There’s been a lot of talk about ChatGPT these last couple of weeks, not to mention the rise in AI image creation. I suspect that we will soon have complete websites and social media tools that do nothing but post pieces written by AI tools complete with accompanying AI-generated photos and video.
The question isn’t whether we should allow that or not, because it’s going to happen, but rather should we care?
For example, does it matter that this “photo” isn’t really me?
I didn’t go to the trouble of removing the watermark but if I had, anyone who knows me could probably guess it wasn’t me. I’m never going to be going for the cowboy look for many reasons, not the least of which I’m allergic to horses.
So since my wife was just playing around with the My Heritage AI for fun and I’m posting them for fun, it doesn’t really matter. If I post this with a whole backstory about my time working on a dude ranch we start to wander in to a world where it matters, because now I’m misrepresenting myself. If I were to create an AI photo of myself working alongside someone else on that ranch now I’m misrepresenting myself, and someone else. That starts to really matter.
My point is, the tools are here. It’s what we do with them and who we trust that matters. One of the links this week is about the legal headaches that result from this. There are plenty, but I would add one. When an AI writer creates written content that feeds into an AI image generator, and gets automatically published on the internet, who do we blame if that content breaks copyright, trade secrets or is libelous?
And when 75-80% of the content published is no longer the original idea of a person, how do people stand out and find each other?
On the internet no one knows if you’re a dog, or a living thing at all. Maybe we should all trust accordingly.
Except here, obviously. 😉
Careers and the Workplace
“Usually, they say, “Yes, networking is important and is a priority for me, but I don't know how to fit it into my day.”
People say this because they think networking means spending hours at events or sending cold emails to people they want to meet.
If this is your challenge, you can overcome the barrier of "not enough time" by changing your mindset about time.”
Also see - An Introvert’s Top Three Tips for Event Networking
Linked – How to Find (or Start) a Job Search Club
“Have you considered starting a club if you’ve been laid off recently? If you haven’t, maybe give it a try. I’m not in the same boat but if I can help you get started and try to connect you to others, let me know how.”
Also see - Best Job Search Tools for 2023 (As Recommended by Career Experts)
“One of the most straightforward paths to happiness at work is to fight against the scourge of time-consuming, unproductive meetings at every opportunity.”
Another New Term for People Looking out for Themselves – Career Cushioning
“The quickest way to cut expenses is to cut staff. This is the way of the world in the 21st Century. Until someone comes along and changes that, it only makes sense to keep your options open. As the article I linked points out, that can mean keeping your knowledge and skills up to date, staying in touch with your network, and possibly looking at side gigs you could hop to if you find yourself in a company that is laying off staff.
I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s not disloyal to your employer. That’s not the world we work in any longer.”
eDiscovery and Legal Tech
Why the Generative AI Renaissance Means Big Legal Headaches
“The line between AI Generated and Human generated content both visual and written is blurring. As these tools get more powerful, they become increasingly indistinguishable from human generated content. Could you tell, for example, that the entire last section on Deepfakes was written by ChatGPT and not me? Not even a plagiarism detector could spot anything amiss in the text.”
How to Solve the Biggest Disconnect in Law Department Innovation
“What we have here, is failure to communicate.”
Looking Back at 2022 in LegalTech Reveals Trends Going into the New Year: An Ediscovery Day Recap
“December 1st marked another successful Ediscovery Day celebration full of great educational content for the legal tech industry. Now in its eighth year, Ediscovery day became more focused in its content offerings, with a great lineup of sponsored events.
Read on for highlights!”
At A Legal Tech Conference Like No Other, Attendees Pondered the Present and Future of the Industry
Social Media and the Internet
A Promising New GDPR Ruling Against Targeted Ads
“Targeted advertising’s days may be numbered. The Wall Street Journal and Reuters report that the European Data Protection Board has ruled that Meta cannot continue targeting ads based on user’s online activity without affirmative, opt-in consent.”
Sharing – When Scrolling Through Social, Keep Your Mental Health in Mind
“Personally, I’ve been dropping some people who regularly interact with me online but who also share a constant stream of tweets by politicians or spend a lot of time arguing politics. I’m not particularly interested in having online political arguments, and seeing them doesn’t do me any good. So, pardon me for not following you back. The same goes for a lot of other accounts as well. They post a ton of stuff that doesn’t make me feel like I’m learning anything I care to learn, or they don’t post anything that assists with what I’m trying to do with social media. It’s not that I’m making any judgment about you or your character. You choose to use social media differently than I do. All of us are responsible for choosing what works for us instead of allowing social media to be a source of anxiety and sadness. It sure beats spending all of our time feeling bad about ourselves.”
Training and Development
A Cursor is a Small Thing you can Change to Make Online Training Better
“Jim Calloway shared a tip about changing your cursor color and size on his Law Practice Tips blog, and it reminded me of a little bit of a pet peeve that I often have with people doing technology demos or training remotely. They move too fast.
Rather, they move as if we all saw the screen exactly as they do. When you’re doing remote learning like that, you have to account for two things when it comes to your cursor. One is video lag. The other is how small it may appear in the shared-screen environment.”
Five Training Priorities For Companies To Focus On In 2023
“By focusing on areas like closing skills gaps, making training relevant, and assessing technology performance, companies can develop a more successful training program in 2023 and beyond.”