Fishing is Good, Phishing is Not
#NEWSLETTER | Homophones with very different outcomes. Fishing can be a helpful metaphor for gen AI use & phishing a scourge that's getting worse. Also this week why data should be top-of-mind always.
I recently read that an effective way to teach kids about using generative AI (i.e., chatbots) is to liken it to fishing.
You need to find the right platform, formulate the questions, set it all up, ask again, refine a few times, and be patient through it all. Once happy with your “catch” you need to “clean it” and prepare your answers for use.
Fishing requires planning, the smart use of equipment/tools, patience, ethics, and attention to quality and detail. AI is not intended to replace the work, but it can be an exceptional way to learn to “fish” with the right questions that will lead to the type of return that makes artificial intelligence a valuable learning tool.
Phishing on the Other Hand…
AI is about data — your data — and it is should be a far bigger part of how we talk about AI right now. I often reference the graphic below that was nestled deep within a Goldman Sachs industry report last year.
What’s made the report and its details stand out is how plainly it outlined the truth about AI and its relationship to all of us.
Yes, we need to work out how to *use* AI, but more importantly is to consider how WE are being *used* to create AI. In every way you engage online you should consider how and when (not “if”) it will be used to train new AI tools.
If Data is Gold, then the Criminals Will “Phish” for it
The race to collect data will continue to put pressure on us from both well-intended entities, as well as, very bad actors.
Data breaches and ransomware attacks are on the rise, particularly in schools, as our education system was nudged online by Covid. It’s such a serious risk to schools, in particular, that it made the Department of Homeland Security’s 2024 National Threat Assessment report.
To protect yourself from phishing: avoid clicking on email links (you can go right to a website instead), always check that the domain in the “from” field matches a company’s domain (no exceptions, it’s always that way), consider calling the sender if the note has a sense of urgency to it (i.e., a bank), and always keep your passwords strong and unique (consider using a password manager).
Real Time Data Breach News
Nothing quite lights a fire under that keyboard than seeing in realtime what is happening on the data breach front. As I was writing this post, I received an email from Dropbox saying:
"We’re reaching out because on April 24th, we became aware of unauthorized access to the Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign) production environment. Upon further investigation, we discovered that a threat actor had accessed Dropbox Sign customer information. You are receiving this message because your information was in the data the third party accessed."
More details about the Dropbox breach here.
There was also a significant breach at Kaiser Permanente announced this week which could affect 13.4 million members spanning 40 hospitals and 618 medical facilities.
Also Talking About This Week…
Demand for AI talent is far outpacing availability in US. US companies can’t keep up with AI hiring demands, and the US immigration policy is not keeping pace. “Schedule A” is supposed to address needs that require a faster processing time for visas, and yet the it hasn’t been updated for decades leading Google to send a letter to the Department of Labor this week.
Game on as Apple poaches Google AI talent. And if that sounds like business-as-usual, the additional piece of news around Apple’s secretive lab in Zurich is a lot more interesting and mysterious…
The Rabbit that wasn’t so magic in the end. If you are a gadget junkie you might have been excited to get your hands on the Rabbit RI AI device. But unfortunately it’s a bit of a dud and hard to see a future for the device improving considering that Apple has upped its game and will likely dominate in the AI + hardware space.
How to think about kids and AI. I turned the tables on my interviewer this week… having so enjoyed my discussion with Pranath Fernando of The FuturAI I was able to ask him a few questions for a piece in Families4NewYork. I particularly valued his thoughts on the power of listening. We both believe that to prepare children for the future will take, in part, stronger emotional and critical thinking skills. It was a fun chat.
Have thoughts, concerns or questions about cybersecurity or data privacy? Let’s talk.