AI Archives - Chicago IT Support & Cyber Security

Google says its Gemini AI will soon be able to access your messages and utilities on your phone. I fail to see that as a good thing.

July 8, 2025 by Edward Silha

If you use an Android phone, there’s a good chance Google’s Gemini AI is now interacting with your apps, even if you thought you had disabled it. The company recently rolled out changes that grant Gemini new levels of access to messages, phone calls, and third-party apps like WhatsApp, regardless of whether users had previously opted out. If that sounds invasive, it’s because it is.

In emails sent to Android users ahead of the rollout, Google framed the change as a convenience upgrade. Gemini, they said, can now help users perform everyday tasks more easily, such as initiating calls, sending messages, and launching utilities. These functions, Google explained, would be available “whether your Gemini Apps Activity is on or off.” The update began rolling out automatically on July 7. [Read more…]

Judge Sides with Meta in AI Book Lawsuit, But Blames Authors for Weak Case

June 26, 2025 by Edward Silha

A federal judge handed Meta a win in a major copyright case over using books to train AI models. But the decision wasn’t exactly a validation of Meta’s practices. It was a result of the authors failing to argue their case effectively.

Judge Vince Chhabria ruled in Meta’s favor after finding that the authors who sued didn’t present the right arguments or evidence. They claimed Meta’s Llama models let users reproduce their book content and that Meta harmed the market for licensing books to AI companies. Chhabria dismissed both arguments. He said the AI model couldn’t reproduce long excerpts even with aggressive prompting, and that authors don’t have the right to control the entire market for AI training licenses. [Read more…]

When the Code Breaks, the AI Doesn’t Get the Call. I do

June 17, 2025 by Edward Silha

The buzz around AI-powered coding tools is hard to avoid, and I get asked about them a lot. Instead of continuing to repeat myself I figured it was time to write down exactly why I don’t use them, and why that decision isn’t about being for or against AI in some grand ideological sense. This is just a practical take based on how I work, what I value, and what actually helps me get things done.

The core issue is speed—or the lack of it. If AI tools helped me move faster, I’d consider them. But they don’t. The idea of having an AI assistant write code for me sounds nice. A little robot fixing bugs while I sip coffee? Sure. But it doesn’t work like that. Any code that goes into my projects has to meet a standard, and that means reviewing it line by line. I have to understand what it’s doing, why it’s doing it, and feel confident I can tweak it later. Otherwise, it’s a liability. [Read more…]

OpenAI Slams Judge’s ChatGPT Log Order, Cites Massive Privacy Risk

June 6, 2025 by Edward Silha

OpenAI Faces Pressure to Store All ChatGPT Conversations

A recent court order threatens ChatGPT privacy by forcing OpenAI to keep every user chat. That includes messages deleted by users and data from businesses using OpenAI’s API. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by major publishers, including The New York Times, who claim OpenAI may be erasing evidence of copyright violations. [Read more…]

Gmail Mobile Is Auto-Summarizing Your Emails, No Permission Needed

May 30, 2025 by Edward Silha

Gmail users on Android and iOS are about to see a lot more AI, whether they ask for it or not. Google has started rolling out a new update that automatically generates summaries for emails in the mobile app. The summaries, powered by Gemini, will show up at the top of the message view—no tapping required.

Previously, users had to opt in by pressing a “Summarize this email” button. That’s gone. Now, Gmail will decide when a summary might be useful and insert it without prompting. Google hasn’t said exactly what criteria it uses to trigger a summary, but the company hints it’s targeting long messages or email threads with multiple replies. In practice, it’s likely going to be a low bar. Google’s been eager to boost user engagement with its AI tools across its entire product line. [Read more…]

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