Some companies are increasing their human labor and claiming it is all artificial intelligence’s work. This is called “pseudo-AI”, and it is becoming more common as artificial intelligence becomes more popular. Companies are using humans to perform activities such as transcriptions, appointment scheduling, and other personal assistant work and saying it’s AI.

This can benefit companies by making them look more progressive and advanced. Read more about it here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2020/04/04/artificial-or-human-intelligence-companies-faking-ai/#4f74fce5664f

Due to COVID-19, the ad tech industry is expecting a major downfall in the second quarter of quarantine. There will be a lot of closures and layoffs during this time as travel, retail, and entertainment decline. This has rippled into many brands canceling or losing their ad spend. Although it takes little to no time to purchase an ad,  it can take months for anyone in the adtech atmosphere to see their share. Non-payment is going to become very common. Even though advertisers can change their messaging in creative, this won’t stop the virus from causing other implications that will perpetuate the consolidation of Adtech.

https://adage.com/article/digital/covid-19-threatens-accelerate-ad-tech-consolidation-second-quarter/2248226

In recent weeks, the Trump White House has been pushing the drug hydroxychloroquine, an immunosuppressive and anti-parasitic drug normally used to treat malaria, as a potential treatment for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. While well-intentioned, there’s a catch: there is no scientific evidence that it will work in treating COVID-19, and there may even be harmful side effects for those that take it.

Just two weeks ago, a couple in Arizona, after watching the president’s daily press conference in which he suggested the drug as a potential treatment option, noticed chloroquine was an ingredient in an additive commonly used to clean fish tanks. Fearing coronavirus, the couple ingested chloroquine phosphate, not hydroxychloroquine, in an effort to prevent the disease. In less than 30 minutes, the husband was dead and the wife was rushed to the emergency room. While it is true that the couple should have been more cautious in their decision to ingest the fatal drug, the same can be said for the president’s decision to make such bold claims.

In order to beat flatten the curve and finally beat the virus for good, the nation needs a unified voice that will lead it through this unprecedented time to the other side of the tunnel. That is not possible as long as the president continues to spread dangerous and potentially lethal information in his daily pressers. To read more on various cases of misinformation in regard to the outbreak, click here.

As you can image covid 19 is nothing to be joking about. But, could it be that google is using this data from their health app and being sharing that with the public? As you’ll read, that seems to be the case. https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/20/what-are-the-rules-wrapping-privacy-during-covid-19/

Since COVID-19 has hit us, all of us have moved basically online, minus essential workers. This free time has allowed us to be on social media more than ever. This can be a good thing or bad. You want to make sure the people you follow and pages you follow are good for your mental health since we will be here for a while.

Here are a few good ways to declutter your instagram during these trying times:

https://www.vogue.com.au/beauty/wellbeing/how-decluttering-your-instagram-can-help-your-mental-health/news-story/a3fed1a3c670727e550dfc24a3eca897

Due to the Corona Virus, the app Zoom has experienced a high number of downloads. Schools and businesses all around the world have chosen this application in order to keep things running during this pandemic. Zoom has proven to be the easiest to use out of other similar applications. This has caused many to speculate the safety and privacy of the large number of new users. The security team that works directly with the application has made several statements bragging about their invulnerable systems, some of which include a firewall and end to end chat encryption. Sure, Zoom talks the talk, but does it walk the walk? Two news sources did some investigating and discovered familiar issues with other applications. There are speculations that Zoom themselves are leaking personal information from accounts, allowing imposters to call others using stolen accounts. It is also alarming that Zoom has already admitted to sharing user data with Facebook by using the “Login through Facebook” feature. Despite this issue and other accusations, Zoom remains confident in their ability to protect their valued customers. Read More.

Kevin Scott, Microsoft executive and author of ‘Reprogramming the American Dream,’ a book about the future of AI, believes that our response to the COVID-19 pandemic will incite new innovations in the area of healthcare and biotechnology, including AI. The further innovation and involvement of AI in healthcare will lead to reduced healthcare costs. Other benefits AI has to offer in the field of healthcare are the detection of underlying health conditions as well as aiding in the prevention of the spread of future viruses. Scott believes that the cost of healthcare in the U.S is a contributing factor to the spread of the virus, and that affordable healthcare in this time of pandemic and economic disruption is essential. Scott, with Microsoft and AI company Adaptive Biotechnologies have already begun to use AI to map the body’s immune system, as well as the reactions it has to different diseases. The biggest obstacle noted is the public acceptance of AI in healthcare, which some may not support.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft-exec-says-coronavirus-could-spark-big-shift-for-ai-in-health-care/

Neumorphism is a new design trend that is basically “no harsh edges, only shadows”. It looks gorgeous (see below).

However, this isn’t accessible! It is bad for visually impaired people because it is hard to see where buttons begin and end. Many people think it’s gorgeous – but what about the people who can’t see? In addition, people who have cognitive difficulties may struggle to process how to use it. The author of the article, Uyen Vicky Vo says that “we cannot design for everyone but leave out disabled users”. It cannot be understated how important it is for everyone to have access.

Personally, this reminds me of the TagMo app. The image below shows something that is very hard to use. For example, it doesn’t appear that the part under “Import Keys” is a button – but it is. This makes the app difficult to figure out and use effectively.

Tired of ripping off the tape from your computer camera every time you have a meeting. Well, you can use your phone as a webcam. There are a couple of apps you can use like skype, zoom, or EpocCam. https://www.itnews.com/article/3535876/how-to-use-your-android-phone-as-a-webcam-for-video-conferencing-and-virtual-meetings.html