In Musk’s latest maneuver, the Twitter CEO and magnet for controversy announced his team will be “purging” accounts that have been inactive for several years, in an effort to “free up abandoned handles”.

While no official date has been announced for when this process will begin, the chief executive warns users that follower counts may be impacted as a result.

This revelation comes days after the multi-billionaire tried to reassign NPRs and the National Public Radio’s Twitter handles due to inactivity, and weeks after the app began removing blue checks for its legacy users.

Twitter Accounces a Purge on Inactive Accounts

If you’re an idle Twitter user, your account may be at risk — according to a Tweet recently fired off by the company’s CEO, Elon Musk.

The chief executive explained that if an account has been dormant for several years, it may be purged and archived, claiming that the action is vital in the app’s mission to “free up abandoned handles”.

We’re purging accounts that have had no activity at all for several years, so you will probably see follower count drop

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 8, 2023

Musk also pointed out that due to the scale of this project, it will likely affect lots of people’s follower counts as a result.

But this isn’t the first time the CEO has waged a war against inactive users. Last week Musk threatened to reassign the handles of a number of organizations that had suspended posting after incorrectly being labeled as ‘state-affiliated media’.

In a series of private emails, Musk told the organizations like NPR and National Public Radio that if they continued to remain inactive, their account handle would be given to “another company”.

The CEO also posted a Tweet last November which claimed the company would soon begin freeing up the usernames of 1.5 billion accounts by deleting accounts that haven’t been active.

Since the company is yet to make an official statement, it’s unclear when the social media site will begin purging dormant accounts and what exactly the company considers to be “inactive”.

How can Twitter users avoid being purged?

According to Twitter’s inactive account policy, users should log into their account at least once every 30 days to remain active.

Since inactivity is purely based on logging in, this is the only way to avoid your account being ousted in the app’s latest crackdown.

Is Twitter Still the Best Social Media Platform?

Whether you’re an irregular Twitter user frustrated about this proposed purge, or a legacy blue tick holder that’s recently been dethroned, there are a number of reasons why you might have grown disillusioned with Twitter over the past few months.

The truth is, due to the platform’s cultural capital and the size of its existing community, lots of Twitter alternatives simply don’t weigh up.

However, if you’re looking for a platform that looks and behaves similarly to Twitter, but is free from the megalomaniac impulses of Elon Musk, Bluesky will be your best bet. The app lets you share videos and posts and also offers “What’s Hot” and “Following” feeds to categorize content. Sadly, it’s invite-only at the moment, so you’ll need to hope someone you know is kind enough to throw you an invite.

Mastodon is another great contender that relies on open-source code and has similar microblogging features to Twitter. It also challenges Twitter’s top-down structure by feeding all of its profits back into the app itself.

If you’re interested in learning more about the German incumbent you can read our comprehensive guide to Mastodon here.

The professional network and career development tool, LinkedIn, is laying off 716 workers and terminating its Chinese app, ‘InCareers’, amid a ‘weakening global economic outlook’ and a ‘drop in demand.’

This makes the Microsoft-owned app the latest in a long line of tech companies to slash headcounts — with Amazon and Meta taking similar actions just last month.

Sales, operations, and support teams have been impacted the most. However, LinkedIn’s CEO, Ryan Roslansky, claims that affected workers will be able to apply for 250 new roles that will be created within the company.

LinkedIn Cuts 716 Workers As Demand Slumps

Despite reporting revenue growth for each quarter of 2022, LinkedIn has decided to dismiss 716 workers as demand for its services slumps and the economic climate grows increasingly hostile.

In an open letter to his employees, CEO Ryan Roslanksy explains the decision to trim down sales, operations, and support teams was part of a broader effort to streamline the company and expand the use of their “external partners”.

“With the market and customer demand fluctuating more, and to serve emerging and growth markets more effectively, we are expanding the use of vendors.” – LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky

But while around 3.5% of LinkedIn’s 20,000-strong workforce has already been handed the pink slip, Roslansky claims that these changes will result in the creation of 250 new toles, which impacted workers will be able to apply for from May 15.

This announcement took place just a week after LinkedIn celebrated its 20th birthday, and three weeks after the social media giant quietly laid off 91 staffers from its talent acquisition team.

LinkedIn Rolls Back Its Chinese App “InCareers”

Aside from dismissing employees, LinkedIn has also decided to discontinue InCareers, the company’s answer to LinkedIn in China.

While the company will retain some presence in the country, including helping China-based companies hire and train international employees, this wind-down marks a pretty major change of tact for the company, that’s been operating in the Chinese market since 2014.

LinkedIn’s presence in China has never been smooth sailing, with the company rebranding its app in 2021 and removing its social networking function to ensure it was in compliance with local laws.

However, CEO Roslansky cited “fierce competition” and a “challenging macroeconomic climate when explaining his decision to axe the app, with alternatives like Maimai taking up most of the market share.

LinkedIn is the only major Western social media app still to operate in China, with Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Youtube being barred from the country for over a decade.

Big Tech’s Layoff Spree Isn’t Letting Up

As the industry reels from overhiring efforts that took place throughout the pandemic, while contending with ever-rising inflation rates and fluctuating consumer demands, workers have been bearing the brunt more than ever.

A number of major companies are scaling back company benefits, including Google which has recently waved goodbye to complimentary fitness classes, shuttle busses, and snacks.

What’s more, just like in 2022, a wave of layoffs has been taking place within the industry, with Meta confirming 10,000 new layoffs earlier in March and Intel cutting 500 staffers this month.

While many tech leaders remain optimistic about the future of the tech industry, its days of unstoppable growth seem long behind us. Unfortunately, this means it’s likely that many more jobs will be sacrificed before the situation shows any signs of improvement.

Will the layoffs ever end? Intel just announced that the chipmaker is planning another round of layoffs and cost cutting measures to combat the ongoing issues with the economy.

The first half of 2023 has been an absolute bloodbath for tech industry employees, with virtually every company in Silicon Valley and beyond cutting costs by laying off employees. Sure, some CEOs are taking pay cuts, but the majority are passing the unfortunate situation onto their teams.

Now, Intel looks to join the ranks again, announcing a second round of layoffs that will impact employees across the country.

More Layoffs Coming From Intel

Reports have found that Intel is likely going to embark on some massive layoffs soon, as the company struggles to keep its footing amongst low revenue numbers for the year.

The news was broken by Dylan Patel, an analyst for research firm SemiAnalysis, and confirmed by Intel in a statement.

“We are focused on identifying cost reductions and efficiency gains through multiple initiatives, including some business and function-specific workforce reductions in areas across the company. These are difficult decisions, and we are committed to treating impacted employees with dignity and respect.” – Intel spokesperson

The number of layoffs have not been confirmed by Intel, but Patel noted that with a 10% reduction to the data center and client computing groups, it could be as much as 20% of the workforce being cut.

Intel’s No Good, Very Bad Year

The tech industry has been laying off employees like it’s going out of style over the last few months, but Intel has been in a class of its own when it comes to poor performance. The company has seen revenue drop substantially over the last few years, with a record $2.8 billion loss in the first quarter of 2023.

As a result, the company has been in cost cutting mode long before this news broke. In January, the company laid off hundreds of employees. After that, the company started slashing salaries of upper-level employees in hopes of keeping costs down and avoiding future layoffs.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as these huge layoffs have paved the way for even more layoffs to hit the chipmaker, and there’s a chance it could get worse before it gets better.

Tech Industry Layoffs Abound

In 2023, the tech industry has laid off a lot of employees. In fact, reports show that the industry has let go of more than 100,000 workers in just the last few months.

In addition to Intel, companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and dozens of others have cut as few as 100 and as many as 11,000 employees from their ranks in response to the downturn in the economy.

Suffice to say, Intel likely won’t be the last company to let go of a large percentage of its workforce.

The ire for remote work continues across the tech industry, as the CEO of OpenAI — the company behind ChatGPT — lambasted the flexible schedule movement in a recent talk.

With dozens of tech companies demanding that employees return to the office, the remote work boom of the pandemic is clearly less popular than it was a few years ago.

Now, Sam Altman, the CEO of one of the fastest growing tech companies in the world, has made his opinion clear: remote work is not the way.

OpenAI CEO Lambasts Remote Work

In a Stripe Sessions fireside chat in San Francisco, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman discussed the merits and downfalls of remote work, although he admittedly focused mostly on why the flexible schedule movement was such a terrible idea.

“I think definitely one of the tech industry’s worst mistakes in a long time was that everybody could go full remote forever, and startups didn’t need to be together in person and, you know, there was going to be no loss of creativity.” – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

The CEO went on to say that “the experiment on that is over,” referring to the many tech companies that are attempting to get employees back in the office.

Is Technology Good Enough for Fully Remote Work?

In addition to calling fully remote work a “mistake” and “over,” Altman noted that there was one problem holding back the popular trend from realizing its full potential in regard to keeping creativity alive and well in the workplace.

“The technology is not yet good enough that people can be fully remote forever, particularly on startups.” – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Many would argue, though, that the technology did a pretty good job of holding up throughout the pandemic, and it has continued to facilitate flexible schedules across the business landscape. Video conferencing services like Zoom and Google Meet allowed for easy communication, with project management tools and CRM software allowing for employees to access important company information without risk of a security threat.

Now, if Altman was hoping to conduct meetings in the metaverse before the end of the year, then yes, technology just isn’t there yet. But with productivity on the rise, we’d say technology is more than suited for the task.

Creativity and Artificial Intelligence

Whether or not remote work has somehow hindered creativity in the business world remains to be seen. But let’s be honest, the CEO of OpenAI complaining about a “loss of creativity” is nothing if not a bit ironic. After all, his platform is one of the primary reasons that television writers in the US are striking across the industry.

“The problem here seems to be that we thought that creativity, per se, was the last bastion, the line in the sand, that would stop machines from replacing someone’s job. I would argue that that’s just some kind of arbitrary notion that people had that caught the popular imagination.” – Mike Seymour, co-founder of Motus Lab

Remote work has facilitated improved productivity, better work life balance, and even increased profits for a wide range of businesses around the world. If the CEO of OpenAI is worried about creativity, looking inward might be a better use of his time.

The negative impacts of generative AI could be rearing their ugly heads already, with Samsung banning AI use on platforms like ChatGPT and its many alternatives for employees.

Generative AI platforms have become the hot topic of discussion in the tech industry. For one, they represent a meaningful path to success as any tech company can see. Additionally, they’ve become a valuable tool for employees looking to improve productivity at their business.

However, the lack of regulation on these generative AI platforms has opened the door for misuse, and Samsung has restricted its use in response to an employee inputting sensitive company code.

New Policy Bans Samsung Employees from Using Generative AI

Announced in an internal memo to employees obtained by Bloomberg, Samsung has reportedly banned the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms due to misuse.

The memo came in response to a security leak that stemmed from the use of ChatGPT. A Samsung employee had reportedly input sensitive company code into the platform, which poses a potential security risk for the company.

The ban is not receiving much push back at the company either, with a company survey from last month noting that 65% of employees are concerned about security risks when using generative AI platforms like ChatGPT.

Other Companies Restricting AI Use

With Samsung restricting the use of generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, the movement to get the tech established in the workplace has taken a significant hit. Still, Samsung certainly isn’t the only tech giant that has decided that this kind of technology is a bit too risky to let roam free throughout the business world.

In the tech industry, companies like Verizon and Accenture have told employees to not use the technology for everyday work. Additionally, financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase, Well Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup have banned the technology from use.

“We are imposing usage limits on ChatGPT, as we continue to evaluate safe and effective ways of using technologies like these.” – Wells Fargo spokesperson, to Bloomberg.

This technology is poised to become one of the most valuable productivity boosters in the modern world, but with few regulations, sensitive industries like finance are understandably wary about how employees are using it in the early stages.

Should Your Company Ban ChatGPT?

With all these big companies banning the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms from employees use, it’s safe to wonder: Should your business ban ChatGPT?

In earnest, you’re probably fine as long as you don’t work in a highly sensitive industry like finance. Yes, the lack of regulation can be unsettling, but businesses in industries like content and retail don’t have nearly as much to worry about when it comes to sensitive company data.

All in all, the technology is in its earliest stages right now, and a healthy dose of skepticism is more than necessary. But if you and your employees need to use ChatGPt for a productivity boost, just make sure your team is following best practices to keep your company safe.

This week, Apple CEO Tim Cook told a group of analysts that AI will be “huge”, but also warned that ‘a number of issues’ with the technology need to be addressed.

The statement came as Apple revealed its better-than-forecasted earnings report, an impressive feat for the only big tech company that managed to avoid making the mass layoffs that the likes of Google, Meta, and Microsoft have had to make.

Apple has been pretty quiet on AI, but is the company really playing catch up, or simply keeping its cards close to its chest? Or, does it just not need to fight this battle (yet, at least), as it didn’t when social media networks were springing up left, right, and centre in the late 2000s? We take a closer look.

Apple’s AI Efforts: Less Than Impressive

Some reports suggest that one of the reasons we’ve heard very little from Apple on the topic at hand, at least in comparison to other big tech companies, is internal organizational issues and dysfunctional AI development processes.

An article published in The Information last week claims that members of Apple’s AI and machine learning groups believe that Siri’s development has been a complete mess.

Staffers are reportedly frustrated at how little the virtual assistant tool has been improved since its launch over a decade ago, back in 2011.

Apple’s decision to end remote work in 2022, which led to the departure of key figures like Iain Goodfellow, Director of machine learning, can’t have helped either. To make matters worse, Ian joined Google shortly afterward, expressing disdain for the company’s mandated return-to-office policy.

Some other sources suggest the issue may be deeper than personnel, however. The control Apple generally wants to exert over its products and its unwavering commitment to privacy have both been cited as potentially hampering AI development efforts.

Apple Teams in Turmoil?

Some reports suggest that one of the reasons we’ve heard very little from Apple on the topic at hand, at least in comparison to other big tech companies, is internal organizational issues and dysfunctional AI development processes.

An article published in The Information last week claims that members of Apple’s AI and machine learning groups believe that Siri’s development has been a complete mess and that staffers are frustrated at how little the virtual assistant tool has been improved over time.

Apple’s decision to end remote work in 2022, which led to the departure of key figures like Iain Goodfellow, Director of machine learning, can’t have helped either. To make matters worse, Ian joined Google shortly afterward, expressing disdain for the company’s mandated return-to-office policy.

Some other sources suggest the issue may be deeper than personnel, however. The control Apple generally wants to exert over its products and its unwavering commitment to privacy have both been cited as potentially hampering AI development efforts.

Apple’s AI Efforts Going Under the Radar?

Speaking this week, Tim Cook said that Apple ‘will continue weaving [AI] into our products on a very thoughtful basis’, although declined to give any more specifics on the tech giant’s roadmap.

So, what AI projects is Apple currently working on? Recently, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman revealed that the company is creating an AI-powered health app, which will function as a health-coaching service that can analyze your emotions using machine learning.

It would be foolish to suggest that alleged organizational issues surrounding one product are, in and of themselves, evidence that a company the size of Apple – which has its own machine learning lab – is lagging behind other tech companies in this context.

Yes, Siri might have its faults – and it’s something many of us take for granted as a simple phone function – but it’s still an AI project.

Apple has been developing, and iterating on AI within its products for decades – there’s artificial intelligence embedded in Apple products that users may not even be aware of.

“Deep Fusion”, for instance, is a machine learning-aided camera function that can optimize and improve photos pixel-by-pixel in a matter of seconds – and it’s inside every iPhone 11. This is a good reminder that artificial intelligence and machine learning is a much wider field than the chatbots making the headlines at the moment, which is simply one example of it how it can be used.

Does Apple Need to Join the AI Arms Race Now?

Naturally, it’s doubtful that Apple will view the AI revolution as a fad – as Tim Cook says, it’s going to be huge. There’s no doubt that they’re taking it seriously. But their obvious lack of an exciting, publicized flagship AI project says a lot about the company’s approach to paradigm shifts in the tech industry.

Indeed, it wouldn’t be too surprising to find out that the company views AI as a public conversation it doesn’t necessarily need to be at the center of, at least for the time being. This can be best understood when you compare Apple to the likes of Meta and Twitter.

Apple is sitting on infinitely more cash reserves than Meta, manufactures and sells a suite of the world’s most popular consumer hardware products, and hasn’t had to make swathes of layoffs to keep itself afloat.

The company has comparatively little to prove to investors, traders, and the general public at this moment in time with regard to its value. It’s also not as reliant on users/customers returning to digital spaces it owns that could be immediately affected by AI, such as a social media network or a search engine.

The First to Market Doesn’t Always Win

Releasing a half-baked chatbot or some sort of proprietary, consumer-facing artificial intelligence would not necessarily do the company any good – just ask Google, who rushed the release of Bard in the wake of ChatGPT’s success to significant ridicule.

Similarly, Meta’s push for the metaverse last year, while not dead in the water, has hardly done the company many reputational favors thus far.

In fact, Apple is rarely the first to release new types of technology – it wasn’t the first company to bring out a Smartphone, while the first iPod was only released once portable music players were already widely used.

Apple isn’t insecure about its position in the tech industry when it comes to innovation, or artificial intelligence for that matter – and it’s not going to throw its weight around the latest conversation just for the sake of it.

Unless you work for Apple, you’re unlikely to get a heads-up on precisely how the trillion-dollar company is experimenting with and developing AI products. But considering everything we know about Apple, it’s unlikely that they’re lagging behind – rather, they’re probably just biding their time.

Microsoft has announced that it is eliminating the waitlist to use the new version of Bing that includes an AI chat function, which was previously only available to a few users.

Now, all you need is a Microsoft account to use Bing and its Chat function, which is powered by GPT-4, OpenAI’s most advanced large language model (LLM).

Along with the elimination of the waitlist, Microsoft has announced a raft of new features and improvements, with users now able to directly export and share their conversations with Bing Chat on social media.

Bing Chat Now Open to All With Microsoft Accounts

Microsoft announced this week that they would be moving the new version of Bing from its Limited Preview phase to Open Preview. This means that users will no longer have to join a long waitlist to use the new search function, which has been the case for the last three months.

Microsoft also revealed that the search experience would transition from “single-use chat/search sessions” to “multi-session productivity experiences”.

Chat history you create within Bing will be saved rather than discarded, so it can be referenced later down the line to enrich and personalize conversations.

Additionally, the tech giant explained that the company would be “opening up platform capabilities so developers and third parties can build on top of Bing to help people take action on their queries and complete tasks”, re-enforcing the idea that Microsoft’s AI technology is there for businesses to innovate with.

Microsoft Bing’s Diversified Responses

Perhaps most excitingly, Microsoft also revealed that Bing would be changing from a text-only chat function to a more vibrant, visual search experience.

Now, Bing will answer you with video, charts, graphs, and other forms of media, rather than a plain text response. This has been aided greatly by the recent integration of Bing Image Creator – which is now available in over 100 languages – within Bing Chat.

On top of this, with “visual search in chat”, as Microsoft puts it, you’ll also be able to upload images and use Bing to crawl the internet for related content.

Can Bing Challenge Google?

In a statement released by Microsoft yesterday, the company revealed that users had initiated over half a billion chats with Bing during the last 90 days.

The company also said that “Bing has grown to exceed 100 million daily active users and daily installs of the Bing mobile app have increased fourfold since launch.”

It will take a lot to knock Google off its perch, considering it currently holds a 93% share of the search engine market. Even as Bing soars to new heights, in comparison to the world’s most popular search engine, it’s still a relatively small fry.

What’s more, Google is making its own foray into the world of AI with Bard, and is reports suggest the company is soon hoping to incorporate its own language model into Google Search in the same way Microsoft has with Bing Chat and GPT-4.

For Microsoft, however, any gains made in this area will be lucrative – the company estimates that every percentage point of search share they claw back generates around $2 billion in revenue.

A New Dawn for Search: Change Ahead

The release of ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and other similar tools already feels like it is fundamentally changing “Search” – which Microsoft dubs “the largest category of software in the world” – for good.

For millions of people, this technology is rapidly becoming a more efficient, “go-to” way to source information. This has led some digital marketers to claim that AI tools like Bing Chat and Co. could destroy SEO, paid search, digital advertising, and other stalwarts of the search experience as we know it.

 The AI chatbot explosion is simply the latest instance of a wider, gradual phenomenon: wholesale diversification of our collective information-sourcing processes, as well as the range of tools we have at our disposal.

In the world of search, seismic change is not uncommon. Before ChatGPT even came along, people were already starting to use social media sites like TikTok as de facto search engines, with Gen Z particularly keen on sourcing their information from image and video-led platforms. We expect these tools, be they chatbots or social media apps, to provide us with significantly richer, more vibrant, and more accurate answers than ever before.

Importantly, however, traditional “Search” isn’t going to be swallowed up by social media and chatbots. It still has a multiplicity of use cases that cannot, at present, be catered to by other options. Plus, Google will iterate further to compete in what will become a search-based arms race, as it vies for the attention of the world’s internet users, whose collective gaze is wandering more so than ever before.

We’re already seeing chatbots like Bard cite their sources on one side of the table, and search engines incorporate AI into their user journey on the other. There are also chatbots like YouChat, which serves search results and AI summaries for you to choose from. The point is, there’s a lot of space in between a chatbot and a search engine, and it’s waiting to be occupied by a diverse ecosystem of tools.

Tempting as it may be to postulate as such, traditional methods of sourcing information are certainly not dead – in fact, they’re not even dying. But we are definitely witnessing a new dawn in how we source information as a global civilization – and it’s about to get infinitely more eclectic.

While tech-savvy solutions like passkeys and two-factor authentication (2FA) continue to be favored by companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft, the humble password isn’t dead yet.

Until they’re phased out completely, maintaining good password hygiene is the only way your company can stay safe from rapidly evolving threats like keylogger programs and AI password crackers.

Creating a strong password isn’t rocket science — but conflicting regulations have created a cloud of confusion around the topic making it hard for businesses to know which requirements to use across their systems.

So, we’ve brushed up on the latest National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines and created a list of password tips for companies and workers to follow. You can thank us later.

Simple Password Tips for Companies

If you’re responsible for setting password policies for your organization, read on for six practices to bear in mind.

1. Set a password minimum of eight characters

According to NIST, creating a longer password is more important than creating a complex one. This is clear from Hive Systems research, that found that passwords eight characters long are able to be compromised within eight hours by the average cyber criminals, while shorter codes can be compromised within a few minutes.

Therefore, to it harder for cybercriminals to crack your password, and easier for you and your business, we recommend setting a character limit that ranges from 8-64.

2. Allow the ‘Show Password’ option

When employees type in long and complex passwords blindly, it makes typos and errors extremely common. Not only does this make users more prone to being blocked out of their accounts, it also makes them less likely to create complex codes in the future.

To avoid this issue, NIST tells businesses to let workers see what passwords they’re typing. This way, guesswork can be eliminated, stress can be avoided, and your workforce will be more likely to use effective codes to safeguard their accounts.

3. Lower the limit of “Failed Password” attempts

NIST also recommends temporarily baring access to accounts for a certain period of time when users enter incorrect details — and locking them out altogether after 100 attempts. They suggest that companies should make workers complete a CAPTCHA before re-attempting, to ensure that computers aren’t trying to enter the account.

4. Use passwords alongside two-factor authentication

While this is less of a password tip, the government agency advises businesses to use two-factor authentication alongside traditional codes. This provides companies with an important extra layer of defense and makes it even harder for cyber criminals to enter your system.

There are a number of different 2FA options to choose from, but using a separate authenticator device or U2F security key is by far the best way to keep accounts safe.

5. Don’t reset passwords too frequently

No worker enjoys regularly updating their password. What’s more, requiring them to do so frequently results in the creation of unimaginative passwords.

Because of this, NIST warns businesses against making users reset passwords too frequently. This may sound counterintuitive, but according to the agency, it’s the best way to combat password fatigue by keeping the quality of codes strong throughout your organization.

6. Let users copy and paste passcodes

Password pasting has a bad rep. It’s commonly understood to be antithetical to password security. But as the UK’s National Cyber Security Center found, it rarely poses a direct threat to companies.

In fact, letting users paste codes across platforms has actually been shown to improve security by reducing errors and making it easier for users to follow correct password hygiene. This is consistent with NIST’s latest guidelines, which tell companies that users should be able “to use ‘paste’ functionality when entering a [password].”

Simple Password Tips for Workers

Unsure about what constitutes a strong password? Read on for some simple, fuss-free tips.

1. Consider using a passphrase

Generally speaking, the longer the password, the more secure. So, while NIST advises businesses to institute eight-character minimums, using passphrases, which range from eight to 16 characters, is a much more effective way to keep your account safe. What’s more, since passphrases break up characters with a spacebar, they’re generally easier to remember too, so it’s a win-win!

2. Avoid dictionary words

Simple words are easier to crack. Because of this, NIST warns users against using codes that contain dictionary words, or simple number sequences like 123456 or 111111.

As a general rule, it’s good to get creative. While users should stay clear of simple words like “password,” “monkey,” or “apple,” they’re welcome to use variants of the words like “P@s5worD,” “M0nK3Y,” or “@Ppl3,” as long as they’re still long enough to meet your character minimum.

3. Avoid names

While it might be tempting to create passwords modeled off the names of loved ones, pets, or celebrity figures, passwords including names are considerably easier to compromised. In fact, research from Cybernews revealed that the names Eva, Alex, and Anna consistently rank as some of the most commonly compromised codes.

To make your password less prone to attack, we advise avoiding the names with special characters and numbers as we outlined in the step above.

4. Don’t reuse passwords

Even though most of us are doing it, reusing the same password across multiple accounts makes you a great target for lurking threats. This is because once a cyber criminal cracks one of your passwords, they are then able to gain access to a variety of your online accounts.

Coming up with a distinct password that adheres to password requirements for each platform you use is no easy feat. But fortunately, you don’t have to store them and remember them yourself.

5. Use a password manager

Using a reliable password manager is by far the easiest way to look after your password and data hygiene.

Instead of keeping mental or physical tabs on all your codes, this solution stores all your passwords for you, making it easier for users to deploy long and complex codes that stand the best chance of protecting your accounts.

Password managers can be tasked with generating strong, impenetrable codes too, helping to significantly ease cases of password fatigue.

But with so many options to choose from, you want to make sure you move forwards with the right tool. NordPass is our favorite password manager, because of its user-friendly design and handy features, but we present some other great alternatives in our table below:

Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai is coming under scrutiny in internal staff forums for taking home a total of $226 million last year, while the company makes massive cuts to employee services like laptops, travel, and food.

Aside from Pichari’s lucrative pay, workers have also taken to the forums to express discontent about the company’s proposed decision to buy back $70 billion in stock.

As Google still reels from 12,000 workers being laid off in January, and other tech leaders like Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan reduce their pay, this hypocrisy certainly isn’t a good look for Pichai. Here’s what we know so far.

Google Employees Are Complaining About Their CEO’s Double Standards

As big tech continues to feel the squeeze, for one of the leading figures in the industry, Sundar Pichai, it appears to be business as usual.

Recent SEC filings reveal that the Google CEO received $226 million in earnings last year, predominantly made up from a stock award worth $218 million which he receives once every three years. His pay packet also included $6 million for personal security, $2 million as a base salary, and $4.3 million in other forms of compensation.

In the weeks following this revelation, Google employees have taken to internal company forums to share memes and voice their contempt about the company’s inconsistencies.

According to CNBC, Google employees have been posting memes taking aim at Pichai’s take-home pay, while higher-ups reduce spending elsewhere throughout the company. Criticism on the company’s internal forums has reportedly been rife, with suggestions that those higher up in the company, such as Pichai and Vice Presidents, are immune to cuts.

Google staffers are also pressed about the company’s proposed decision to buy back $70 billion in stock, a type of reacquisition that has previously attracted criticism from President Joe Biden for prioritizing company profits over alternatives like employee pay rises.

Google Cuts Employee Services to Meet Targets

Despite a healthier-than-expected first quarter, throughout 2023 search behemoth Google has been rolling out its biggest cost-cutting measures it witnessed in almost two decades.

In April, the company announced its employee services would be taking a hit, with fitness classes, equipment replacement, and travel budgets being sacrificed to make it easier for them to reach their targets.

This follows seismic layoffs that saw 12,000 workers leave the company in January, and similar cuts that saw 200 workers lose their job in Zurich in March – prompting walkouts in the Swiss HQ as well as in the company’s London offices.

Reports reveal that Google has been refusing to cover maternity and medical leave for those that have been laid off too – certainly not a good look for somewhere that was voted the “best company to work for” seven years on the trot.

Tim Cook and Other Tech CEOs Are Sacrificing Their Salaries

While Sundar Pichai is taking home an exorbitant income while his company scrimps and saves, this appears to go against current trends taking place in the industry.

Other leading tech CEOs have recently been applauded for scaling down their salary for the good of the company. Apple CEO Tim Cook requested a pay cut of 40% this year, bringing his total annual salary down to $49 million, and Zoom CEO Eric Yuan decided to reduce his salary by 98% this year and forego additional bonuses.

Pichai has recently told workers that he and Google execs would be refusing financial bonuses in 2023. But with no official reductions being made to his 2023 pay packet, and more layoffs being speculated, its likely discontent will continue to swirl until the CEO faces these concerns head-on.

Do you think you could tell the difference between a voicemail from someone you love, and a voicemail generated by AI? Well, scammers using AI voice cloning technology to defraud unsuspecting victims certainly hope you can’t – and now, they’re more active now than ever.

A survey recently conducted by McAfee found that a quarter of adults have already been targeted by AI voice scams, with the overwhelming majority losing hard-earned money as a result. It also revealed that the majority of adults share their voice on social media platforms and other online spaces at least once a week – which gives threat actors exactly what they need to carry out this sort of scam over and over again.

So, how do AI voice cloning scams actually work, how common is it, and how can you spot an AI voice cloning scam? We take a closer look.

• What Is an AI Voice Cloning Scam?
• How AI Voice Cloning Actually Works
• How Common Are AI Voice Clone Scams?
• How to Tell If a Message Is an AI Voice Clone Scam

What Is an AI Voice Cloning Scam?

An AI voice cloning scam is any scam that uses artificially-generated audio files to dupe victims into thinking their loved ones are in danger, or need urgent financial assistance and have contacted them for help.

In a scam of this kind, a fraudster will run a clip of a subject speaking  – often scraped from social media – through an AI voice generator. Using machine learning, the generator will analyze the cadence, tone, and pitch of the initial clip, and then allow the fraudster to produce unique, original audio that mimics the subjects’ voice near perfectly.

The scammer will then send these recordings to friends and relatives of the subject via apps like WhatsApp, hoping they’re unable to distinguish between their loved one and an AI-generated version of their voice.

As is common to other online scams, the scammer will try and inject a sense of urgency and distress into their correspondence, in order to nudge the target into acting rashly or erratically.

In one recent case, an AI voice scammer tried to convince a mother in the US that her daughter had been kidnapped by cloning the child’s voice.

Concerningly, a budding scammer won’t find it difficult to unearth the audio files they’ll need to target a victim – in fact, they’re likely to be spoiled for choice.

A May 2023 survey published by McAfee involving over 7,000 people from seven different countries found that 53% of survey respondents said that they share their voice online at least once a week. In India, this figure was 86%.

How Voice Cloning Actually Works

AI voice cloning is only possible with an AI tool called an AI voice generator. In a nutshell, AI voice generators turn text files into speech (often called a “text to speech” or “TTS” tool).

AI voice generators use machine learning to teach themselves to speak in specific ways by analyzing information from audio files of people speaking. The generators then apply what they’ve learned to read text files supplied by users and generate original audio content.

Many of these generators have custom voices you can select to read your text, as well as celebrity voices to choose from – but others will let you record your own voice and create subsequent audio content.

Text-to-speech tool Descript.com offer a self-described “state-of-the-art voice generator that creates an ultra-realistic clone of your own voice”.

AI voice generators are now widely available for all sorts of devices. These programs deliver a lot of value to people who have difficulty reading, or simply learn better when listening to audio rather than reading the written word.

They’re also used by advertising companies who don’t have a budget to hire an expensive voiceover artist for their marketing content.

The success and widespread usage of ChatGPT has put a renewed focus on AI tools of all shapes and sizes, including ones that can be used for audio cloning. Despite their noble uses, there is now a small ecosystem of TTS AI tools that can, unfortunately, be abused for nefarious ends, including scamming people.

How Common Are AI Voice Clone Scams?

In the recently-released McAfee survey, the cybersecurity giant found that 1 in 4 adults surveyed have experienced an AI voice scam. 10% have been personally targeted, while 15% know someone who has.

77% of those targeted reported that they lost money due to the scam. McAfee reports that out of that 77%, “more than a third lost over $1,000, while 7% were duped out of between $5,000 and $15,000.”

Victims in the US lose the most, the survey reveals. 11% of US victims who lost money through AI voice cloning scams lost between $5,000–$15,000.

How to Tell If a Message is an AI Voice Clone Scam

The McAfee survey also found that 70% of people said they were “unsure” if they’d be able to tell the difference between an AI voice and a human one.

Almost one-third (28%) of US respondents said they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a voicemail left by an “Artificial Imposter”, as McAfee puts it, and a loved one.

Remember, scammers may be able to replicate the voice of a loved one – but taking control of your loved one’s number or WhatsApp account is a lot harder.

It can be hard to act calmly when it sounds like one of your relatives or friends is in distress. But with AI voice scams becoming increasingly common, it’s important you do. There are some signs that an AI voice message might be a scam:

• An unusual contact method (e.g. an unknown number)
• Immediate requests for large amounts of money
• Requests for money to be transferred through unusual means (e.g. gift cards or crypto)
• A demand that you don’t tell anyone about the call/incident

With that in mind, here’s what the FTC advises you should do :

• Call the number that left you the message to verify who it is
• Ring your loved one or friend on their personal number
• Message family and close friends of the person in question

If you cannot make contact, it’s important you inform law enforcement immediately. For those of you who haven’t yet been targeted by one of these scams but want to ensure you don’t fall victim to one, establish a safeword with your family and friends.

This is a code that means you and your loved ones can identify yourselves to one another is one of the best ways to ensure you don’t fall victim to an AI voice scam. This will be particularly useful for elderly family members, and if it’s never written down, can be kept quite simple.

It’s also important to keep up with the latest methods, techniques, and formats that AI voice scammers are using to extort victims. Along with being vigilant and treating calls from unknown numbers with extreme caution, keeping your ear to the ground is often the best thing you can do.

Elon Musk took another step towards completing his full-on heel turn, as Twitter announced that parental leave at the social media company would be reduced from 20 weeks to just two.

To say Musk’s takeover of Twitter has been rife with controversy would be a dire understatement. It seems like every week, there is a new reason to lambast the infamous entrepreneur, from not paying rent for the company’s headquarters to the blue checkmark debacle.

Now, Elon Musk has made even more enemies, as the social media company is reportedly rolling back parental leave allowances substantially for its remaining employees.

Twitter Parental Leave Down to Only Two Weeks

According to a tweet from Kate Conger, a tech report for the New York Times, Twitter is getting rid of its generous parental leave policy in favor of a less generous and more complicated plan.

For starters, employees will now only get two weeks of guaranteed paid leave after having a baby. On top of that, employees will be allowed as many weeks as required by law in whatever US state they are living in.

New: Twitter used to offer employees 20 weeks of paid parental leave. That’s being changed to whatever is required by law in the region where the employees work, along with a “top up” of two weeks of leave, per internal docs.

— kate conger (@kateconger) April 25, 2023

If you’re at all familiar with the parental leave situation in the United States, you know that this is a big hit for pretty much every employee at the company. There is no national requirement for companies to provide parental leave, and only 12 states (as well as one district and one territory) in the whole country have any kind of law on the books that mandates this kind of benefit.

States that do offer parental leave include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington, as well as Puerto Rico and Washington, DC.

Is Cutting Parental Leave Good for Business?

If you’re looking to cut costs for your business during the recession, we understand the inclination to follow suit with Twitter. After all, if Elon Musk is doing it, it has to be a good move for businesses, right?

If the tanking price of Twitter is any indication, Musk might not have the inside track on the best practices for successful businesses, and this approach to family leave is further evidence. In fact, studies have shown that axing parental leave can have a pretty dire impact on productivity.

One study out of the UK surveyed over 2,000 businesses with and without parental leave to get to the bottom of it. The study was quite conclusive, with those with parental leave being 60% more likely to report above-average financial performance than those without parental leave. That number rose to 93% for companies that specifically offer paternity leave.

Simply put, being in cost cutting mode is never fun, but the reality is that slashing employee benefits is a poor short-term solution that will likely harm you more than it will help you in the long run.

Another big tech company is pushing for its workers to return to their commute, with the new Lyft CEO informing employees that they must be back in the office at least three days a week starting this fall.

The tech industry is going through it right now. With mass layoffs occurring on what feels like a daily basis and the economic downturn causing CEOs to take pay cuts, the once-stable industry continues to fall on harder and harder times.

Now, the new CEO at Lyft is kicking things off with a bang by making some big changings, including getting rid of the company’s full flexible work policy.

Lyft Ditches Fully Flexible Work Policy

In March 2022, two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyft announced that it would continue to offer its fully flexible work policy to accommodate employee needs. However, a new CEO took over at the rideshare company last week, and he’s decided that this policy is no longer going to work.

As for why, the Lyft CEO parroted a common line among executives trying to get workers back in the office.

“Things just move faster when you’re face to face. There’s a real feeling of satisfaction that comes from working together at a whiteboard on a problem.” – David Risher, new Lyft CEO to the New York Times

The news comes after Lyft laid off 1,200 employees earlier this month.

Why Do Tech Companies Want Employees Back in the Office?

If you’ve been paying attention to the tech industry over the last few months, you’ve likely noticed a trend of CEOs forcing employees back in the office.

Many insist that the reason for these changes are in service of collaboration and company culture, but experts have another theory.

“When top executives feel financial stress, the classic ‘threat-rigidity’ effect kicks in, and beyond possible benefits for communication, collaboration and creativity, they feel compelled to increase their own illusion of control.” – Bob Sutton, a psychology professor at Stanford

The reality is that CEOs aren’t basing these return-to-office policies on statistics, with numbers showing that the remote work boom has actually been quite a boon for productivity.

Should You Force Your Employees Back Into the Office?

The economic downturn has you worried about productivity and all these tech CEOs are forcing their employees back into the office, so why wouldn’t you? Well, for one, remote work statistics show that remote work is actually better for productivity and will help you retain and attract the best employees.

In addition, businesses experienced a 22% productivity boost when instituting a hybrid work model, with 30% of employees getting more work done in less time while working from home. On top of that, flexible schedules remain one of the best attractors of top talent and remote work can save your business up to $11,000 per year due to increased productivity, cheaper real estate costs, and reduced absenteeism and turnover.

Suffice to say, the return-to-office movement is not a blueprint for how your small business should treat its employees. If you want to keep productivity up and employees happy, hybrid work models appear to be the way to go.

At least one job appears to be safe from artificial intelligence, as a new study found that ChatGPT is actually not that good at advanced mathematics, assuaging accountants about their future employment prospects.

The meteoric rise of generative AI platforms like ChatGPT have raised a number of concerns about potential job displacement. In fact, some studies have found that up to 80% of jobs will be impacted by artificial intelligence, which has the potential to wreak absolute havoc on the economy.

Luckily for accountants, though, a new study has found that ChatGPT — the best and most popular generative AI platform available today — struggles when it comes math.

ChatGPT Can’t Pass Math Tests

In a study from Bringham Young University (BYU), researchers found that ChatGPT is still worse than actual accounting students at answering test questions.  The generative AI platform scored a lowly 47.4% on exams common in accounting classes, while students averaged a score of 76.7% across the board.

The study was quite expansive, with more than 25,000 students participating across 186 colleges and universities in 14 different countries. The exam in question covered everything an accountant would need to know, including accounting information systems (AIS), auditing, financial accounting, managerial accounting and tax.

On top of all that, the exam was purposely varied on type and difficulty of the questions, which proved even more difficult for ChatGPT. The generative AI platform did fine on true/false questions (68.7%) and multiple-choice questions (59.5%), but struggled mightily on short-answer questions, netting scores between 28.7% and 31.9% in that category.

Can ChatGPT Pass Other Tests?

So ChatGPT can’t pass advanced mathematics tests, who cares? The generative AI can perform a lot of other tasks quite well, and it probably can’t pass any other advanced education tests, right? Wrong!

According to OpenAI, the company behind the innovative technology, ChatGPT is actually quite impressive when it comes to passing these kinds of exams. The generative AI passed the bar in the 90th percentile, received a nearly perfect score on the GRE Verbal test, and passed 13 of 15 AP tests currently available to students.

So, are teachers worried about cheating with this kind of technology? Of course they are, but that discussion has been common for years.

“When this technology first came out, everyone was worried that students could now use it to cheat. But opportunities to cheat have always existed. So for us, we’re trying to focus on what we can do with this technology now that we couldn’t do before to improve the teaching process for faculty and the learning process for students. Testing it out was eye-opening.” – David Wood, lead study author and a BYU professor of accounting.

The Future of AI

The break-neck speed at which generative AI platforms like ChatGPT have rolled out and improved productivity have raised concerns among those that believe society is not fully prepared for the impacts of robust AI use across the world.

Still, while this study may prove that one job is safe for the time being, its authors understand that this means we need to take a long hard look at how we do things across the educational and business landscape.

“It’s an opportunity to reflect on whether we are teaching value-added information or not. This is a disruption, and we need to assess where we go from here.” – Melissa Larson, study coauthor and fellow BYU accounting professor

Simply put, AI is going to change the world in one way or another, and if you think your job isn’t going to be impacted in the long run, you’ve got another think coming.

The only downside to being the most intelligent chatbot in the world is that everyone wants to ask you questions, all the time. In fact, more than 100 million people have done just that since ChatGPT was launched towards the tail end of last year.

However, if you’re a regular ChatGPT user, you’ve undoubtedly been hit with a message telling you that “ChatGPT is at capacity”, found out suddenly that the site is down, or been served a ChatGPT error code that’s stopped you in your tracks.

So, what can you do in these situations? Well, there are a couple of workarounds, as well as a few ChatGPT alternatives, that can help you out when ChatGPT is down or the site is at capacity.

• Is ChatGPT Down Right Now?
• 5 Things to Do If ChatGPT Is Down or At Capacity
• ChatGPT Is at Capacity: How to Avoid It
• ChatGPT Is at Capacity: Is the Rush over, or Just Beginning?

Is ChatGPT Down Right now?

It’s not too hard to find out if ChatGPT is down right now. Along with DownDetector, there are a number of other tools available online that you can use to track the website’s status, as well as other websites that are important to you.

You can also track the server status of ChatGPT on the OpenAI website, as well as ChatGPT API and OpenAI Playground (more on this later). If ChatGPT is down due to a technical error, a server problem, or it’s simply closed for maintenance, however, there’s nothing you can do to access it.

That’s not necessarily the case if you’re told that ChatGPT is at capacity. The easiest way to check if it’s at capacity is o see if you’re able to log into your OpenAI account, and whether you can interact with ChatGPT – and there are a number of workarounds for this message that are worth trying, too.

You can track the server status of ChatGPT on the OpenAI website, as well as ChatGPT API and OpenAI Playground (more on this later). If ChatGPT is down due to a technical error, a server problem, or it’s simply closed for maintenance, however, there’s nothing you can do to access it. At the moment, it’s unclear what has caused the current outage.

That’s not necessarily the case if you’re told that ChatGPT is at capacity. The easiest way to check if it’s at capacity is o see if you’re able to log into your OpenAI account, and whether you can interact with ChatGPT – and there are a number of workarounds for this message that are worth trying, too. 

5 Things to Do If ChatGPT Is Down or At Capacity

At Tech.co, we log into ChatGPT almost every day. When it’s down, or at capacity, we have found these five solutions the most effective:

• Use OpenAI playground
• Try a ChatGPT Alternative
• Refresh the Page
• Clear Your Cookies and Cache/Privately Browse
• Use a VPN to Change Your Location

If ChatGPT is down right now, we’d recommend trying the first two – particularly OpenAI Playground (you’ll see why in just a second). If ChatGPT is at capacity, you could try all five, but we’d recommend starting with a simple refresh of the page. Read on to find out more.

Use OpenAI Playground

If you think of ChatGPT as the end product, Open AI Playground could be described as the development prototype. This is why it’s such a good option if ChatGPT is down or at capacity – it’s a very similar tool.

You might find the way it differs from ChatGPT intriguing, too. OpenAI Playground has a more basic interface than ChatGPT, but lots more customizability. You can test out different language models and overall have more control over the experience.

It’s not as capable as ChatGPT, granted – it’s powered by GPT-3, not GPT-3.5 or GPT-4 but if you can’t access the latter chatbot, then this is probably your next best bet. You can sign up for and use OpenAI Playground through the company’s website – but like ChatGPT, you’ll need to make an account first.

Try a ChatGPT alternative

Now, this isn’t really a solution that’ll help you get back on ChatGPT any faster. But if ChatGPT is down right now, there’s very little you can do about that, so it’s definitely worth looking toward other capable chatbots. No Chatbot is used as much as ChatGPT, so getting to grips with a slightly quieter one will, of course, decrease your risk of experiencing downtime or being locked out due to capacity issues.

For example, you can sign up for a waitlist to use Bard AI, Google’s answer to ChatGPT. Bard performed commendably in a head-to-head with its Microsoft-backed rival. Some people who signed up early already have access, and you can too if you have a personal Gmail account.

Other rivals, like Claude, serve users web results and AI responses – which some see as the best of both worlds. They might not be quite as clever, but they can pull information from the internet in real-time, which ChatGPT can’t do.

Refresh the page

Problems don’t always require complex solutions – and if you want to bypass the “ChatGPT is at capacity” message, or simply then a simple refresh can often do the trick.

When you refresh a webpage, you’re effectively resending your request for the page to resupply you with the same data.

With so many people using ChatGPT, there are going to be people logging in and logging out almost every second. Thousands will log in to their AI accounts daily – so getting in there with a sly refresh is one way to go about it.

However, this doesn’t work every time – so it’s worth exploring other options.

Clear your cookies and cache/Turn on private browsing

Another tactic you can implement to try and skirt around the dreaded “ChatGPT is at capacity” message is to clear your cookies and cache.

Alternatively, search for ChatGPT while you’re in incognito mode or a private browsing tab, which achieves the same effect.

Both methods will make it harder for ChatGPT to work out whether you’ve recently attempted to access – and been blocked out – of the website.

Use a VPN to change your location

Although there’s no official statement from ChatGPT that suggests OpenAI measures its capacity region-by-region, some users have reported that the message disappears when they connect to ChatGPT through a VPN.

A VPN – which stands for “virtual private network” – encrypts your traffic and funnels it through a private server before sending it on to the internet. This process masks your device’s IP address and makes it appear as if you’re connecting from somewhere else in the world.

So, if there are regional considerations when it comes to capacity (there might be), a VPN will seriously help you out. Regardless of what’s actually going on during the connection process – and on OpenAI’s servers – a VPN seems to help.

What’s more, if there’s some external reason ChatGPT is struggling to send data to your IP address specifically, this could alleviate it.

ChatGPT Is at Capacity: How to Avoid The Message Completely

There are a couple of things you can do that will dramatically decrease your chances of getting a message from ChatGPT blocking you from using the service.

Use ChatGPT outside of peak hours

One way to significantly reduce your chances of seeing this message is to use ChatGPT at a time when there aren’t many people online. You don’t need any fancy tools to work this out – it’s going to be earlier in the morning and later at night.

However, that might not be possible for people who need to use ChatGPT at work between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm – when it feels like the whole world is using it.

Purchase ChatGPT Plus

As with most things in life, if you pay a little extra, you get to jump the queue – and ChatGPT is no different.

You can avoid the “ChatGPT is at capacity” message for even more if you purchase ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI’s paid-for version of ChatGPT, which costs $20 per month.

This is a long-term solution, but it’s understandable that not everyone wants to stump up the cash for the program just yet. On top of this, you won’t be spared if the site goes down just because you’re a Plus customer.

ChatGPT: Is the Initial Rush Largely Over… or Only Just Beginning?

When ChatGPT first came out, some users reported waiting days to gain access. It’s also experienced a number of outages, as well as at least one planned closure for bug-fixing purposes. But now, with teething problems seemingly overcome, it seems as if fewer users are complaining about being unable to access the chatbot.

As ChatGPT has been generally available for over 6 months, you would assume there wouldn’t be as many curious punters who simply want to see what ChatGPT is and how it works attempting to log in anymore.

Plus, a lot more people are using alternatives to ChatGPT and exploring the ecosystem of competing chatbots flourishing off the back of OpenAI’s success. Considering this, you wouldn’t be a fool for arriving at the conclusion that it may have taken some pressure off OpenAI’s crowded servers and decreased both the amount of downtime and time spent at capacity.

However, Data analyst Matthew Bentley, who inputs prompts into ChatGPT on a daily basis, reports that there was a recent period when ChatGPT wasn’t letting him ask any questions at all.

”It was either instantly giving an error or no response at all,” he told Tech.co. “Often, it would make it look like it was about to answer and then never get around to it. This went on for around 2 hours on Tuesday. Refreshes, changing accounts, Wi-Fi, and devices would not fix it, and it’s not the first time it’s happened.”

In reality, ChatGPT’s popularity – and capacity – is likely to ebb and flow over time. This is why it’s good to know what to do when ChatGPT is at capacity – if you’re one of the many businesses finding new, innovative ways to use ChatGPT to save time, you need to keep your options open.

ChatGPT is the world’s most popular AI chatbot — with nearly 800 million weekly active users — and all those users invariably cause problems on the platform that solicit error messages.

Although there are lots of viable ChatGPT alternatives, solving these ChatGPT errors isn’t terribly difficult, and we’re here to help.

This guide covers everything you need to know about common ChatGPT problems that users are facing in 2026. We’ve also provided instructions detailing how to fix them quickly so hopefully, you won’t be stuck for long.

In this guide:

• ChatGPT Error in Moderation
• ChatGPT Network Error
• Unprocessable Entity ChatGPT Message
• ChatGPT Error in Body Stream Message
• ChatGPT “Oops, an Error Occurred” Error 
• ChatGPT Internal Server Error
• ChatGPT Error 1020: Access Denied
• “An Error Occurred” ChatGPT Message
• ChatGPT 429 Error
• ChatGPT Login Error
• ChatGPT Suspicious Activity Error
• ChatGPT Not Working: Other Options

Unprocessable Error in Moderation Message

Recently, some users have been served a message that reads “Error in moderation” during conversations with ChatGPT. It’s not completely clear why it’s started to appear for lots of users right now, but it happens when the system’s content moderation systems incorrectly flag content as offensive or inappropriate.

Regardless, it’s blocking users from having conversations with ChatGPT, but there are ways to fix it.

How to fix the ChatGPT error in moderation message

• Try shorter, clearer prompts. ChatGPT can get a bit lost and confused if your prompts are too long and complicated — so if you’re experiencing a ChatGPT error like this one, breaking down what you’re asking the chatbot can be a good place to start.
• Refresh the browser window. If you start off on a clean slate with ChatGPT, even if it’s having a tricky time, you might just be able to get what you need before its moderation system goes back into overdrive.
• Stop using offensive language. Of course, you might be getting this message because you’re using offensive language and you’re being correctly flagged for moderation purposes. If this is the case, being a little bit nicer will make the message go away.

A significant number of these error messages seemed to have occurred after ChatGPT experienced an outage, which leads us to think that the best thing to do might be to just ask another chatbot, such as Gemini or Claude, which are also very capable of fulfilling similar requests.

ChatGPT Network Error

ChatGPT network errors sometimes occur when users ask ChatGPT to provide multi-faceted, lengthy, or complex responses. This image is also served to users whose internet connection is disrupted while ChatGPT is generating answers, as shown in the image below:

You may also see the network error if there is some sort of server-side problem, or if the chatbot attempts to write for longer than 60 seconds — something which can also be induced by a sufficiently long-winded question. All in all, it’s one of the more common ChatGPT errors.

How to fix the ChatGPT network error

Here are some steps you can take to avoid ChatGPT network errors:

• Test your internet connection. ChatGPT may have shown you this message if your internet connection is poor or cutting out intermittently. This should be the first troubleshooting technique you try, especially if you haven’t been requesting lots of information.
• Break down your request into smaller sub-requests. Are you asking ChatGPT to do multiple things at once? An easy way to avoid a network error is to split your prompt up into two or even three requests. 
• Set limitations on ChatGPT’s responses. One way to avoid consistent network error messages is to limit what you want ChatGPT to give you. Ask for things “in no more than 100 words/four lines,” for example.
• Simplify what you’re asking ChatGPT to do. Are you explaining what you’d like from ChatGPT in simple enough terms? Although it can typically handle quite complex instructions, if you are getting a network error message, it may be time to dumb down your commands a little.

If you’re coding, you can use the phrases “don’t use comments in code” or alternatively, “don’t use empty lines in code” if you’re asking ChatGPT to code for you and you want to reduce the size of the answer it responds with.

Unprocessable Entity ChatGPT Message

The “unprocessable entity” message is displayed within ChatGPT when the server cannot process a request sent by a user, despite the server being able to understand it. This can occur for a number of reasons, but the leading cause of the error is usually users inputting data in a format that ChatGPT cannot process.

However, it may occur due to missing input data, or if you’re asking ChatGPT to generate responses that would fall outside of the usual guidelines applied to the content it generates.

How to fix the ChatGPT unprocessable entity error

Here are some things you should do if you want to fix the unprocessable entity error:

• Delete your most recent chat with ChatGPT. If you were asking ChatGPT for un-allowed responses, this will reset the chatbot – and if you want to avoid it happening again, stick to prompts that fall within the content guidelines set out by OpenAI.
• Stop using special characters in your prompts. Sometimes the unprocessable entity message will show when ChatGPT doesn’t understand a certain input, so sticking to basics (letters and numbers) will ensure that it recognizes the entirety of your prompt.
• Stick to shorter answers. Although ChatGPT should be able to deal with complex requests, if you keep getting this error, temporarily stick to shorter, relatively basic queries to help ensure that you don’t see it again.

ChatGPT Error in Body Stream Message

According to Tech.co’s search volume data, the ChatGPT “error in body stream” message is currently the ChatGPT error that users are searching for the most regularly. For some users, this error is displayed as a ChatGPT “error in message stream” notice, but it’s the same error.

An error in the body stream occurs when ChatGPT has attempted to formulate an answer, but something has impaired or interfered with its response-generation process.

(Source: Reddit User benr1984)

This can be a problem on your end, such as a poor network connection, but it’s more likely that ChatGPT is so overloaded with requests that it can’t process yours.

How to fix the ChatGPT “error in body stream” or “error in message stream” message

Along with testing your own network connection and clearing your cache, here are some things you can try to make the ChatGPT error in body stream message go away:

• Create a new chat within ChatGPT. Sometimes, getting rid of the “error in body stream” message can be a simple case of starting a new chat with ChatGPT. You can try submitting your initial request there.
• Ask ChatGPT to generate the response again. This is like an internal, ChatGPT-exclusive page refresh – and it’s always worth a shot before you try more long-winding troubleshooting tactics.
• Adjust the length of your requests. Similar to the ChatGPT network error, the Chatgpt “error in body stream” message can be fixed by shortening the length of your requests, as this is less confusing for ChatGPT.
• Adjust the syntax of your code and input arguments if you’re making an API request (this doesn’t apply to regular ChatGPT users experiencing an error in body stream message).

ChatGPT “Oops, an Error Occurred” Error

Some ChatGPT users report being unexpectedly served a message that reads “oops, an error occurred” with a button labeled “try again”. Some Reddit users have reported experiencing this problem when quickly clearing a large number of chats, while others have had it pop up immediately after logging in.

(Image Credit: Reddit User 00ProBoy00)

In the first instance mentioned above, this might be happening because they’re overwhelming the server with consecutive deletion requests. It’s not always clear why this error message is displayed, however.

How to fix the ChatGPT “oops, an error occurred” error

Thankfully, this ChatGPT error is usually quite easy to fix:

• Press the “try again” button. In the vast majority of cases, pushing this button will solve your problem and make the error message vanish.
• Clear your cache, cookies, and browsing data. Some users have found that they can fix this problem by simply clearing their cache, cookies and data.
• Switch to another browser. If clearing your cache and browsing history doesn’t work, you can always switch to a completely new browser, which is likely to solve the problem.

ChatGPT Internal Server Error

If you’ve been using ChatGPT for a while now, the chances are you’ve probably been served the “internal server error” message at least once.

Internal server errors can happen for a number of reasons. ChatGPT simply may not have enough storage or memory to handle the number of concurrent users it’s receiving prompts from, for instance.

This ChatGPT error message usually indicates a server-side problem, rather than an issue with the end-user’s device or internet connection.

How to fix the ChatGPT internal server error

Here are some common troubleshooting methods for this problem:

• Refresh your browser. A simple browser refresh often solves ChatGPT errors. This will also indicate whether it’s in fact your internet connection, rather than ChatGPT, that is causing you problems. 
• Clear your browser cookies. This can often resolve a ChatGPT internal server error. You can also achieve the same effect by searching for ChatGPT in incognito/private browsing mode.
• Use a different browser. There may be a problem with the way you’re accessing ChatGPT through the browser you’re using specifically. Switching between browsers will let you know if it’s the application that’s the problem, not the chatbot.
• Log back in to your OpenAI account. Logging in and out of the OpenAI account you’ve created to use ChatGPT often brings the Chatbot back to life.

ChatGPT Error 1020: Access Denied

Error code 1020 is an HTTP error code that informs you that the website you’re trying to visit has blocked your Internet Protocol (IP) address. If you’re seeing this code, your IP address has been flagged by Cloudflare’s security system, which is used by OpenAI to protect its website.

There could be any number of reasons why you’re seeing this request. It could simply be that the Wi-Fi you’re using to connect to the internet has been flagged by the system – ChatGPT “access denied” requests are quite common on unsecured public Wi-Fi hotspots, for example.

It could, however, also be an issue with Cloudflare’s firewall. Either way, there are things you can to do avoid it.

How to fix ChatGPT error 1020

If you’re getting an error code when using ChatGP, here are some ways you can get around it:

• Use a VPN. A VPN is a quick and easy way to both mask and change your IP address. There are a few reliable, free VPNs out there that will get you up and running in minutes without demanding any payment, but make sure you opt for a reputable provider.
• Use a proxy server. Like a VPN, a proxy server can also spoof your IP address, so you can use it for troubleshooting this error. Just bear in mind that proxy servers don’t encrypt user data like VPNs do.
• Disable your browser extensions. You may be blocked because you have a corrupt or problematic browser extension, which can sometimes interfere with Cloudflare’s firewall. Disable your browser extensions to make sure this isn’t the case.

ChatGPT “An Error Occurred” Message

Since ChatGPT’s release in November of last year, a number of users have reported that they’ve received a message that reads “An error occurred. If this issue persists please contact us through our help center at help.openai.com.” This has been widely reported on OpenAI’s community forum. 

As you can see, this is quite a general error code and is served when something is impairing ChatGPT from functioning to its full capabilities. It could be that ChatGPT is close to reaching its user threshold but the now-famous “ChatGPT is at capacity” message is not yet being sent out to users, for instance.

How to fix the ChatGPT “an error occurred” message

If you haven’t found an answer in OpenAI’s help center, try these troubleshooting tactics:

• Refresh your screen. Some users who encountered this problem were able to make it disappear simply by refreshing their screen – although this doesn’t necessarily work every time.
• Disconnect or reconnect your VPN. This will change your IP address, which might be causing this error to occur. On one OpenAI forum, users complaining about this problem reported turning off advanced tools like threat protection on providers like NordVPN.
• Clear your cookies or change your browser. Some users who’ve been served this message have found that switching browsers makes it disappear. You can also just clear your current cache of cookies if you don’t have access to another browser.

ChatGPT Error 429

Error 429 is a rate limit error that is served to users who make too many requests to the ChatGPT API in a short period of time. In a nutshell, the ChatGPT API allows developers to build their own chatbots using the natural language processing and machine learning technology that underpins ChatGPT.

If you see the ChatGPT error shown above (Image credit: Machine Learning Yearning), it probably means the system is unable to properly process your request because you’ve exceeded your quota of permitted requests. If you haven’t done this, the error code might have been served to you simply because you’re using ChatGPT at a time when the network is very busy.

How to fix the ChatGPT error 429

If you’re a business using ChatGPT and you find you’ve reached your API request limit, you should:

• Minimize the number of requests you make. This will ensure you stay within your rate limit. You could also compress your requests too.
• Monitor your API usage more closely. Keeping closer tabs on exactly how many requests you’re lodging will also go some way to ensuring that you stay within your API rate limit.
  

ChatGPT Login Errors

Some ChatGPT users have found themselves caught in “login loops” where ChatGPT won’t let them log into their accounts. It seems a significant number of users have encountered this issue after failing to verify their email addresses with OpenAI.

However, that’s not the only type of login error you’ll encounter when using ChatGPT. For example, you’ll receive an error message if you’re attempting to log in using an authentication method that wasn’t the same as the one you used when you first created your account with OpenAI.

How to fix the ChatGPT login error

If you’re struggling to log into ChatGPT or you’re getting login error messages, here’s what to do:

• Verify your email address. As mentioned above, one of the explanations for these login loops is unverified email addresses. So, sift through your inbox to see if you have any unread emails from OpenAI. 
• Request a password change. If you’re consistently being told that you can’t log in to ChatGPT, request a password change, as this may reset your account and help you break out of your login loop.
• Sign up for a new OpenAI account. This might sound slightly defeatist – but if you don’t have any important chats saved, making a new account might be the quickest way to fix this issue. Remember, it’s completely free, and all you’ll need is another email address. 

ChatGPT “Suspicious Activity Detected” Error

An error like this will appear if ChatGPT detects that the traffic originating from your device/IP address is automated. In other words, OpenAI thinks you’re some sort of bot, a demographic of traffic most large websites try to filter out.

This error is likely occurring because you’re using a VPN or proxy service that is rerouting your traffic through servers that ChatGPT is getting a high number of requests from, or knows is a VPN server.

How to fix the ChatGPT suspicious activity error

• Turn off your VPN. As we just mentioned, if you’re using a VPN, likely, ChatGPT is just blocking a flagged IP, and that’s why you’re getting the error message. If so, and you’re happy to use the platform without it turned on, then you can proceed.
• Switch your VPN server. ChatGPT may have flagged the IP you’re using right now, but it might not be able to do this with every VPN server you can access through your provider. You could try this before turning it off completely.
• Open a private browsing window. OpenAI suggests opening a private browsing window if the error message persists. You can also simply shut down your browser and clear your cache, and then try again.
• Ensure other people aren’t using your account. If this message persists, and you’ve let other people use your account, it might be worth resetting your account credentials and logging yourself out on other devices.
• Contact OpenAI. If you’ve tried all of the above and you’re still getting nowhere, OpenAI advises that you get in contact so they can address the issue with your account directly.

ChatGPT Not Working: Other Options

If ChatGPT still isn’t working for you, remember, there are other AI chatbots out there you can use to help you during your workday or simply to find information more quickly and efficiently than you can. Of course, Google Gemini is the obvious alternative, given its proficiency with natural language prompts and its integration with other Google services like Gmail and Docs.

Chatsonic is one of the best ChatGPT alternatives readily available for anyone to use. However, if you’d like to be served web results alongside a summarized paragraph from an AI chatbot, we’d recommend YouChat. Plerplexity.ai is also worth a try, and it cites its sources for every answer it gives. Jasper is a good option for businesses too, with impressive content generation powers.

Whatever your use case, make sure you try our troubleshooting suggestions first – but if you’re fed up with ChatGPT errors, there’s no harm in seeing what else is out there.

Meta is set to bring generative AI to every one of its platforms, after reporting sales increases for the first time in three-quarters – thanks in part to the success of its AI-driven Instagram Reels feature.

After famously dragging its heels with AI investments, channeling the majority of its spending into its VR Metaverse project instead, the company now claims it’s “no longer behind in building AI infrastructure”.

New AI chat features will soon be added to WhatsApp and Messager, as well as visual content tools for Facebook and Instagram.

But how will Meta’s new AI model, LLaMA, compare to established tools like ChatGPT?

Meta Will Bring AI to Every Platform

In a development that can best be described as ‘better late than never’ Meta has announced it will be adding generative AI to every one of its apps in a way that’s “useful and meaningful”.

In Meta’s recent earnings call, the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it’s exploring “chat experiences in WhatsApp and Messenger”. While the Silicon Valley company is keeping its cards close to its chest, it’s likely these text-based AI tools will bare some resemblance to existing models like Google Bard and ChatGPT.

Meta also revealed they’re working on visual AI creation tools for adverts and Facebook and Instagram posts, with video and multi-model experiences likely to be introduced over time.

“Over time, this will extend to our work on the metaverse, too, where people will much more easily be able to create avatars, objects, worlds, and code to tie all of them together.” – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg 

While this shift to AI spending represents a change of tact for the social media giant, the company is keen to point out that they aren’t abandoning the metaverse project, with Zuckerberg explaining that AI developments will “extend to our work in the metaverse too”.

Meta will be forking out $33 billion to fund this rollout, according to the company’s Chief Financial Officer Susan Li. But unlike its Metaverse project, which cost its Reality Lab unit almost $4 billion in the first quarter of this year, these heavy investments into AI are likely to pay off.

Meta’s Year So Far

2023 hasn’t been an easy year for Meta. The company has already made 10,000 cuts to its workforce, as part of its cost-cutting “year of efficiency“.

Yet, in Meta’s latest quarterly earnings report of the year, it revealed its sales have increased for the first time in three quarters, with the company hitting revenues of around $28.65 billion – beating estimates by almost a billion dollars.

This rebound can be largely attributed to Instagram’s new Reel feature, which increased time spent on the app by 24% due to using TikTok-adjacent AI algorithms that give users more personalized recommendations.

“Reels also continue to become more social with people resharing Reels more than 2 billion times every day, doubling over the last six months.” – Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg 

Meta’s ad revenue on Facebook is looking optimistic too, with the platform attracting a record two billion daily active users in February.

How Does Meta’s AI Model Compare?

Last month, Meta officially joined the AI race by announcing LLaMA – a large conversational language model that works in a similar way to ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google Bard.

LLaMa and ChatGPT both use unsupervised learning to train their models, which means they use the internet and other sources, instead of human-labeled data to generate data.

Unlike ChatGPT, LLaMA is also trained on diverse sources such as scientific and news articles, making it better equipped at answering more technical prompts.

However, while LLaMA may have the edge when it comes to research, its 65 billion parameters pale in comparison to ChatGPT’s 175 billion parameters, making its uses slightly less extensive than OpenAI’s chatbot.

As it currently stands, LLaMA is still not accessible to the public, so it’s impossible to see how it stands up against its competitors, directly. Yet, with Meta’s gaze set on becoming a “leader in generative AI”, the race to become the dominant AI is anything but clear-cut.