from JPT Group | August 2025 | Vol. 18 No. 8
AI Can be a Risky Proposition
At the risk of sounding like a broken record (Records? Remember them?) we will turn our attention once again to AI. This month, however, it’s more of a cautionary tale.
Inc. Magazine recently reported on a study done by Exploding Topics, a trendspotting company, which found that 92 percent of people don’t check the answers that they receive from AI. That may be nothing new. Output of AI platforms has been suspect almost from day one. And the tales of caveats continue to pour in. There are stories of chatbots hallucinating and outright lying to users, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
A tool company lost customers when its AI customer service bot announced a policy change that didn’t exist. AI output incorrectly claimed that a venture capitalist was a board member of a particular company which it pulled from a blog post that was 100 percent AI fiction. There are reports that lawyers have seen their cases dismissed because AI made up phony cases for them to cite.
Talk about extremes, only 8.5 percent of those surveyed always trust AI overviews but 21 percent never trust them. Trust seems to cut across generations. Across all age groups, more than 40 percent rarely or never click through from AI Overviews to the source material.
Exploding Topics also noted some concerning data. 42.1 Percent of search users reported receiving “inaccurate or misleading content.” Another 35.8 percent found AI Overviews to be “missing important context” while 31.5 percent cited “biased or one-sided answers.” 16.78 Percent of respondents have even experienced unsafe or harmful advice from an AI Overview.
This AI path we’ve started down appears to have as many perils as it does promise. What will be the groundwork for a publisher’s liability due to repeating output from AI that was taken out of context, or information that was misinterpreted or just flat-out falsehood? No doubt it will take some time to sort out the practical and legal implications of it all. Stay tuned.
"A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.”
— Alan Perlis,
an American computer scientist and professor
BUSINESS UPDATE
Per The Wall Street Journal, new surveys suggest men are flocking back to the office post-Covid more than women, and researchers warn that this widening gender gap could push women out of the race for promotions and pay increases.
A Labor Department survey released recently found that the percentage of men working remotely in 2024 dropped to 29 percent from 34 percent the year before, while the share of women (36 percent) working from home stayed the same. Women and men still rank work-from-home flexibility higher than traditional benefits like parental leave and health insurance.
A recent KPMG survey said that CEOs would favor employees for raises and promotions that they see around the office.
And the winner is…
Anymore there seems to be no shortage of awards programs. The Oscars. The Emmys. The Grammys. The Tonys. The Golden Globe Awards. The Country Music Association (CMA Awards.) ESPN’s ESPY Awards. And, not forgetting our friends across the pond, we have the BAFTAs – The British Academy Film Awards. And a bunch more not worth mentioning.
On a more serious note, there are the Pulizter Prizes which are presented for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters.” And, last but not least there are the Nobel Prizes.
Between 1901 and 2024, the Nobel Prizes were awarded 627 times to 1,012 people and organizations in disciplines such as “physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace” – with economics added in 1968. Here’s a Nobel trivia question for you: Who is the only person to win a Nobel Prize in more than one discipline? The answer: Marie Curie winning in physics and chemistry.
Of course, there is one more award category. That’s the Ig Noble Awards. Started in 1991, Ig Noble Awards’ aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." In addition to mirroring the Nobel Prize categories, Ig Nobles do recognize “genuine achievements” such as testing the theory of the five-second rule regarding food falling on the floor.
The winners receive a monetary award – a solitary banknote worth 10 trillion Zimbabwean dollars – about $0.40 U.S.
According to Wikipedia, the Ig Noble presentation ceremony is traditionally closed with the admonition: "If you didn't win a prize — and especially if you did — better luck next year!"
“Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.”
— Jesse Owens, native Clevelander
and American track and field athlete
KEEPERS
Woof!
It’s the middle of August – a time of year known as “the dog days of summer” or just “the dog days.” These are days that are hot, humid and sultry. The ancient Greeks connected this time of year with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs and bad luck.
Dog days are recognized throughout the world (O.K. mostly in the Northern Hemisphere) but precise references and observances vary greatly by country, geography, culture, promotions, music, cinema, etc.
And why dogs? It has to do with the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star") which is accompanied by the hottest, most uncomfortable part of the summer… in the Northern Hemisphere.
8 Seconds. That’s how long the average recruiter spends scanning your LinkedIn profile before making a decision.
— Inc.
Still tastes like chicken. Eighty percent of restaurant operators say AI provides a hiring advantage, but only 15 percent see direct results.
— HR Brew
Don’t blow your top. The U.S. has more volcanoes – 173 – than any other country on earth.
— QI
The real thing. Coca-Cola uses more than 300,000 tons of aluminum every year for the cans it makes in the United States. This is 17.4 percent of the entire U.S. aluminum production.
— factretriever.com
Hey good lookin’. A person’s physical attractiveness makes your brain consider that person inherently more trustworthy.
— oddee.com
Not something to cheer about. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders get paid roughly $15 an hour.
— HR Brew
Is bigger better? Only 24 percent of small business owners with fewer than ten employees report that they are using AI, but nearly half of firms with 50 or more employees use it.
— CNBC
Vive la différence. In an etymological sense, male and female are not related at all. They are completely different words – having originated from two totally separate Latin words.
— Mental Floss
Workin’ on it. One reason Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September is that it’s roughly halfway between July 4th and Thanksgiving.
— uselessdaily.com
Practicing what they preach. As much as 30 percent of Microsoft’s code today is being written by AI.
— New York Post
The Month of August
Month of the Month
Bring on the corned beef. August is Rye Month. Rye as in the bread, not the liquor. Is there a connection between August being National Catfish and National Cowgirl months? If there is, don’t just stand there… despite the fact that August is also National Bystander Month.
Drink up, Shriners. Today (August 15) is National Kool-Aid Day. And if that doesn’t whet your whistle, it’s also National No SpongeBob Day.
Question of the Month
What fast food chain has the most locations in the U.S.?
How long will it take you to unearth the answer?
Quote of the Month
“If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.”
— George Burns, American comedian, actor,
writer and singer
Get a Headstart
If you have ever thought about including a newsletter in your marketing communications toolkit, before you begin, download our free digital booklet – Getting Started with Your Newsletter – to get some basic questions answered as well as a little inspiration to nudge you forward. Be sure to check out “Something Special” at the end. Download your copy.
A Gridiron MBA?
Maybe that’s not possible, but there is much you can learn about business from football in the book, Hard Hitting Lessons. The subtitle says it all, “Some not-so-obvious business lessons learned from playing football.”
Get your copy here!
