happy to take his voice and spit it right back at him and really validate his ideas. And he just doesn't know that like. It's learned to do this over its life! And so now more than even usual for an old conservative, he is getting hugboxxed and it's not even anyone controlling it anymore. It's like an echo chamber fleshlight

To be clear, I still don't think this is chatGPT's fault. This sort of thing would happen with or without it. I am, however, starting to think that there needs to be a greater emphasis on reigning in its weird faux personality mirroring thing. Maybe forcing users to take some sort of certificate training before being able to use it? To help people better understand what it's doing and the dangers of blindly using it. Dunno!

[bitchesgetriches]

Why we’re against AI as a writing tool

Sophisticated AI tools like ChatGPT are the result of systemic, shameless theft of intellectual property and creative labor on a massive scale. These companies have mined the data of human genius… without permission. They have no intention of acknowledging their stolen sources, let alone paying the creators.

The tech industry’s defense is “Well, we stole so much from so many that it kinda doesn’t count, wouldn’t ya say?” Which is an argument that makes me feel like the mayor of Crazytown. I don’t doubt the courts will rule in their favor, not because it’s right, but because the opportunities for wealth generation are too succulent to let a lil’ thang like fairness win.

I’m not a luddite. I recognize that AI feels like magic to people who aren’t strong writers. I’d feel differently if the technology was achieved without the theft of my work. Couldn’t these tools have been made using legally obtained materials? Ah, but then they wouldn’t have been first to market! Think of the shareholders!

We’re lucky to have the ability and will to write. We won’t willingly use tools that devalue that skill. At most, I could see us using AI to assist with specific, narrow tasks like transcribing interview audio into text.

At a recent industry meetup, I listened as two personal finance gurus gushed about how easy AI made their lives. “All my newsletters and blogs are AI now! I add my own touches here and there—but it does 95% of the work!” Must be nice, I whispered to the empty void where my faith in mankind once dwelt, fingernails digging into my palms. It’s tough knowing I’m one of the myriad voices “streamlining their production.”

I feel strongly that every content creator who uses AI has a minimum duty to acknowledge it. Few will. It sucks. I’m frothing. Let’s move on.

Read more.

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: hello! thank you for running this blog. i hope your vacation was well-spent!

i am an enfp in the third year of my engineering degree. i had initially wanted to do literature and become an author. however, due to the job security associated with this field, my parents got me to do computer science, specialising in artificial intelligence. i did think it was the end of my life at the time, but eventually convinced myself otherwise. after all, i could still continue reading and writing as hobbies.

now, three years in, i am having the same thoughts again. i've been feeling disillusioned from the whole gen-ai thing due to art theft issues and people using it to bypass - dare i say, outsource - creative work. also, the environmental impact of this technology is astounding. yet, every instructor tells us to use ai to get information that could easily be looked up in textbooks or google. what makes it worse is that i recently lost an essay competition to a guy who i know for a fact used chatgpt.

i can't help feeling that by working in this industry, i am becoming a part of the problem. at the same time, i feel like a conservative old person who is rejecting modern technology and griping about 'the good old days'.

another thing is that college work is just so all-consuming and tiring that i've barely read or written anything non-academic in the past few years. quitting my job and becoming a writer a few years down the road is seeming more and more like a doomed possibility.

i've been trying to do what i can at my level. i write articles about ethical considerations in ai for the college newsletter. i am in a technical events club, and am planning out an artificial intelligence introductory workshop for juniors where i will include these topics, if approved by the superiors.

from what i've read on your blog, it doesn't seem like you have a very high opinion of ai, either, but i've only seen you address it in terms of writing. i'd like to know, are there any ai applications that you find beneficial? i think that now that i am here, i could try to make a difference by working on projects that actually help people, rather than use some chatgpt api to do the same things, repackaged. i just felt like i need the perspective of someone who thinks differently than all those around me. not in a 'feed my tunnel-vision' way, but in a 'tell me i'm not stupid' way.

----------------------

It's kind of interesting (in the "isn't life whacky?" sort of way) you chose the one field that has the potential to decimate the field that you actually wanted to be in. I certainly understand your inner conflict and I'll give you my personal views, but I don't know how much they will help your decision making.

I'm of course concerned about the ramifications on writing not just because I'm a writer but because, from the perspective of education and personal growth, I understand the enormous value of writing skills. Learning to write analytically is challenging. I've witnessed many people meet that challenge bravely, and in the process, they became much more intelligent and thoughtful human beings, better able to contribute positively to society. So, it pains me to see the attitude of "don't have to learn it cuz the machine does it". However, writing doesn't encompass my full view on AI.

I wouldn't necessarily stereotype people who are against new technology as "old and conservative", though some of them are. My parents taught me to be an early adopter of new tech, but it doesn't mean I don't have reservations about it. I think, psychologically, the main reason people resist is because of the real threat it poses. Historically, we like to gloss over the real human suffering that results from technological advancement. But it is a reasonable and legitimate response to resist something that threatens your livelihood and even your very existence.

For example, it is already difficult enough to make a living in the arts, and AI just might make it impossible. Even if you do come up with something genuinely creative and valuable, how are you going to make a living with it? As soon as creative products are digitized, they just get scraped up, regurgitated, and disseminated to the masses with no credit or compensation given to the original creator. It's cannibalism. Cannibalism isn't sustainable.

I wonder if people can seriously imagine a society where human creativity in the arts has been made obsolete and people only have exposure to AI creation. There are plenty of people who don't fully grasp the value of human creativity, so they wouldn't mind it, but I would personally consider it to be a kind of hell.

I occasionally mention that my true passion is researching "meaning" and how people come to imbue their life with a sense of meaning. Creativity has a major role to play in 1) almost everything that makes life/living feel worthwhile, 2) generating a culture that is worth honoring and preserving, and 3) building a society that is worthy of devoting our efforts to.

Living in a capitalist society that treats people as mere tools of productivity and treats education as a mere means to a paycheck already robs us of so much meaning. In many ways, AI is a logical result of that mindset, of trying to "extract" whatever value humans have left to offer, until we are nothing but empty shells.

I don't think it's a coincidence that AI comes out of a society that devalues humanity to the point where a troubling portion of the population suffers marginalization, mental disorder, and/or feels existentially empty. Many of the arguments I've heard from AI proponents about how it can improve life sound to me like they're actually going to accelerate spiritual starvation.

Existential concerns are serious enough, before we even get to the environmental concerns. For me, environment is the biggest reason to be suspicious of AI and its true cost. I think too many people are unaware of the environmental impact of computing and networking in general, let alone running AI systems. I recently read about how much energy it takes to store all the forgotten chats, memes, and posts on social media. AI ramps up carbon emissions dramatically and wastes an already dwindling supply of fresh water.

Can we really afford a mass experiment with AI at a time when we are already hurtling toward climate catastrophe? When you think about how much AI is used for trivial entertainment or pointless busywork, it doesn't seem worth the environmental cost. I care about this enough that I try to reduce my digital footprint. But I'm just one person and most of the population is trending the other way.

With respect to integrating AI into personal life or everyday living, I struggle to see the value, often because those who might benefit the most are the ones who don't have access. Yes, I've seen some people have success with using AI to plan and organize, but I also always secretly wonder at how their life got to the point of needing that much outside help. Sure, AI may help with certain disadvantages such as learning or physical disabilities, but this segment of the population is usually the last to reap the benefits of technology.

More often than not, I see people using AI to lie, cheat, steal, and protect their own privilege. It's particularly sad for me to see people lying to themselves, e.g., believing that they're smart for using AI when they're actually making themselves stupider, or thinking that an AI companion can replace real human relationship.

I continue to believe that releasing AI into the wild, without developing proper safeguards, was the biggest mistake made so far. The revolts at OpenAI prove, once again, that companies cannot be trusted to regulate themselves. Tech companies need a constant stream of data to feed the beast and they're willing to sacrifice our well-being to do it. It seems the only thing we can do as individuals is stop offering up our data, but that's not going to happen en masse.

Even though you're aware of these issues, I want to mention them for those who aren't, and for the sake of emphasizing just how important it is to regulate AI and limit its use to the things that are most likely to produce a benefit to humanity, in terms of actually improving quality of human life in concrete terms.

In my opinion, the most worthwhile place to use AI is medicine and medical research. For example, aggregating and analyzing information for doctors, assisting surgeons with difficult procedures, and coming up with new possibilities for vaccines, treatments, and cures is where I'd like to see AI shine. I'd also love to see AI applied to:

scientific research, to help scientists sort, manage, and process huge amounts of information

educational resources, to help learners find quality information more efficiently, rather than feeding them misinformation

engineering and design, to build more sustainable infrastructure

space exploration, to find better ways of traveling through space or surviving on other planets

statistical analysis, to help policymakers take a more objective look at whether solutions are actually working as intended, as opposed to being blinded by wishful thinking, bias, hubris, or ideology (I recognize this point is controversial since AI can be biased as well)

Even though you work in the field, you're still only one person, so you don't have that much more power than anyone else to change its direction. There's no putting the worms back in the can at this point. I agree with you that, for the sake of your well-being, staying in the field means choosing your work carefully. However, if you want to work for an organization that doesn't sacrifice people at the altar of profit, it might be slim pickings and the pay might not be great. Staying true to your values can be costly too.

[evidence-based-activism]

did you see the New York Times article with Biden and Trump’s heads photoshopped onto half naked bodies on weighing scales. I thought body shaming is bad? Imagine if it was Kamala or another female politician who had this done to them. If it’s wrong for women it’s wrong for men

Quick notes:

No, I had not.

It wasn't the New York Times it was the cover of New York magazine’s Health Issue (from July).

The photo illustration was by Martin Schoeller and the source images were from Seth Wenig and Mandel Ngan. In other words, men. Men made the image.

I personally find the illustration to be in poor taste. But that's pretty much a standard for political cartoons (vaguely offensive and poorly done).

Calling Harris by her first name while referring to Biden and Trump (and all the other male politicians) by their last names is sexist. You're demonstrating less respect for her as a professional.

---

My main point:

I don't need to "imagine" this being done to female politicians, because they are already facing something significantly worse: deepfake pornography. In fact, "ninety-six percent of deepfakes online depict women in non-consensual pornography" [1]. For example, a recent British investigation found "found evidence of over 400 instances of digitally altered deepfake pornography of more than 30 high-profile UK politicians" [2], all of whom were women.

Importantly, there is substantial evidence that this form of harassment is impacting women's ability to continue in their line of work [1].

So, that magazine cover was in poor taste, but it's also not impacting their (or any other man's) ability to continue in their line of work. It's not pornographic or even remotely sexualized. (I think you'd even have a hard time arguing it's objectifying – that is, reducing them to objects.) Notably, I've never seen a photo-shopped image of a woman in her underwear that wasn't explicitly sexualized.

In addition, please see this post for evidence that women face more issues concerning body image and sexualization/objectification in the media.

---

As an additional, important note: nonsexual deepfakes are also an increasing concern [3], such as the fake campaign ads and photos being passed off as real (e.g., the recent one of Harris spread by Musk). Please do not blindly trust any videos or photographs without some verification.

References under the cut:

Shukla, Vandinika. “Deepfakes and Elections: The Risk to Women’s Political Participation | TechPolicy.Press.” Tech Policy Press, 29 Feb. 2024, https://techpolicy.press/deepfakes-and-elections-the-risk-to-womens-political-participation.

Politico. (2024, July 2). How deepfakes could upend 2024's elections. Politico. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2024/07/02/how-deepfakes-could-upend-2024s-elections-00166347

Floreani, Samantha. “From Politics to Porn: Will 2024 Be the Year in Which Deepfake Fears Finally Become Real?” The Guardian, 25 July 2024. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/25/ai-celebrity-deepfakes-generative-chatgpt-impact-politics-future.

[lithub]

June 11, 2025

Today, we’re reading about family legacies in Black communities, writing a different type of cancer book, and the rise and fall of an American spinach dynasty!

On Lit Hub dot com:

Kyra Davis Lurie on Sugar Hill, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s racism, and reimagining The Great Gatsby as a Black American story. | Lit Hub Craft

“Our Western inheritance, then: the concept of the deep underground as wasteland, dump, terminus of the unredeemable.” Justin Hocking examines the legacy of Project Plowshare and American nuclear testing. | Lit Hub Nature

Zaakir Tameez explores the early days of the Civil War and how Charles Sumner convinced Abraham Lincoln to take a stand against slavery. | Lit Hub Biography

Arianne Edmonds explains the importance of preserving the memory of Black communities in Los Angeles and beyond while remembering the legacy of her great-great-grandfather, Jefferson Lewis Edmonds. | Lit Hub History

“Books about cancer don’t have to be depressing.” Jonathan Gluck on writing a very different kind of cancer story. | Lit Hub In Conversation

A’Lelia Bundles on telling Black women’s stories and writing about her great-grandmother A’Lelia Walker, Harlem’s “Black Cinderella.” | Lit Hub History

John Seabrook chronicles the wilting of a family spinach dynasty: “Charles Franklin Seabrook, my grandfather, was the principal dreamer…and autocratic ruler of this industrial farming empire—­and ultimately its destroyer.” | Lit Hub Food

Alec Nevala-Lee explores how Nobel Prize-winning physicist Luis W. Alvarez pursued theory through practice. | Lit Hub Biography

“It was his favorite recurring dream, always returning unprompted, always startling and delighting, leaving him a little wistful as he woke.” Read from Christopher Tradowsky’s new novel, Midnight at the Cinema Palace. | Lit Hub Fiction

From around the internet:

David Beer wonders what the fear of being mistaken for AI will mean for our writing styles. | 3 Quarks Daily

Amanda Guinzberg asked ChatGPT to help her choose some essays to send to an agent. The result was “the closest thing to a personal episode of Black Mirror I hope to experience in this lifetime.” | Everything Is a Wave

“Out with the auto-performance; in with the anti-performance.” Alexandra Tanner on Nathan Fielder’s oeuvre, Katie Kitamura’s Audition, and what it means to perform. | The Point

Sandra Cisneros considers class and gender in Sense and Sensibility. | The Paris Review

Writer and photographer Jamie Lee Taete shares scenes from the Los Angeles protests. | The Cut

Emanuel Moss looks at three books on AI and considers the politics of the AI arms race. | Public Books

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[posttexasstressdisorder]

Local

Downtown San Francisco retail is dying. What's replacing it is so much worse.

Features reporter Ariana Bindman visits SF's depressing new locale in this column

Sam Altman’s new human verification system, the Orb, was put to the test in downtown San Francisco on May 1, 2025.Ariana Bindman/SFGATE

By Ariana Bindman, News Features ReporterMay 6, 2025

It’s a cool Thursday morning in downtown San Francisco, and I’m walking up Powell Street through a once-familiar-looking Union Square. 

As I stroll past the bones of retail giants, “For Lease” signs mark abandoned storefronts like lurid headstones. I see the empty Uniqlo, H&M and Forever21, along with a vacant Walgreens and the former Diesel outpost, which looms over Market Street like a pillaged kingdom. Overall, the neighborhood feels less like an economic epicenter and more like a consumerist graveyard. 

But among these depressing corporate relics is an unusual and perhaps welcome sight: groups of stylish young people with mullets, micro-tattoos and designer clothes hobnobbing inside a new, sleek retail space on Geary Street. From a distance, it’s unclear what, exactly, it’s supposed to be, or what types of products it intends to sell. 

According to Sam Altman’s San Francisco and Munich-headquartered company, Tools for Humanity, this cutting-edge verification system is designed to prove to computers that you’re a real, flesh-and-blood individual by scanning your iris.Ariana Bindman/SFGATE

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According to his San Francisco and Munich-headquartered company, Tools for Humanity, this cutting-edge verification system is designed to prove to computers that you’re a real, flesh-and-blood individual by scanning your iris. In our “adversarial” age of artificial intelligence, such tools are becoming increasingly necessary, his other venture World Network argues, and according to its vague April 30 news release, it’s ultimately designed “to empower individuals and organizations worldwide with the necessary tools to participate in the digital economy and advance human progress.” But this bold statement should be taken with a pinch of salt, especially since Altman’s AI product, ChatGPT, is guzzling precious resources, worsening humanity’s ongoing climate crisis. 

Though the flagship location is open to the public, it seems the vast majority of attendees either work for World Network or are here to cover it.Ariana Bindman/SFGATE

As I continue to wander around, a man in a red shirt holds a spare Orb and idly strokes it. Next to him, a woman wearing sunglasses indoors grins and takes a selfie. Though it’s open to the public, it seems that the vast majority of attendees either work for the company or are here to cover it. Regardless, it does seem that there’s at least some interest: A uniformed employee in charge of protecting the Orb tells me that about 30 eye-scanning appointments have already been booked out of 200. 

Dizzy from the caffeine and thumping electronic music, I stand outside to get fresh air and watch normal, everyday shoppers walk past.   

Hordes of tech enthusiasts and local news crews gathered in downtown San Francisco on May 1, 2025, to celebrate the unveiling of Sam Altman’s new — and dystopian — “proof of human” technology, also known as the Orb. Ariana Bindman/SFGATE

When I left, I couldn’t help but wonder: As major retailers leave gaping holes in San Francisco’s commercial epicenter, is this what’s going to fill the void? And, ultimately, do we really need or want this? Based on the general public’s response — and the types of powerful people behind these business ventures — I wasn’t optimistic.  

After all, by now, it’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic, along with evolving consumer patterns, have cudgeled Union Square in recent years, and it’s still unclear if it will ever truly recover. 

Union Square in San Francisco, April 25, 2024.Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE

As the Hayes Valley Merchants Association president previously told me, it’s clear why: Compared with downtown, Hayes Valley feels like a real community, which is how it survived the brutal aftermath of COVID-19 against all odds. It’s the groups of friends sitting outside drinking coffee, the green spaces, the vibrant, modern boutiques that ultimately kept the neighborhood’s spirit alive. 

The humans brought it back to life — and no amount of technology could possibly do the same. 

Ariana Bindman

News Features Reporter

[woodlandstarz13]

alr, so my moms been bugging me for awhile about the fact that i should do more things like writing and whatnot (especially if i can get money from it to save up for college), which i get. i need to start actually doing stuff with my life that isn’t just sitting around and consuming

but lately she’s been pushing me to use ai and praising it cuz it saves her a bunch of time with her self-made business, which ig i can understand. but at the same time like wtf no. i wanna be an author one day and i don’t wanna have to rely on ai to do the work that i should be doing

and what hurts me more is that she’s been using it to design things for her newsletters and whatnot, but that’s actively taking away from people who have dedicated so much time and energy into honing their craft, into becoming amazing

i know that ai can be really helpful in various ways, but i don’t think that means we need to use it, especially since it’s harming so many creative folk. i’m genuinely scared that one day, when i graduate into this world after spending years working hard to be a wonderful author, i’m scared i’ll be a failed artist the second i step out into this fucked up world. i’m scared i’m already a failed artist simply for being an artist

i’ve wanted to be an author my whole life, and it hurts to see a machine learn and develop quicker than i ever could and to receive more praise than my work ever has

and honestly, yeah i’ll admit i’ve tried using chatgpt before. i had no ideas and i desperately wanted to write, so i tried to see if ai had any good ideas. yet i didn’t care for a single one. they all felt so bland and over-used. it didn’t feel like me. sure, maybe i’m not using it right, but i still have my opinion and it’s not going to be changed

seeing humans hard work replaced with quick, white-washed crap hurts, and i don’t want to stand with the side of a machine

[odigodisse]

💬 O Digo disse.

Por que HACK? E não só solução?

🔧 Solução resolve.

⚡ Hack resolve também — só que com mais criatividade, mais inteligência, mais praticidade, mais agilidade.

✔️ Todo hack é uma solução. Nem toda solução é um hack.

Hack não é truque, não é gambiarra, não é atalho desonesto.

Hack é inteligência aplicada.

É simplificar. É destravar. É acelerar.

Por isso escolhi hack como essência do meu manifesto.

🚀 Hacks pra quem aprende, ensina, faz e transforma. Hacks pra evoluir.

🗞️ Acompanha também minha newsletter:

🔍 Criado com apoio do ChatGPT. Uso ético e com curadoria humana.

[prashantgautam81]

Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2025

Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2025: What You Need to Know

As technology evolves and user behavior shifts, businesses must stay ahead of the curve to remain relevant. The digital marketing trends for 2025 are not just predictions—they’re strategic signals that will shape the future of brand engagement, customer experience, and ROI.

In this blog, we’ll break down the most impactful digital marketing trends for 2025 you need to watch and integrate into your strategy—today.

1. AI-Powered Marketing Will Dominate the Landscape

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword—it's the backbone of many digital marketing trends for 2025. From predictive analytics to personalized content recommendations, AI will drive efficiency and performance like never before.

Expect to see AI tools automating content generation, optimizing ad spend, and even managing customer interactions via chatbots and virtual agents. Brands that harness AI smartly will gain a serious competitive edge.

Pro Tip: Start exploring AI tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Phrasee to create scalable content strategies.

2. Voice Search Optimization Becomes Non-Negotiable

One of the key digital marketing trends for 2025 is the continued rise of voice search. With more consumers using smart speakers and voice assistants, optimizing for voice search is crucial.

Traditional SEO won’t be enough. You’ll need to adapt your content to answer conversational queries—think featured snippets, FAQs, and long-tail keywords.

Why It Matters: By 2025, it's estimated that over 50% of all online searches will be voice-activated. If you're not optimized for this trend, you're missing out.

3. The Rise of Zero-Click Searches

Zero-click searches—where users find the answers directly on the search engine results page (SERP)—are one of the more challenging digital marketing trends for 2025.

This trend forces marketers to rethink their SEO strategy. Instead of chasing clicks, focus on building authority and earning SERP features like Google’s featured snippets, People Also Ask, and Knowledge Panels.

Key Insight: It’s about visibility and branding. Even without a click, your brand can make an impression.

4. Hyper-Personalization with First-Party Data

With third-party cookies phasing out, businesses must shift to first-party data to fuel their personalization strategies. This marks a turning point in the digital marketing trends for 2025, as brands aim to deliver hyper-targeted content without invading privacy.

Collect data through newsletters, gated content, and loyalty programs—then use it to personalize user experiences across all touchpoints.

Tool Suggestion: Use CDPs (Customer Data Platforms) like Segment or HubSpot to centralize and activate your data.

5. Short-Form Video Continues to Explode

Among the most unstoppable digital marketing trends for 2025 is short-form video. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are redefining how we consume content.

Consumers want quick, authentic, and visually engaging experiences. Marketers need to adopt vertical video, storytelling, and trends to engage their audience.

Content Idea: Try weekly behind-the-scenes clips or “quick tips” videos to build trust and showcase your expertise.

6. Social Commerce Will Reshape E-Commerce

Social media is no longer just a place to connect—it’s becoming a shopping mall. One of the hottest digital marketing trends for 2025 is social commerce, where users can discover and buy products without leaving platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest.

Livestream shopping, influencer collaborations, and in-app purchases will become central to the e-commerce journey.

Action Step: Make sure your product catalog is integrated with platforms like Meta Shops and TikTok Store.

7. Sustainability & Ethical Marketing Take Center Stage

Consumers in 2025 are more conscious of how and where they spend their money. One of the most values-driven digital marketing trends for 2025 is the shift toward transparency, sustainability, and purpose.

People want to support brands that align with their values—whether it’s eco-friendly packaging, ethical labor, or charitable partnerships.

Tip: Don’t just talk about your values—show them. Use your marketing to highlight your impact and commitment.

8. Interactive Content Will Boost Engagement

Static content is losing its charm. A key digital marketing trend for 2025 is the use of interactive content—think polls, quizzes, calculators, and clickable videos.

Why? Because it increases engagement, dwell time, and conversions. It also helps gather valuable insights about your audience.

Example: A skincare brand could create a quiz titled “What’s Your Skin Type?” to drive product recommendations.

9. AR & VR Experiences Go Mainstream

Augmented and virtual reality aren’t just for gaming anymore. One of the most exciting digital marketing trends for 2025 is the rise of immersive marketing.

Brands are using AR for virtual try-ons, 3D product views, and interactive ads. Meanwhile, VR opens up opportunities for virtual stores, tours, and experiences.

Future Vision: Imagine launching a virtual showroom or a product demo experience customers can explore from home.

10. Email Marketing Gets Smarter, Not Just Louder

Email isn’t going anywhere—but how we use it is evolving. Among the digital marketing trends for 2025, smarter, segmented, and behavior-based emails are proving far more effective than generic blasts.

AI and automation now allow you to send personalized messages based on purchase behavior, content consumption, and even website clicks.

Don’t Forget: Mobile-first design is essential. Most emails are read on phones—keep it clean and compelling.

Final Thoughts

The digital marketing trends for 2025 reflect a world that’s fast-paced, data-conscious, and deeply connected. From AI and video to ethics and engagement, the future of marketing is about creating personalized, authentic experiences at scale.

[mariacallous]

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has deployed a proprietary chatbot called GSAi to 1,500 federal workers at the General Services Administration, WIRED has confirmed. The move to automate tasks previously done by humans comes as DOGE continues its purge of the federal workforce.

GSAi is meant to support “general” tasks, similar to commercial tools like ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude. It is tailored in a way that makes it safe for government use, a GSA worker tells WIRED. The DOGE team hopes to eventually use it to analyze contract and procurement data, WIRED previously reported.

“What is the larger strategy here? Is it giving everyone AI and then that legitimizes more layoffs?” asks a prominent AI expert who asked not to be named as they do not want to speak publicly on projects related to DOGE or the government. “That wouldn’t surprise me.”

In February, DOGE tested the chatbot in a pilot with 150 users within GSA. It hopes to eventually deploy the product across the entire agency, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The chatbot has been in development for several months, but new DOGE-affiliated agency leadership has greatly accelerated its deployment timeline, sources say.

Federal employees can now interact with GSAi on an interface similar to ChatGPT. The default model is Claude Haiku 3.5, but users can also choose to use Claude Sonnet 3.5 v2 and Meta LLaMa 3.2, depending on the task.

“How can I use the AI-powered chat?” reads an internal memo about the product. “The options are endless, and it will continue to improve as new information is added. You can: draft emails, create talking points, summarize text, write code.”

The memo also includes a warning: “Do not type or paste federal nonpublic information (such as work products, emails, photos, videos, audio, and conversations that are meant to be pre-decisional or internal to GSA) as well as personally identifiable information as inputs.” Another memo instructs people not to enter controlled unclassified information.

The memo instructs employees on how to write an effective prompt. Under a column titled “ineffective prompts,” one line reads: “show newsletter ideas.” The effective version of the prompt reads: “I’m planning a newsletter about sustainable architecture. Suggest 10 engaging topics related to eco-friendly architecture, renewable energy, and reducing carbon footprint.”

“It’s about as good as an intern,” says one employee who has used the product. “Generic and guessable answers.”

The Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services have both recently considered using a GSA chatbot internally and in their outward-facing contact centers, according to documents viewed by WIRED. It is not known whether that chatbot would be GSAi. Elsewhere in the government, the United States Army is using a generative AI tool called CamoGPT to identify and remove references to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility from training materials, WIRED previously reported.

In February, a project kicked off between GSA and the Department of Education to bring a chatbot product to DOE for support purposes, according to a source familiar with the initiative. The engineering effort was helmed by DOGE operative Ethan Shaotran. In internal messages obtained by WIRED, GSA engineers discussed creating a public “endpoint”—a specific point of access in their servers—that would allow DOE officials to query an early pre-pilot version of GSAI. One employee called the setup “janky” in a conversation with colleagues. The project was eventually scuttled, according to documents viewed by WIRED.

In a Thursday town hall meeting with staff, Thomas Shedd, a former Tesla engineer who now runs the Technology Transformation Services (TTS), announced that the GSA’s tech branch would shrink by 50 percent over the next few weeks after firing around 90 technologists last week. Shedd plans for the remaining staff to work on more public-facing projects like Login.gov and Cloud.gov, which provide a variety of web infrastructure for other agencies. All other non-statutorily required work will likely be cut, Shedd said.

“We will be a results-oriented and high-performance team,” Shedd said, according to meeting notes viewed by WIRED.

He’s been supportive of AI and automation in the government for quite some time: In early February, Shedd told staff that he planned to make AI a core part of the TTS agenda.