October is cybersecurity awareness month and is dedicated to raising awareness about online threats and the need to protect yourself (and, by extension, your workplace) online. It’s more crucial than ever to take cybersecurity seriously: more than one in three Americans are hacked every year and more than 80 percent of American companies have been hacked.

 Here are five things you should do to stay safe online: 

1. Make Your Passwords Tough To Crack and Change Them Often: There’s a reason Marvel Studios made a joke out of Happy Hogan’s password: most people still use simple passwords. Some sites now require that passwords use at least eight characters, including a number and a symbol. On other sites you can still enter your name or  birthday. More than ever it’s imperative that you not only change your passwords routinely but make them tough to crack. Rest assured someone is trying to steal your information. If you’ve suffered a hack on social media or on an email account change the password immediately.
2. Scrutinize All Incoming Emails: Hackers and phishers are better than ever at impersonation. E-mails and solicitations can look alarmingly close to your boss’s email. Do not click on anything in those emails or reply. Instead, alert your supervisor and IT department. If it is indeed a scam, block the sender and report the email as a phishing attempt. 
3. Be Mindful Of Browsing Behavior: Everywhere you go on the Internet you leave bread crumbs and small bits of personal information. We aren’t here to tell you what sites to visit in your personal time but be mindful that everyone – from hucksters to big e-commerce companies – wants your personal information. Be stingy about giving it to them, particularly when using a work computer or account.
4. Run Anti-Virus Software Often: Quality software will scan your computer for threats and viruses and quarantine or eliminate them. Just like you wash your hands to clean germs before cooking you should periodically run an antivirus scan to make sure your computer is free of threats or bugs. Some browsers already do this in the background but a dedicated periodic scan is even better.
5. Stay Aware:  New threats emerge daily. If you have an IT staff or department make sure they stay on top of the news and tell employees about viruses, scams, or breaches. If you are part of a small company everyone should watch the news and alert colleagues if you see stories about new threats or bugs.

While there are more threats than ever it’s also possible to stay safe online if you are mindful and follow simple protective measures. Keep your eyes open and don’t let your guard down and you’ll be able to safeguard not only your workplace but your prized personal information.

Looking for an efficient and productive PR firm to get the word out about your product or service? Mercury Global Partners is an “all senior” PR firm focused on emerging tech like sustainability, healthcare, AI and more. Get in touch with us at hello@wearemgp.com.

Artificial intelligence has made significant advancements in natural language generation (NLG) and content creation, especially with the release of ChatGPT. This may lead some people to believe they can get away with just plugging in prompts and receive endless content. But, it’s not quite that simple; there are still significant pitfalls to this approach. 

Here are the five reasons why you should depend on your human crew instead of AI:

1. Creativity and Originality 

AI can generate content based on patterns and data it has been trained on, but it lacks true creativity and the ability to produce genuinely original ideas. Human writers can draw from their unique perspectives and experiences to create content that is fresh, imaginative and thought-provoking.

2. Emotional Intelligence

Writing often involves conveying emotions, empathy and understanding of human experiences. Human writers can infuse their work with emotional depth, tone and empathy that resonate with readers on a deeper level. AI, on the other hand, cannot truly understand or express emotions and everything still comes out a little too stiff, a little too wooden.

3. Contextual Understanding

AI may struggle with understanding the broader context in which content is created. Human writers can adapt their writing to suit specific audiences, cultural differences and current events, ensuring that their content is relevant and engaging in various contexts. This is also important if looking at current events where the AI may not be caught up to the latest news.

4. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving

Writing often requires critical thinking, analysis, and the ability to solve complex problems. Human writers can navigate ambiguity, make subjective judgments and offer nuanced perspectives, which can be challenging for AI systems that rely on predefined algorithms.

5. Adaptability and Learning

Human writers can continuously learn and adapt their writing styles, techniques and subject matter expertise. If you want a writer to change something or come at a topic from a different angle, you can talk to them and answer their questions. With AI you’re stuck with whatever it outputs. 

AI can be a useful tool and is only getting better by the day. But it’s not a magic bullet. If you need content creation, don’t think you’ve found a loophole by depending on ChatGPT – the qualities that make human writers invaluable is how they connect with readers on a deep and meaningful level. At least for now, it is something that just can’t be matched.

Looking for an efficient and productive PR firm to get the word out about your product or service? Mercury Global Partners is an “all senior” PR firm focused on emerging tech like sustainability, healthcare, AI and more. Get in touch with us at hello@wearemgp.com.