The beginning of the end of ChatGPT?

OpenAI's decision to shutter Sora and Instant Checkout is more than a simple product announcement. It's a reckoning, of sorts, and the beginning of the end of ChatGPT as we know it.

Read more in my latest #thoughtleadership article - and subscribe to my newsletter for more insight on this and other tech issues of consequence.

Is this the beginning of the end of ChatGPT?

What I really think of TikTok

Now that #TikTok has survived to fight another day in both the U.S. and Canada, let's take a closer look at the supposed national security concerns that touched it all off. My latest article takes a sobering look at where we are, and how we got here.

TikTok is saved. What does that really mean to us?

#thoughtleadership

2016 is more dangerous than we think

Our social media feeds are clogged with 2016-themed throwbacks - yet we seem to be misunderstanding the risks inherent in a seemingly innocuous online trend. My latest article explains.

As the 2016 trend rages, is digital nostalgia getting us into trouble?

So Meta announced updates to its Instagram Teen Accounts earlier today. Good on them, but it's still not enough - not even close. My latest article for my newsletter subscribers is now live.

Meta’s Instagram PG-13 restrictions: too little, too late

Publish Day - Donald Trump fails Economics 101

Source: ChatGPT

So Donald Trump has put Big Tech companies like Apple and Samsung on blast, threatening them with 25% tariffs if they don't shift smartphone production to the U.S.

Is all this little more than a hissy fit thrown by a president whose economic intelligence couldn't power a potato clock? Of course. But as is always the case with this administration, there's more to the story.

My latest piece is here:

Trumpian tariffs expose some harsh truths

Related:

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Publish Day - Globe and Mail

Thrilled to share that my first Globe and Mail byline is now live. Enjoy the read (insert usual grumble about Meta behaving like a toddler re. banning media content from being posted to their platforms in Canada.)

Avoid foolish risks when considering smart home devices

Globe and Mail

Feb 15, 2025

Deepseek's deep problem - live on Medium

I've been staring at the ceiling at night worrying about #DeepSeek's deeper issues, and I know I'm not alone. I dig into it in my latest article. Enjoy the read!

Deepseek's deep problem

#ai #cybersecurity #thoughtleadership

Publish Day - AI, political theatre, and you

It's #budget day in Canada - and I've got some thoughts re. the federal government's announcement of $2.4 billion in funding for AI.

My latest #ThoughtLeadership piece breaks it down:

Canada’s $2.4b AI bet is merely political theatre

Head here to find my Medium profile.

Publish Day - Schools target Big Social

My latest #ThoughtLeadership article is now live. Four of Ontario's largest school boards have sued Meta, ByteDance, and Snap over the mental health impacts of their products on students - a move that should give long-overdue pause to us all. Enjoy.

Ontario schools sue Big Social over mental health. Should they?

Related:

Amazon Prime’s ad tier heralds streaming’s unwelcome new age, January 2024

In OpenAI’s firing/rehiring of Sam Altman, AI has just had its Steve Jobs moment, November 2023

Meta’s AI election ad move doesn’t go far enough, November 2023

Publish Day - Ink Blog - Druggie minister, May 2006

Publish Day - Ink Blog - Suicide isn't painless, November 2005

Publish Day - Ink Blog - My Iranian buddy, November 2005

Publish Day - Ink Blog - On roads, September 2005

Twitter, X, and a critical rebranding lesson

As Twitter's blue bird fades away and the monochrome X brand takes its place, lessons are being learned about how to rebrand your organization.

My latest blog article for STEP Software Inc. explains the 6 things developers can – and must – do to ensure #rebranding success:

Developers take notes as Twitter rebrands as X – and kills the bird for good

#marketing #softwaredevelopment

Threads will steal your data - and your soul

To no one’s surprise, Meta's new wannabe-Twitter-killer, #Threads, has a healthy appetite for data – and a new privacy policy to match. Should you be worried?

My latest article for the STEP Software Inc. blog walks through the software development lifecycle risks - and the opportunities

Threads privacy policies reveal need for better development best practices 

#privacy #dataprivacy

STEP blog: cybersecurity budgets

By virtually every measure, #cybersecurity budgets are failing to keep up with a fast-evolving threat landscape. As risks and costs soar, CIOs and other technology leaders find themselves fighting for attention – and budget.

My latest blog article for STEP Software explains why this is so problematic – and what to do about it:

Cybersecurity budgets fail to keep pace with intensifying threat landscape

#technology #it #budget

Meta launches Threads. I write.

Meta's wannabe-Twitter-killer app, #Threads, is already setting social media records and spawning lawsuits. But will it stick around for the long haul?

In my latest article for the STEP Software Inc. blog, I break it all down:

Is Meta Threads a Twitter killer? The answer may surprise you.

#socialmedia #twitter

And in case you're still Twittering, I tweeted it here - only to have Twitter's algorithm bury it deeper than the Marianas Trench. Coincidence? Sure. 

STEP blog: AI glossary

The rapid emergence of #ArtificialIntelligence brings with it a similarly rapid growth in the number of terms and definitions.

To help keep up with the latest terminology, I’ve pulled together an updated #AI glossary for the STEP Software Inc. blog:

Artificial Intelligence glossary: the top 15 definitions you need to know

Apple Vision Pro takes a bow

Apple’s just-announced Vision Pro mixed reality headset won’t break sales records when it goes on sale early next year. But that isn’t the point.

The next major computing revolution is now underway. My latest article for STEP Software cuts through the hype.

Apple Vision Pro won’t break sales records – but it will still change computing

#syntheticcomputing #ar #vr #mr

DeSantis melts down on Twitter

Think twice before laughing at Ron DeSantis after Twitter Spaces melted down during his presidential campaign launch. It could happen to anyone if we ignore the lessons of #scalability. My latest article for STEP Software Inc. explains why this matters:

DeSantis campaign launch livestream meltdown reaffirms Twitter’s tech decline

Montana bans TikTok

A new #Montana law that bans #TikTok within the state’s borders sets a dangerous precedent for governments and opens the door to further restrictions on freedom of expression.

App bans = book bans, full stop.

I break it all down in my latest blog article for STEP Software:

Montana’s TikTok ban is an appalling line in the sand for freedom of speech

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - Collaboration grows up

We’re way beyond Zoom Bombing. Collaboration tools like #zoom and #MicrosoftTeams are much more mature now than they were when COVID first hit. But are we using them properly?

In my latest STEP Software Inc. #STEPthoughts blog article, I take a closer look:

Collaboration tools hit their stride in the post-COVID age

#IfYouReadOneThingToday - AI's godfather sounds the alarm

The Godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, abruptly quits his job at Google amid fears for the future of humanity.

Hyperbole? Or the reasoned perspective of a revered scientist?

I've been talking about this extensively in media, and my latest piece on the STEP Software Inc. blog puts this critical issue in greater perspective:

Geoffrey Hinton’s resignation from Google is AI’s canary in a coal mine

#ai #future

Publish Day - Ukraine war and cybersecurity

Nine months after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, a parallel digital war rages alongside the military one. My latest article for the STEP Software Inc. blog is now live, and it has some sobering perspectives on why the #cybersecurity risk is significantly more profound than we might have thought.

Ukraine war holds critical cybersecurity lessons for all organizations