184 | 🥸‼️ Fake AI Law Firm Scamming People

In today’s Brainyacts:

1. Fake AI-generated Law Firm

2. Why email courses and how to use AI to build one

3. Apple and home robots and other AI model news

4. AI’s water consumption and other AI-related content

👋 to new subscribers!

To read previous editions, click here.

Lead Memo

🥸‼️ Watermarking AI + An AI Law Firms Scams People

Above is a short video of Marc Andreessen (co-founder of Netscape and influential Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz) sharing why watermarking AI content so we can tell if it is real or not - won’t work.

I share this because it raises the question of how we can tell what is real or not in other contexts. For instance, if you got an email from a law firm informing you that some content on your website or blog was protected by copyright and that you should follow their requests - would you know whether this is a real threat or not? Most people might think it is real. And without doing some leg work and critical thinking - they might get scammed.

Take this situation:

Ernie Smith, publisher of Tedium, received a fraudulent copyright notice from a non-existent law firm, Commonwealth Legal, demanding a backlink to a website for SEO purposes. Upon investigation, Smith found the firm and its lawyers to be fake, with AI-generated images and nonexistent contact information. This scam, aiming to improve website rankings through backlinks under the guise of legal threats, was part of a larger pattern of SEO manipulation, unrelated to the actual ownership or copyright of the image in question.

You should read the full story HERE.

Spotlight

📧 🎓 Using Email Courses for Change Mngt, etc.

Earlier this week, I spent two hours with senior law firm marketing and business development professionals and consultants. I was there to share my insights on my discipline of business design (and throw some shade at design thinking). I also wanted to share some insights on how they might use generative AI in their own work lives.

I introduced them to the Email Course and they were blown away! I have used email courses to build my audience over the years and they are simply one of the best ways to engage busy people. Meet them where they are - in their inbox - by making content short, sweet, and super helpful to them.

So, I am reprising/refreshing this intro to Email Courses and how to use GenAI to help you create them.

What is an Email Course?

An email course is a series of educational emails sent over a set period, providing structured content on a specific topic. Each email acts as a lesson, delivering bite-sized, actionable information, making complex subjects manageable and accessible.

Why Email Courses are Effective

• Focused Learning: Unlike broader content formats, email courses provide targeted information on a specific subject, aiding in better retention and understanding.

• Convenience: Recipients can read and learn at their own pace, fitting the course into their busy schedules without the need for real-time participation.

• Engagement: Regular email contact keeps learners engaged and allows for incremental knowledge building, making it easier to absorb and apply the content.

  Tips for Creating Effective Email Courses

• Define Clear Objectives: Start with clear learning goals to ensure the course content is focused and relevant.

• Segment Your Content: Break down the course into digestible lessons, each focusing on a single concept or skill.

• Include Actionable Tasks: Encourage practical application by including exercises or actionable tasks in each email.

• Leverage Multimedia: Enhance engagement by incorporating images, videos, or links to further reading.

• Monitor and Adapt: Use feedback and analytics to refine course content and delivery for better effectiveness.

  Using Email Courses in Organizations

• Change Management: Facilitate organizational change by educating employees about new processes, policies, or systems incrementally, reducing resistance and enhancing adaptation.

• Internal Marketing Campaigns: Build awareness and buy-in for new initiatives or products by providing detailed, serialized content that educates and engages employees.

• Training and Skills Building: Develop employees’ skills systematically without overwhelming them, catering to varying levels of expertise and learning paces.

• Knowledge Sharing: Promote a culture of continuous learning by regularly sharing insights, industry trends, or best practices through curated email lessons.

Ok, so how can you make one?

I am going to share two things here. One is a series of prompts that you can adapt and use. The other is another example of the live walk-thru I did earlier this week where I took a Marty Lipton essay and create a draft email course in less than 2 minutes. Now as always, AI generated content is a good start - not a finished product - so always review, revise, personalize, and make it better and yours.

PROMPT EXAMPLE #1

>> Define _______ and how it applies to the legal profession. <<

>> What are the most significant challenges, misunderstandings, and opportunities, for lawyers in how to achieve _________? <<

>> What are some unconventional, contrarian, and weird challenges, misunderstandings, and opportunities for lawyers in how to achieve _________? <<

>> Build a complete 5-day email course to use inside a law firm or corporate legal that uses your last response. Write each day’s email complete with learning objectives, a complete detailed lesson, and a motivational statement to help the employee take action. <<

>> For the following email, please expand on it to include a specific learning outcome, provide more detailed content, make a suggestion for further reading, and ensure that it is easy to follow and the reader will achieve the learning outcome. <<

PROMPT EXAMPLE #2

For this, I used this article.

AI Model Notables

► OpenAI sees ‘tremendous growth’ in the corporate version of ChatGPT and has labeled 2024 the “year of the enterprise” by announcing new features that will appeal to legal users, among others.

► In a serious change to its business model, Google is considering charging users for content generated by SGE (Search Generative Experience), a search experience that uses AI to provide users with overviews of search topics - you have likely seen this feature at the top of your search results page.

► Microsoft 365’s Copilot gets a GPT-4 Turbo upgrade with no daily limits on the number of chat sessions and improved image generation.

► Anthropic researched how to ‘jailbreak’ most AI models and found a way.

► AI companies running out of training data after burning through entire internet.

► Apple explores home robotics as potential ‘Next Big Thing’ after car fizzles.

News You Can Use:

➭ Washington state judge blocks use of AI-enhanced video as evidence in possible first-of-its-kind ruling

➭ The estate of George Carlin has settled with the creators of an hourlong AI-generated video that aimed to emulate the style and voice of the late comedian

➭ Tennessee enacts landmark law to shield musicians from AI exploitation

➭ Big Tech companies form new consortium to allay fears of AI job takeovers

➭ S&P Global launches groundbreaking AI benchmark for financial industry - aims to set a new standard for evaluating the performance of large language models (LLMs) in complex financial and quantitative applications

➭ MBA programs and business schools are going all in on generative AI (wish law schools would)

➭ Brands are growing more concerned about how they are perceived by ChatGPT

➭ The CB Insights AI 100 ranks the most promising private artificial intelligence companies worldwide

➭ Reminder, AI is thirsty - ChatGPT consumes 500ml of water for every 50 texts you send it

Who is the author, Josh Kubicki?

Some of you know me. Others do not. Here is a short intro. I am a lawyer, entrepreneur, and teacher. I have transformed legal practices and built multi-million dollar businesses. Not a theorist, I am an applied researcher and former Chief Strategy Officer, recognized by Fast Company and Bloomberg Law for my unique work. Through this newsletter, I offer you pragmatic insights into leveraging AI to inform and improve your daily life in legal services.