Gen Z Interest in Influencers Drops 5% but Buying Power Remains Strong

According to a recent survey by Morning Consult, many younger consumers are losing interest in social media influencers in 2024. As compared to 2023, there was a 5% drop in interest in influencers in 2024. The survey was based on 2,205 US adults and 1,002 Gen-Z between the ages of 13-21. The respondents also included 832 Gen-Z and 1,117 US adults who follow influencers on different social media websites.

The report said that in today's times, anybody can be a social media star. If you want to become a social media influencer, all you need is to make entertaining content that can engage the users. If the content goes viral and resonates with the audience, the influencers gain followers and fans. Despite people slowly losing interest in influencers, they are still interested in making purchases after recommendations of influencers.

45% of the social media users in the survey admitted that they are likely to purchase something if it is recommended by an influencer on social media. The survey also found that there is no one favorite influencer of social media users, as they liked multiple influencers at once.

Read next: 68% to Increase Social Spend in 2025, 63% Say GenAI Will Shape Consumer Behavior
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

The Hidden Health Cost of Convenience: Are Delivery Apps Sabotaging Your BMI?

Nowadays most of us want to save their time by not cooking at home and getting food delivered at their footsteps but researchers from University of Bonn have found out that food delivery apps are increasing our Body Mass Index (BMI). There are a lot of super apps which help us save our time and are extremely convenient to us like grocery apps, food delivery apps, traveling apps and shopping apps. The researchers found that these types of apps are increasing our BMI and can be impactful for already obese or overweight people.

There is no doubt that food delivery apps like Doordash, Ubereats and Deliveroo are more prominent in cities and rural areas and people who are employed are the ones who use these apps the most. This is because they don't want to waste their time shopping, preparing and cooking healthy meals and delivery apps seem the most convenient to them. They can do several other things in the time they save by ordering food online.

This shortcut makes them less active because people who frequently use delivery apps aren't getting any physical exercise by buying or cooking the food themselves. Most delivery foods are also high in calories and contain a lot of sugar, unhealthy oils, starches and salt. In other words, we are spending more time on eating highly processed unhealthy food instead of moving ourselves just so that we can enjoy some time sitting at our favorite place or even during work.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: New Research Offers Groundbreaking Way to Slash Data Center Energy Use and Boost Efficiency
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

68% to Increase Social Spend in 2025, 63% Say GenAI Will Shape Consumer Behavior

According to a recent report by MediaOcean based on a survey of 688 marketers, social media and digital display/video are the top media channels on which marketers want to increase their spend this year. 68% of the respondents say that they are going to increase their spend on social media in 2025 while 67% said that they are going to increase their spend on digital display/video in 2025. Digital marketers are also going to spend more on CTV (67%), Search (54%) and Retail Media (37%) in 2025.

When the marketers were asked what are the most important consumer trends going forward in 2025, 63% answered generative AI, 56% said connected TV/streaming and 51% answered TikTok/social video. 62% of the respondents said that performance driven paid media is an important advertising capability and media investment in current macroeconomic conditions, followed by 50% who said measurement and attribution capabilities and 45% who said brand advertising.

Marketers were also asked how they used generative AI in marketing and they responded with data analysis (47%), market research (38%) and copywriting (32%). The largest areas of concerns marketers are facing in media and marketing initiatives are decline in ability to measure campaign effectiveness on tech platforms and open web (45%), consumer ad avoidance/ad blindness (41%) and poor ability to manage reach and frequency across CTV and digital channels.

Read next:

• The Smartest CEOs in 2025: What It Takes to Be on Top

• The Dark Side of AI Coding: How AI-Generated Code is Opening Doors to Cyberattacks

• Want Better Sleep? Your Late-Night Screen Habits Might Be to Blame, Researchers Warn

by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Want Better Sleep? Your Late-Night Screen Habits Might Be to Blame, Researchers Warn

According to a new study, done among 45K Norwegian students between the ages of 18-28 years old, spending time on screen during bedtime is linked to higher risks of sleep loss and insomnia. There is a chance of a 63% increase in insomnia risk and 23 minutes less sleep time if you are spending another extra hour on-screen during bedtime. The researchers also say that even though there is a correlation between screen time and sleep problems, they are not proven to be directly linked to each other. Researchers say that it is important to establish a routine before bed and putting down the phone before bedtime can help improve sleep.

The survey asked the participants and their bedtime activities like watching TV, browsing the internet, checking their social media, and gaming. The results showed that 69% of the participants use social media along with other activities before sleeping and insomnia was identified in those who were experiencing sleep issues for at least three months thrice a week. The researchers also said that even though there is a link between screen use and sleep problems, it isn't the direct cause of it with many insomnia sufferers being prone to use more screens because they cannot sleep. The researchers also put some tips for better sleep like avoiding digital devices before bed and setting a proper routine for the night. The screens we use before bed not only steal an opportunity for sleep from us but also make us avoid sleeping.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next:

• Experts Believe that Using Blue Light Glasses Cannot Help You With Your Eye Problems But Adopting Some Simple Habits Can

• 5 Android Apps Which Help Reduce the Harmful Blue Light That Emanates from Smartphones
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

The Dark Side of AI Coding: How AI-Generated Code is Opening Doors to Cyberattacks

According to new findings from OX Security, coding with the help of AI can make you vulnerable to hacking and can involve various security concerns. OpenAI has funded an AI coding platform called Cursor which is making coding easier for many beginners as well as expert developers but these platforms can also create vulnerabilities in your codes. Many developers, especially beginners, unintentionally leave insecure codes in their apps and web applications which can increase the risk of cyberattacks. As AI doesn't fully understand how to make coding secure, it can lead to issues like injection flaws, insecure authentication, and improper access control.

Now the question is how is AI writing vulnerable codes and the first issue that arose with Cursor generating a vulnerable code that compromised the security. A security researcher at OX Security, Tomer Katzir Katz, wanted to test whether Cursor could identify and prevent any vulnerabilities in coding that could be dangerous. So he gave Cursor a task to generate a Python server with known vulnerability and the results proved that Cursor failed to not only secure the code but also produced a dangerous code as well. It created a reflected XSS (cross-site scripting) vulnerability without sanitizing it and this could open the doors for hackers to inject their malicious scripts to deface the site or steal sensitive user data.

Then Cursor was asked to create a minimalistic payment API and it again failed in terms of security. There were serious flaws in the code generated by Cursor like no input validation, no encryption, and no authentication checks. This could prove to be extremely dangerous for beginners or developers who generate codes in a rush and this could lead to data breaches and injection attacks because there is no proper security measure in these codes. When Cursor was asked to ignore security best practices to create an upload and hosting server, Cursor easily made the code for it without any hesitation. Even though it gave the warning that ignoring security warnings is not recommended, it still proceeded with the request and generated an unprotected file upload server. When Katz uploaded a malicious PHP reverse shell, the AI-generated server didn't put up any defenses and Katz could immediately gain full access to the server.

The researchers gave another test to Cursor and asked it to create a very simple wiki server without mentioning anything related to security. Cursor generated exactly what was asked but there were still no basic security measures and the wiki server could store user-submitted content without any sanitization and the system was left vulnerable to XSS attacks. The final test was done to see how Cursor handled open-source-licensed and copyrighted material. Cursor was given a snippet and description from the Chess project and was asked to rewrite or improve it. The Cursor generated almost the original code with only some slight modifications and didn't mention the original author or license. This just means that Cursor users should be cautious and shouldn't blindly trust AI-generated content entirely and should quality-test the AI-generated code so any vulnerabilities couldn't be missed.

Image: Anthony Riera / Unsplash

Read next:

• Study Finds Public Can Detect AI Content Easily, But Acceptance Depends on Context and Purpose

• The Smartest CEOs in 2025: What It Takes to Be on Top
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

The Smartest CEOs in 2025: What It Takes to Be on Top

People often wonder what it takes to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Of course, these CEOs need to be smart, and many boast an Ivy League education and other post-graduate degrees. Others, such as Mark Zuckerberg, manage to drop out of school and still become the CEO of Meta, one of the most celebrated American tech companies.

So clearly, most CEOs have other characteristics that go far beyond a diploma. According to a study by Preply that analyzed the dialogue of over 100 American CEOs, top CEOs are leaders who can communicate with their stakeholders, employees, and consumers. Without being able to emotionally connect with people and focus on their customers, these CEOs would never have made it to the top.

The Most Intelligent CEOs

Managing massive businesses requires a specific skill set. For many of these companies, intelligence is an important aspect of being a leader, and the best leaders are those who can communicate that intelligence through their use of language. To measure this, a study done by Preply analyzed the language used by men and women at the forefront of their industries. Researchers looked for indicators like sentence sophistication and critical thinking skills to make their judgments.

Coming in first is Jensen Huang of NVIDIA, followed by Jim Taiclet of Lockheed Martin and Demis Hassabis of DeepMind. These three CEOs scored the highest out of 25 CEOs, meaning that they tend to communicate intelligently. Whether it’s through the clarity of their sentences or the specific word choices they make, these CEOs have what it takes to communicate their vision to their company and employees, leading their business to success.

Name (Company)	Score
Jensen Huang (NVIDIA)	81.25
Jim Taiclet (Lockheed Martin)	80.87
Demis Hassabis (DeepMind)	80.77
Vincent Roche (Analog Devices)	80.6
Matt Murphy (Marvell Technology Group)	78.43
Reed Hastings (Netflix)	77.33
Joseph Dominguez (Constellation Energy)	76.7
Stephen A. Schwarzman (Blackstone Group)	76.37
Robert B. Ford (Abbott Laboratories)	76.1
Marc Andreessen (Andreessen Horowitz)	75.5
Patrick Collison (Stripe)	75.43
Sam Altman (OpenAI)	75.17
Shantanu Narayen (Adobe)	75.17
Robert A. Bradway (Amgen)	74.37
Jamie Dimon (JPMorgan Chase)	74.25
Satya Nadella (Microsoft)	74.17
Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron Technology)	74
Elon Musk (Tesla)	73.83
Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway)	73.83
Daniel O'Day (Gilead Sciences)	73.5
Arvind Krishna (IBM)	73.5
Reshma Kewalramani (Vertex Pharmaceuticals)	73.27
Greg Peters (Netflix)	73.2
Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn, Greylock Partners)	73.17
Dario Amodei (Anthropic)	73
Bob Iger (Walt Disney)	73
Henry R. Kravis (KKR & Co.)	72.83
Tim Cook (Apple)	72.67
Kevin Murphy (Publix)	72.5
Sundar Pichai (Alphabet, Google)	72.43

Over half of the CEOs analyzed belong to the technology or financial industry. As technology advances, CEOs of companies in the tech industry must be able to adapt to the evolution of their teams’ needs and customers’ demands to progress and effectively convey their vision. Likewise, those in the financial sector must be able to clearly communicate with both employees and customers. It seems leaders in these industries have made effective communication a priority, resulting in their success in both this study and the real world.

The Advantage of Emotional Intelligence

While it certainly takes brains to lead a company along the likes of JP Morgan Chase or Meta, clear and effective communication alone is not a silver bullet to success. The type of communication leaders utilize is key, especially in terms of how leaders are connecting with their employees and customers. This requires adaptable communication and a good degree of self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

By using “I” when talking about emotions or thoughts, people exude a greater degree of emotional intelligence, and after looking at the amount of times these CEOs made “I” statements, the top spots for this category were Bill McDermott of ServiceNow, Brian Sikes of Cargill, and Carol B. Tome of UPS.

Using “I” statements doesn’t just convey emotional intelligence. These statements also reflect ownership and initiative. By using “I” statements, CEOs can take the lead, assuming responsibility and accountability, which are important traits when leading a company.

Once again, the financial sector has an overwhelming majority of companies ranked in the emotional intelligence category. It should come as no surprise that this industry embraces emotional intelligence, as leaders in finance rely on effective communication to emotionally connect with people and establish trusting relationships. When navigating complex changes in financial markets, financial teams need to feel supported when making tough decisions, so emotional intelligence helps CEOs lead and build successful teams.

Creating Cohesive Teams and Positive Customer Relationships

When it comes to team-focused dialogue, CEOs who use the word “we” the most in sentences, the top three CEOs in this category were Christopher Calio of Raytheon Technologies, followed by Brian Niccol of Starbucks and Ramon Laguarta of Pepsico. By using the word “we’, these leaders create a collaborative atmosphere and make the success of their company a team effort.

By far, the most common companies in this category are those focused on retail service. Entities such as Starbucks, Walmart, and McDonald’s consistently rely on working relationships with their customers to retain and increase business. By creating a team culture within their respective stores, they can boost employee retention through engagement and create a blueprint for how employees interact positively with customers.

After all, customers are the cornerstone of business success. The tech and finance CEOs who focus on their customers the most through their frequent customer-focused dialogue were Andy Jassy of Amazon, Sasan Goodarzi of Intuit, and Tricia Griffith of Progressive.

Leading in Today’s Digitized World

Effective communication isn’t just a tool for leadership, it’s a necessary component for CEOs to compete with others in their field. No matter what their IQ score is or what Ivy League school they attended, having effective communication skills is key to success in all industries. CEOs have to be able to convey their vision to stakeholders, employees, and customers.

Leading in today’s digital world means communicating in a way that reaches and impacts your audience, whether it’s the suits in the boardroom, your in-house team, or customers. So company leaders have to adapt to the usage of advanced technology. For example, the long 60-second commercials will no longer resonate with audiences, as attention spans have gotten shorter with apps like TikTok and Instagram.

Print ads also lack the effectiveness they once had, as people pay less attention to newspapers and magazines. Even billboards can blend together as each tries to outdo the other with keywords and colors. To combat this, companies must adapt and learn how to convey their mission effectively to their teams so they can create innovative solutions that continue to attract consumers.

People have changed the way they communicate within our digital world, and companies must do the same. CEOs can start to tackle communicating with stakeholders and consumers by promoting clear communication first within their own company. With the right blend of intelligence, emotional adaptability, and team-focused speech within their dialogue, business leaders can take their companies to new heights.

Read next: AI-Fueled Side Hustles Are Booming: How Entrepreneurs Are Building Businesses in Record Time

by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Microsoft Updates Copilot With Exciting New Features That Are More in Line with Alternatives like ChatGPT and Claude

Microsoft is proving to the tech world that it’s not taking a back seat as the AI race heats up.

The company just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and that meant a lot of things to look forward to. This includes big plans to host different features that bring it in line with ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. The popular AI assistant will now show support for offerings like customization, deep research, memory, podcast, and camera analysis.

Other than that, the latest Memory variant can keep track of different preferences, the user’s personal details like birthdays, interests, and even advice on how to make it all the more proactive. As per Microsoft, it can even select which data it wants Copilot to recall or opt out as a whole.

The matter is a huge part of the current efforts to transform the assistant into something more personal. As per the software giant, it’s still in the early process of thinking and evaluating. But once that phase is over, it does hope to give a more personalized touch and entail options such as the return of Clippy.

Copilot is more than a simple AI. Every individual gets the chance to uniquely style and blend different attributes that suit every individual separately. So it’s not really just limited to making the AI chatbot more personal to your likes, but also giving it more power.

There’s a new Actions feature that provides AI the chance to roll out tasks through web browsers, similar to how the Operator agent works. We’ve similarly seen Amazon’s newest Nova Act model do the same.

Microsoft shared how that might be used for show ticket bookings, reservations at restaurants, and purchasing products. When you combine this with shopping features, you’ll see Copilot products appear and now can find more sales and discounts.

Copilot Vision first started with the launch of a unique web tool that we found in the year 2004. It’s now undergone a serious expansion to reach Windows and mobile platforms. Through this, the Copilot can see what’s visible on screens across various other platforms and files. In this manner, you can answer queries or interact with content and material at the same time. iOS and Android say that it could discuss anything visible from a phone camera or images seen on camera rolls.

Deep Research shared how Copilot could analyze big documents or sources from the internet for giant projects. The research abilities are getting combined with Bing to power AI replies inside a search engine.

• Related: AI Adoption Enters New Phase Driven by Infrastructure Overhauls and Embedded Features

Similar to how other AI offerings work today, this new Copilot could also use studies to produce podcast-themed audio to look for different topics. Meanwhile, the latest Pages feature will allow it to plan notes and research for various documents into a single file.

The software giant says that most of the latest features are launching today in ‘initial files’ and will get even better with time. So we’ll keep an eye on this in the next few weeks and months. The availability varies by feature, the market, and even the app. None of these would be a first, as we’ve seen ChatGPT include memory features in the past year. Then Google Gemini rolled out a vision mode, and now every tech giant wants to make its own personalized AI agent.

Remember, ChatGPT first included memory features in the past year, and then we saw Google Gemini roll out vision modes. After that, every AI firm wished to design more personalized AI agents, but included them altogether. This proves how Microsoft is keen on keeping up with other archrivals in the industry. This is also proof that it wants to get the best returns from its investments done inside OpenAI.



Read next: Study Reveals ChatGPT’s Cognitive Shortcuts and Biases, Questioning AI’s Trustworthiness in Critical Decisions
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Study Reveals ChatGPT’s Cognitive Shortcuts and Biases, Questioning AI’s Trustworthiness in Critical Decisions

According to a new study published in the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management journal, ChatGPT’s decision-making process is similar to humans and mirrors their cognitive shortcuts, thought patterns, and blind spots. There have always been talks about how ChatGPT can make better decisions than humans but this new study shows that ChatGPT can make decision-making mistakes just like humans. This is consistent through different situations but can change according to the models.

For the study, the researchers tested ChatGPT with 18 different bias scenarios to know how it approaches different situations. The results of the study revealed that ChatGPT showed biases like ambiguity, overconfidence, conjunction fallacy, and aversion in about half of the tests. It was also found that AI is good at performing tasks that include logic and maths but it couldn't perform well when it comes to subjective reasoning or judgement. Even though the GPT-4 mark is more accurate in analytical tasks as compared to other versions, it still showed strong biases in some judgment-based decisions.

AI is being used in almost all areas of life so this study asks the question of whether AI is still reliable if it is making bad decisions just like humans. The lead author of the study says that AI learns from humans so it is natural for it to mimic them and make judgment calls similar to humans. The study also found that ChatGPT tends to overestimate itself, play it safe, seek confirmation, and avoid ambiguity. When a decision involves a clear answer, ChatGPT does so without any errors but when judgment is involved, AI may make bad decisions. So it is important to monitor ChatGPT’s answers instead of leaving them unchecked, especially if it is being used for policy making.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: AI’s Shadow Looms Larger as UN Urges Immediate Global Response
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

TikTok Expands EU Data Centers, Strengthens Privacy Compliance While Navigating Fines and U.S. Uncertainty

The fate of TikTok still hangs in limbo in America, and during that period of uncertainty, the social media giant is working to better its relations with the EU.

The company has taken a major step to make regulators in the region happy by keeping user data separate from that related to its base in China. This means it’s trying to pull out all the stops to regain confidence and ensure it stands as a separate entity in this regard.

In this regard, the app shared a new update called Project Clover, which is aimed at tackling data security. The goal right now is to make sure EU data isn’t accessed by Chinese employees and government officials.

The initiative was first shared last year in July, where TikTok now admits to hitting a milestone with this latest change. The final EU data center is currently in operation. The current one, located in Hamar, Norway, plays a crucial role in the region’s economy. The location supports nearly 200 jobs, and that entails cooling experts, engineers, and electricians. They’re all contributing by providing tech expertise in that part of the world while enhancing regional employment.

The app shared how the latest establishment is a part of its dedicated efforts to make the EU happy and ensure all user data is stored in the EU only through default means. It’s also working on tapping on the shoulders of the NCC cybersecurity group to oversee and confirm all data controls.

Through this, the app is now getting stored across different EU data centers and hosting various facilities across the nation. This ensures there aren’t any data transfers linked to China. However, it’s still set to be impacted with a massive $552M fine by regulators in Ireland for past transfers of EU users’ data to China.

The starting investigation that gave rise to this fine was Project Clover, but now that the company is showing a clear separation from this project, it is hoped matters will clear up. However, that’s not the case. Today, TikTok is spending billions in regards to overseeing and developing data protection for EU users. With the fine getting included in this bill, it’s adding a lot of pressure in general.

This might be another reason why it’s working to better its in-app commerce push. Remember, the goal is to focus on the American market for all in-platform sales, but there’s no harm in extending that into the European side, right?

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: AI’s Shadow Looms Larger as UN Urges Immediate Global Response
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Authors Around the World Protest Against Meta’s AI Book Scraping Activities

A new investigation by The Atlantic is shedding light on a huge problem that authors in today’s day and age are facing, thanks to AI.

So much original content is not only getting scraped online by bots, it’s also getting published on public libraries, leading to absolute fury. Millions of books and academic papers were taken without consent.

The recent fury has to do with Facebook’s parent firm Meta, which might have accessed millions of materials to train its AI system Llama. This is why groups of authors located in places like the UK are standing their ground and protesting for their rights. They want their governments to intervene. We’re already seeing Meta, which owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook, defend a legal case brought on by top authors for the same reason.

The systems are huge, and they keep getting fed with huge amounts of data and trained to spot different patterns inside. This data is then used to produce passages of text by guessing the next term in that sequence.

Despite all of these systems getting dubbed intelligent, we see critics each day express dismay about how LLMs don’t think out of the box. They’re zero in terms of comprehension and can present all sorts of errors like it’s reality.

Most tech giants kept on arguing about how they need to produce more information to transform these systems into something reliable. At the same time, the media industry that features artists and authors also wants these tech giants to pay them for using their material.

A spokesperson at Meta shared how it rolled out transformational GenAI that powers huge innovation, creativity, and productivity for people working inside firms. They claim that fair use copyrights are crucial in curbing the issue, and that Meta wants to create AI that helps the masses.

Other than stealing ideas, issues about accuracy exist, and AI systems are super power hungry today. They’re creating more environmental fears as people worry it might replace them in the workplace someday soon.

Meta strongly feels open source models such as Llama better human productivity and can enhance quality of life, but this comes at the cost of human creativity. Artists feel they’re already undervalued, and now AI is taking away whatever little they have.

This is why so many writers are calling upon the government to make a difference, as that’s they’re only hope. They are helpless right now, and competing against the likes of Meta is never going to be easy for anyone.

After scraping the material, authors get zero compensation or even a shoutout of recognition when it’s used. This is what they are arguing about. Writers are calling for transparency as that’s something they feel is the least they deserve. After all, taking books produced by someone else and then using that to make revenue without taking consent is a little harsh, don’t you think?

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next:

• AI-Fueled Side Hustles Are Booming: How Entrepreneurs Are Building Businesses in Record Time

• Gemini, ChatGPT, DeepSeek: The Biggest AI Data Collectors Revealed
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

AI-Fueled Side Hustles Are Booming: How Entrepreneurs Are Building Businesses in Record Time

Side hustles have always been about turning ideas into income on your own terms. But now, thanks to AI, the timeline from “idea” to “income” is shrinking fast. What used to take weeks, or even months, can now happen in days. Sometimes, hours.

For today’s entrepreneurs, AI tools can be a shortcut, a collaborator, and a productivity powerhouse. A recent study from Liquid Web shows us just how quickly side hustlers are building real businesses by putting AI to work. The findings have a lot to say about where work is heading and how fast things are changing.

Businesses are launching faster than ever

Forget drawn-out business plans and months of prep. Those days are fading. According to the study, nearly 40% of side hustlers launched their businesses within a week of using AI tools. Even more surprising, about 10% took just two days to go from idea to launch.

That kind of speed used to be unheard of. Now, it’s becoming the norm — especially for younger entrepreneurs. Gen Z, while making up just over a fifth of survey participants, accounted for 40% of the fastest launches. One in five even started making money in the first week.

Around 60% of these side hustlers used AI to help build websites, write content, manage social media, or handle repetitive tasks. AI is letting solo entrepreneurs skip what's slowing them down and get right to building their businesses. What’s driving all this? Mostly generative AI tools like ChatGPT.

Some are making money right away

That’s not an exaggeration. One in five survey respondents earned income—averaging more than $200—within the first week of starting their AI-powered hustle.

The average time to launch was just 17 days.

And these aren’t just quick gigs or flash-in-the-pan projects. People are building scalable businesses with real potential. AI cuts costs, simplifies branding, and makes delivering services way easier. What once needed a team can now be done by one person, thanks to smart automation and content-generation tools.

This new wave of entrepreneurship is lean, fast, and efficient — and it’s already paying off.

People are happy with AI and doubling down

Most side hustlers are seeing more than just early wins using AI to help build businesses. They’re also genuinely happy with how AI tools are working for them.

According to the data:

• 83% said they saved time.
• 80% found AI tools cost-effective.
• 80% thought they were easy to learn.
• 79% were happy with their final product's quality.

That kind of satisfaction usually leads to reinvestment, and Liquid Web found that entrepreneurs have done so. Two in five side hustlers said they plan to put earnings back into better AI tools. Among Gen Z, that number climbs to 45%.

In short, people are seeing results, and they’re all in.

As Sachin Puri, Chief Growth Officer at Liquid Web, put it: “AI is reshaping not only how businesses start, but also how quickly they achieve financial success.”

The top roadblocks: Time, money, and marketing

AI has removed a lot of traditional hurdles, but it hasn’t solved everything. Entrepreneurs still face real challenges. Here’s what respondents said they’re struggling with most:

• 37% pointed to limited time to devote to their side hustle.
• 30% said lack of funds.
• 16% mentioned gaps in marketing or sales skills.
• 11% brought up lack of technical knowledge.

Only 5% said access to AI tools was a barrier, which is telling. The tools are out there, but people still need support with strategy, time management, and scaling their operations.

How people are actually using AI

So, what exactly are entrepreneurs doing with these tools?

• Creating content (51%) – Think blog posts, product descriptions, website copy, and social media.
• Design and branding (43%) – From logos to full-blown web templates.
• Brainstorming ideas (37%) – AI is becoming a go-to for fast idea generation.
• Improving marketing (37%) – Smarter tools mean better targeting and messaging.
• Automating tasks (31%) – Streamlining repetitive work and freeing up time.

Some are going even further, using AI for customer service, data analysis, or helping with product development. What’s great is that you don’t need a huge budget to access these tools. Small teams and even solo creators can do a lot with just a few platforms.

A different kind of side hustle

When you think of side hustles, you might imagine things like selling items on Etsy or picking up freelance gigs. AI is changing that—now, people are expanding into building content businesses, productized services, and even micro-agencies—all with a few tools and a clear niche.

AI is a time-saver in many ways, but it’s a game-changer for how people think about starting a business on the side. The speed, affordability, and scalability that AI brings is creating a whole new type of entrepreneurship.

It's also not just for tech-savvy folks. These tools are getting more intuitive and beginner-friendly every day, opening doors for people from all backgrounds.

What this means for the future of work

Entrepreneurship used to feel out of reach for a lot of people. Not anymore. With AI, someone with a good idea and a few free hours can spin up a brand, build a site, and start offering services in a weekend.

And they can do it without spending thousands upfront.

This shift is changing how we think about jobs, careers, and what’s possible with limited time or resources—even while holding down a full-time job. It’s creating a more level playing field where anyone willing to learn can build something valuable.

The advice for new founders: Start now. Experiment—see what works, then double down.

As Puri said: “The potential for growth is immense when you combine creativity with the power of AI.”

Fast, flexible, and AI-powered side hustles

AI isn’t just helping side hustlers move faster—it’s reshaping the whole idea of what side hustling can be.

People are launching smarter, earning sooner, and building businesses they couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. And they’re doing it with tools that continue to get better, cheaper, and easier to use.

This is more than a trend. It’s the start of a new kind of entrepreneurship—one powered by tech, driven by creativity, and open to anyone with a laptop and a little ambition.

Read next: SEO Job Market Shifts: Listings Decline, Leadership Roles Surge, and AI Skills Drive High Salaries
by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

Encrypted iMessages Becoming New Front for Phishing Attacks, Thanks to iPhone Farms

A new study by security researchers is speaking about how iPhone farms are sending nearly 100,000 scam iMessages every single day.

These farms are banks of devices filled with rotating temporary Apple IDs. Instead of texting, they use iMessages so scammers can bypass any kind of spam filters that might be in place on the user’s device. Moreover, these scammers don’t need any special skills to carry out such attacks in the first place. You can think of them as companies providing Phishing-As-A-Service (PhAAS), which is a special kind of phishing attack.

Most of the scams taking place today entail false demands for tasks like traffic toll fees or shipping fees for packages arriving at the Customs. There are also fake warnings about any kind of unpaid tax.

The majority of the scams are rolled out through email and texts, and then a common cat and mouse game takes place between one criminal to the next. There is also the arrival of mobile carriers who try to alert users about suspicious message transfers to block all of them.

The news comes to us from research experts at Catalyst who say that scammers are switching to iMessage as they’re encrypted. Networks cannot see the material, so they aren’t ever blocked or highlighted.

What makes the whole situation so much worse is how one platform from China is offering iPhone farms for sale that people can use by paying. For instance, one example is Lucid, which is operated by threat actors from China. They target 169 entities across 88 different nations around the globe.

It’s all very scalable, and the subscription-based designs enable cybercriminals to carry out large-scale phishing attempts. These can harvest sensitive details like credit cards for matters like money fraud. To ensure it’s not caught, it makes use of Android RCS and Apple’s iMessage to get more support and acceptance. This will bypass all classic filters for spam and also improve better rates for deliver and success.

Some scammers go all the way to produce convincing-looking alternatives to pages for organizations that seem so real, like a courier service. One group called the XinXin group was seen putting phishing templates on sale. These are created to copy postal services, tax refunds, and even road toll fee systems.

There’s even a group on Telegram that sells PhAAS attacks that feature up to 2,000 different members. Experts warn to never clicking on these phishing links seen in emails. No matter how much you might be tempted to do so, it’s better to use personal bookmarks or add a known URL.

It’s simpler to make emails or texts appear like they came from real companies, so we feel trusting anyone online is never advisable. If there’s any message asking for a quick acceptance or forcing you to act immediately to avoid a fee, there is something wrong here for sure.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: OpenAI’s o3 Reasoning AI Model Fails to Impress and Might Be More Expensive to Run than Anticipated
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Wikipedia Pays Price of AI Boom: Company Struggling From Rising Costs Due to Bots Scraping Its Articles

Popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia is reportedly paying a major price for the AI boom. The encyclopedia giant is struggling with a rise in costs due to bots scraping content that is used for training AI models.

This is not only a financial constraint but also has to do with a strain across the platform’s bandwidth.

On Tuesday, we saw the nonprofit firm hosting Wikipedia issue a warning about automated requests for its content that keep on growing exponentially. This causes a massive disruption across the website and forces the encyclopedia to add greater capacity and, similarly, increase the billing for data centers.

The infrastructure is created to withstand the rise in traffic from humans during top events, but the traffic levels produced using scraper bots are unpredictable and keep showing up as a rise in costs and higher risk.

The Foundation shared how the bandwidth for downloading content grew 50%. But the traffic here is not arriving from actual humans but automated programs. These keep on installing licensed images to feed pictures to their AI models.

Another serious issue has to do with bots gathering large amounts of data from less famous articles on Wikipedia. Taking a closer look, it was shown that nearly 65% of the traffic arrives through bots. This is an unequal amount when we look at overall pageviews via bots, which make up 35% of the majority.

These bots scrape serious systems in the developer infrastructure, like code review platforms, and that again puts a major strain on the page’s resources. In reply, the online encyclopedia’s site managers impose case-by-case rates that restrict the AI crawlers or that ban them altogether.

To address the issue further, the Wikimedia Foundation says it’s rolling out a more Responsible Use of this Infrastructure plan that identifies the network strain coming from AI bot scrapers that aren’t sustainable.

Wikipedia hopes to get more feedback from the community on how to best tackle this serious issue and identify traffic coming from these bot scrapers and how to filter them out. This will include forcing bot operators to scan through authentication for top volume scrapers and API usage.

• Also read: The Uprising of Bots: Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Co-Pilot Serving Tough Competition to OpenAI’s ChatGPT

Wikipedia knows that it’s a huge threat as their material is free of cost, but the infrastructure isn’t. They have to act now to re-create a healthier balance.

Reddit faced something similar in 2023. Software giant Microsoft, for instance, didn’t alert Reddit about scraping content and using that for AI features. It then blocked Microsoft from scraping its own pages, which Reddit’s CEO openly condemned.

Reddit further decided to take action by charging third-party developers to gain access to their API. This led to the developer to revolt, experience sudden blackouts on the app, and even shut down for some leading clients of the company.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: YouTube in a Position To Become The Leader of Video Streaming in 2025
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

YouTube in a Position To Become The Leader of Video Streaming in 2025

YouTube is the most-widely used video streaming service in the world with a net worth of $550 billion currently, making it the king of all media. The video streaming service, due to its variety of content, is also poised to become the leader of all video content media in revenue generation and screen timing in 2025 as per the statistics.

According to the analyst Michael Nathanson at MoffettNathanson, YouTube was the second-largest company by revenue in 2024 with a generated revenue of $54.2 billion, just behind Disney, which the company is in a position to replace as the top most company in 2025. Moreover, in the past 12 months, for the second time in February 2025, YouTube became the largest aggregate TV content source in the US as per the screening time. Which means that it surpassed even the giants, like Disney, Fox Corp, Paramount Global, Netflix etc.

According to Nathanson's analysis, if YouTube remains on the same trajectory, it will grow even further in 2025, allowing it to even become the premier streaming aggregator. The numbers surely do indicate this end result. YouTube generated $36.15 billion in ad revenue in 2024 alone, and its subscription revenue in the 12-month period until September 2024 topped at $15 billion. YouTube TV service has become the biggest online TV service in the USA with more than 8 million subscribers; plus, its YouTube music and premium services have crossed 125 million subscribers. He says that YouTube will have 10% of the share of the $85 billion TV industry by the end of 2026 and will surely become the leader in the industry.

Nathanson also predicts that YouTube operating income, which was $7.8 billion in 2024, will likely grow to $10.2 billion this year and will grow further to $13.8 billion in 2027, with operating margin increasing from 14% to 16% and then 18% respectively. This he says will be due to more subscriptions and better subscription rates.

Another factor that will increase YouTube subscribers and help it in increasing its revenue is better smart devices and faster internet. In the upcoming years, better versions of the existing smartphones will enter the market which will be faster and will expand the scope of online streaming services. Also, new ways to give access to faster internet are replacing the existing ones, like the Starlink project by Elon Musk. Such technologies will give access to the internet to areas where the internet is still unknown. Both will force people to prefer online services like Youtube to traditional TV due to its convenience and variety it offers, thus increasing its subscribers.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: OpenAI Anticipates Delays in New Image Generation Tool for ChatGPT Due to Capacity Challenges
by Ehtasham Ahmad via Digital Information World

France Penalizes Apple with $162M Fine For Its ATT Privacy Model

iPhone maker Apple was just stuck with a mega $162 million fine by a leading French watchdog over the rollout of its ATT privacy framework.

The penalty comes for abusing its monopoly position as a top distributor of mobile apps in the region after launching the App Tracking Transparency model. As per the Autorité de la concurrence, the Cupertino firm rolled this out in 2021 and carried on for all iOS and iPadOS devices until 2023.

This feature forces mobile apps to get users’ explicit permission to access the phone’s unique ad identifier. Once that’s done, it can be tracked through different platforms and pages for the sake of targeted ads.

Until they get permission, the device cannot track the user, and no revenue is generated in terms of identifier value and targeting. However, once the permission is received, it’s a whole other game where the company will benefit at the users’ tracking cost.

App developers must also speak about the purpose behind why features like tracking are necessary, the French regulator shared. It’s not only about attaining consent.

They also shared how the ATT model is not the main or core issue here, but the fact that there’s no transparency about the matter for users is where the real problem lies. How this ATT gets implemented is not important or proportionate, as Apple shared its objectives for why it wants to protect users’ personal information.

Describing the ATT is mostly complex as the consent attained through such frameworks doesn’t meet the legal obligations needed under this law. It forces developers to use their own consent as solutions. This leads to several different consent pop-ups being put on display to all.

One issue is that consent tracking needs to be shown and confirmed by all users more than once, and also that refusal should only be a one-step process. This would make such models more neutral and acceptable.

Publishers were needed to attain double consent from people for tracking on third-party pages and apps. The iPhone maker didn’t ask for consent from people when it came down to its own apps. So this was another major loophole.

There was also a discussion about how double consent is needed when it comes to the collection of data. However, when it comes to collecting user consent for Apple’s own data collection, it’s only done once, which was called unfair.

It’s worth mentioning how this order doesn’t impose any kind of certain changes made to this framework. As per Reuters, it’s now the company that has to make sure that it’s complying with all the rulings. The fine is a major game changer for Apple, whose earnings hit $36B on a revenue of $124B in Q4 of last year.

A statement that was shared with AP, the company explained how the ATT model is the same for all developers. It has attained support for this feature from different consumers, authorities for data protection, and privacy advocates around the globe.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: 

• Social Media Platforms Dominate Time Spent Per Visit, YouTube and Naver Lead Rankings

• Meta Found Complicit In Running Illegal Ads for Settlements in The West Bank Of Palestine
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Social Media Platforms Dominate Time Spent Per Visit, YouTube and Naver Lead Rankings

Some websites attract more traffic than others due to their importance in today's digital world, such as Google, the most-used search engine. However, Google does not top the list of websites where users spend the most time per visit.

Unsurprisingly, social media platforms dominate the rankings, as people spend more time engaging with content and connecting with others. According to Similarweb data, users spend significantly longer per visit on social media platforms compared to other websites, drawn by diverse entertainment options and real-time updates.

Websites Where Users Spend the Most Time per Visit

YouTube leads the list, with users spending an average of 20 minutes and 47 seconds per visit. As the world's most popular video streaming platform, YouTube generated $36.2 billion in ad revenue in 2024 alone. The platform’s video-based content keeps users engaged longer than text-heavy sites, making it the top-ranked website in terms of time spent.

At number two is Naver, the dominant search engine in South Korea, where users spend an average of 16 minutes and 4 seconds per visit. Despite being less known globally, Naver surpasses Google in South Korea in terms of both usage and engagement.

X (formerly Twitter) ranks third, with users spending 12 minutes and 37 seconds per visit. With nearly 650 million users, X serves as a hub for real-time news, discussions, and direct interactions with public figures, contributing to its high engagement levels.

The social media messenger WhatsApp is ranked fourth, with an average visit duration of 12 minutes and 26 seconds. With 3 billion users worldwide, the app remains the preferred choice for messaging, ensuring continuous daily usage.

At number five, Facebook retains its strong user engagement, with visitors spending 10 minutes and 59 seconds per session. Boasting 3.07 billion users, Facebook’s mix of social connections, groups, pages, and entertainment options contributes to its high retention.

Google ranks sixth, with an average visit duration of 10 minutes and 46 seconds. While it is the world's most visited website, its nature as a search engine means users typically enter, find information, and leave relatively quickly compared to social platforms.

Other Notable Websites

At number seven, Yahoo Japan (yahoo.co.jp) holds an average visit time of 8 minutes and 54 seconds, remaining a dominant search engine in Japan. It is followed closely by Yandex, Russia’s largest search engine, where users spend 8 minutes and 48 seconds per visit.

Instagram ranks ninth, with users spending 8 minutes and 41 seconds per session. As a leading photo and video-sharing platform with 2 billion users, Instagram attracts users who stay engaged with updates from celebrities, influencers, and friends.

At number ten comes LinkedIn, with an average session duration of 8 minutes and 33 seconds. Given its role as a professional networking and job-seeking platform, users spend extended time browsing job listings and industry updates.

Dzen.ru, a Russian content aggregation platform, ranks eleventh, with visitors spending 8 minutes and 30 seconds per visit.

Beyond these, other platforms rank lower in terms of time spent per visit:

Yahoo.com (7m 43s, rank 12)

Netflix (7m 07s, rank 13)

ChatGPT (6m 47s, rank 14)

Reddit (6m 07s, rank 15)

Amazon (5m 51s, rank 16)

Baidu (5m 35s, rank 17)

TikTok (4m 09s, rank 18)

Wikipedia (3m 18s, rank 19)

Microsoft Online (2m 16s, rank 20)

The data highlights that content format and user engagement strategies significantly influence time spent on websites. Platforms that offer immersive content - such as video, real-time interactions, and personalized feeds - retain users the longest.

Website	Avg. Visit Duration (h:mm:ss)
youtube.com	0:20:47
naver.com	0:16:04
x.com	0:12:37
whatsapp.com	0:12:26
facebook.com	0:10:59
google.com	0:10:46
yahoo.co.jp	0:08:54
yandex.ru	0:08:48
instagram.com	0:08:41
linkedin.com	0:08:33
dzen.ru	0:08:30
yahoo.com	0:07:43
netflix.com	0:07:07
chatgpt.com	0:06:47
reddit.com	0:06:07
amazon.com	0:05:51
baidu.com	0:05:35
tiktok.com	0:04:09
wikipedia.org	0:03:18
microsoftonline.com	0:02:16

Read next:

• Report Highlights AI’s Factual Inaccuracy and Rising Skepticism Among Experts

• New Survey Shows that Gmail is the Most Used Email Service Provider in the US
by Ehtasham Ahmad via Digital Information World

US Smart Speaker Market: Amazon Echo Reigns Supreme

Statista’s latest report highlights the most favorite smart speaker in America, with Amazon Echo being the top favorite which is currently dominating the US market. The survey, conducted among 2,584 smart speaker owners in the US, found that 61% of the respondents love Amazon Echo voice-activated smart speakers running the Alexa voice assistant.

The second most favorite smart speaker among US consumers is Google Home which is liked by 23% of respondents and runs on Google Assistant. HomePod, which runs Siri, and Nest, which runs Google Assistant, are liked by 16% of respondents each. Bose, which runs Google Assistant as well as Alexa, is a favorite of 11% of Americans. 11% of Americans also love JBL LINK Series smart speakers running Google Assistant and Siri.

The survey also found that 75% of the people in the US do not own a smart speaker which shows that there is no room for market growth. Out of all the US adults who own a smart speaker, six in ten of them said that they own the whole system.

The dominance of Amazon Echo in the US smart speaker market aligns with broader industry trends, where ecosystem integration plays a crucial role in consumer preference. Amazon’s aggressive push into smart home connectivity, along with Alexa’s vast skillset and compatibility with third-party devices, has solidified its lead. However, Google’s advancements in AI and Apple’s focus on privacy and premium audio could reshape the landscape in the coming years. With 75% of Americans yet to adopt smart speakers, future growth may depend on new innovations, improved AI capabilities, and deeper integration with everyday digital experiences.

Read next:

• Privacy Divide Widens: Spain, South Korea Concerned While U.S. Falls Behind, Statista Reports

• New Survey Shows that Gmail is the Most Used Email Service Provider in the US
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Report Highlights AI’s Factual Inaccuracy and Rising Skepticism Among Experts

A study from the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence examines the disconnect between public perception and actual AI performance. Although AI systems continue evolving, ensuring accurate responses remains an unresolved challenge.

Despite extensive funding, prominent AI models struggle to maintain reliability. The AAAI’s research panel collected insights from experts and surveyed hundreds of participants to assess current capabilities.

The findings indicate that widely used AI models face difficulties with factual accuracy. In evaluations using straightforward question sets, these systems provided incorrect answers in more than half of the cases. Researchers have attempted various methods to enhance precision, such as retrieving relevant documents before response generation, applying automated reasoning to eliminate inconsistencies, and guiding AI through step-by-step problem-solving processes.

Even with these refinements, meaningful progress has been limited. Approximately 60 percent of AI specialists remain skeptical about achieving reliable factual accuracy in the near term. This reinforces the importance of human oversight when using AI tools, particularly in domains where precision is essential, such as finance and healthcare.

The study also highlights a major gap in understanding. Nearly 79 percent of AI experts believe the general public overestimates current AI capabilities. Many individuals lack the necessary knowledge to critically evaluate claims made about AI advancements. Industry analysts have observed that AI enthusiasm recently peaked and is now entering a period of reduced expectations. This trend influences digital marketing strategies, where businesses may allocate resources based on unrealistic assumptions about AI’s potential. When results do not align with projections, financial setbacks may occur.

Additionally, 74 percent of researchers argue that AI development is shaped more by popular interest than by scientific necessity. This raises concerns that fundamental challenges, including factual reliability, might be overlooked in favor of commercially appealing advancements.

Organizations adopting AI-driven solutions must recognize the limitations of these technologies. Regular evaluations and expert reviews are essential to mitigating errors, particularly in regulated sectors where misinformation carries significant consequences.

AI-generated content can negatively impact credibility if inaccuracies persist. Search platforms may deprioritize sites that publish unreliable information, reinforcing the need for careful oversight. A balanced approach where AI assists but humans validate remains the most effective strategy for maintaining trust and relevance.

Beyond content creation, decision-makers must take a measured approach to AI investment. Committing resources to new technologies without proven returns can result in costly miscalculations. Businesses that develop a clear understanding of AI’s capabilities and constraints will be better positioned to implement sustainable strategies that deliver real value.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: 

• Phones Aren’t the Only Distraction: Study Shows Workplace Procrastination Persists Despite Device Distance

• How Is AI Fueling a Data Explosion Bigger Than All of Human History?

• New Survey Shows that Gmail is the Most Used Email Service Provider in the US
by Asim BN via Digital Information World

New Survey Shows that Gmail is the Most Used Email Service Provider in the US

Google has recently announced that it is integrating Gemini AI Assistant into Gmail and this has made many users anxious because of concerns related to generative AI reading their personal emails. Google has also mentioned a lot of advantages of this AI integration into Gmail like faster email searches, prioritizing emails, and highlighting important emails with the help of Gemini. However, users are skeptical and question why AI is needed for these tasks and are concerned that AI models would be trained on their emails.

Statista Consumer Insights did a recent survey to find out which email service providers are dominating the US market, and it was no surprise that Gmail is currently being dominated with 75% of the respondents using it. The second most used email provider is Yahoo Mail but it is a lot behind Gmail, with 31% of the respondents using it.

Other email service providers being used by Americans are Microsoft Outlook/Hotmail (25%), Apple iCloud Mail (17%) and AOL Mail (10%). 9% of respondents also reported using At&T Mail, while Spectrum and Xfinity (Comcast) are also being used by 8% and 7% of respondents respectively. The survey was done among 1249 US respondents between the ages of 18 and 64.

Read next: Digital Fatigue: A Third of Americans Willing To Trade Security for Convenience
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

How Is AI Fueling a Data Explosion Bigger Than All of Human History?

Right now, there is a lot of data which is collected, stored, and processed in the digital world. As technology is advancing, so is the rise and influence of data. We used data from Avison Young and  IDC Global DataSphere Forecast to draw a visualization of rapid increase in data over the years and what challenges and opportunities are associated with it. Projections indicate that the next three years will generate more data than all of human history combined. One of the biggest reasons for this mass generation of data will be due to artificial intelligence, starting from 2014 with the release of the first generative AI model and then the launch of OpenAI’s GPT-1 in 2018.

In 2010, the worldwide data was just 2 zettabytes, which increased gradually to 13 zettabytes in 2014. In 2018, the worldwide data reached 33 zettabytes and by 2020, it had increased to 64 zettabytes.

In 2022, the worldwide data reached 101 zettabytes from 84 zettabytes in 2021. It was the year when OpenAI’s ChatGPT got released and 1 million users visited the platform within the five days of its release. Nowadays there are a lot of AI products that people are using in their daily lives, and that's why data is estimated to reach 182 zettabytes in 2025. Before 2023, the total data created was about 542 zettabytes starting from 2010. But from 2024 to 2026, about 552 zettabytes of data are going to be generated, which highlights the growing trends in technology and AI market.

Read next: Digital Fatigue: A Third of Americans Willing To Trade Security for Convenience
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Phones Aren’t the Only Distraction: Study Shows Workplace Procrastination Persists Despite Device Distance

According to a new study published in Frontiers of Computer, putting the smartphone away from people isn't enough to reduce procrastination and disruption so they can focus on their work. The study wanted to know if placing smartphones away at work can reduce workers' non-work-related smartphone usage. For the study, the researchers gathered 22 participants and made them work in a soundproof and private room with their usual work devices, which include phones and laptops. The smartphones received usual notifications which were not controlled by researchers.

The researchers experimented with two conditions, with the first one being putting the phone on a desk within easy reach. The other condition was placing the phone 1.5 meters away on another desk. The only difference between these two conditions was the distance between the smartphone and the participants. The results found that putting the smartphone away reduced phone use but the participants started distracting themselves by other means, like using their laptops instead of mobile phones.

It didn't matter what the placement of the phone was because it didn't put any difference in focus and the time spent on work and leisure activities remained the same. The study also found that the participants used smartphones as the preferred devices for distraction because they provided a connection with work and loved ones. As smartphones have everything from alarm clocks to navigation systems and from sources of information to music players, people prefer using them over other devices. Even if smartphones aren't serving any purpose, people can still use social media for entertainment. Even though computers can still serve all these purposes, they aren't that easy to use and portable.

The researchers suggest some ways to reduce distractions at work, such as silencing or scheduling notifications. However, they also admit that avoiding complete phone use is impossible and highly unlikely because people are completely dependent on their phones and cannot resist them, especially the younger ones.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Job Hopping Becomes the Norm as 70% of U.S. Workers Eye Career Moves
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Are AI Crawlers Threatening Website Performance, SEO, and Bandwidth Costs?

There has been an increase in AI crawlers on different websites and these bots are affecting the search ranking and speed of those websites These AI crawlers are from companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Amazon, and are crawling on websites to gather data for AI models. For instance, SourceHut has blocked many cloud providers like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud because they were sending too much bot traffic to websites.

According to data from Vercel, OpenAI’s GPTBot made 569 million bot requests in a month while Anthropic's Claude made 370 million requests. Around 20% of Google’s search crawler volume is because of AI crawlers. DoubleVerify found that there was an 86% increase in general invalid traffic (GIVT) in late 2024 because of AI crawlers and 16% of these bots were from ClaudeBot, GPTBot, and AppleBot.

Chart: Doubleverify

Read the Docs project reported that they have reduced their daily traffic from 800GB to 200GB by blocking those AI crawlers which has saved them around $1500 per month.

AI crawlers are different from traditional crawlers in their depth and frequency and consume more resources by revisiting the same pages every few hours. SEO professionals and website owners need to manage AI crawlers while maintaining visibility in search results. Check server logs and bandwidth spikes for any unusual activities and monitor high traffic to resource-heavy pages. Using robots.txt and Cloudflare’s AI Labyrinth can also help in blocking any unauthorized bot traffic on websites.

Read next:

• American Support for the TikTok Ban Hits New Low, Study Claims

• YouTube Updates Shorts View Count To Capture Every Play While Testing Variable Notification Frequency For Better Engagement
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

AI-Powered Sextortion Scams Surge: Cybercriminals Exploit Data Breaches for Blackmail

According to a new blog by AVAST threat intel researchers, many cybercriminals are now combining AI with data breaches to execute sextortion attacks. These scammers are using AI and other stolen data to carry out personalized scams and many online daters are falling victim to it. There was a 137% increase in sextortion attacks in the US and a 49% and 34% increase in the UK and Australia respectively. The cybercriminals are also using new tactics to carry out these attacks.

Threat Intelligence Director at Avast, Michal Salat, says sextortion victims are receiving alarming messages that claim that hackers have access to their private videos and images. The scams become more credible because of data breaches from stolen passwords. Scammers are also using AI to create deep fake images and explicit videos where they paste the victim's face into other bodies. As AI is improving, extortion of texts, emails, and calls is also getting advanced and the victims get worried because of the fear of exposure.

Scammers are also pulling images from Google Maps to threaten victims with fabricated images of their homes. These scammers are using the dark web to gather emails, names, and addresses of the victims and then they combine this personal information with Google Maps images to create unsettling footage of victims’ homes. The scammers are also claiming to have access to the devices of the victims and they are threatening them to leak their personal information or sexual content.

Even though all those images and threats are AI-generated, they still shock the victims especially if their personal data is accurate and then they feel pressure to comply with ransom demands. About 15,000 Bitcoin wallets are linked to Google Maps scams which means that scammers are making huge profits. Do not open attachments or reply to suspicious emails, texts, or calls to protect yourself from these scams. Teenagers are more vulnerable to these attacks and they often become victims of these attacks through social media. They should stay calm if this kind of situation happens to them and should pay the ransom demand.

Image: DIW-Aigen

Read next: Too Much Social Media? Study Links Heavy Use to Rising Irritability
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World