📞 What’s your emergency? America’s 911 centers are so short-staffed they’re outsourcing some calls to a robot. A startup named Aurelian (because of course) raised $14M to let AI handle non-emergencies like parking rage and stolen fanny packs. It’s live in over a dozen cities and counting.
9 AI terms you should know (so you don’t sound like a clanker)
Midjourney
I love tech, but I’m not afraid to call it out when it gets weird.
If you’ve scrolled through X or Reddit lately, you’ve probably seen words that made you go, “Wait, what?” Here’s your cheat sheet to the wild world of AI slang. No decoder ring required.
AI washing is when companies slap “AI-powered!” on stuff that’s barely smart enough to microwave popcorn. Think of a toothbrush that claims to use AI to “learn your brushing style.” Really? It vibrates. That’s it.
Then there’s clanker, basically what happens when you call customer service and an AI clanker answers. It’s from Star Wars, where clankers were the battle droids.
Groksucker is what people call die-hard fans of Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot. Like, “That guy rewrote his résumé using Grok and now won’t shut up about it, total groksucker.” It’s part insult, part eye roll.
Slop is AI-generated junk floating around online. You’ve seen it: rambling blog posts, spammy eBooks or weirdly generic images on Etsy. “This is pure slop. A real person didn’t write this.”
And if you use too much slop? Congrats, you’re a slopper. “She asked ChatGPT to write her wedding vows. Total slopper move.” (Ouch.)
If someone calls you a bot-licker, well … let’s just say that’s not a compliment. It’s someone who blindly praises anything AI does. Like, “Sure, AI is cool, but let’s not turn into bot-lickers about it.”
Next up, prompstitute, a snarky term for someone who sells or resells AI prompts for money. Think Etsy shops selling “200 ChatGPT prompts to manifest your dream life.”
Now meet the prompt goblin, someone who writes hilariously over-the-top, bizarre prompts just to see what chaos the AI spits out. “He made ChatGPT write a sonnet from the POV of a microwave. Classic prompt goblin energy.”
And watch out for the clean room crowd. These are the folks building AI models only trained on squeaky-clean, copyright-free data. “You can tell this AI came from a clean room, it writes like it’s scared of getting sued.”
People are developing a whole dictionary around how we use (or abuse) AI. You don’t need to memorize this stuff, but knowing it helps you stay ahead of the curve, and maybe dodge a digital insult or two.
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🍏 Turn off iPhone analytics: Apple collects usage data and location info from your device to “improve services.” They say it’s anonymous, but why risk your privacy? Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Analytics & Improvements and toggle everything off. Bonus: You’ll get a tiny battery boost since your phone won’t be uploading data in the background.
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🤖 Bot time Grandma got company: South Korea gave 12,000 lonely older adults AI “grandchildren” that talk, glow and remind them to take their meds. The dolls run on ChatGPT and deep cultural guilt. And yes, they’re coming to the U.S. by 2026 for a slice of the global $7.7B (by 2030) eldercare robot market.
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🤳 Fix blurry phone photos: If tapping to focus isn’t working, your lens is probably dirty. After all, your phone lives in your pocket, collecting dust and grime. Folks, don’t reach for your T-shirt. Go with proper lens wipes that are scratch-free and streak-free. I found a pack of 200 for under $10.
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🗂️ Show file extensions in Windows: By default, Windows hides the suffixes at the end of file names (like .jpeg, .mp4 or .exe). You’ll want these visible, so you don’t accidentally open a malicious file that looks like a photo but is actually an executable. To turn them on, open File Explorer > View > Show > File name extensions.
Use a Bluetooth mouse on iPad: Put your mouse in pairing mode, then on your iPad, go to Settings > Bluetooth and look under Other Devices. Tap to pair, and once it connects, a cursor will appear. FYI: You’ll need iPadOS 13.4 or later and a compatible mouse (here’s one on sale).
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🦜 Google trying to eat Duolingo: Google just shoved AI into Translate, adding a language practice mode with listening/speaking drills that adapt to your skill level. It’s basically Duolingo but without the bird threatening your family. Also new: live audio translations in 70+ languages, even in noisy airports. It’s never been a better time to perfect your awkward small talk in French.
Luxury’s identity crisis: When you’re dropping $400K on a car, do you really want it to feel like a fancy iPad on wheels? Bentley doesn’t think so either. They’re going full old-school – custom wood, rare materials and designers who actually sit down with you. Because real luxury is still made by hand, not just coded in.
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💼 Making AI dough: The AI gold rush is minting baby millionaires. Fresh grads are landing $200K+ starting salaries, some under 25 raking in $500K to $1M a year. Yes, you read that right. Companies like Databricks and Scale AI want “AI-natives” so badly they’re poaching PhD students before they even graduate.
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🛒 Don’t fall for bulk deals: When you buy a pack of something, always check the unit price (cost ÷ number of items). Sometimes multipacks end up pricier than singles. On Amazon, for example, they do the math for you and show it in tiny brackets next to the sale price.
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🍏 Mac trackpad tricks: Rotate a photo or PDF by moving two fingers in a circle. Swipe left or right with two fingers to jump between web pages in Safari or Chrome. Spread your thumb and three fingers to show the desktop. Bonus: Pinch your thumb and three fingers together to open Launchpad.
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