Why does ChatGPT refuse to say the name Jonathan Zittrain' Anytime the bot should write those words, it simply shuts down instead, offering a blunt error message: 'I'm unable to produce a response.' This has been a mystery for at least a year, and now we're closer to some answers. Writing for The Atlantic this week, Zittrain, a Harvard professor and the director of its Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, explores this strange phenomenon'what he calls the 'personal-name guillotine.' As he gleaned after reaching out to OpenAI, 'There are a tiny number of names that ChatGPT treats this way, which explains why so few have been found. Names may be omitted from ChatGPT either because of privacy requests or to avoid persistent hallucinations by the AI.' Reasonable, but Zittrain never made any such privacy request, and he is unaware of any falsehoods generated by the program in response to queries about himself. Ultimately, the situation is a reminder that whatever mystique technology companies cultivate around their AI products, suggesting at times that they operate in unpredictable or humanlike ways, firms do have an awful lot of direct control over these programs....

All of us are on a continuous journey of learning and growth, and the change of the calendar year offers a chance to reflect. Some of the HBR podcast episodes that have resonated most with listeners in 2024 can help you gear up and get excited for whatever next step may be. They cover topics such as artificial intelligence skills, assertiveness and warmth in the workplace, balancing privacy and public safety, setting boundaries, capturing value, effective communication, and rising from middle to senior management....

Hapn, formerly known as Spytec, is a tracking company that allows users to remotely monitor the real-time location of internet-enabled tracking devices, which can be attached to vehicles or other equipment. The company also sells GPS trackers to consumers under its Spytec brand, which rely on the Hapn app for tracking. Spytec touts its GPS devices for tracking the locations of valuable possessions and 'loved ones.' According to its website, Hapn claims to track more than 460,000 devices and counts customers within the Fortune 500. The exposed data contains information on more than 8,600 GPS trackers, including the IMEI numbers for the SIM cards in each tracker, which uniquely identify each device. The exposed data does not include location data, but thousands of records contain the names and business affiliations of customers who own, or are tracked by, the GPS trackers. Several emails to Hapn CEO Joe Besdin went unreturned. A message sent to an email address listed on the company's privacy policy returned with a bounce error, saying that the email address does not exist. The company does not have a web page or form for reporting security vulnerabilities....

This has been a year of rapid progress and high expectations for the fintech sector. There's also been lots of buzz ' and hard, painful truths learned. As it turns out, certain trends are more aspirational than practical. Here's what I mean. The cost of developing and maintaining robust AI models is prohibitive for many smaller firms. Additionally, there are ethical concerns regarding biases and privacy preventing widespread deployment in areas like credit scoring or underwriting. For instance, Revolut has introduced AI-enabled budgeting tools, but these mostly categorize expenses instead of adapting dynamically to complex spending behaviors. There's a push for sustainability in fintech ' yet, many firms promote green products without any genuine impact fundamentals. Many hyped-up initiatives ' such as carbon-neutral cards ' fail to live up to their claims and rely on vague metrics. No wonder consumers are skeptical. While some platforms effectively integrate payment and lending services, more complex offerings like wealth management remain fragmented. Users often encounter clunky interfaces and misaligned expectations, particularly when trying to switch between services. Addressing these challenges requires a commitment to refining user experiences through iterative design and feedback loops. For us at BoBo, it took many months to adapt the interface and customer journeys to meet our clients' needs, drawing on extensive user feedback from the initial restricted go-live....