Updates and Insights for Today

1. Meta Privacy vs. Targeted Ads – Clash of Ideals

2. Opinion: Why Advertising & Privacy Don’t Go Together

3. AI Showdown Gemini 2.5 – OpenAI

4. OpenAI for Government – AI in Public Service Hits Warp Speed

5. The latest in AI tech

6. AI Tutorials: This AI Changes Everything... Google AI Studio Tutorial.

AI News

Meta Privacy vs. Targeted Ads – Clash of Ideals

Quick Summary

Online advertising thrives on granular user data gathered through tracking. This collides head-on with data-privacy principles: minimal collection, full transparency, and voluntary consent.

Key Insights

• WhatsApp’s new ad push aims to monetize user Status updates. That requires collecting user behavior and contacts to tailor ads.

• Threema criticizes such tracking, emphasizing privacy-first values and arguing that targeted ads are fundamentally at odds with ethical data practices.

• Privacy principles—data minimization, transparency, and voluntary use—are undermined when platforms track users across multiple contexts.

• Users face a choice: accept invasive data collection in exchange for “free” services or pay a premium for privacy-respecting alternatives.

Why It’s Relevant

Data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) demand clear rules and user control—yet major apps like WhatsApp are expanding ad systems. That expansion challenges privacy norms and forces users into tradeoffs. Meanwhile, privacy-centric platforms like Threema highlight the tension and suggest a path for ethically aligned business models.

📌 Read More: Meta, Threema,

Our Partner Today

Rank #1 on Amazon—Effortlessly with Micro-Influencers!

Ready to reach the #1 page on Amazon and skyrocket your recurring revenue? Stack Influence empowers brands like Magic Spoon, Unilever, and MaryRuth Organics to quickly achieve top Amazon rankings by automating thousands of micro-influencer collaborations each month. Simply send free products—no influencer fees, no negotiations—just genuine user-generated content driving external traffic to your Amazon listings.

Stack Influence's fully automated platform allows you to effortlessly scale influencer campaigns, improving organic search positioning and significantly boosting sales. Trusted by leading brands who've experienced up to 13X revenue increases in just two months, Stack Influence provides complete rights to all influencer-created content, letting you authentically amplify your brand.

Start scaling your brand today—claim the #1 spot on Amazon and multiply your revenue.

Get 10% OFF this month!

Opinion: Why Advertising & Privacy Don’t Go Together

1. Tracking for Audience Targeting
   Ad companies like Meta collect user behavior, location data, demographics, and more to build detailed profiles. The better they know you, the more money they make through targeted ads – which directly clashes with privacy principles.

2. "You Are the Product"
   Threema quotes WhatsApp founder Jan Koum (2012): “When advertising is involved you the user are the product.” In other words: your data becomes the commodity.

3. Massive Data Collection
   Online ads rely on collecting and matching data across websites (cookies, web beacons, IDs), creating extensive user profiles – violating the privacy principle of data minimization.

4. Hidden Tracking Infrastructure
   Often done via third-party cookies or cookie syncing – most users don’t realize how deeply they’re being monitored. That undermines transparency and informed consent, both core GDPR principles.

5. Economic Incentives Override Privacy Interests
   Companies use tracking because it’s profitable – Threema points out: effective ad targeting generates billions (Meta: over $160 billion in ad revenue).

Conclusion

Targeted online advertising depends on deep, often covert user tracking – which directly conflicts with core privacy principles like minimization, transparency, and voluntary consent.

AI Showdown Gemini 2.5 – OpenAI

Quick Summary

Google unveils Gemini 2.5 Pro, Flash, and Flash‑Lite—three powerful, production‑ready AI models. They boast advanced reasoning, flexible “thinking” budgets, and aggressive pricing aimed squarely at challenging OpenAI’s dominance in enterprise AI.

Key Insights

• Enterprise‑grade release: Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash move from preview to general availability for large‑scale, mission‑critical use.

• Reasoning power unlocked: These models physically “think” before answering, allowing controlled depth and speed.

• Three‑tier strategy: Pro for high-end tasks, Flash for balanced performance, Flash‑Lite for cost‑sensitive bulk workloads.

• Competitive edge: Google’s benchmarking shows Gemini 2.5 Pro outperforms rivals in coding, reasoning, and benchmarks—business adoption is already underway.

Why It Matters

Google is shifting from cautious previews to aggressive deployment. By offering enterprise‑ready AI with transparent pricing and adaptive reasoning, Gemini 2.5 directly challenges OpenAI’s GPT‑4’s lead. Businesses now have a high‑power alternative—potentially reshaping who sets the pace in AI.

📌 Read More: Venture Beat

OpenAI for Government – AI in Public Service Hits Warp Speed

Quick Summary

OpenAI launches its “OpenAI for Government” initiative, offering federal, state, and local agencies access to top-tier AI tools—secured, compliant, and tailored for public sector use. The cornerstone of this program is a $200 million pilot with the U.S. Department of Defense to streamline military-admin administrative and cyber.

Key Insights

• Unified government AI strategy: The initiative consolidates OpenAI’s existing projects with U.S. agencies—National Labs, NASA, NIH, Treasury—under a single.

• AI tailored for public servants: Offers secure model access (ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Gov) and bespoke models under strict usage.

• DoD pilot highlights: $200 M contract with DoD CDAO to prototype AI systems for healthcare, acquisition, and proactive cyber defense—explicitly void of offensive.

• Efficiency gains already seen: Pilot programs—like Pennsylvania’s—have cut over 100 minutes of daily manual work per.

Why It Matters

This marks a major shift: OpenAI moves from external clients to embedded government use. The DoD deal signals trust and scale. Public servants could see simplified bureaucracy, but as AI enters sensitive domains, questions arise around data security, ethical compliance, and oversight.

📌 Read More: OpenAI

 AI Tutorials

This AI Changes Everything... Google AI Studio Tutorial

Quick Summary

The video is a hands-on walkthrough of Google AI Studio, a powerful interface built on Gemini. Creator Mike shows how the tool goes far beyond chat—demonstrating screen-sharing, camera input, and real-time content interaction across devices.

Key Insights

• Multimodal Interface: AI Studio works with text, screen, camera, and voice—merging chatbot and productivity assistant in one.

• Real-Time Screen Help: Gemini can see your screen and give contextual support (e.g., animations in Google Slides or Adobe Premiere layout fixes).

• Mobile Capabilities: Use your phone camera to analyze physical objects or scan ingredients for meal suggestions.

• Drive Integration: Save, share, and access projects seamlessly via Google Drive—ideal for ongoing work.

What is the Video About?

A tutorial showing how to use Google AI Studio’s full feature set on desktop and mobile—far beyond basic chatbot functionality.

What Can I Learn?

• How to navigate AI Studio’s interface

• How to use Gemini with screen-sharing or webcam

• How to interact with documents, videos, and apps like Slides or Premiere

• How to link results with Google Drive

Which Benefits Do I Get?

• Boosted productivity via hands-on AI assistance in apps

• Creative control with adjustable settings and video generation

• Seamless workflow between mobile and desktop

• Smart content suggestions via screen and camera input

Here is the full Video Tutorial 👉 Click Here

The latest in AI tech

1. Geoffrey Hinton: “AI Will Replace Everyone”
Geoffrey Hinton warns that AI will soon displace mundane white‑collar roles like paralegals, call‑center agents, and legal assistants. He emphasizes that one AI‑empowered worker can replicate the output of ten. Physical jobs—plumbing, skilled trades—remain safer. Hinton urges urgent upskilling.
📌 Read More: The Entrepreneur

2. TikTok’s AI Avatars Disrupt Influencer Ads
TikTok rolls out “Symphony” AI‑powered ads featuring realistic virtual avatars modeling products—no influencers needed. Brands can upload images and prompts to create unlimited AI ad videos. TikTok will label AI‑generated content but raises questions about authenticity and job displacement among human creators.
📌 Read More: The Verge

3. OpenAI Scores $200M Pentagon Deal
OpenAI secures a $200 million, one‑year U.S. Defense Department contract to provide custom AI tools focused on cyber‑defense and administrative support. This marks OpenAI’s official pivot into military applications under its new “OpenAI for Government” program.
📌 Read More: CNBC

4. Streaming Surpasses Cable & Broadcast TV
Streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube captured 44.8% of U.S. TV viewership in May—outpacing cable and broadcast (44.1%) combined. The rise is driven by older audiences gravitating toward free and premium streaming, reflecting a historic shift in media consumption.
📌 Read More: NY Times

Our Second Partner Today

HR is lonely. It doesn’t have to be.

The best HR advice comes from those in the trenches. That’s what this is: real-world HR insights delivered in a newsletter from Hebba Youssef, a Chief People Officer who’s been there. Practical, real strategies with a dash of humor. Because HR shouldn’t be thankless—and you shouldn’t be alone in it.

Sign Up Free

Thanks for sticking with us to the end!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's email!

Your feedback helps us improve our content

⭐⭐⭐Superb
⭐⭐Not bad
⭐ Could've been better

Not subscribed yet? Sign up here and send it to a colleague or friend!

See you in our next edition!

Tom