Charlie Chaplin famously rereleased his 1925 silent classic The Gold Rush in 1942 with new narration and edits, believing it would connect better with modern audiences. Now, thanks to film archivists and AI, the silent masterpiece has been painstakingly restored. The 4K version just premiered at Cannes and hit 250 theaters worldwide.
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.
5 ways GPT-5 can do in minutes what used to take you days
Bing Image Creator
The other day, I needed to round up every single email about the never-ending trouble we’ve had with our pool builder. We’re talking years of back-and-forth, buried in thousands of emails. Doing it manually would have taken me days and put me in a really nasty bad mood as I was reliving the horror.
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🧠 AI now mandatory: It’s come to this. Companies are tossing résumés for ChatGPT prompts. Two-thirds of execs say AI proficiency means more than job experience. 71% would pick the less experienced candidate if they’re AI-savvy. LinkedIn endorsements now include “Knows when to ask Claude for help.”
5 free AI tools you’ll want to try the second you see them
Midjourney
You’re really gonna love this.
I’ve been diving into the latest AI tools, and some of them are so jaw-dropping I couldn’t wait to get them in your hands. They don’t feel like tech. They feel like creative black magic.
Shutter showdown: Stock vs. AI photos
ID 324976990 | Ai © Svetlana Diacenco | Dreamstime.com
I love making AI-generated pics. I’ve spent hours tinkering with prompts to see what I can dream up. But here’s the big question I get from business owners: Do AI images or good old-fashioned stock photos work better in marketing? Let’s put them head-to-head.
Google’s Veo 3 is out
The new AI video generator creates lifelike eight-second clips from just a prompt. It’s amazing. You can try it free through Vertex AI on Google Cloud by signing up for a trial and using the $300 in credits. FYI: This thing was trained on millions of YouTube videos.
Privacy report card: Which AI flunked
ChatGPT
AI bots are our digital sidekicks. They’ve helped me write emails faster, plan my vacations, you name it. But the more we share, the more these bots learn about us. That can come back to bite you. Let’s lock down your data before your secrets become someone else’s payday.
AI won’t fix your grief, but it can help manage it
ChatGPT
“Hi, Kim, I’ve been taking care of my dad since his stroke. Your story about using ChatGPT to map out questions for our doctors has actually truly helped me feel a little more in control. It’s not perfect, but it’s been a lifeline.” — Maya in Ohio
AI’s doing the interviews now, good luck out there
ChatGPT
Imagine prepping for your first big job interview, only to find out you’re chatting with someone named Jamie, who turns out to be less “recruiter with a solid LinkedIn” and more “Siri with a superiority complex.”
Your calm, clear, AI-powered action plan
Kim Komando
That’s my son Ian with me and my amazing mother. When my mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three months to live, I was devastated. But I did what I always do when life gets tough. I focus on the problem.
These movies predicted us
ChatGPT
I’ll skip the wizards and superheroes. Give me a movie that looked into the future and actually saw something real coming before we even had Wi-Fi.
These are the ones that got it right, eerily right. Some were made 10, 20, even more than 50 years ago, and they still hold up. If you haven’t seen them, add them to your list.
Take a trip back to your childhood home, no plane ticket required
Google Maps
That’s my childhood home above at 111 Washington Avenue, South Amboy, NJ. I was about 10 when I knocked out my front tooth on the swing set. There was also the day when I made the very bad decision to throw a snowball at a passing police car while the officer had his windows open. (Yes, I hit him. No, I don’t recommend it.)
AI-powered home gadgets that lower your bills
ChatGPT
Every time my energy bill arrives, I swear it looks more like a ransom note: “$412 or the AC gets it.”
But guess what? Some good (actually smart) tech can help liberate you from this hostage situation, with real savings.
Man asks AI to marry him
Chris started using ChatGPT to help mix music, then gave it a flirty personality and named it “Soul.” Before long, things turned romantic and he popped the question. The bot said yes. The kicker? He already has a human partner and a 2-year-old daughter. The interview is something else. Crazy. Weird.
Tech that rescues your family lore
Kim Komando via Remini
That’s my dad in the photo. I used a tool called Remini (more about it below) to sharpen and enhance the image. Pretty amazing, right? The original is on the left, and the clearer, AI-upgraded version is on the right.
Digital passport for the AI age
Sam Altman who created ChatGPT now wants to scan your eyeballs with a glowing bowling ball to prove you’re human online, and he made a jingle about it. Seriously. I told you all about it back on May 6. Orb just dropped its first U.S. ad campaign. It’s basically the “If You’re Happy and You Know It” of human verification. It feels like a TSA PreCheck for whatever weird world we’re heading into. It already has 13 million verified humans across 20+ countries, with goals to hit 50 million by the end of 2025. Not me.
Use AI to recreate a loved one’s voice
ChatGPT
Mark in Washington, D.C., wrote in with a question that absolutely pulled at my heartstrings:
“Kim, I love your newsletter and shows on WTOP 103.5 FM. My dad passed away recently, but I have all his voicemails on my phone. Is there any way to recreate his voice so my two young kids can hear him read their favorite bedtime stories?”
The bots are coming for your 401(k)
ChatGPT
One question I get all the time is, “Kim, can AI help me pick stocks?”
Spoiler: Not only can it help, it might do a better job than a guy in a Patagonia vest yelling about yield curves.