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  Critics of generative AI have called it many things. But this seems a first. U.S. District Judge in Tennessee Brantley Starr, reports  Reuters Legal,  described the generative AI platforms as having "hallucinations." The delusional state manifests itself in making things up.  Those things have become infamous in the pickle Steven Schwartz finds himself in. The brief he submitted in a personal injury case contained three fake citations. ChatGPT came up with those. Now Schwartz faces possible sanctions.  Since, as we might put it, generative AI platforms suffer from a mental defect, Judge Starr bans briefs researched through them unless the content is verified by humans through other legal databases. If lawyers don't comply in his court, they could be sanctioned. This could be the first kind of ruling about that particular issue on the federal level.  Initially Starr was going to prohibit all AI chatbot generated content. However, it turns out he does asses...

" Ghislaine Maxwell  is living in constant fear of a brutal beatdown behind bars after she ratted out two violent Cuban inmates for trying to extort her ..." -   The Daily Mail,  May 31, 2023. Unless Maxwell can exit the whole correctional system, she is doomed. Even if she could pull off a transfer to another facility she probably would still not be able to duck inmate justice inflicted on rats. Had Maxwell not come from a privileged background she would have known that. On the street the snitch winds up in the ditch - or with gum in their hair. Rent the movie  "A Bronx Tale."  Those who keep their mouths shut usually are rewarded.  As a career coach that's exactly what I tell my clients about handling a beef in professional life: Hold off on the official complaints. Otherwise, "they" will get you. The "they" could be management, peers, or subordinates. If you are "stuck there” snitching is not an option. Recall what happened to all...

"Do you get pissed when your pregnant teammate isn’t working as hard as she usually does because she feels sick, and asks more of you? Do you think she’s making it up?" -  Fishbowl Big Law , May 31, 2023.   The American orthodoxy is to celebrate the continuum from conceiving a human life to the miracle of the birth of the baby and those milestones such as the first steps.  But the reality is increasingly negative. In the office there seems to be less willngness to give a pass on the performance of women in the early months of pregnancy. That's usually a time of morning sickness and fatigue. Instead of pitching in to help, there often is resentment. Little reflection is given to the fact that without pregnancies the human race would not be able to continue.  One strategy for giving the best shot for the human species to exist is to time pregnancies later in a career. That's what I advise in my coaching.  By that time the tasks have been mastered and the woma...

The buzz has started: JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon might try to make the shift from leading a business to another kind of leadership: public office. Here are details from  Bloomberg.   But, overall, the odds are against him for succeeding as a public servant. In  Psychology Today , James Balley documents what most of us have already noticed: Business executives tend to fail in public service, both when running for elected office and as appointees.    Balley gives three reasons:   Business' mindset of efficiency.  That's not how policy and governing operate.   Business leaders' accountability to a limited number of constituencies.  Out there they are all over the place.   Business' approach to risk as opportunity to increase profits.  Those in public service have the mission to reduce risk.   From my studying leadership, I would add that businesspeople are used to telling others what is the right thing ...

  Many, especially in law firms, are aware that what generative AI produces can be inaccurate. At this phase of its development - ChatGPT had been released November 2022 - those in-the-know know to verify all results. The accuracy situation is such that some law firms even block the use of AI chatbots by their lawyers.   Well, those-in-the-know recently discovered that the situation goes beyond unreliable data. That's through the saga of Steven A. Schwartz of the law firm Levidow, Levidow & Oberman. Both he and the firm face possible sanctions in June by Judge Kevin Castel.   That is related to the first time Schwartz used ChatGPT. It was in personal injury case filed by plaintiff Roberto Mata against Columbian airliner Aviance. The defendant contended the statute of limitations had passed.    ChatGPT cited three airline-related court cases. Schwartz included them in his brief. They turned out to be fabrications, that is, they don't exist. When Schwartz "int...

  When something is new or we professionals are new to it, WLB is downright irrelevant. So gawkers at us early adopters of generative AI should expect much unbalance. And, no, we don’t welcome “the talk” about wellness. In an interview on AI with  The Wall Street Journal , the star in myriad categories, from tech expertise to marketing, Scott Galloway discloses without apology this: In his 20s and 30s he was all-work. That, he contends, cost him his hair and his marriage. But he sizes the price paid as "worth it."  Well, some of us would agree. Look where Galloway is now. His multiple brands are all gold standard. Brad Karp's first job after receiving the JD was clerking for a judge. The work schedule - 14 hours a day - was so relentless that he had to obtain permission to attend his Harvard Law School graduation. Likely he carried that work ethic into his next job as an associate at Paul Weiss. Atypical, soon this very junior lawyer had a crack at the landmark Pennz...

  "The US Supreme Court’s recent guidance on how courts must evaluate copyright law’s fair use doctrine will have major implications on the debate over generative artificial intelligence models that are trained on billions of images, texts, and other copyrighted works."  Bloomberg Law , May 30, 2023 The case was "Andy Warhol Foundation v Goldsmith." Bloomberg Law provides a  copy of the SCOTUS opinion.   Essentially the issue the generative AI industry has to worry about is how the legal concept of "fair use" will be applied to machine learning. Historically the argument has been that the process results in the creation of something new and therefore there wasn't infringement of the copyright.. In the 7-2 decision SCOTUS indicated it didn't agree. "Andy Warhol" has been a high-profile challenge to the use of copyrighted material in AI. But there are others. For example, in 2023, Getty Images and a group of artists sued Stability AI Inc., ...

  I am thrilled to announce my new blog Communications and AI. Here is the URL https://communicationsforai.blogspot.com Generative AI is that “Black Swan” disrupting your communications. Complimentary consultation from Jane Genova (text 203-468-8579, email janegenova374@gmail.com)

  This Memorial Day is the perfect timing for running-away fantasies. Evenually some of the dreamers will actually do it: Leave the whatevers that are causing the psychic pain. But, The Next on that one might not be something much better. The factors which drove the escape could continue to hang on. Spoiler Alert. Essentially that's the message of 2021 novel "When I Ran Away" by IIona Bannister. An American lawyer married to a Brit and living in London Gigi Stanislawski unravels. As usual there's no one reason such as the difficult birth of her second child. Constant is the turbulence in her head - like a clothes dryer - of the death of her brother in America's 9/11 tragedy. In addtion, there is the confusion so many of us from blue collar backgrounds experience when we leave the reservation and worm our ways into other tribes. For about 12 hours Gigi takes refuge in a hotel in London which had seen better days. On TV she watches American programming, eats pizza, ...

   It seems impossible to stop taking work too seriously. But we can try this holiday weekend, can't we. Some of us hustlers recall being able to smile a bit when a woman dared Bill Clinton to answer if he wore boxers or briefs. Oh we can't be that bold with the power structure of large law firms. But we probably can ask the males at the top tiers of Cravath, Kirkland & Ellis, Paul Weiss, Paul Hastings, and more what brand of suit they wear. What we're digging for is if Armani lacks adequate status. My hunch is that the choices are in the designer labels of Brioni, Tom Ford, and Kiton.  Incidentally, that's a detail summer males better pick up on. A  post on Fishbowl Big Law  indicates being annoyed by one who is assessed as showing up to the office not put together professionally. Well, there is the milk of human kindness even among those at elite law firms, after all. Responders speculate that the summer may not be able to afford anything better.  Of ...

  "Letter from the editor on generative AI and the FT  -  Our journalism will continue to be reported, written and edited by humans who are the best in their fields " By Roula Khalaf,  Financial Times,  May 27, 2023  That editor of Financial Times might regret this boast about keeping the journalism process as primarily human. That's because that media center probably can't afford it long term. And readers could come to prefer what has a generative AI imprint on it. The AI-created voice could come across as less strident and biased. Currently human journalists tend to suck up way too much oxygen. We want information and insight, not the intrusive presence of an opinionated journalist.  Already successful Insider is incorporating generative AI.  For financially distressed Buzzfeed it's a cost-control strategy necessary for survival.  And those who know their way around communications already know that the work product can be superior to what h...

  Aggressively, the messaging from the Red Cross keeps hammering: There is a desperate need for blood. So, this Saturday morning I took time away from my business (entrepreneurs are always on-duty) to donate blood. I had also taken the time to research if there was an upper age limit on donating. According to the internet, there wasn’t. I am a boomer. For about a week there was a sign at the entrance of the Jewish Community Center, Gypsy Lane, Youngstown, Ohio, about the blood drive today. More recently another sign had been added: "Gift." So, I assumed there had been increased urgency. There was no mention of the need for an appointment. I am a JCC member. I arrived early and used the time to work out in the JCC amazing gym facilities. Then, at bit after 9 AM I headed to the room where the Red Cross donation center had been set up. The desk at the entrance to the room was unattended. Standing ahead of me was a flustered woman. She had been told she should have had an...

"Bill Gates's younger Russian 'lover' and her links to notorious Kremlin spy Anna Chapman"  That is the headline in  Daily Mail,  May 26, 2023 This story started with the media report that convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein tried to shake money from Gates in exchange for keeping his relationship with Russian bridge whiz Mila Antonova secret.  Of course, in itself that has revealed that Gates' association with Epstein had been more entangled than previously assumed. And in itself that's bad for Gates who had made a remarkable reputational recovery from his divorce and what came out in that. He’s right up there in with JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon in business media pontificating about the present and future. But now the scandal has deepened. It could be one of national security and be labeled “KremlinGate And Gates” This is no longer just about being among Epstein's homeboys. Here's the deal: Antonova associated with Anna Chapman, daught...

" ... yachts provide a forum for meetings at sea, beyond the jurisdiction of any country and very difficult to spy on." -  Insider, May 26, 2023 Being in the loop of the superyacht crowd is the new symbol of power and influence. That role can range from owner of the vessel to the entrepreneur pitching a merger to the professional interviewing in that confidential setting for a plum job or assignment.  Likely, it will make the Hamptons - which has already become uncool, documents The New York Times - look like yesterday for business development. Instead those who can dole out the big assignments will downright expect to enjoy the superyacht lux and glam. Only then will they be willing to size up the law firm, public relations, Wall Street, or managing consulting players.  Soon enough in my niche - coaching - there will be a glut of experts to tutor on how to comport oneself when accepting a superyacht invitation. If it involves landing a job or business, that could come ...

 Familes settled in during COVID and stayed. Rules came out restricting the number of inhabitants per residence. Law enforcement start putting the lid on all the fun. And the new rich were putting the squeeze on the old rich.  So, here we are: The Hamptons, situated on Long Island, New York, are no longer cool. Hear lots more about that from The New York Times. Cultural critics in-the-know will get it that they will come across as yesterday if they finger that location as a symbol of uncaring wealth and what goes with that. Recall that line from "The Great Gatsby" about the cabals on Long Island: They were careless people.  It could be less impressive if the movers and shakers from Wall Street, Mahhattan BigLaw, and brandname consulting firms attempt to continue to conduct business development there. Won't prospects want to see and be seen at what is now or on its way to becoming the new cool. Smirk, that could be Jersey City, New Jersey. Rent documented in 2022 that Jers...

 The buzz in establishment legal media as well as professional anonymous networks shifted rapidly to Skadden's recent RTO mandate. That's for 4-days a week, with some exceptions such as during the holiday season.  The focus is not so much on that particular policy as what it could trigger. The speculation ranges from associate flight (along with some partners who resent returning to the long commute) to the model evolving into what's standard in law firms. Already Wall Street has come down hard on remote work. JPMorgan Chase has leadership coming in 5 days a week. Blackrock has 4 days a week for everyone. If the clients of law firms include those financial empires, then it's business common sense to assume that for the lawyers WFH will become a distant memory. With demand down in many transactional-law categories the competition for that kind of business has become a dog fight.  What is your career story? Or, what do you assume it is? That narrative may be ot-of-date a...

  “Overall, using shipping containers for temporary storage provides a practical, cost-effective, and flexible solution that can be customized to meet specific requirements while ensuring the security and protection of stored items.” Notice the comma in a series - between words "cost-effective" and "flexible." That represents the use of what is called the "Oxford Comma." And that's what popped out when I prompted into ChatGPT a question about shipping containers. At the time I was researching the subjet to write a marketing piece for a client. Marcom is a hat I wear. As I recommend to my career coaching clients, I have developed multiple sources of income.  AP requires the Oxford Comma. But my other style guides don't. That's why I was surprised that ChatGPT picked up on that stylistic.  Yes, I warn clients that their elements of style will reveal more about them than they intended. For example, some of their associates could brand them as ...