This week:
3 – If your business relies on social media, you’re renting your customer base
2 – Cyber security also protects the physical world
1 – AI makes us stupider
3 – If your business relies on social media, you’re renting your customer base
“I received a horrible email [from Meta], which obviously was quite traumatic to see.”
Source: The Guardian (via ASPI)
What’s the story?
According to this recent report in The Guardian, small businesses across Australia have had their Meta accounts suspended without explanation, citing false violations related to the content published by the small businesses on their Facebook or Instagram accounts.
These abrupt suspensions can reduce a business’ revenue (by up to 80%) and obviously caused emotional distress to the owners of the businesses as the appeals process only results in automated replies, with Meta’s lack of transparency leaving businesses feeling powerless.
So what?
If your business relies heavily on social media platforms to generate leads or bookings, you’re essentially renting your audience. One wrongful suspension can wipe out your income overnight. That’s why resilient businesses work hard to grow their email lists and use other online services to manage bookings, take payments, etc.
2 – Cyber security also protects the physical world
“Hackers gained access to a digital system which remotely controls one of the dam’s valves and opened it to increase the water flow [..] for around four hours”
Source: Associated Press
What’s the story?
In April, Norwegian intelligence confirmed that pro‑Russian hackers gained control of a Norwegian dam’s digital system, opening a floodgate and releasing approximately 500 litres per second for four hours. The attack didn’t cause damage, but was designed to instil fear and demonstrate the attackers’ cyber capabilities.
So what?
Cyber security is not just about protecting the cyber world. It’s also about protecting the physical world.
1 – AI makes us stupider
“ChatGPT users had the lowest brain engagement and ‘consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.”
Source: Time Magazine
What’s the story?
An MIT Media Lab study found that participants writing exam-style essays using ChatGPT showed significantly lower brain engagement (measured with an EEG) than those using Google Search or writing unaided. Over time, ChatGPT users got lazier and increasingly relied on copy-and-paste, producing essays described as lacking original thought and largely “soulless.”
By contrast, those using only their brains demonstrated higher creativity, memory formation, and original thinking.
The roles were reversed (ChatGPT group were asked to re-write an essay using only their brains, and the brain-only group were allowed to use ChatGPT for the re-write). The first group remembered very little of their earlier essay. However, the second group performed well, suggesting AI could be used as a way to enhance existing learning methods, but not replace them.
So what?
Used in the wrong way, AI makes us stupider*.
(* I thought using this fake word would be funny. Until ChatGPT told me ‘stupider’ actually is a word. So, you see, ChatGPT can enhance learning!)