‘Knowledge’ workers and AI

May 11, 2024

Three-quarters of “knowledge” workers say they’re using AI tools at work. But what percentage of those workers use it with their company’s knowledge? Is it … A.) 22%, B.) 32%, C.) 52% or D.) 72%?

The answer: A.) 22% of people who use AI at work are doing it on the up-and-up. That means 78% are opting to BYOAI — Bring Your Own AI — and not telling their bosses.

Tags: AI (artificial intelligence), company, percentage, tools, WHO, work, workers

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“Hi, sorry to bother. Do you shop through Amazon?” It’s a scam email, and it keeps ending up in Content Queen Allie’s inbox. If you respond, some jerk will try to convince you they have Amazon gift cards they’ll trade for cash. Hit “spam” and move on.

25 years in orbit

The journey of a long-lost spy satellite. The U.S. launched the satellite in 1974, lost track of it in the ’90s, and rediscovered it this month when its sensor came back online. Guess it wasn’t MIA — just MIO (missing in orbit).

Talk to your kiddos: Roblox is adding paid ads in virtual billboards to its game. Brands like Walmart are already lining up to advertise to nearly 72 million daily players. With 43% of players under 13, they’re going to make so much money rocking the blocks.

Bravo! Samsung has a new TV that comes with a free 8K TV, valued at $8,000. The 114-inch “ultra-premium” set costs $132,630 and uses Micro-LED display tech for enhanced colors, brightness and response times. They’re also throwing in a discount on a new pair of speakers and a $2,200 hotel stay. Sorry, but this offer’s for Korea only for now.

Earth without “art” is just “eh“: Apple’s new iPad Pro “Crush!” ad is … disturbing. It shows a hydraulic press squashing symbols of human creativity — musical instruments and art supplies. Then, voila — a new, super-thin iPad Pro appears. The message? Tech trumps all. Apple apologized: “We missed the mark … we’re sorry.” Ya think?

Sit, shoot, roll over: The U.S. Marines’ special ops division is testing armed robot dogs. Seriously. For now, they’ll still need a human to pull the trigger. The “Terminator”-like pups rely on AI to identify targets before asking their human operators whether to fire.

Lost the thread: Neuralink says its brain chip has already malfunctioned in its first human patient. Some of the “threads” — hair-thin electrodes meant to monitor his brain activity — stopped working. Neuralink tweaked the chip’s algorithm and now says its performance is “better than ever.” I hope this is true and not PR BS.

Too much power: Advertisers can now use Walmart’s shopping data for targeted ads on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney Advertising and Walmart Connect’s partnership gives marketers access to 145 million customers. They say they’ll match users’ data “without violating their privacy,” but they always say that.

Clippy’s back …: … Kind of. Winpilot, a third-party tool that helps optimize your Windows OS, now includes a built-in assistant called — you guessed it — Clippy. Much like the original Office 97 assistant, it mostly assists with stuff you can do already in your Settings menu. But it can help you remove Windows 11’s built-in AI assistant, Copilot. Assistant-on-assistant crime: You hate to see it.

Don’t waste your money: Meta’s now pitching its built-in AI features that help you create full ad campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. That includes image and text generation. I wouldn’t trust it, but watch your ads and spending very carefully if you do.