Get your resume past the bots

Having a hard time finding a job? It might not be your experience level or education. It may be because ATS bots don’t like the words in your resume.

Let’s Turk about it: I mentioned Amazon Mechanical Turk on my show and I keep getting questions. Get paid to complete tasks that are easier for people than bots, like analyzing images and transcribing audio. Sign up here for a Worker account.

The FTC bans fake online reviews

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Using bots to boost social media followers and influence is off the table, too. Disney+ adds Hulu shows, sparking parental outrage. Plus, Waymo horror stories, Facebook rental scams, and tips for your next mechanic visit. And Earl from Chicago needs wedding help for his daughter.

😢 In his feelings: Drake is taking legal action against Universal Music Group and Spotify, saying they illegally boosted Kendrick Lamar’s song “Not Like Us” with bots to make it more popular. Why does he care? The song roasts Drake pretty hard. He should just take the “L.” (That’s what the kids say, right?)

43% drop

In trolls taking over “Call of Duty” voice chats, thanks to AI. The software, ToxMod, listens for and reports bad behavior. The snitch bot is definitely working; there’s been a 67% reduction in repeat offenders.

What the big print giveth, the small print taketh away: Big companies like Walmart are using bots to handle contract negotiations with suppliers. These bots analyze a contract’s terms based on company data and market trends, then they submit their findings to a human or reply with a counteroffer.

I like big bots: If you play poker online, you might be facing off against bots. It’s shifted the game from human psychology and bluffing to mathematical strategies and percentages. The result? Bots are winning more often, even beating sharks sitting at the virtual table.

🌺 Hula you kidding? A newspaper in Hawaii just “hired” AI reporters that analyze news articles and transform them into “live broadcasts.” Look close and you’ll notice they don’t blink, their mouths are out of sync and they don’t actually answer each other’s questions. Those AI bots need to go back to school: Kamana Wanna Lei U. (Oh, I heard you laugh!)

15 billion page views

Per month for Wikipedia. Traffic seems to be trending down, but execs say that any decline can’t be traced back to AI just yet. (Yeah, sure.) They are worried AI hallucinations (when bots make stuff up) could spread misinformation at an alarming rate. Not wrong …

🌮 Yo quiero taco bots: The next Taco Bell drive-thru you visit might be AI-operated. Over 100 U.S. Taco Bells already use voice AI, but now it’s going nationwide to hundreds more by the end of the year. During its pilot stage, they say the tech boosted order accuracy, reduced wait times and lightened employee workload.

Restaurant wars: If you want a table at a trendy restaurant, forget greasing the palms of the concierge. AI bots are now scooping up table reservations (paywall link) and listing them on sites like Appointment Trader, sometimes at prices upwards of $1,000. To fight the bots, restaurants are starting to require a $25 or $50 deposit per person for reservations.

Lemme Turk to ya: I mentioned Amazon Mechanical Turk on the show, and a lot of you had questions. With mTurk, you can get paid to complete tasks that are easier for people than bots, like analyzing images and transcribing audio. Sign up here for a Worker account.

FBI shuts down 1,000 Russian bots on X

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The presidential election is heating up, and disinformation is everywhere. Stick to trusted news sources and always question what you read.

❤️ An MIT expert warns: Don’t fall in love with an AI chat companion. The bots aren’t capable of caring about you, and the fake intimacy is setting folks up for unrealistic expectations in the real world. An AI friend, sure, but end it there, folks.

I like big bots and I cannot lie: This is strange. The first-ever “Miss AI” beauty pageant unveiled its 10 finalists from a pool of 1,500 AI-generated models. Judges (both human and droid) choose contenders like Morocco’s Kenza Layli and Europe’s Anne Kerdi. There’s $20,000 on the line. Click here to see who else is in the running. I’m surprised by how normal the women look.

What really happens when you hit ‘I'm not a robot’

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You’re not just proving you’re human — you’re revealing your browser’s dirty secrets. We also talk to Jeff Johnson from The Trek Planner about using Google Earth to find ancient ruins. Plus, Gen Z brings parents to job interviews and human skills bots can’t replicate.

“Lovebots” are coming: Dating apps are set for a major overhaul. Instead of swiping left or right, bots will chat with hundreds of other bots in that awkward getting-to-know-you stage. You’ll only be asked to rate people when the bots agree there’s an initial match. This is wrong on so many levels.

$55,000 for an Insta

For a foodie account with 359,000 followers. You can find the “deal” on resale site Social Tradia. Wild guess: Most of the followers are bots, and the rest are gonna smash that “unfollow” button once they catch wind of a bait and switch. Pass.

For dating apps, it's either your privacy or true love

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Mozilla says that most dating apps (80%) sell or share your intimate information. What exactly are you giving away? Plus, Google teases fees for ‘search,’ an Airbnb shocker, and Boston Dynamics puts hair on its bots.

Am I a robot? CAPTCHA tests are getting tougher. Gone are the good ol’ days of scrambled letters and clicking crosswalks. Now, companies are outsmarting bots by making you move a puzzle piece or pick out the “nonaquatic animal.” Bots can’t do that, yet.