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.
I bet you probably have boxes (or albums or old hard drives) full of family photos, some faded, some scratched and some that never made it past black and white. But here’s the thing, they’re priceless. They’re time machines. And right now, they’re just degrading.
That’s where tech comes in, and the tools out there now are incredible. You can bring your old photos back to life with just a few taps. I’m talking full color, restored detail, even animation.
Here are my favorites. PSA: You’ll find both free and paid plans.
🧙♂️ Deep Nostalgia
This one gives me chills (in a good way). Upload a portrait, say your grandfather in uniform, your great-grandmother as a child, and it animates the photo. They blink, smile and move gently like they’re in a video.
It’s eerie. It’s beautiful. And it’s something you’ll want to share with your family.
🔗 myheritage.com/deep-nostalgia.
✨ Remini
This AI app sharpens old, blurry or grainy photos with stunning results. It works wonders on faces, smoothing out noise, brightening eyes and making even out-of-focus shots look camera-ready.
🌈 Colorize
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?”
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What are you tackling in 2025? Even if all you have is a vague idea, AI can help you with an action plan. Here are a few prompts to try with ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude.
- “I have a goal for 2025 to [fill in the blank]. Can you help me make it SMART?” (SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic and Time-related.)
- “You’re a life coach who wants to help me have my best year yet. Help me figure out some goals for 2025. Ask me questions one at a time to help me decide what to focus on.”
- “My goal is [fill in the blank]. What are some obstacles that might come up and ways I can overcome them? Give me specific examples for each obstacle.”
- “I want to [fill in the blank], but it feels overwhelming, and I don’t know where to start. Can you help me by breaking it down into more manageable tasks?”
⭐ AI isn’t going anywhere: Instead of sticking your head in the sand, make this the year you embrace AI. You’ll get daily tips here in this newsletter and, coming soon, my AI 101 guide for total newbies.
In the meantime, give this list of AI trends for 2025 a read and grab NetSuite’s free knowledge drop, “The CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning.”* You’ll sound smart (and know what you’re talking about!) when it comes up in conversation.
🧠 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.”
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.
The next iPhone? Nope. This one has no screen, no apps, no keyboard
ChatGPT
I always want you to be tech ahead. That’s why I want you to think about what if your next device didn’t have a screen? Or apps? Or a keyboard?
That’s exactly why Sam Altman (OpenAI’s CEO) and Jony Ive (the former Apple design genius behind the iPhone) are working on a new kind of AI gadget that could completely change the way we interact with technology.
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.
Make a movie in a minute
OpenAI Sora
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, AI is changing everything. And now it’s coming for video. This is the future, and it’s so fun to play around with these new tools.
Forget editing software, green screens or even a camera. Now your keyboard is the director, the producer and creative partner. All you need to do is type what you want to see, and AI will turn it into a slick, high-def video.
Make money using AI prompts
ChatGPT
So you want to start making money using AI, but you’re not trying to build Skynet or learn 15 coding languages first? Good, because neither am I.
I’ve pulled together five powerful prompts you can throw into ChatGPT (or any AI tool you like) that could help you earn some extra cash this week. These are all practical, doable, and you don’t need a team of assistants to make it happen. Let’s go!
Don’t embarrass yourself in your next AI conversation
ChatGPT
AI is everywhere: your inbox, your apps, your Zoom calls where Kyle keeps saying, “Let’s run it through chat-jeept.” If you’re going to drop those AI buzzwords, here’s how to not sound like a malfunctioning toaster and keep your smart-person street cred intact.
How AI is reshaping stock photography
Photographers and illustrators ask me this question a lot: “Kim, is AI going to take my job?” The answer? It’s tricky. Yes, there’s growing competition between AI and human artists. But if you’re smart about using AI, it can become your secret weapon.
A case for HR
A humanoid robot in China malfunctioned, flailed around, and thrashed wildly at factory workers during a routine test. Naturally, some humans online are calling the start of our AI judgment day, while others are still debating 100 men vs 1 gorilla. Cool, cool.
AI isn’t optional anymore
ChatGPT
Just last year, I had an IT pro on my team with over 20 years of experience. Smart guy. Talented. But when it came to AI, he dug in his heels. “It’s a fad,” he told me. “In two years, people will go back to Google and search the web. They won’t trust AI.”
How to train your autocorrect to actually work
Apple.com, © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com
I bet you’re frustrated with how often autocorrect is auto-wrong. Even with new AI features included in many platforms’ latest updates, autocorrect remains annoying. Let’s fix that for iOS and Android.
Yes, you can just turn it off — no more bad guesses or awkward corrections. Just type what you mean letter by letter, like in the early days. (Note: Depending on your Android make, model and OS, your steps may differ. There are just too many variations for me to cover all of them.)
Bots are talking to each other
© Peshkova | Dreamstime.com, © Tero Vesalainen | Dreamstime.com
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One AI bot calls up another, and they chat back and forth in English. Once they realize they’re both AI, they switch to a secret-to-them language totally undecipherable to human ears.
AI’s secret language
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. One AI bot calls up another, and they chat back and forth in English. Once they realize they’re both AI, they switch to a secret-to-them language totally undecipherable to human ears. No punchline, because it’s not a joke. A viral video from an AI hackathon in London shows the exchange.
Chatbot privacy policies: Who’s collecting what?
Shocker! Another Communist China company was caught red-handed. DeepSeek AI shares user data with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. The BBC reports countries worldwide are yanking it from app stores, and I bet we’ll see bans here roll out soon.
Elon Musk and Sam Altman are fighting like kids on the playground
By The Royal Society, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=152333860; By TechCrunch - TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 - Day 2, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=127902290
It feels like forever ago. The first time I tried ChatGPT, I knew it would change everything. Back in 2022, images of people had seven fingers and every other thing a chatbot spit out was nonsense. I asked Google’s Gemini for a Bible verse and it told me no because the Bible was a copyrighted work. Yikes.