The Flack highlights changes and trends in the news, examples of communications practices, and content we at BYRNE PR thought you might find useful.
We hope you enjoy, and we always welcome your feedback.
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‘The Godfather of A.I.’ Leaves Google and Warns of Danger Ahead – Ever since ChatGPT launched in November, concerns about artificial intelligence have grown exponentially. Apparently the concerns may be justified. The New York Times sat down with A.I. pioneer Dr. Geoffrey Hinton to talk about the technology’s potential … and it’s terrifying.
Southwest Airlines is Back in (nearly) Everyone’s Good Graces. Here are 6 Takeaways for Leaders – December 21, 2022, was a dark day for Southwest Airlines. A combination of bad weather and lame technology led the airline to cancel more than 16,000 flights, stranding millions of passengers, many of whom missed celebrating the holidays with their families. It was a 10-day fiasco that cost the company more than $1 billion and resulted in seemingly irreparable damage to its reputation. Or so it seemed. Just four months later, things are back to normal at Southwest, and, it seems, nearly everyone has forgiven them. Fast Company investigates how this happened so quickly.
A Plan for Your Digital Life After Death – Most of us have a will that designates who gets our money, real estate and other physical assets when our time comes. But what about your digital life? At first it might sound silly, but think of your accounts, passwords and subscriptions that automatically renew. And don’t forget about the thousands of digital photographs you have on your phone and computer. The Wall Street Journal explains how to have a plan in place for your digital life.
Jack Dorsey Has a Lot to Say, Including About Elon Musk and Twitter – It wasn’t all that long ago Twitter founder Jack Dorsey referred to Elon Musk as the “singular solution” for the social media network. But today Dorsey is regretting those words. The New York Times looks at Dorsey’s regrets with Twitter and his view of the future of social media.
Why the Kroger Merger Should Scare Amazon, Walmart, and Target – We wouldn’t fault you if you didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about grocery mergers. However, the potential merger of Kroger and Albertson’s has significant implications for the industry and for consumers. The Street takes a look.
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Just for Fun:
Feed Your Head:
The World Wide Web Turns 30: A History of the Internet Technology (slide show)
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flack
: one who provides publicity
flack
: to act as a press agent or promoter for something
The word flack was first used as a noun meaning “publicity agent” during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack.