People Struggling With Inflation Are Likely To Set Up Alternate Streams Of Income To Make A Living, New Study Claims

The rising costs of everyday living are a struggle that many of us are forced to deal with. And with inflation touching the skies these days, it makes sense why millennials are turning to side hustles to meet their financial needs.

A new study surveyed individuals about the rising expenses and how they are coping with them. The findings proved how 4 in 10 people requested loved ones to give them money in the past year so they could meet basic needs.

A total of 8500 respondents were taken aboard in the study from 10 differnet countries. They included 2000 US citizens and the results proved how 43% continued to ask for financial help in the past year.

So many people are relying on other people to assist with meeting their basic necessities. And that entails groceries and rent or even things like a mortgage.

Meanwhile, those that came to the rescue were either their parents or pals who responded with help. But some did even resort to their colleagues while a few did request their children for help.

The study was brought forward by Herbalife and carried out thanks to OnePoll. They found that asking for help is not a true reflection of their not putting out enough effort.

Around 56% do have side jobs or other means of providing themselves an income. This is in stark comparison to about 40% of people in particular.

As far as age groups are concerned, it’s the millennials who are more likely than the rest to have another stream of making revenue than the baby boomers. Among those that did have a side hustle, they claimed to have been engaged in it to make ends meet.

But other than that, some of the leading reasons for having a side hustle included the rising rates of inflation, less reliance upon single income, and having a means of income that was disposable.

On an average basis, the side hustle would enable them to put in eight hours of extra work per week. While the rest said that it could vary. But the added ease of living comfortably and not having the problem of meeting needs is definitely worth a discussion.

It’s that mental peace that you’ll make it by the end of the week that has some living in a state of comfort.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

New Study Says AI Tools Like ChatGPT Could Influence People’s Response To Moral Issues Like Life And Death

A new study is delving down deep into understanding how powerful of an impact AI technology can have on users’ minds.

Tools like ChatGPT are actually proving to influence users’ minds regarding crucial dilemmas.

The findings come to us thanks to research conducted in Germany where authors found those people who read one side of an argument linked to AI were likely to be persuaded. This is despite the fact that they knew opinions were arising from a chatbot and not a real human mind.

The researchers surveyed around 760 Americans regarding moral issues. These had read statements produced by ChatGPT. And then we saw participants of the study siding with the chatbot’s arguments. This happened to be true when researchers gave credit to statements produced by the AI chatbot.

The trial similarly revealed how participants could have underestimated this huge influence while making moral decisions. This is when the authors warned how there was a clear for things like education to make people understand how important AI is and what sort of effect it has on society.

Moreover, this study was put out in a journal called Scientific Reports. It included researchers arising from the southern part of the country. They all questioned the chatbot on multiple occasions whether or not they found it ok to take the life of another person if they had to save the lives of several others.

Today, ChatGPT is really making it big around the globe. Launched late last year, it’s mindblowing to see its pivotal role across various people’s lives. Powered by OpenAI, it’s getting more fame around the globe.

With that being said, some individuals do not feel AI is persuading them. The team of researchers included senior names who deduced how the tool managed to generate arguments in favor as well as against the chatbot.

It did not feel it was biased as it had some strengths for both sides of the argument and not just one. The statements were put out in front of the study’s 767 participants. And every individual had one of two dilemmas that forced them to select if they would save five while sacrificing one.

After putting out their own replies on the matter, the individuals in the study were quizzed about whether or not the AI chatbot influenced them. And it was shocking to see how participants agreed to sacrifice one individual for five or not depending on the statement put out in front of them.

Read next: Experts Issue Alarm As New Studies Prove ChatGPT And Google’s Bard Can Be Easily Led Astray
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Customers Ready to Give Up Brand Loyalty in Exchange for Lower Costs

According to a recent study by Cordial, consumers' devotion to their preferred brands is superficial at best.

Cordial recently sought to investigate the delicate balance between customer loyalty and cost consciousness. To do so, they conducted an insightful survey of businesses on their approaches towards managing this fundamental tension.

The results they got indicated that most customers are generally willing to take the time to seek out cheaper deals, even if it means compromising their loyal bond with known and reliable brands. The affordability and availability of products matter for consumers now more than ever. Instead of relying solely on trusted names and products, price does become a huge factor when deciding what goes into shopping baskets around the globe.

More than 1,000 customers and B2C marketers participated in Cordial's survey, and the results showed that 70% of respondents are willing to leave a reputable brand if a better offer comes along. For more than half of the consumers polled, discounts must be "relevant" to influence their purchasing behavior.

Nonetheless, 74% of those polled claimed that economic changes had increased their likelihood of enrolling in loyalty programs. It is despite their willingness to sacrifice allegiance for lower pricing. Conversely, 56% of B2C marketers said they did not offer discounts or adjust pricing. 58% of marketers believe their loyalty programs could be more effective or more effective.

This data highlights that most customers value discounts, but marketers need to consider the type of price adjustments they make and their relevance to their target audience. To be successful, loyalty programs must provide incentives in a way that resonates with consumers. Loyalty is still essential for long-term customer relationships; however, it can't be taken for granted.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

While AI benefits the world in many ways, there is a negative side to it that everyone should be aware of

One of the greatest advancements in human history, artificial intelligence, has proven to be extremely useful. However, despite AI's positive effects on the world in many ways, including the models and robots it has given us in recent years that no one could have foreseen even decades or so, it has also become increasingly harmful. For those who might not be aware, artificial intelligence has a negative side that includes various drawbacks including unemployment caused by AI taking over human jobs. But the one that we are going to look into is password cracking.

With the help of PassGAN, an AI password tracker, "Home Security Heroes" cracked 15,680,000 passwords to find out how powerful and enthralling AI has become over the years. Since 51% of them were broken in less than a minute, its main objective was to raise awareness of how AI may break your password among individuals all over the world.

According to the study's findings, 65% of the passwords were likewise amenable to being cracked in one hour. However, 71% could take a day or so, and 81% might require over a month.

The study found out that since AI appears to have no trouble breaking passwords, individuals should definitely think about some strong passwords. Additionally, it was shown that passwords with 4 to 11 letters are the ones that are most susceptible to being broken/guessed. To prevent that, a password must include 18 characters, including upper - and lowercase letters, digits, and symbols. Two factor authentications, frequently switching passwords, not having the same password of many accounts, are a very useful approach to make your account as safe as possible. One of the key findings of this study was that a password with 18 letters along with numbers, uppercase and lowercase letters, and symbols might prevent hackers from guessing it, at least not for six quintillion years.

Some people really took action to safeguard their safety after learning about all the drawbacks of AI. To protect its users from the effects of assaults, Microsoft unveiled "Security Copilot." This security copilot keeps you informed of potential hazards from attackers and helps you navigate them. In addition, it even instructs users on how to react to them. The best feature, though, is that it enables you to accomplish it in a matter of minutes, which may be quite useful during an incident or attack.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Social Engineering Attacks Increase by 135% Due to Generative AI

Images created using generative AI have started being used in scam campaigns, and social engineering is one area in particular where it is used to great effect. According to data that was just released by Darktrace, social engineering attacks that use generative AI have gone up by 135% so far. Malicious actors can use generative AI such as ChatGPT and Midjourney to make their social engineering campaigns more believable than might have been the case otherwise.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that employees are starting to get increasingly concerned about the implications. 82% stated that they are worried about how realistic scams might start to seem because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making more users fall prey to them.

This increase has occurred in the span of a single month between January and February with all things having been considered and taken into account. ChatGPT was hailed as revolutionary, but in spite of the fact that this is the case, its ability to facilitate malicious actions must also be addressed.

Malicious emails are on the rise, and potential victims are finding it ever more challenging to discern their origins. Malicious actors could often be spotted due to their poor English, but ChatGPT has mostly done away with such obvious cues.

• Also read: ChatGPT Retains Its Massive Lead In The World Of AI Chat As Stats Display 56% Growth

The addition of considerable linguistic complexity coupled with the ease with which generative AI platforms can be accessed is making for the perfect storm. Companies such as OpenAI must take steps to ensure that such forms of malicious use can be mitigated.

However, the challenges of preventing malicious use are numerous and varied. More work will need to be done to fully understand the manner in which ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms are used before any concrete solutions can be proposed.

Until then, users must remain vigilant when interacting with written content. If an email asks you to click on a link and enter log in details, there is a good chance that it is a scam or a phishing attempt.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

This New TikTok Feature Might Be a Game Changer

TikTok’s been the fastest growing social media platform for years now, and the prospect of a US ban has only tended this rapid rise to the top. In spite of the fact that this is the case, there are a few things about TikTok that users find to be frustrating. For example, the content landscape on this short form video sharing platform tends to be quite frenetic and chaotic, but TikTok just added a brand new feature that might give users a bit more control.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that TikTok rolled out a very subtle feature that will enable users to mute the platform by default. Users will be able to find this new setting in the Playback section, right above the switch that allows them to toggle automatic volume control on and off.

The new setting, if enabled, will make it so that TikTok will always open on the mute setting. This will do a lot to make the app less intrusive than might have been the case otherwise. Once the setting is on, all of the videos that you scroll through when you open the app will be muted by default.

Such a feature is necessary because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making TikTok a healthier part of the internet. Users have been complaining about the lack of casual scrolling options, but this new setting will do a lot to change that with all things having been considered and taken into account.

All in all, TikTok is clearly pushing forward with its platform regardless of whether or not a ban comes from the US. It will be interesting to see if any other features are rolled out in the near future. TikTok may be developing a strategy that looks beyond the American market, and features like this will be crucial if it wants to become as ubiquitous as Facebook without doing the same level of harm. The setting is already available for most users of TikTok.


H/T: Jonah Manzano

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Should You Use AI to Write Content? Google’s John Mueller Provides His Perspective

AI chatbots such as ChatGPT made it a great deal easier to write content than might have been the case otherwise. In spite of the fact that this is the case, questions arose about whether or not this content will be suitable for SEO on Google and other search engines that are perhaps less relevant. So far, it’s seemed that Google does not necessarily penalize website owners for using content that was generated by a chatbot.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google’s John Mueller had some stronger opinions on the matter at hand. He stated that the overall quality of AI generated content is too poor to be viable. When a user asked Mueller if ChatGPT’s 80% uniqueness justified its use to create content, he responded by comparing it to a 20% toxicity level in food.

Mueller clearly is not enthusiastic about AI chatbots. He considers them harmful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up lowering the quality of online content that can be searched for on Google.

Should we use Chat GPT from now onwards for publishing content on our website??? It giving 80% unique content. @JohnMu

— Sumit Gupta (@SumitTMM) March 29, 2023

Hi @JohnMu, I have a lawyer website in Iran in Farsi language. Do you think that if I use artificial intelligence to produce content in English and then translate it into Farsi and edit parts of it myself, I might run into problems.

— Vakil Keyfari (@VKeyfari_ir) April 2, 2023

Another user asked Mueller if using ChatGPT to generate content for their legal blog was feasible, to which Mueller responded with a sarcastic no. He asked the Twitter user if they would be satisfied if a lawyer did the same thing prior to representing them in court. The answer will clearly be no, which just goes to show that ChatGPT and other chatbots like it are not quite advanced enough to be relied on completely.

H/T: Mastodon
All in all, Mueller’s position is that chatbot generated content is fine as long as it is not being intentionally used to manipulate search engine rankings. Website owners can create content using chatbots, but they will need to go over it to make sure that it is relevant and to maintain quality. Upcoming upgrades to ChatGPT might make it a more suitable source of content, but until then, website owners would do well to proceed with an abundance of caution just to be safe.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World