A Florida man selling an iPhone met a “buyer” in person who pulled a gun, fired a shot into the ground, and stole the phone. Here’s how to stay safe, protect your money, and avoid dangerous situations when meeting buyers or sellers.
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.
Whack-a-stream: Cops just shut down a massive Streameast copycat that pulled 1.6 billion visits last year, more traffic than Twitter. The site streamed 10,000 illegal sports events and laundered $6.2M through a fake UAE company before Egyptian police raided it and arrested two guys. Plot twist: the real Streameast? Still online. Still streaming.
Write an FAQ page with AI: Got an online biz? Let ChatGPT draft your FAQs. Prompt it with: “You’re an e-commerce expert. Write a list of FAQs with simple answers for my [insert product/service] using [insert details]. Cover use, shipping, returns and common concerns.” Now do a quick edit and add anything the bot left out.
News avoidance makes lies look legit
Over Labor Day weekend, false rumors spread online claiming President Trump had died, and millions believed them. Here’s why fake news travels faster than facts and how news avoidance fuels the problem.
Scam factories running on human suffering
From billion dollar scam factories to AI powered blackmail, George, your AI host, breaks down the new face of online crime. Also: a million lost in a crypto scam, stolen Google tokens, Gemini’s “Nano Banana” update, hacker teens chasing clout, Everest cleanup drones, and smart tech tricks for your TV, Kindle, Fire Stick, and Mac.
Teens trading hacks for clout: The FBI says criminals are recruiting kids on Discord and video games into “The Com,” an online world where a hack gets you street cred. Thousands are caught up, some just for bragging rights, thinking it’s all fun until someone knocks on the door with a badge and felony charges. Parents, talk to your teens.
Your crash course in AI slang
Discover the newest artificial intelligence slang and buzzwords including AI-washing, clanker, and slop. Stay updated on AI marketing myths, chatbot frustrations, and low-quality AI content trending online.
You gave a game. They gave a nightmare: Nearly 400 families are suing Roblox, claiming the company ignored predators stalking kids. One mom says her 11-year-old was groomed on Roblox, lured on Discord, then raped by a 20-year-old pretending to be 15. He’s in prison now. If you’ve got kiddos, this is your nudge to check in. Ask your kids who they’re talking to online, not just what games they’re playing.
Adult sites suffer big hit
Think fewer people are watching porn online? You’re right, and the reason might surprise you. New data shows that age verification laws cause adult site traffic to plummet. It’s not just teens being locked out. Many adults are also staying away, unwilling to leave a digital trail.
Have you subscribed to The Kim Komando YouTube channel yet? Why not? Tap here to start watching!
📂 Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: Keep three copies of your important files — two in different types of storage and one stored off-site. For example, save the originals on your computer, another copy on an external hard drive or USB stick, and the last one in cloud storage online. Overkill? Maybe. Covered? Always.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Protect your privacy without lifting a finger: Tired of your personal data floating around online? Incogni scrubs it from data brokers and people-search sites. Get 60% off with my exclusive offer. They’ll take down info about you on specific sites, too!
🔥 Labubust: The BBB is warning shoppers to beware fake Labubu products flooding online stores. These $60 toys are the “must-have” item of summer, so of course, swindlers are crawling out of the woodwork. Look for misspellings, busted websites and prices that are too good. Oh, the humanity! Not the Labubus, anything but the Labubus!
You need a VPN. ExpressVPN keeps your online data safe, blocks trackers and lets you browse without limits. Right now, get four extra months free when you sign up.
🚨 This is important: Google Search is dead. If your content isn’t showing up in ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini, you’re invisible to millions of potential customers. Whether you run a business, blog or sell anything online, this shift changes everything. I couldn’t fit it all in this newsletter. 👉 Read my full post here. Let me know what you think, or drop me a question about it in the comments.
🔴 Red pill teens are rising: “Red pilled” used to mean you saw the truth, like in The Matrix. Now it’s code for online communities where young men vent about women, feminism and dating, often turning hateful, sexist and sometimes racist. It’s becoming a gateway drug for disillusioned boys looking for belonging. Make sure your guys are not partaking.
🔐 Weak passwords are so last decade: Every single one of your accounts needs its own unique password. No repeats! I know, it’s a pain. But it’s also the best way to keep hackers from turning one slipup into a full-blown disaster. Make your passwords 16+ characters, and mix in uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols. Or save yourself the headache and use the password manager I trust to keep everything locked down and organized. One click, and you’re safer online.
🛒 Clear your Amazon search history: Great for hiding gift ideas or clearing out those very awkward clicks. On desktop, hover over Account & Lists under Hello, [Your Name] at the top. Click Browsing History, find the item you want to hide and select Remove from view. Because “I was hacked” only works once.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Scammers hijacked his business
I talk to a listener whose farming business was cloned by fraudsters online. Got laid off? Here’s why CEOs are bragging about it. Plus: why SEO is dead, ChatGPT’s new tech support agent, and how to resell your unused vacation.
Data brokers sell your secrets to stalkers
Your data is for sale online. Anyone can buy it. Darius Belejevas, the Head of Incogni, shows me how stalkers get your personal info for cheap. Plus, monkey muggings in Bali, the Tea app data breach, and a shoe with a hidden slot for an AirTag.