You’ve no doubt read the stories about remote jobs drying up, with the likes of Amazon and Dell calling staff back to the office five days a week.

If you think the work from home dream might be over though, don’t despair. There are still plenty of remote roles available, at more open-minded companies, including Apple – and who wouldn’t want Apple on their resume?

We’ve rounded up some of the top Apple vacancies for December below, as well as given you a few tips on what to expect when working from home, and how to make your resume stand out for a remote job.

Good luck with the job search, and if you do score an Apple job, can we use your staff discount to buy a cheap iPad?

Fully Remote Jobs to Apply for at Apple in December

We might be closing in on Christmas, but Apples recruitment team is showing no sign of slowing down, with 90 remote roles currently up for grabs on the company’s career page. To find the remote-friendly roles, you’ll need to filter by ‘home office’.

Remote jobs at Apple

We’ve highlighted some of Apple’s fully-remote roles here, focusing on US-based roles, but there are also vacancies in countries including China and the UK.

• Enterprise Systems Engineer (New York, NY)
• Audio Test Automation Manager (Cupertino)
• People Busines Partner Leader (Boston)
• US Channel Sales Manager (Chicago)
• Distributed Build Systems Engineer (Santa Clara)
• Regional Manager, Channel Retail (Kansas)
• Threat Intelligence Analyst (Washington DC)
• K12 Sales Enablement Specialist (Austin)
• Federal Government Account Executive (Washington DC)

There are more roles available on the official Apple jobs page, as well as paid positions for students.

Is Remote Work Right for Me?

Remote work is a dream to many, but there are some things you’ll need to know before swapping the commute for the couch.

Firstly, remote work requires a certain set of skills that not everybody has. You’ll need to be self motivated, flexible, able to problem solve on your own, and well disciplined. If you know, deep down, that the lure of a multi-season Netflix show will be too big of a pull and distract you from your work, then for your own sake you might be better off in the office.

Your relationships with co-workers will change too. No longer will you be able to have casual catch-ups at the water cooler, or thrash out a business issue with colleagues in the flesh. If you go fully remote, all your conversations will be via messaging platforms such as Slack or Zoom. This isn’t an issue in itself, the tools have been specifically designed to make communication as easy as possible, regardless of distance.

However, there’s a big difference between chatting with people in person, and doing it all via a screen, so if you’re a real people person, we’d suggest having a good think about whether remote work is right for you. We’d definitely recommend venturing out for coffee or lunch regularly with people, so you can get some real world contact.

How to Land a Remote Job

If you want to give yourself the best shot at one of the Apple roles above, or any remote role, you’ll need to make sure that your resume is remote-friendly. It’s worth taking the time to highlight the kinds of skills that remote employers are looking for.

If you’ve done previous remote jobs, it’s worth adding the word ‘remote’ in parenthesis next to the job title, so the recruiter can easily spot that this isn’t your first rodeo, at that you’re at home being…well, at home.

You’ll also want to let them know that you’re self motivated, and can focus without the need for people around to direct you and keep you on track. Highlight any projects that you’ve managed, even if they weren’t remote. This shows that you have the skillset to work independently and manage your workload.

As we’ve talked about, communication is key to remote work. Your prospective employer will want assurances that despite not being in close physical proximity, you’ll be able to engage with other team members, and your manager, well. Companies want to be sure that its recruits who are working from home are willing to pitch in and participate, and won’t be absent for most of the day. Reassure them by demonstrating some good communication examples from previous roles.

If you manage to score an interview, it will likely be via video. This is a great opportunity to show off those great communication skills you bragged about, as well as demonstrating that you’re more than comfortable with video meetings and platforms like Zoom or Google Meet. If you’ve not has much exposure to these, do a couple of trial runs with a friend first, just so that you’re comfortable and don’t make any embarrassing mistakes in the interview.

For more tips, check out our guide to creating the perfect remote resume.

Claude AI is an advanced language model developed by Anthropic. It’s designed to understand and generate human-like text and assist with requests ranging from simple queries to complex tasks, such as data analysis, writing, and code generation.

But does it fit into your budget? Are there hidden fees? Is it cost-effective compared to other AI solutions? This article breaks down Claude AI’s pricing, helping you decide how best to incorporate this powerful AI into your projects or business operations.

Key Takeaways

• Claude AI offers both web-based and API access with distinct pricing models.
• Claude Pro provides enhanced features for individuals at $20 per month.
• API pricing varies by model, with options ranging from the cost-effective Claude 3 Haiku to the powerful Claude 3 Opus.
• Choosing between web-based and API access depends on your specific use case and volume requirements.

How Much Does Claude AI by Anthropic Cost?

Anthropic offers two primary ways to access Claude AI: through the Claude.ai website and via API integration.

Typically, individuals and smaller businesses will use the Claude.ai website, as its interface and pricing are straightforward. Using the API can give you more freedom to connect Claude to your existing systems or tweak some of the settings, but it’s more challenging to set up, and pricing is on a pay-as-you-go basis.

It’s also important to understand that Claude offers several different versions. These are all available to paid plans and API access, but they’re used for different things:

• Claude 3.5 Sonnet: This is the latest model, offering a balance of performance and cost. It’s suitable for most general-purpose applications and is the default model for web users.
• Claude 3 Opus: This model excels at complex tasks like in-depth analysis or advanced code generation, though at a higher price point. It’s ideal for users who need the most powerful AI capabilities, but it’s a little slower overall.
• Claude 3 Haiku: This is the most cost-effective option, ideal for simpler tasks or high-volume applications where speed is paramount.
• Claude 2.1: An older model that’s still available, it offers good performance at a mid-range price point.

Now, let’s look at the pricing for both web and API access:

Claude.ai pricing

For individuals and small teams, the Claude.ai website provides a user-friendly interface for interacting with Claude. Here’s a breakdown of the available plans:

The Free plan is a reasonable starting point for individuals looking to explore Claude’s capabilities without financial commitment. But you’ll soon find yourself bumping against usage limits, as the Free plan only allows for a few responses every few hours.

The Pro plan is more generous, and for businesses, the Team and Enterprise plans offer much better scalability and additional administrative controls.

Anthropic API pricing

For developers and businesses looking to integrate Claude into their applications or workflows, the API option provides more flexibility and power. API usage is billed using prepaid “usage credits,” with pricing varying by model:

When using the API, you’re charged based on the number of tokens processed. Tokens are pieces of text, with one token roughly equivalent to four characters or 0.75 words in English. Input tokens are what you send to the model, while output tokens are generated by Claude in response.

With the API, you also have access to legacy models like Claude 3 Sonnet, Claude 2.1, Claude 2, and Claude Instant. While these models have been superseded by better versions, they may offer specific functionality that aligns better with certain applications.

Conclusion

Whether you opt for the user-friendly web interface or the powerful API, there’s a Claude solution to fit various budgets and needs.

As AI technology continues to evolve, staying informed about pricing and features will help you maximize the value of tools like Claude. Consider learning more about Claude and its features and how it stacks up against the best AI productivity tools.

FAQs

Prompting—giving precise instructions to a generative AI tool—is already a must-have skill for professionals across many industries. If you’ve spent any time trying to get ChatGPT to output content the way you see it, though, you may have found yourself frustrated when the AI tool doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Often, this comes down to poor prompting. With the right techniques, you can transform ChatGPT into your most prized productivity and creativity tool.

In this guide, we look at the art of perfecting ChatGPT prompts—whether you’re a programmer looking to streamline your workflow, a content creator battling writer’s block, or anyone else.

ChatGPT Cheat Sheet: 9 Tips To Supercharge Your Prompting

With ChatGPT, the results you get are only as good as your prompt. Here are nine ways to improve the instructions you give the AI:

1. Get specific and set the scene
2. Use role playing prompts
3. Show and tell with few-shot prompting
4. Go step by step
5. Use chain of thought prompting
6. Compare and contrast for deeper insights
7. Use hypothetical scenarios
8. Flip the script with reverse prompting
9. Set boundaries with constraint prompts

1. Get specific and set the scene

The more specific your prompts, the better ChatGPT can respond to your needs.

Here’s a bad prompt: “Write blog posts about marketing.” If someone gave you this instruction, would you know what they wanted and be able to deliver it the first time? No.

A better version would be “Create a three-point outline for a blog post on influencer marketing strategies for small e-commerce businesses in the Gen-Z fashion industry, focusing on Instagram and TikTok.”

This prompt gives ChatGPT a clear roadmap, resulting in more focused and valuable output.

So, when crafting your prompt, include:

• Your target audience, such as local restaurants, tech industry professionals, etc.
• Specific goals—e.g., to increase brand awareness, to generate B2B leads, and so on.
• Any requirements, like “include real-life success stories” or “emphasize content marketing.”
• Preferred format—e.g., a 500-word article or a five-step guide.
• Relevant background information—such as “the brand focuses on sustainability,” “the guide should cater to tech industry practices,” etc.

Essentially, you’re giving ChatGPT a mini-brief, much like you would to a human colleague.

2. Use role-playing prompts

One of the best ChatGPT prompting tricks is assigning it a specific role or expertise. For example: “You’re an experienced data scientist. Explain neural networks to a marketing team planning to use AI in their marketing campaigns. Use analogies they’ll understand.”

You’re more likely to get an explanation tailored to your audience’s background when you frame your prompts this way.

You can ask ChatGPT to take on roles like an industry expert, a historical figure, or even a fictional character. Choose a role that aligns with the type of information or perspective you’re seeking, and the results can be excellent.

It’s a great way to get fresh ideas, too. For instance, you might ask ChatGPT to pretend it’s Don Draper, the fictional advertising executive from Mad Men. Ask it, “As Don Draper, provide three out-of-the-box content ideas for promoting a new electric bicycle.” You might be surprised by the creative angles this approach can generate.

3. Show and tell with few-shot prompting

Sometimes, the best way to get what you want is to show ChatGPT an example. This technique, called few-shot prompting, is great for generating consistent outputs.

Here’s an example prompt: “Generate 100 email addresses for fictional marketing professionals. Follow this format:

1. john.smith@brandboost.com
2. …”

This technique works well for generating formatted content, creating content with a consistent style, or teaching ChatGPT to follow specific patterns or rules.

For more complex tasks, provide multiple examples. This effectively “trains” ChatGPT on the spot to produce the kind of output you need in this instance.

4. Go step by step

Got a big, complicated request? Break it into bite-sized pieces. This approach gives you more control and often leads to better results.

For example, you could start with, “Let’s create a digital marketing plan for a new fitness app. First, outline five key components of a digital marketing strategy for mobile apps.”

After you get that response, follow up with, “Great. Now, for each component, suggest two specific tactics tailored for a fitness app launch.”

This method prevents ChatGPT from getting overwhelmed or off-track, allows you to review and refine each step, and helps you identify areas that need improvement or expansion.

5. Use chain-of-thought prompting

Sometimes, it’s good to understand how ChatGPT arrives at its answers, especially if it seems to be going off-track or if you’re unsure about the subject matter. In these instances, ask it to show its work!

Try something like: “You’re a financial advisor creating a retirement savings plan for a 35-year-old earning $80,000 annually. Walk me through your thought process step-by-step.”

This technique gives you the answer while offering insights into the reasoning behind it.

You can enhance this by asking follow-up questions at each step, such as “Why did you consider that factor?” or “What alternatives did you consider here?” This creates a more interactive and educational experience and is excellent when using ChatGPT to learn about a new topic.

6. Compare and contrast for deeper insights

Asking ChatGPT to weigh options can result in nuanced, helpful responses. It’s perfect for decision-making scenarios.

To get even more out of this technique, specify criteria for comparison, ask for a recommendation based on the comparison, or request a hybrid approach that combines the best elements of each option.

For example, you might use a prompt like, “Compare the pros and cons of using influencer marketing versus paid social ads for launching a new skincare line. Consider factors like cost, reach, and credibility.”

7. Use hypothetical scenarios

Presenting ChatGPT with imaginary situations can spark your creativity, help you explore potential outcomes, and yield interesting insights.

To create effective hypothetical prompts:

• Start with a clear, imaginative premise.
• Specify areas of impact you want to explore.
• Encourage detailed, logical explanations.

For example: “Imagine a world where all marketing campaigns must be created using AI. Describe how this would change the advertising industry and consumer behavior, and explain why.”

8. Flip the script with reverse prompting

Sometimes, starting with an answer and working backward can unlock new ideas or deepen your understanding of a topic. ChatGPT can help with this if you use reverse prompting.

Here’s an example: “The answer is ‘Our email sequence open rates increased by 50%.’ What helpful prompts or questions might a marketing manager have asked ChatGPT to get advice leading to this result?”

This technique is fantastic for brainstorming and idea generation. Start with a clear, specific outcome, ask for multiple paths that could lead to that outcome, and use follow-up questions to dig deeper into the most promising ideas.

9. Set boundaries with constraint prompts

Adding specific limitations to your prompts can lead to more focused, creative responses.

Try a prompt like this: “Generate five effective prompts for LinkedIn posts about personal branding. Each prompt should be under 200 characters and include a thought-provoking question.”

Be clear and specific about the limitations, combine constraints for more targeted outputs, and experiment with different constraints to see how they affect the outputs.

Conclusion

With the right prompting techniques, you can turn ChatGPT into one of the most powerful tools in your professional toolkit. The key lies in providing context, guiding the AI toward your specific needs, and getting creative.

As you experiment with these methods, you’ll discover new ways to use ChatGPT across a wide range of applications—from brainstorming content ideas to tackling complex problem-solving and more.

Check out our guide to the best ChatGPT prompts for writing to learn more

FAQs

No matter what you do for a living, there’s one thing every worker can rally behind – being paid to not work is pretty awesome.

While the US is the only major economy that doesn’t require workers to take paid vacation days, we do have many federal holidays which the vast majority of companies honor by giving their employees the day off.

To help you prepare for the year ahead, we round up the full list of federal holidays and also offer some savvy paid time off (PTO) hacks you can use to maximize the amount of time you’ll be spending away from your desk in 2025.

Do Companies Need to Give Workers Time Off For Federal Holidays?

In short, no. There’s no legal requirement for US employers to give their workforce time off for federal holidays.

However, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, around 77% of US companies provide paid time off for federal holidays, with most workers receiving an average of eight paid holidays each year. If a federal holiday falls on a nonwork day, workers are often entitled to an “in lieu of” holiday, which will typically fall on the day before or after the holiday.

There is an exception to this rule, though. The government is required to provide paid time off for federal holidays, resulting in federal employees receiving an average of 11 extra days off a year. If you’re unsure whether your company will honor these holidays we recommend enquiring with a manager or referring to a copy of your employee handbook.

A List of Federal Holidays in 2024

There are 11 federal holidays in total that can get you a day off work. However, some of these holidays are more widely recognized than others. Also, they don’t always fall on the same day, making planning for the year ahead a bit tricky if you don’t have the dates to hand.

To help you out here’s a full list of the US’s federal holidays in 2025 – alongside their date:

1. New Year’s Day – Monday, January 1st
2. Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Monday, January 15th
3. Presidents’ Day – Monday, February 17th
4. Memorial Day – Monday, May 26th
5. Juneteenth National Independence Day – Thursday, June 19th
6. Independence Day – Friday, July 4th
7. Labor Day – Monday, September 1st
8. Indigenous Peoples’ Day/Columbus Day – Monday, October 13th
9. Veterans Day – Tuesday, November 11th
10. Thanksgiving – Thursday, November 27th
11. Christmas – Thursday, December 25th

Most of these occasions are universally recognized across states. However, the US’s newest federal holiday – Juneteenth – is currently only fully accepted by the District of Columbia, and the following 28 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Maximize Your Days Off By Using These Smart PTO Hacks

US companies are famously stingy when it comes to time off – especially compared to their European counterparts. This can make planning a vacation difficult, especially if you’re looking to unplug for a significant amount of time. However, by tactically choosing which days you book off, you’re able to turn 11 PTO days into 44 days of vacation. We show you how this can be done, month-by-month next:

January

New Year’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year. So, by taking off Monday the 30th of December, and Tuesday the 31st of December, you’re able to transform your weekend off into a five-day long break.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day takes place later on in the month on Monday, January 20. So, if you take off Tuesday the 21st of January, you’re able to extend these days off into a four-day break.

May

Memorial Day will be the next federal holiday, taking place on Monday the 26th of May. If you want to unwind properly over Memorial weekend, we’d recommend securing a four-day weekend by taking the Friday the 23rd of May as well.

June

Juneteenth – a holiday celebrated to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US – takes place on the 19th of the month. Unusually for federal holidays, this falls on a Thursday, making it a great contender for a four-day weekend. All you have to do is take a workday off on Friday the 20th of June.

July

Independence Day lands on a Friday in 2025. If you want to extend your break, you can take off Thursday the 3rd of July off too, and celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence with four uninterrupted days off work.

September

Next up, we have Labor Day. The federal holiday falls on Monday, September 1. You probably get the drill by now, but it’s easy to bump up this break to a long weekend by booking a day off on Friday the 29th of August, or Tuesday the 2nd of September.

October

Indigenous People’s Day takes place on Monday the 13th of the month. If you want to snag a four-day break before the holiday season kicks in, we recommend booking an extra day off on Friday the 10th of October.

November

With the year drawing to a close, November is an ideal month to make the most of federal holidays. By taking Monday the 1oth of November off – the day before Veteran’s Day, you’ll be able to extend your time off into a 4-day weekend. The same can be done for Thanksgiving, which takes place on Thursday the 28th of November. If you don’t like the idea of working during a food coma, book off Friday the 28th, and enjoy an extended weekend over the festive period.

December

Christmas takes place on a Thursday in 2025, making it a perfect time for a much-needed long break. Just book off the day after Christmas (Friday the 26th of December) for a four-day break, and Christmas Eve (Wednesday the 24th of December) and Monday the 29th of December, for a luxurious six-day break.

There you have it, with a little bit of planning, it’s possible to escape from the grind for longer than one or two days at a time – even with a stringent annual leave policy. However, we advise booking these days off as soon as possible, before your colleagues get the same idea.

Alternatively, if you’ve had enough of meticulously planning days off, we also recommend considering companies with better annual leave policies – including these employers that currently offer their workforce unlimited PTO for vacations.

Instead of investing in party hats and streamers, telecommunications giant AT&T is welcoming the new year with a mandatory five-day return to the office – much to the disdain of its workforce.

For many AT&T staffers, this policy change will force them to relocate or quit, as the Dallas-based company has closed down over 300 offices since the start of the pandemic.

While company spokespeople claim office spaces are equipped to deal with the increased foot traffic, employees fear the policy is another covert attempt to “slim the herd” by forcing workers out without needing to cover the cost of severance packages. With a slew of other tech companies being accused of similar actions, here’s everything we know about AT&T’s crackdown on remote work.

AT&T Ditches Hybrid Work For a Full Office Return

Only a year after AT&T doubled down on its hybrid work policy, the telecommunications company confirmed it will be demanding workers to come back in the office full time, starting from January 2025.

The company will be calling workers back into nine core office locations in cities like Los Angeles, San Ramon, Seattle, St. Louis, and Washington with its main hubs being in Atlanta and Dallas.

With a sizeable chunk of AT&T’s workforce getting used to more flexible working schedules and less painful commutes, traveling to an office each day and clocking in a full eight hours might be a shock to the system. However, AT&T attests that most employees are already used to working on-location full-time, making the transition fairly straightforward.

“The majority of our employees and leaders never stopped working on location for the full work week — including during the pandemic,” – An AT&T Spokesperson

While this policy applies to all US domestic workers, contractors, and international workers are exempt from changes. Rumors about the new policy started circulating on employee forums like The Layoff as early as October when some AT&T staffers posted that they were being brought back to the office immediately, while others commented that they had until the new year.

According to an anonymous The Layoff user, the change was implemented because AT&T CEO John Stankey “has data that now all employees work a 40-hour week”, however, this statement hasn’t been confirmed by the company.

The Dial Is Moving On Flexible Work, But Are Offices Ready To Be At Capacity?

Before the pandemic, AT&T used to be home to over 350 office hubs across all 5o states. While the company has since downsized its workforce in multiple rounds of layoffs, its reduced office capacity is still leaving many employees scratching their heads about how this full-time return will work.

“As we continue to evolve our model, we are enhancing our facilities and workspaces, adapting our benefits programs, and incorporating best practices to ensure our employees are best equipped to serve our customers,” – An AT&T Spokesperson

AT&T told Business Insider that it would be updating its facilities to support the new policy. However, with companies like Amazon being forced to delay their 5-day RTO mandate for some employees due to workspace shortages, it’s clear that even major companies can miscalculate the amount of office space needed to meet demands.

Is AT&T’s RTO Mandate Really a ‘Layoff In Sheep’s Clothing’?

AT&T employees don’t seem very happy about this mandatory office return, especially those who would have to relocate in order to keep their jobs at the company. What’s more, some more skeptical employees think AT&T’s recent policy switch is being used as a covert way to trim headcount.

Company employees have been turning to Reddit to discuss this theory, with the user josephson93 posting “AT&T obviously hoping for a lot of people to quit”, and user tubezninja agreeing by commenting “Yup, this is the cheapest way to reduce headcount without actually laying people off.”.

This isn’t the first time the world’s third-largest telecommunications company has been met with this criticism. In June 2023 the company was accused of carrying out a “layoff in wolf’s clothing” after it told 60,000 managers they had to return the office from July. The policy was muddied by the fact that managers had to return to one of the company’s nine hub locations, meaning that if they didn’t happen to live near one they would have to relocate – or quit.

As companies continue to grapple with economic pressures in 2024, AT&T isn’t the only major tech company that’s been accused of deploying this tactic. Hardware manufacturer Dell recently landed itself in hot water after a leaked company memo revealed that its RTO crackdown was indeed intended to “thin the herd” by getting remote workers to quit.

Similar actions are even being considered in the most powerful offices in the country, with co-leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy both suggesting that mandatory RTO measures could be an effective way to cut headcounts and as a result, federal spending.

These measures are pretty cut-throat. But rest assured, not all executives are so quick to turn on the lifeblood of their company. If you fear your employer might be trying to squeeze you out with a strict 5-day return to the office, it might be worth securing your future with a company that lets you work from anywhere.

As Donald Trump prepares to return to work at the White House, it seems that tens of thousands of federal employees should also expect to head back to their offices in the new year.

The president-elect took the opportunity of his first major news conference since being elected 47th President of the United States to express his dissatisfaction of the union deal that permits such workers to work remotely.

If Trump’s wishes are fulfilled, it would echo the attitude taken by his key ally and world’s richest man Elon Musk. Tesla and X, formerly Twitter, are both among the companies who have ended remote working over the last couple of years.

Rescinding a Gift to the Union

Addressing press questions on Monday covering topics as diverse as vaccines and foreign policy to tariffs and TikTok, Trump slammed the decision to allow federal workers as “terrible” and “ridiculous”.

An agreement has only just been reached between the Social Security Administration and the American Federation of Government Employees union to allow around 42,000 workers to carry out their duties on a remote or hybrid basis until at least October 2029.

“If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,” said Trump, calling the agreement a gift to the union.

He also intimated that his government would pursue a court order to reverse its effect.

Working Like a DOGE

Trump’s comments are unsurprising, following statements made on the subject by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy since their appointment as co-leaders of the president-elect’s new Department of Government Efficiency – also known as DOGE.

They said in November that they were seeking to “thin federal bureaucracy by 25%”, and were looking at a return to work mandate as one way to prompt voluntary redundancies (not disimilar to Dell’s streamlining strategy earlier in the year).

Subsequently on X, Musk blamed the waste of taxpayer dollars on “literally thousands of empty buildings” left vacant by federal staff teleworking.

“If you exclude security guards & maintenance personnel, the number of government workers who show up in person and do 40 hours of work a week is closer to 1%!” – Elon Musk

The Great Return to Office

Fully remote government jobs aren’t the first to be under threat as the COVID pandemic becomes a further distant memory, and are unlikely to be the last.

Outside of X, Tesla and Dell, the highest profile example is probably Amazon ending hybrid work and demanding staff return to the office. 2024 has also seen the likes of PWC, Nothing and Rockstar issue return to work mandates to their employees.

But other big tech companies have bucked the trend and reasserted their intention to allow staff to work remotely. For example, Microsoft told staff that it wouldn’t force a five day return to office, while streaming giant Spotify vowed to treat staff like grown-ups on the issue.

Do you desperately need a unique visual for your latest blog post? Perhaps you’re an educator searching for the perfect illustration to simplify a complex concept for your students. Or maybe you’re an aspiring designer eager to explore the world of AI-generated art. Since September 2023, ChatGPT has included the ability to generate images, and it’s transforming the way we create visual content.

This quick and detailed guide will walk you through the process of generating images with ChatGPT, from crafting the perfect prompt to exploring alternative options.

Key Takeaways

• ChatGPT’s free plan allows you to generate two images per day using DALL-E 3.
• The paid plan allows for unlimited image generation.
• Detailed prompts are the key to getting the best results from AI image generation.
• You can explore specialized GPTs for image generators that use alternative methods.

Generating Images With ChatGPT

ChatGPT’s image generation feature, powered by DALL-E 3, offers a user-friendly way to create custom visuals. With the ChatGPT free plan, you’re limited to two AI-generated images per day. If you want more, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid plan, which costs $20 per month.

Generating an image using ChatGPT is easy:

• Log in to your ChatGPT account and start a new conversation.
• Type a command like “Generate an image of…” followed by your description.
• ChatGPT will process your request and create an image based on your prompt.
• Once generated, the image will appear in the chat, and you’ll have the option to download it by pressing the download button at the top right of the image.

It’s as simple as that.

Crafting the perfect prompt

We call the command you give the AI a prompt. In this case, a prompt is simply a text description of the image you want to create. It can be as brief as “a red apple” or as detailed as a paragraph describing every aspect of a complex scene.

The key to generating impressive images with ChatGPT lies in your initial prompt. The more specific and descriptive your prompt, the better the AI can understand and create the image you envision.

Here’s how to craft an effective prompt with examples that actually work:

1. Be incredibly specific: Provide detailed descriptions of subjects, settings, and elements in the scene. For example: “A majestic Maine Coon cat with long, fluffy fur in shades of orange and brown, sitting regally on a velvet cushion. The cat’s piercing green eyes are focused directly on the viewer.”
2. Describe style and medium: Specify the art styles or mediums you want the image to emulate. For instance: “Create a hyper-realistic digital painting” or “Generate an atmospheric, film noir-inspired scene.”
3. Set the mood and atmosphere: Use descriptive language to convey the overall feeling or emotion of the image: “The overall mood should be mysterious and slightly ominous, with a color palette dominated by deep blacks, grays, and a hint of sepia.”
4. Include technical specifications: Mention desired dimensions, resolution, or aspect ratio: “Use a cinematic aspect ratio of 21:9 and aim for 4K resolution (3840×2160 pixels).”
5. Detail lighting and color: Describe the lighting conditions and color scheme: “Soft, warm lighting from a nearby window illuminates the scene, casting gentle shadows. The sky should be a gradient of deep purples and oranges.”
6. Add post-processing effects: If desired, specify any additional effects or filters: “Apply a slight film grain effect and a subtle vignette to give the image a vintage photography feel.”
7. Combine elements for complex scenes: For more elaborate images, blend multiple elements: “A futuristic cityscape at twilight, featuring towering skyscrapers with organic, curved shapes. Flying vehicles weave between the buildings, leaving trails of light. Two moons are visible in the sky.” With this, unlimited designs in all manner of styles are at your fingertips.

Check out our guide to the best ChatGPT prompts for writing to learn more

Using GPTs for enhanced image generation

While ChatGPT’s built-in image generation is powerful, you can access additional capabilities through specific GPTs. These custom versions of ChatGPT, created by ChatGPT users and third parties, often offer unique features or integrate with different image generation models.

To explore these options:

1. Visit https://chatgpt.com/gpts
2. Search for “image” or specific image generation terms
3. Experiment with different GPTs to find ones that suit your needs

For instance, one of the most popular GPTs is Photo Realistic Image GPT, with over 700,000 active users. The prompts that you give this GPT aren’t sent to DALL-E 3 but are instead sent to an external site and processed with Stable Diffusion, another image generation tool. This produces different results from using DALL-E 3, and in this case, typically makes for more photorealistic images.

While these GPTs may offer enhanced capabilities, they also have their own usage limitations or requirements. Be aware that your prompts are being sent to a third-party site, so don’t post any personally identifiable information.

ChatGPT lets you create custom AI chatbots too, that can be used for a variety of purposes including streamlining customer requests and improving sales processes. Find out how to create a no-code AI chatbot using ChatGPT.

Conclusion

Generating images with ChatGPT opens up a world of creative possibilities. By crafting detailed descriptions and leveraging additional tools like specialized GPTs, you can produce high-quality visuals that bring your ideas to life.

As AI-generated art evolves, stay informed about the latest developments and ethical considerations. Consider ChatGPT and DALL-E 3 courses to up your prompting game. No matter what you choose to create with these new tools, ChatGPT’s image generation features offer an exciting avenue for visual expression.

FAQs

Anybody in the world can now search the internet with ChatGPT Search, after the AI chatbot’s parent company announced that the paywall was coming down for the tool.

OpenAI’s move into internet search has been one of the ongoing tech stories of the year, starting in the spring with a telltale domain name before ChatGPT Search’s official launch to paid subscribers in October.

Now a newly improved iteration is available globally and for free on OpenAI’s mobile and desktop apps for all logged-in users.

ChatGPT Search is Free to All

OpenAI has been using the run up to Christmas – it’s calling it the “12 Days of OpenAI” – to announce new products and updates, with the roll out of the Sora video generator and ChatGPT Canvas collaboration tool already featured.

The latest door of the advent calendar (in the form of an X post and a 13 minute YouTube stream) reveals that ChatGPT Search is now available to everybody, effective immediately.

:globe_with_meridians:ChatGPT search :globe_with_meridians:is starting to roll out to all Free users today.

Search the web in a faster, better way—available globally on https://t.co/nYW5KO1aIg and our mobile and desktop apps for all logged-in users. pic.twitter.com/yf6GJGAm8b

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 16, 2024

It proposes to let you “search the web in a faster, better way”, with the original product launch announcement explaining that ChatGPT Search works differently to traditional search engines.

It encourage its users to ask questions in a more natural, conversational way and propose follow-up questions that ChatGPT will then use to improve and nuance its answer.

How to Use ChatGPT Search

ChatGPT Search is available on the web at chatgpt.com (the same home as the AI chatbot) or through its Android and iOS mobile apps.

On entering your query, you can either let the chatbot work out that it needs to hunt around webpages for answers, or you can specifically hit a new ‘Search the web’ button to ensure that the tool uses only up-to-date information from the web. Results are then listed in a not dissimilar way to Google, Bing and other search engines.

The launch video also demonstrates that ChatGPT Search can be set as the default search engine in your web browser and how searches can be subsequently made directly from the browser bar.

“We’re optimizing the mobile phone experience for ChatGPT search based on user feedback… we’ve seen so many users using it on our iPhone apps and Android apps.” – Adam Fry, Product Lead for Search at OpenAI

One example of the tool’s application shown in the video is nuancing a search for local Mexican restaurants with requirements for outdoor heating, using a conversational style to focus the results.

While another demonstrates using voice mode to find out about cultural events in New York City and Zurich over the holidays.

Is Google’s Domination Coming to an End?

The announcement also discusses other improvements made to the AI search tool for the universal roll out, including speed and better maps experiences. This may reassure some existing users, with ChatGPT Search’s accuracy being called into question since it launch.

It will inevitably leave Google, a company synonymous with internet search, seriously wondering about what the new few years holds and how it will retain its place as the dominant force in the field.

Its own Gemini chatbot appears to be an increasingly greater presence to give a complimentary AI overview to results produced in the traditional Google search engine.

But Google’s future is a trepidatious one, with the US Department of Justice currently weighing up its next steps in its pursuit to break up the Google Monopoly.

Google has launched a new generative AI tool that it says will allow you to “remix your subjects, scenes and styles in fun, new ways”.

Initially available in the US only, Whisk combines the smarts of Google’s Gemini AI and Imagen models to put a slightly new spin on AI-assisted image generation.

In the ongoing battle with the likes of OpenAI, Microsoft and Apple for AI domination, the search giant also announced updated versions of its existing tools: Veo 2 for video creation and Imagen 3 for images.

How to Use Whisk

Announced in a blog from Google Labs – the company’s so-called “home for AI experiments” – Whisk will work a little differently to other AI image generators, breaking, the prompt line down to three basic choices: subject, scene and style.

“Instead of generating images with long, detailed text prompts,” it says, “Whisk lets you prompt with images. Simply drag in images, and start creating.”

An introductory video for the new tool (see below) shows a simplistic interface for creating images in three steps:

• Subject: Use text to describe the subject of the image, or drag in an  already existing photo or image;
• Scene: Choose the scenario where you want your subject to be placed. You also have the option to ‘roll the dice’ and let Whisk pick for you at random;
• Style: Tell Whisk how you want your image to look. Suggestions provided by Google Labs are ‘fantastical’, ‘enamel pin badge’ and ’90s vintage anime’.

“Not a Traditional Image Editor”

Google says that the Gemini model then works “behind the scenes” to write a more detailed prompt based on the three elements you have fed in. Imagen 3 creates the final image based on that longer prompt.

If the image is not as you expected or you want to nuance it further, you’re then given the option to see and edit the longer prompt that Gemini has created from your basic instructions.

“Artists and creatives… have been describing Whisk as a new type of creative tool — not a traditional image editor. We built it for rapid visual exploration, not pixel-perfect edits. It’s about exploring ideas in new and creative ways, allowing you to work through dozens of options and download the ones you love.” – Google Labs

Veo and Imagen Updates

Alongside the whisk ‘experiment’, Google also announced iterative updates to its Veo and Imagen tools.

With the quality of AI video generation improving at speed – as demonstrated by OpenAI’s recently released Sora – Veo 2 seeks to improve detail and realism from its predecessor. Google gives examples of how users can specify the use of cinematic effects like low-angle tracking shots, depth of fields and close ups to achieve better results.

“While video models often “hallucinate” unwanted details — extra fingers or unexpected objects, for example — Veo 2 produces these less frequently, making outputs more realistic.” – Google Labs

While with Imagen 3, the promise is of brighter, better composed images. Google says the tools will now follow prompts more faithfully and “render more diverse art styles with greater accuracy — from photorealism to impressionism, from abstract to anime”.

TikTok executives are hoping that Donald Trump will make social media great again, with the platform’s CEO reportedly meeting the president-elect in person on Monday.

Shou Zi Chew headed to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to try and persuade him to seek a reprieve for the popular video app that is currently set to be banned in the US from January 19th, 2025 – the day before Trump’s inauguration.

In addition to Chew’s meeting with the incoming 47th president, the company has filed an emergency application at the US Supreme Court petitioning it to block the law that establishes the ban.

The Clock is TikToking…

The pre-scheduled face-to-face meeting between Trump and Chew was initially reported by CNN, which was tipped off by “a person familiar with the meeting”.

It is understood that Chew has been making great efforts to secure an audience with the president-elect, with the ban deadline now little more than one month away.

It is, however, a not unexpected meeting of minds. Trump was vocal in his support for TikTok during his campaign to return to the White House, telling followers in a video on his Truth Media platform that: “For all of those who want to save TikTok in America, vote Trump”.

Chew was given further cause for cheer with the subject of TikTok’s future arising in Trump’s first major news conference since the election on Monday:

“I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok because I won youth by 34 points and there are those that say that TikTok has something to do with it.” – Donald Trump

Why is Trump for TikTok?

Roll back half a decade to Donald Trump’s first term as president, and his views on TikTok appeared to be the polar opposite.

He and his government spearheaded a potential ban on the platform, citing security concerns around the Chinese-owned app.

Fast forward to 2024, though, and Trump has another social media service in his crosshairs – Facebook. The president-elect branded the Meta-owned platform as “very bad for our country” and an “enemy of the people” earlier this year, after it banned him in the wake of the January 6th Capitol riot.

A ban on TikTok in the US would undoubtedly be a boost for Mark Zuckerberg and could pave the way for a Meta ‘Super App’.

TikTok’s Supreme Court Press

TikTok’s two-pronged approach – the second being its application to the Supreme Court – to try and get the ban overturned was prompted by a failure earlier this month to convince the US appeals court to overturn the ban.

The document filed by TikTok Inc and ByteDance Ltd calls the ban a “massive and unprecedented speech restriction”. It leans on the contemporaneous timing of the ban with Trump’s inauguration, saying it will “silence the speech of [TikTok] and the many Americans who use the platform to communicate about politics, commerce, arts, and other matters of public concern”.

“The court’s flawed legal rationales would open the door to upholding content-based speech bans in contexts far different than this one. Fear-mongering about national security cannot obscure the threat that the Act itself poses to all Americans.”

The allusion of TikTok as a ‘speech platform’ has been a running theme of the company’s resistance to a ban that it says encroaches First Amendment rights. It’s original appeal application in September said that the law is an “extraordinary intrusion on free speech rights”.

PayPal was founded back in 1998, and since then, it’s revolutionized online payments between individuals, businesses, and online marketplaces. However, whenever an online service—and particularly a financial service—gains massive popularity, the risk of scams skyrockets.

Whether you’re a frequent online shopper or a casual user sending money to individuals and businesses, understanding PayPal scams is crucial for protecting yourself from financial loss. This article will equip you with the knowledge and practical steps to avoid common scams and use PayPal securely.

Key Takeaways

• If possible, only deal with verified users on reputable websites. Look for buyer-seller protection programs when shopping online.
• Never send money for goods or services before receiving them unless the website holds your money while waiting for shipment.
• Beware of phishing scam emails and suspicious login requests. Don’t click on links or share login details via email, text, or phone calls.
• Enable two-factor authentication and turn on notifications so you can easily monitor account activity on PayPal and other money-sharing apps like Cash App.

How To Avoid PayPal Scams

Let’s take a look at some of the most common PayPal scams and how to avoid them.

PayPal support scams

This scam involves receiving an email, text, or phone call from someone claiming to be PayPal tech support or customer service. They’ll tell you there’s an issue with your account that needs to be resolved and ask you to log in via their website. If this scam happens on a phone call, they may request your login information over the phone.

Once you share your login information with them, they can log in to your PayPal account and transfer money to themselves.

How to avoid the PayPal support scam

Avoid clicking links in emails and messages. Similarly, never share your login information or verification code on a phone call. PayPal will never ask for your login info or verification code. If you’re uncertain about a message, email, or phone call, you can always log in to PayPal’s website or app to verify your information, notifications, and official messages.

Online marketplace scams

Online marketplaces, like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, OfferUp, and others, offer a convenient way to save money on everything from bicycles to clothing to couches. However, this also means buying from strangers online, which always carries risks.

This scam happens when you offer to buy an item on an online marketplace and have it shipped to you. The seller requests payment through PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, or another service. You pay them, and they tell you that they’ll ship the item, but they never do. Instead, they’ve taken your money, and the item you thought you’d bought probably didn’t exist in the first place.

How to avoid online marketplace scams

Beware of fake profiles that were created recently, have little or no previous sales, and no reviews. Scammers create new profiles all the time to find their next victim.

Additionally, many online marketplaces have built-in payment methods for buyers to use. These payment options generally have security features like holding your payment while the seller ships the item, reporting fraud or scams, and disputing payments. These features remove many of the risks associated with third-party payment options like PayPal.

Romance scams

The romance scam—also known as the “catfish scam”—happens when you meet someone online who lives in another city, state, or country, and you build a romantic relationship together. Then, when it comes time to meet in person, they ask you to send them money for plane tickets, train tickets, hotels, etc., via PayPal.

You’re emotionally entangled, so you send them the money. Once the money is sent, they suddenly stop responding and may even block your number and/or social media accounts. They just perpetrated the romance scam and ran off with your money.

How to avoid romance scams

Sending money to someone you haven’t met in person, even if they seem perfect for you, is generally not a good idea. Instead of sending a potential long-distance love interest money up-front, offer to reimburse them for travel expenses after they make the trip.

Phishing scams

This is one of the most common scams in the book due to its ease and the minimal expense of performing it. This scam occurs when you receive an email or text message that appears to be from PayPal, asking you to click a link. The message may either tell you that you’ve won a giveaway, information is needed to fix an issue with your account, or there’s a payment waiting for you to accept.

When you click the link, you’ll be taken to a fake PayPal website where, if you enter your login info, the scammers will steal your credentials. They can then log in to your PayPal account and transfer money to themselves.

How to avoid phishing scams

If you receive an email or message that appears to be from PayPal, don’t click any links or enter your login info. Instead, log in to paypal.com or open the PayPal app to verify any payment requests, receipts of funds, or giveaway wins.

In general, PayPal will not contact you outside of their app or website, and they will never request your login credentials or other sensitive information like your bank details or social security number.

Login verification scams

Scammers never stop finding new ways to trick you into giving them your information or sending money. In the login verification scam, you’ll receive an email or message stating that an unknown device has tried to access your PayPal account, and you need to verify the legitimacy (or illegitimacy) of this login attempt.

This type of message is designed to make you feel worried about the security of your PayPal account and create urgency, so you’re more likely to click a link and log in to a fake PayPal website. At that point, the scammers obtain your login credentials. You might not even know it happened.

How to avoid login verification scams

If you receive an email or message asking you to verify suspicious activity on your account, don’t click any links. Instead, log in to your PayPal account on your own through the normal channels like their website or app. Then, in PayPal’s security settings, make sure only approved devices have access to your account.

Additionally, if you believe your username or password is compromised, reset your password right away. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion

With the increase in PayPal’s popularity since its inception in 1998, scams have become increasingly common. By staying up to date with the latest fraud tactics, such as phishing, romance, and online marketplace scams, you have a better chance of avoiding financial loss.

To ensure your safety online, never share your login information via email, messages, or phone calls, and don’t click suspicious links.

Want to find out more? Check out our articles on How to Avoid Crypto Scams and How to Avoid Venmo Scams.

FAQs

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity and identity protection are crucial. Norton doesn’t just help you remove malicious software from your computer—it also offers Norton Lifelock to help safeguard your sensitive personal information. However, unfortunately, scammers are always on the lookout for new ways to steal your details.

Whether you’re a subscriber to Norton Lifelock, a security-conscious individual, or are just looking to avoid online fraud, this article will equip you with the knowledge to identify and avoid Norton Lifelock scams.

Key Takeaways

• Never click on suspicious links or attachments in emails, texts, or pop-up messages claiming to be from Norton Lifelock.
• Don’t share login information, financial details, or remote access with anyone claiming to represent Norton Lifelock.
• Instead of sharing information over email, text, or phone, you should always log in to your Norton Lifelock account to verify all information and requests.
• If you think your information is compromised, contact the Norton Lifelock support team immediately to file a claim.

How To Avoid Norton Lifelock Scams

Scammers always seek new ways to steal money, data, or both from their victims. Being knowledgeable and careful is the only way to defend against scams. Let’s explore some of the most common Norton Lifelock scams—and how to avoid them.

Scare tactics scams

Scare tactics scams involve convincing victims that their information is compromised. The scammer will send you an email, text, or pop-up message that appears to be from Norton Lifelock. The message will claim that your identity has been stolen or that a company with your information has been hacked.

To protect your identity, the message urges you to click a fake link to log in to your account. But instead of logging in to Norton Lifelock’s actual website, you’re logging in to the scammer’s fake website. Once they have your login credentials, they can access your real account and steal personal information, such as credit reports, bank and brokerage details, and potentially even your social security number (SSN).

How to avoid scare tactics scams

If you receive a suspicious email or notification about a potential identity leak from Norton Lifelock, don’t panic, and don’t click any links. Instead, log in to your Norton Lifelock account and verify whether the notification is accurate. If it is, Norton Lifelock will guide you through the steps to rectify the situation. If the notification was fake, then you just avoided a potential scam.

Fake invoice scams

Fake invoice scams happen when you receive a bill from Norton Lifelock, generally in your email. The email will have a realistic-looking Norton email address containing an urgent payment request. When you click the link, you’re taken to a fake version of the Norton Lifelock website designed to look real. When you input your info, scammers steal it and run.

These emails may also contain legitimate-looking invoices with the Norton Lifelock logo, an invoice number, an invoice date, and line items with the required amount due. The invoice will note “late payment,” “unpaid fees,” or “monthly payment due.” It may also threaten the discontinuation of service and a higher risk of having your identity stolen.

How to avoid fake invoice scams

As always, don’t automatically trust emails and notifications that appear to be from Norton Lifelock, no matter how urgent or threatening they may sound. Instead, log in to your real Norton Lifelock account on its website (lifelock.norton.com) and access your notifications. This will allow you to determine their legitimacy with safety.

Customer service scams

The customer service scam involves fraudsters feigning to be Norton Lifelock customer service. They will contact you by phone or email and either inform you of an issue with your account, ask you to verify a transaction, or tell you your account isn’t secure enough.

They request your login credentials, like your email address and password, or a piece of information to verify your identity, such as your birthday or the last four digits of your social security number. They then use this information to access your account, steal your identity, or access your financial records.

How to avoid customer service scams

Norton Lifelock customer service will never request sensitive information over the phone, via email, or in a text message. If you do receive a notification from Norton Lifelock customer service, don’t click any links, and avoid sharing your information over the phone if you receive a call.

Instead, log in on the official website and take any necessary actions, like adding details to your profile, changing settings, or responding to customer service messages.

Conclusion

Scams are a challenging type of crime to predict, detect, and prevent because they’re always changing. Plus, the rise of online scams can make it difficult to know who to trust. By understanding the common tactics and remaining vigilant, you can protect yourself from Norton Lifelock scams.

Remember: never share your login information with anyone, no matter how urgent the issue might seem. Instead of clicking links in messages, log in to your Norton Lifelock account on your own. Finally, don’t trust emailed invoices—instead, verify all bills and payments on your account page.

For further reading, check out the ultimate guide to protecting your online identity.

FAQs

LinkedIn is a valuable tool for people at all stages of their career path, whether they’re looking for their first job or trying to move up the corporate ladder.

However, you may eventually want to delete your account to reduce your online footprint, move on to another networking platform, or another reason. Unfortunately, while opening a LinkedIn account is straightforward, it’s not as clear how to delete an account, which can lead to confusion when you try.

To help you out, this guide explains how to delete your LinkedIn account in a few easy steps.

Key Takeaways

• Once you know the steps, deleting your LinkedIn account is quick and easy.
• Before deleting your account, download any data you want to keep, such as messages, connections, and other profile information.
• If you have connections you’d like to stay in touch with, share other contact methods with them—such as your email address—before you delete the account.
• While your information isn’t visible on LinkedIn once you delete your account, search engines may still display residual details about the account until it updates its search data.

How To Delete Your LinkedIn Account: Step-by-Step Instructions

While deleting your LinkedIn account is easy, the steps are slightly different depending on where you’re deleting the account from.

Deleting Your LinkedIn Account on the Computer

1. Click the Me icon at the top of the screen on your LinkedIn homepage.
2. In the dropdown menu, click Settings & Privacy.
3. Scroll to Account management (in the Account preferences section) and click Close account.
4. Choose the reason you’re closing your account (e.g., “I have a privacy concern,” “I’m not getting any value from my membership,” or “Other”). Then, click Next.
5. Enter your password and click Close account.

Deleting Your LinkedIn Account on the Mobile App (iOS or Android)

1. Tap your profile picture.
2. Go to Settings, then select Account Preferences.
3. Under Account Management, tap Close Account, and press Continue.
4. Choose the reason for closing the account, then tap Next.
5. Enter your password and tap Done.

The complete deletion process takes time, so search engines may still display your profile information until search data is updated.

However, rest assured that once you delete your account, your profile is no longer visible on the platform, you’ll no longer be in any LinkedIn groups, and all endorsements and recommendations you’ve given get deleted.

Downloading Your LinkedIn Data Before Deleting Your Account

One of the biggest mistakes people make when deleting their LinkedIn accounts is forgetting to download their data from the platform first.

If you delete your account without downloading your data, some of what you’ll lose includes your:

• Messages
• Contacts
• Courses
• Recommendations and endorsements
• Profile data (education, job history, certifications, and skills)
• Job application details
• Settings preferences

This data is nice to have, whether for future reference or to help you set up a new account later.

To download your data from LinkedIn, follow these steps:

1. Visit your homepage and click the Me icon at the top of the screen.
2. From the drop-down menu, select Settings & Privacy.
3. Click Data Privacy on the left side of the screen.
4. Navigate to the section called How LinkedIn uses your data, and click Get a copy of your data.
5. Choose the data you want to download, and click Request Archive.

LinkedIn emails you a link within 24 hours that you use to download the information. Be sure to do this quickly, as the data is available to download for 72 hours only.

Also, because you’ll lose your meaningful connections when you delete your account, make sure to share your other social media accounts, email address, or other ways to contact you if you want them to stay in touch.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for an effective solution for reducing your digital footprint or want to move to another platform, there are many cases where you’ll want to delete your LinkedIn account. The process is straightforward and clear, but ensure you download your data beforehand.

If you want to learn more about LinkedIn, check out our guides on making your LinkedIn profile stand out and the latest LinkedIn scams to avoid.

FAQs

President-elect Donald Trump has cybercriminals in his sights, it was suggested by Republican Rep. Mike Waltz on Sunday. Trump’s nomination for national security advisor made the remarks during an episode of CBS’s Face the Nation.

The news follows a high-profile espionage campaign allegedly conducted by the Chinese, known as “Salt Typhoon,” which recently saw data stolen from US telecommunications companies. Waltz did not specifically outline what Trump planned to do in response, instead setting out a general agenda.

With cyberattacks on the rise, the US waits to see how the incoming administration will respond to this escalating issue. While cybersecurity is a bipartisan concern, it’s likely that Trump will reject aspects of his predecessor’s “third rail of cybersecurity” policy, which aimed to create legislation to punish tech companies for complicity in cyberattacks.

Trump Nominee Vows to Punish Cybercriminals

Mike Waltz, Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor in his upcoming administration, has suggested that the US is exploring ways to combat cybercrime, which is spiraling out of control.

The Republican rep. claimed that previous governments had chosen to prioritize bolstering their cybersecurity rather than on efforts to deter malicious actors. The comments come just a couple of weeks after a high-profile data breach allegedly committed by China, which impacted at least eight telecommunications and infrastructure firms.

Said Waltz: “We need to start going on the offense and start imposing, I think, higher costs and consequences to private actors and nation-state actors that continue to steal our data, that continue to spy on us,” Reuters reports.

New Administration Brings New Approach

Waltz’s remarks signal a change in approach for the US government. Previous administrations have placed emphasis on safeguarding critical infrastructure at the expense of preventative measures. In 2023, for instance, President Biden issued his National Cybersecurity Strategy, which sought to “rebalance the responsibility to defend cyberspace by shifting the burden for cybersecurity” onto “organizations that are most capable and and best-positioned to reduce risks for all of us,” as outlined by Brookings.

As part of this, the outgoing President introduced a “liability shift” from software users to vendors that sought to encourage large organizations to bake security best practices into their products, rather than relying on the discretion of the user. It is thought that President-elect Trump will not favor carrying this policy forward, as it involves regulation of the private sector.

With Elon Musk, the newly appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency, at his side, cutting red tape and regulations is expected to be high on the agenda. Both men are known advocates of light-touch regulation, and are unlikely to be supportive of legislation that pulls guardrails around the tech sector.

Fears Mount as Trump Nears Second Term

Data breaches are increasingly common in the US, with actors from Russia and China thought to be among the biggest culprits. The government has long maintained somewhat uneasy ties with both nations.

With Trump’s second term beginning in just over a month, there is concern that he will pursue an aggressive foreign policy that could potentially inflame relations with the Russians and Chinese even further. While nothing is set in stone, Waltz’s remarks hint at a certain direction.

Perhaps in an effort to foster some goodwill ahead of his departure from the Oval Office, President Biden on Friday renewed the Science and Technology Agreement, a decades-old agreement between the US and China that seeks to advance “US interests through newly established and strengthened provisions on transparency and data reciprocity.”

While Google may have scaled back some of its most luxurious perks (farewell free massages), it still remains one of the top tech companies to work for – and for good reason.

If working for one of the most well-respected tech companies isn’t enough, the Silicon Valley heavyweight offers extremely competitive salaries, and career progression opportunities –  while sweetening the deal with unique stock options and generous parental leave.

If you’re happy to bypass in-office privileges like on-site meals and fitness centers, the company also frequently hires for fully remote roles. However, with Google gradually curtailing job listings for fully remote workers, we recommend throwing your hat in the ring before its too late.

Fully Remote Jobs at Google for December 2024

The holiday season isn’t just about rest and reflection, it’s also a great time to set yourself up for the year ahead. At the time of writing, Google is accepting applications for 22 fully-remote positions. This is a noticeable drop from the 47 WFH-friendly roles it was advertising last month, making now a great time to try and secure a remote job at the company.

We’ve outlined some of the best roles below, alongside the locations they’re hiring in:

• Director, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager (California, USA)
• Key Account Executive, Google Cloud (Tennessee, USA)
• Data Center Mechanical/Thermal Cooling Engineer (Several locations across the USA)
• Cybersecurity Delivery Lead Consultant, Mandiant, Google Cloud (Several locations across the USA)
• CCAI Sales Specialist III, Regulated Industries, Google Cloud (Several locations across the USA)
• Senior Red Teamer, Google Public Sector (Virginia USA)
• Technical Lead, System Level Performance Simulation (Several locations across the USA)
• Technical Program Manager, Data Center Design (London, UK)
• Manufacturing Engineer, Product Lifecycle and Technical Operations (Thailand)
• Senior CPU Microarchitecture Lead (Several locations across the USA)
• Software Engineer, Commerce (Zürich, Switzerland)
• Post Quantum Cryptography Analyst, Public Sector (Virginia, USA)

If you’d like to browse through Google’s full list of remote-friendly, and hybrid opportunities, check out Google’s career page for more job listings.

Are Google’s Days of Remote Working Numbered?

Google first started to gradually rescind its flexible policies in March 2022, when the company asked its workers based in the San Francisco Bay Area and “several other US locations” to return back to the office for three days a week.

Google wasn’t a lone sheep when it came to cracking down on remote work, with several other big tech companies like Tesla and Apple also issuing return to office (RTO) mandates at a similar time.

However, when Google started enforcing this policy by tracking office badge attendance and penalizing workers in performance reviews in 2023, these actions were criticized by online employees, and openly challenged by the Alphabet Workers Union.

Skip to the current day, and Google’s hybrid working policy is going strong. The company is still hiring for fully-remote opportunities, but with these listings dwindling month-by-month, its clear that the search giant isn’t as committed to flexible work as many of its rivals. So, if landing a remote job in tech is on your to-do-list for 2024, which other companies should you be considering?

Which Companies Are Leading The Pack When It Comes to Remote Work?

If you’re looking to pursue the Silicon Valley dream without relocating to California, we’d recommend prioritizing companies that hold flexible work as a core value.

For example, Microsoft actively promotes flexible work models, and leverages its own 365 Workplace technology to empower employees to work in a way that suits them. While the company currently operates on a hybrid model, workers can adjust their schedule based on their needs and project requirements. The Washington based company also consistently hires more fully-remote workers than Apple, with tech leader advertising for 417 WFH-friendly positions this month alone.

Music streaming giant Spotify has an even more liberal stance on remote work, with the company allowing its 8.300 strong workforce to work from anywhere they want, whether that be at home, the office or anywhere in between. Similarly, online rental marketplace Airbnb is also remote friendly, offering its employees the chance to work from anywhere in the world.

This is really just scraping the surface though. If you’re intent in finding a job that’s on board with you working from the comfort of your own home – or even overseas – check out our full guide to the best companies with work from anywhere policies in 2024.

Meta has just launched Meta Motivo – a brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) model designed to bring lifelike realism to its avatars, with the potential to revolutionize the Metaverse experience.

While Meta hasn’t always been praised for its  avatars, according to the company this research breakthrough allows its virtual agents to have more natural and realistic movements and could pave the way for “fully immersive agents within the Metaverse”.

As the Silicon Valley company continues to pour billions into its AI efforts, Motivo is just one tool the company has recently added to its arsenal. We explain how exactly this development is likely to shape experiences within the Metaverse and discuss if now is a good time for your business to join the virtual world.

Meta’s New AI Model Makes Avatars Move More Realistically

Following a pretty major AI spending spree, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp owner Meta has recently unveiled a shiny new AI model that the company claims will enhance its Metaverse experience.

The model, Meta Motivo AI, sets out to make virtual environments more immersive and lifelike by making its virtual avatars, or ‘NPCs’, more realistic. According to Meta, the AI model solves the problem of digital avatars lacking control over their bodies, allowing them to act more naturally as a result.

“This breakthrough research could pave the way for fully immersive agents within the Metaverse, leading to more realistic NPCs, democratising character animation, and unlocking novel immersive experiences,” – Meta stated in a press release

Much of Meta Motivo’s success can be attributed to the novel algorithm that it’s been trained on. The AI algorithm runs off information from unlabeled datasets and uses zero-shot inference capabilities that enable it to learn human-like behaviors without being supervised.

According to Meta, this development allows Meta Motivo to solve a wide range of whole-body control tasks, including motion tracking, reward optimization, and goal pose reaching, “without any additional training or planning”.

Meta Doubles Down on Its AI Spend

Much like Silicon Valley’s other big players, Meta has been pouring billions of dollars into AI in recent years, with its capital expense forecast for 2024 hitting a record high of between $37 to $40 billion.

While these numbers may seem astronomical, it’s investment appears to be paying off. In addition to Meta Motivo, the company has also launched Meta Video Seal to try and tackle the deepfake crisis that’s eroding trust across the internet. The tool enables users to add watermarks to AI-generated videos, which are invisible to the human eye but are unable to be erased through blurring or cropping.

Like many other AI models that Meta has created, the company’s Video Seal is completely open-source. While this may seem at odds with the developer’s steep AI spending, the company believes that embracing open-source technology leads to improved innovation and security, due to increased scrutiny from its community of developers.

So, with Meta clearly making leap forwards in the spheres of virtual reality and AI, is it finally time for businesses to jump on the Metaverse wagon?

Should Your Business Be In the Metaverse?

While the Metaverse was a source of derision for many in its early years, billions of dollars in investments later, its reputation has seemed to have somewhat recovered.

Alongside Meta itself, several big tech players including Google, Microsoft, and Nvidia are currently investing in the company. The Metaverse has even collaborated with Microsoft Teams to create ‘Microsoft Mish’ – a platform that lets workers participate in shared immersive spaces.

However, claims that the Metaverse could transform the future of work seem unfounded for now. While the virtual reality platform’s users are growing – with Metaverse currently hosting 600 million active users worldwide – over 80% of Metaverse users to date are younger than 16. This is largely due to the popularity of the platform’s gaming ecosystem, with Metaverse’s most popular game currently being Roblox.

As Meta continues to improve the quality of its virtual world through consistent funding and open-source infrastructure, it’s likely that the boundary-breaking technology will influence the way businesses reach consumers in the coming years. Yet, for the majority of businesses content with carrying out affairs in the real world, we’d recommend holding off investing in a VR headset for now.

If you’re a California resident, you could be entitled to compensation from the Thomson Reuters CLEAR settlement, and you don’t even have to have used the service to be eligible.

The $27.5 million settlement is for allegedly selling personal information from California residents, violating the state’s privacy laws on data usage without consent.

Time is running out to claim your piece of the settlement, though, with the deadline of December 27th fast approaching. So, if you want to get a nice little gift in your stockings this year, make sure to keep scrolling to find out if you can claim part of the Thomson Reuters CLEAR settlement today.

Thomson Reuters CLEAR Class Action Settlement

Filed in 2020, the class action lawsuit against Thomson Reuters alleged that the technology conglomerate sold California user data to government agencies and corporation businesses.

The company did so through its CLEAR platform, the AI-powered solution that allows users to “access multiple databases to quickly investigate criminal cases and accurately identify potential fraud.”

As you can imagine, doing so flies in the face of data privacy regulations in California, which state that the sale of user data without proper consent can result in substantial fines for the offending business.

Are You Eligible for the Thomson Reuters CLEAR Settlement Pay Out?

If you’ve made it this far, there’s a good chance you are eligible for the pay out from the Thomson Reuters CLEAR settlement, with all California residents from December 3rd, 2016 to October 31st, 2024 having an opportunity to cash in.

That’s right, you don’t have to have used the CLEAR platform from Thomson Reuters and you no longer have to live in California to be eligible. As long as you had provable residence in California between those dates, you’re eligible for the payout.

Unfortunately, despite the size of the settlement, individual payouts aren’t going to get you in a new tax bracket. The average expected payout for those eligible is between $19 and $48, but hey, it’s more than nothing!

How to Claim the Thomson Reuters CLEAR Settlement Payout

While the payout may not be that large, the ease with which you can submit your claim and get a piece of the pie is substantial, making it more than worth it for even a meager payout.

All you have to do is head on over to the file claim website and fill out the form, which includes your name, address, phone number, email address, and preferred payment method. On top of that, you’ll have to electronically sign the document to confirm that you were, in fact, a California resident during that time period.

Find out if you’re eligible for the BuzzFeed settlement payout next

Another country has joined the battle against social media addiction, with Greece announcing restrictions for users under the age of 15.

It’s no secret that social media can encourage addictive behavior, particularly in young users. The problem has been consistent over the years, but social media platforms haven’t been able to find a way to curb the impact.

Now, countries are taking matters into their own hands by banning or restricting services like Facebook and Instagram for young users, and Greece is getting on board.

Greece Announces Social Media Restrictions for Young Users

The Greek government has announced that it will soon implement age-based restrictions on social media for users under the age of 15. The goal behind these new regulations is to limit the notable overexposure of social media among young users, which has been shown to have some seriously negative effects.

“It’s not only that children remain glued on social media. They are isolated and this carries a double risk: the risk of depression and the risk of digital isolation, where they think that they have a friend and create a fake, digital world without living on the outside world. There were children who had refused to go to school.” – Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs to Greek SKAI TV

The system will be broad, implementing everything from age checks and algorithm changes to awareness campaigns and time management tools for parents.

Other Countries Instituting Social Media Regulations for Youth

Greece isn’t the only country attempting to curb the overconsumption of social media in youth. In fact, there are a number of countries implementing age restrictions on social media platforms, with strategies ranging from full-on bans to opt-in methods with parental consent.

Here’s a list of the countries around the world that are currently trying to limit social media usage for young users:

• United States
• Australia
• United Kingdom
• Norway
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• South Korea
• Greece

Whether or not these restrictions and regulations will have any impact in any of these countries remains to be seen, as these efforts are quite new, with most campaigns launching early this year.

Is Social Media Addictive?

Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have been around for more than a decade at this point, and one thing has been glaringly obvious since their inception: These platforms are pretty addictive.

From medical experts noting the similar brain activity to using drugs to the aggressive overuse by many users, there have been many studies stating that social media has addictive tendencies.

Worse, many of these platforms seem to be employing these strategies on purpose, with Meta even being sued for designing its platforms to encourage addictive behavior in hopes of improving user numbers.

If you want to cut down on employee burnout, remote work could be the answer, with a new study showing that those with flexible working arrangements are less exhausted, the primary symptom of burnout.

There’s no shortage of statistics that show the value of remote work. From increased productivity to improved mental health, the popular employee perk has been found time and time again to be a boon for workers and employers alike.

Now, it seems that remote work could also improve employee retention, with this study pointing to substantial stress and burnout reduction for those lucky enough to work from home.

Remote Workers Are Less Burnt Out

In a study from WFH Research, researchers found a decidedly significant correlation between remote work and a lack of burnout symptoms.

In fact, remote workers exhibited an average of only 0.7 burnout symptoms, while in-office workers averaged 1.0 symptoms on average. One of the most notable symptoms of burnout is low energy or exhaustion, which in-office workers (35.3%) also experience far more than remote employees (27.1%).

That’s not all, though. The study also found that employees are far less likely to have negative feelings about their company if they work from home. Only 12.7% of remote employees expressed distaste with their employer, while 21.6% of in-office workers had negative feelings about work.

The Risk of Return-to-Office Mandates

The study didn’t just focus on how employees feel about remote work either. The research also dug into how employees react to return-to-office mandates, and let’s just say, the results are not great for those looking to get employees back to their commute.

According to the study, 41.4% of surveyed employees said they would start looking for a new job if they were asked to return to the office for five days a week, while 14.4% said that they would quit on the spot, leaving 44.3% that said they would comply.

Given that most businesses would probably see significant problems if more than half their staff decided it was time to move on, it’s safe to say that return-to-office mandates are not the way to go, particularly given the notable backlash that has taken place at business like Amazon and Dell.

The Value of Remote Work

Clearly, this study shows that remote work is a great for employees, but the reality is that remote work is also good for business owners when implemented.

In fact, our own productivity statistics show that remote work can increase revenue, improve productivity, and encourage employee retention. Remote work can even lower the carbon footprint of your business, if going green is a priority for your team.

All that to say, you might want to reconsider that return-to-office mandate, if only to make sure that your employees don’t leave your business.

Crypto scams are schemes where fraudsters trick you into giving up your cryptocurrency or personal information or encouraging you to invest in fake crypto projects for their own financial gain.

Since cryptocurrency is still a new market, scammers are busy exploiting new and experienced investors alike. Thankfully, crypto scams can be easily avoided if you have the right information.

In this article, we’ll show you exactly what crypto scams are, how to avoid them, and what to do if you’re worried you may have fallen prey to one.

Key Takeaways

• A crypto scam is when a scammer deceives you into giving up cryptocurrency or personal information or encourages you to invest in a fake cryptocurrency project.
• Common crypto scams include fake exchanges and wallets, phishing scams, rug pulls, and pump-and-dump schemes.
• Avoid falling into a crypto scam by identifying red flags such as promises of guaranteed returns, pressure to invest quickly, and unsolicited offers to invest.
• Only purchase crypto on regulated exchanges like Coinbase or Crypto.com, and always keep two-factor authentication enabled.

What Is a Crypto Scam?

A crypto scam is an online scheme where scammers trick you into giving up your crypto assets or personal information or encouraging you to invest in fake cryptocurrency projects that don’t exist.

Common types of cryptocurrency scams include:

• Fake exchanges and wallets: A scammer will design and publish a fake crypto marketplace that looks totally legitimate, with the ability to create a crypto wallet and apparently buy cryptos and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Once you transfer funds to purchase crypto, the scammer will take them and disappear.
• Phishing scams: A scammer will send an email or other message that contains a link to a fake URL. You’ll be prompted to input your login info to access your “account,” and the scammer will use these credentials to break into your crypto wallet and steal your funds.
• Rug pulls: A scammer with web development skills will create a new crypto coin and reach out to you for investment, promising high returns. When you do invest, they’ll simply pocket the funds.
• Pump-and-dump schemes: A scammer will artificially “pump” up the price of a cryptocurrency by spreading false information and attracting you and others to invest. Once the price is high enough, they’ll “dump” their shares, causing the value of your coins to plummet.

How To Avoid Crypto Scams

If you know what to look for and how to keep your digital wallet secure, crypto scams shouldn’t pose a problem. Below are the best strategies for recognizing and avoiding crypto scams.

Watch for red flags

Being aware of common warning signs can help you identify potential scams. Here are some important red flags to watch for:

• Promises of guaranteed returns: Legitimate cryptocurrencies never market their coins by promising guaranteed profits—scam coins often do.
• Pressure to invest quickly: Be aware of urgency tactics designed to rush you into rash decisions, such as limited-time offers or countdowns.
• Unsolicited offers: As a rule, ignore any unsolicited messages or emails about crypto investment opportunities. These usually entail a self-proclaimed “crypto expert” claiming exclusive knowledge of a promising investment and using phrases like “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” or “act now to secure your spot.”
• Giveaway scams: Unsolicited offers can also take the form of giveaway scams, where scammers claim you’re entitled to free cryptocurrency but require your personal information before you can receive the funds.
• Lack of documentation: Real cryptocurrencies will always have whitepapers and records of their initial coin offerings available. However, even this isn’t enough to prove legitimacy. Avoid cryptos that have no official documentation.
• Unusual payment methods: If you’re specifically asked to purchase crypto with a gift card or with another cryptocurrency—often through unsolicited emails, social media messages, or Telegram chats—you’re likely dealing with a crypto scammer.

Only use trusted platforms

Not all crypto platforms are created equal. Reputable, regulated platforms you can trust include Coinbase, Crypto.com, and Gemini. Cryptocurrency scams are most likely to occur on unregulated platforms such as Best Wallet, Margex, Uniswap, and PancakeSwap.

Legitimate, regulated exchanges are usually registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), demonstrate SOC 2 compliance, and require users to complete identity verification steps in line with KYC and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations.

Not sure whether a given exchange or coin is legitimate? If it has any of the below aspects, it’s probably fake:

• Strange URLs with misspelled words or unusual characters.
• Poor website quality, with frequent typos or bad design.
• A huge amount of niche, unpopular coins available for trade.

Enable two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is when you’re required to provide a second piece of information in addition to your password, like a code sent to your phone, before you can access your digital wallet. In the event of a phishing attack where your password is compromised, two-factor authentication could be the final stop that prevents a scammer from accessing your crypto.

Consider using an authenticator app for the second step of your two-factor authentication. An authenticator app generates a new, unique code every 30 seconds, making it much harder for scammers to use your stolen password to access your crypto.

What To Do if You Get Scammed

The crypto market is still relatively new and highly unregulated. If you get scammed, it’s very unlikely you’ll ever be able to recover your funds. However, there are still a few steps you can take if you do end up falling victim to a crypto investment scam:

• Report the scam to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center, providing as much detail as possible.
• Secure your account immediately by changing your passwords and enabling two-factor authentication (if you haven’t yet).

Conclusion

Crypto scams are designed to trick you into giving up cryptocurrency or personal info or investing in fake coins.

To avoid them, look out for telltale signs such as promises of guaranteed returns, urgency tactics, and lack of official whitepapers. Only invest on trusted platforms like Coinbase and Crypto.com, and keep two-factor authentication enabled for extra security.

For further reading, check out our article on the recent Trump Free Crypto Telegram Scam—an unfortunate case study of a real-life crypto scam.

FAQs

Grok AI is a free AI model available from xAI. It offers paid plans as well, including a $30 per month plan called SuperGrok and another $30 per user, per month plan for businesses called Grok Business.

Created by Elon Musk, Grok is a unique AI model in that it’s a bit more irreverent than other AI models, with sarcastic responses that you would expect to generally find on social media.

Still, while Grok isn’t the most sought-after AI model on the market, it certainly has its use cases, which is why, in this guide, we’ll outline how much Grok costs and what you get with each plan.

What Is Grok AI?

Grok AI is a language model developed by xAI, Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company.

Grok is unique from other AI models in that, like its creator, it’s a bit sarcastic and lighthearted, providing sarcastic and somewhat entertaining answers with a bit of snark.

Grok is available in 29 different languages and offers two different modes for responses: Fast and Expert.

Grok’s biggest difference from tools like ChatGPT and Claude is its ability to tap into real-time knowledge from the X platform (formerly Twitter). This allows Grok to stay current on news stories and trending topics, giving it an edge in timely conversations.

Although a lot of people sign up to Grok to integrate it with their X account (and initially, this was the only way to use the chatbot), it’s now possible to use Grok as a standalone AI tool.

How Much Does Grok AI Cost?

Grok offers an assortment of different pricing options for both individual users and business accounts, with a variety of features in each for those specific use cases.

Here’s how all the Grok AI pricing plans match up against each other on cost:

• Grok – Free
• SuperGrok – $30 per month
• Grok Business – $30 per user, per month
• SuperGrok Heavy – $300 per month
• Enterprise – Custom

If you’re looking to save a bit of money and you’re open to a long-term commitment to Grok, you can sign up for a yearly contract to get a discount. The SuperGrok plan, for example, only costs $300 per year, which represents a 16% discount.

Is Grok free?

Grok has gone through a lot of pricing changes over the last few years. At first, there was no free version of the AI model, with Grok only available for paid users of X, the social media site also owned by Elon Musk.

However, since the release of Grok 3 in February 2025, Grok is now free to use for all X users, like most AI models. The change from a paid option to a free service was announced by xAI in an X post, joking that the chatbot will be free “until our servers melt.”

The free version of Grok allows for limited access to the AI model, with users estimating that you get about 10 requests every two hours. You’ll also only get access to Grok 3, with access to Grok 4 reserved for paid users only.

The Grok free plan also provides access to the Aurora image generation tool and the Voice function, so you can talk to it rather than type into it.

Should I Use Grok AI for My Project?

Grok’s integration with X gives it a distinct advantage in accessing real-time information, making it particularly valuable for projects that require up-to-the-minute data. But other tools like ChatGPT do offer limited web access through the use of plugins and API access.

On the technical side, Grok-2 is showing significant promise in various areas:

• Code generation: Grok-2 achieved an 88.4% pass rate on the HumanEval benchmark, making it competitive with other leading models for coding tasks.
• Reasoning capabilities: Grok-2 has demonstrated improved performance in areas like graduate-level science knowledge and math competition problems.
• Multimodal understanding: Grok-2 is strong in tasks that combine text and visual elements, such as the MathVista benchmark for visual math reasoning.

Grok, while newer than some GPT models, is competitive in certain areas. As xAI continues to actively develop and update Grok’s source code, base model weights, and capabilities, it could close the gap with more established AI models such as ChatGPT and Gemini.

However, Grok’s exclusive availability through X Premium might not align with all project needs. Grok’s approach to content moderation is also less stringent than most competitors, which could be a double-edged sword depending on your project’s requirements and ethical considerations.

The lack of extensive third-party integrations is another factor to weigh, especially for projects requiring complex workflows or interconnected systems. This limitation impacts Grok’s versatility in certain enterprise environments.

When comparing Grok vs. ChatGPT, it’s evident that while Grok is making strides, it still has ground to cover. ChatGPT’s more mature ecosystem and broader application range currently give it an advantage for many projects.

Getting Started with Grok

Grok AI presents an intriguing option for AI-generated content, offering real-time knowledge and a unique personality at a competitive price point. While it may not yet be the go-to choice for all projects, its rapid development and integration with X make it worth watching.

As you weigh your options, consider exploring the best chatbots to find the perfect fit for your needs.