Latest news with #ZiffDavis
The Verge
10 hours ago
- Business
- The Verge
Layoffs hit CNET as its parent company goes on a buying spree
Ziff Davis, the media conglomerate that owns outlets like CNET, ZDNET, PCMag, and Mashable is laying off 15 percent of the unionized workforce, or 23 total people. The majority of layoffs are coming from CNET, where 19 people will lose their jobs — even as Ziff Davis goes on a shopping spree. The layoffs will hit CNET coverage areas like the finance, broadband, and sleep beats, as well as the outlet's copy desk. A handful of staffers across Lifehacker, Mashable, and ZDNet will also be laid off. 'It's very clear to us that these cuts aren't about journalism,' Anna Iovine, unit chair of the Ziff Davis Creators Guild, says. 'They're based on money and greed.' Iovine noted particular concerns around cutting copy editors and fact checkers. 'Eliminating any coverage is really devastating. These journalists, some of them have decades of experience, and we're losing [that],' Iovine says. Ziff Davis has acquired five other companies this year alone, most notably the popular newsletter TheSkimm and the health outlet Well+Good. CNET was acquired by Ziff Davis in 2024 for $100 million. Ziff Davis did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CNET has had a tumultuous last few years under its previous owner, Red Ventures. In 2023, the outlet was engulfed in controversy when readers discovered it had been quietly publishing stories written by AI that were full of errors. In the ensuing weeks and months, CNET staff were laid off, editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo stepped down to take a job overseeing AI content, and staff at the outlet unionized. After Red Ventures sold the outlet, the union was rolled into the Ziff Davis Creators Guild, represented by the NewsGuild of New York. 'At a time when CNET is still building back its reputation after a damaging AI scandal under Red Ventures, Ziff's decision to further undermine CNET's human authority is disturbing,' a statement from the bargaining unit reads. 'Our members are so much more than dollars and cents, even as the capricious management at Ziff Davis tries to treat us as such,' the statement continues. 'We won a strong collective bargaining agreement just over a year ago, and we will fight to enforce it so we can preserve our ability to continue producing high-quality work for our readers.' Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Mia Sato Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Business Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Creators Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
CNET
2 days ago
- CNET
ChatGPT Study Mode Aims to Circumvent the Brain Atrophy Problem With AI in Education
ChatGPT Study Mode is a new function within the artificial intelligence chatbot that aims to give students a more natural learning experience rather than simply answering questions for them, the company announced Tuesday. Whereas typing in a question or topic into ChatGPT returns a textbook-style summary, Study Mode works with students, step by step, to help them come to the correct answer on their own. Students can chat with ChatGPT to gain better clarification on things they don't understand, as though they were working with a tutor. Study Mode will be available for free for Plus, Pro and Team users and will launch for ChatGPT Edu in the next few weeks. Study Mode won't simply respond like an answer engine. Even if a student gets frustrated and wants ChatGPT to just spit out the correct answer, it'll refuse. Instead, it'll try to continue working with students to help them get to the correct conclusion. For faculty and parents, there aren't admin controls at the moment, meaning students can switch back to standard ChatGPT if they really want that straight answer. OpenAI, however, is looking to increase admin controls in the future. With the release of ChatGPT in late 2023, the academic world was hit almost immediately. Suddenly, students had a word calculator trained on massive amounts of data, with the ability to spit out essays in seconds. The temptation to get immediate answers from ChatGPT has proven to be tempting for students and has made AI plagiarism a problem in classrooms and on college campuses. Teachers are complaining that students are deferring the hard work of thinking and problem-solving to AI. Teachers are also complaining that AI is hindering students' abilities to think critically. Experts say that critical thinking is highly important for childhood development. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on the Theo Von Podcast last week that with the advancement of AI models, education will need to change entirely. Because AI models will one day become smarter than humans in processing information, teaching needs to evolve with this new tool being widely used in society. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
CNET
2 days ago
- Business
- CNET
Get Started With ChatGPT: A Beginner's Guide to Using the Super Popular AI Chatbot
AI chatbots and functionality have exploded since 2022 when Open AI launched ChatGPT. Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days from AI overviews of Google search results, to programs like Canva. The AI revolution has changed the internet, delivering new ways to sort through the chaos of busy lives, simplify workflow and even search the internet. AI chatbots like ChatGPT will continue to transform how we consume, create and communicate online. While AI innovation is progressing quickly, it's important to understand the fundamentals of how ChatGPT works to navigate the ecosystem of tools. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) With that in mind, here's your ChatGPT 101 class. What does ChatGPT actually do? ChatGPT can answer your questions, summarize text, write new content, code and translate languages. Depending on what version you're using, it can either browse the internet, or generate information up until its last training model date. It's not magic, it's math: The results are based on the large language model's predictions and past information, making it prone to hallucinations, errors and biases. Keep a balanced approach when using tools like ChatGPT. AI, like most cutting-edge tech, is neither all good nor all bad. Avoid being too dogmatic on either side. I've tried using ChatGPT for everything from work-related tasks like creating a resume and a cover letter, looking for a dream job and negotiating a raise, to personal things like saving time and being more productive, finding the best deals and coupons while shopping online and even creating recipes from my leftovers. Getting set up with ChatGPT You can use ChatGPT as a search engine, much like Google's home page. Go to or download the ChatGPT app on Apple's App Store or on the Google Play Store. Open the app or website, and type in your question or prompt. You can use the voice function, attach files and even browse trending topics under Search. ChatGPT/Screenshot by Amanda Smith/CNET For more advanced and personalized features, it's best to create an account and log in. ChatGPT knows more about you through your search history, and you can customize ChatGPT's responses. To create an account, click on the Sign Up button in the top right-hand corner. Choose between a free or premium membership ($20 a month). In most instances, the free version is fine. For quick personal searches, you might want to use the app. For work, the desktop version is probably easier. And if you're using the voice button instead of typing your prompt, the mobile app is best. ChatGPT 101: Getting comfortable with the AI tool There's no one "right" way to use ChatGPT. The only wrong way to use it is to only use ChatGPT and to outsource your critical thinking to it. Use ChatGPT and Google, and always fact check everything they both tell you. Click on the sources of information that Google and ChatGPT are drawing from. You can't simply trust the info AI gives you -- it may be hallucinating, or drawing the wrong conclusions from doubtful source information. It's also helpful to come to AI tools with your intention in mind. For example, you could use ChatGPT as a thinking partner or a research aid. Give it a "job" and build it into your process, rather than it replacing all your research. Read more: ChatGPT Glossary: 49 AI Terms Everyone Should Know What you can ask ChatGPT You can ask ChatGPT almost anything -- just avoid ever giving it any personal or sensitive information, such as your credit card number, SSN or any personally identifying information in case of data breaches. For whatever you're asking ChatGPT, the more context you give, the better. You only get out what you put in, so focus on providing as much information as possible in your first prompt. Your prompt will depend on whether you're asking a question, summarizing text, brainstorming, getting "advice", analyzing images, sourcing code or generating content. If you're not sure where to start, here are a couple of things I've asked for ChatGPT to help me with. Let's compare my two search intentions: Advice-related request I'm trying to get pregnant and want to know the ideal diet for my situation. Example prompt: "I'm a 36-year-old woman getting ready to start IVF. I have no fertility issues, but my AMH is on the lower end. Provide a suggested diet to follow in the lead-up to my egg retrieval and transfer." It will give you a lot of information. Most of it won't be personalized to you, so think of it as a conversation where each follow-up prompt gets you closer to customized advice. You can see an example of this exact advice-related prompt here, and all the follow-up questions I had to ask to drill down to get helpful information. Just remember: If you're asking for health and wellness information, always double-check with a doctor. Data-related request Say you're a small business owner and want to reduce your overhead, so you input your expenses spreadsheet into ChatGPT for advice. ChatGPT/Screenshot by Amanda Smith/CNET You could click on the Analyze data button and it will generate prompts. Pick the most appropriate, or type in after "help me…" Example prompt: "Help me save money on my expenses. Attached is my expenses list for last year." Again, double-check every number the AI tool comes back with. Browsing ChatGPT If you just want to play around with the tool before using it to ask specific questions, you can use the automatically generated prompts that come up in ChatGPT. For example, if you click on Surprise me, you can explore prompts like this: ChatGPT/Screenshot by Amanda Smith/CNET I clicked on one of the suggested prompts and here's the answer I got: ChatGPT/Screenshot by Amanda Smith/CNET If you click on Make a plan, you can explore prompts like "make a plan to get a promotion," "make a plan to buy a new car," "make a plan of meals for the week" and "make a plan for a weekend in New York." For the meal plan suggestion, for instance, give ChatGPT a quick input of ingredients in the fridge and your current diet focus, and it will generate a meal plan for the week. You can be as custom as uploading a photo of what's in your fridge and asking for a dinner suggestion, or as straightforward as asking ChatGPT for some good restaurant options in New York. This meal planning example really shows how ChatGPT and other AI tools are a "choose your own adventure" and handy search partner for anything you want to do with them. Just remember to maintain a balanced view of these tools. And always double-check its advice.
CNET
3 days ago
- CNET
I Love an Old Pair of Shoes I Purchased Years Ago. I Asked AI to Find Me a Similar Style
Every woman can sympathize with this: You finally find jeans that make you feel good or a pair of heels that are both comfortable and stylish. And then, suddenly, it's out of season or style, and there's no way of finding that item again. But some styles are timeless, and you'll want to replace them when they've seen too many red wine spills or look a little weathered. The world of fashion moves faster than a Tinder swipe. Maybe artificial intelligence can help locate links to the original item sold elsewhere, or find a similar look. If AI can help find the best deals online, be used as a shopping assistant and even as a personal assistant, maybe it can help replace my gorgeous pair of heels that I can't find anywhere. With ChatGPT Search, I can upload a photo of my shoes, and it can search the internet for shopping links -- like a Google reverse image search on steroids. There's even specific AI shoe finder GPTs I could test out. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) Can ChatGPT magically find my favorite heels from a photo? The first step was to take a few photos of my beloved shoes from different angles, making sure to capture the brand name. I bought these shoes close to a decade ago, when I was still living in Australia. I made sure to snap any defining features and codes, like a sticker that miraculously stayed on the sole through just about every terrain -- grass, gravel, pavement and floorboards. Next, I opened up ChatGPT, logged in and uploaded four photos with this prompt: "This is an old pair of shoes I love. I want to replace them with either the same item or something similar. I'm a US size 8. The code on the sole is 8M/38½. Here are four photos of the heels." I made sure to select the Web Search button. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET It gave me some identifying information in order to help me direct my own Google search, but I wanted it to do it for me. The point was to save time using AI. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET I responded with this prompt: "Can you search the internet for links to the exact item?" ChatGPT sourced a bunch of links with resale items and suggested I set up an alert using specific terms like "Lucky Brand Bertel black suede 8M." While it didn't provide the specific product link, I liked being able to sort through the resale pages to see similar styles too. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET Before I get deep into online thrifting mode on eBay, I asked ChatGPT to find five new styles that are similar, either from Lucky Brand or the others mentioned. This was fun! I learned that this product is a block-heel suede look, which is helpful to know for whenever I need to do my own searches: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET My only critique so far is I'm not familiar with some of the stores ChatGPT provided links to. I wasn't sure if it was just pulling from eBay and unknown websites because it was trying to find resale items. ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET So, I asked it to search sites that I'd usually buy shoes from, like DSW and Nordstrom. It came back with direct links to these websites with the search pre-populated as "Lucky Brand" or "women's block heel sandals." This saved me some searching time, taking me straight to things like this Nordstrom page: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET It suggested Marshalls/TJ Maxx, which I had forgotten in my previous prompt. I liked the recommendations it gave, such as a specific style for comfort or for a higher heel. It also provided tips on when these brands typically run sales. ChatGPT found me two heels I loved, but one was sold out: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET I found another two pairs of Lucky Brand finds from the links ChatGPT provided, only to discover they weren't even my size, even though I included that in my prompt: ChatGPT / Screenshot by CNET It was also interesting how the model didn't add any links from the Lucky Brand site itself, only third-party sellers. Always back up your ChatGPT activity with your own manual research. AI chatbots can be a handy tool to get fashion advice, outfit recommendations, product comparisons and insights about your personal style. However, for online shopping, you're better off going directly to the brands and sites you love. That's the fun part anyway.
CNET
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
I Tried AI as My Astrologer. It Told Me Something Profound
If you're cosmically inclined, in tune with all the retrogrades and speak in star signs, you'll love an artificial intelligence-generated interpretation of your natal chart. This is one of the most fun use cases of AI. Birth charts are notoriously difficult to interpret but ChatGPT can help you make sense of it and allow you to ask specific questions about your reading. You can use AI as a self-discovery tool, to supplement therapy sessions, as a tarot card reader and to get career guidance. Have a conversation with your higher self, with ChatGPT. While you should avoid making any major life decisions from this conversation alone (especially during Mercury Retrograde), it can serve as a mirror to better understand yourself. Get a down-to-earth birth chart analysis using AI. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.) Prompt your way to future predictions Because AI is known to convincingly hallucinate -- that is, make things up based on bad information on the internet -- it's better to get your natal chart from a specific astrology website so you know it's accurate, then feed the report into ChatGPT. There are plenty of websites out there, like Café Astrology and Co-Star. You'll need to input your location of birth, date of birth and time of birth. Make sure the time is right, because guessing it will skew the results. These websites usually generate long reports so I downloaded the PDF option. I ended up using Café Astrology because Co-Star didn't have a PDF download option. Over to ChatGPT to help me decipher what this means: Café Astrology/Screenshot by CNET First, I asked ChatGPT to give me a tailored astrology reading based on my birth chart, then attached the PDF. The devil is in the details with astrology and out of the gate, ChatGPT got an important detail wrong: it switched around my birth month/day (I think because I wrote it in the American format but said I was born in Australia -- so it read the date in the Australian format). I corrected it and it generated a new chart. First of all, I love how ChatGPT describes what the dominant houses mean. For example, your rising sign is how the world sees you vs. your sun sign, which is how you see yourself. My sun sign is in Taurus, so I crave loyalty, longevity and consistency, yet my moon sign (emotional world) is Sagittarius, so I need freedom and variety. I asked which part of me is more important to nurture -- the security or the freedom -- based on my chart. This is where AI shines, because you can't have a conversation like this with a PDF chart (and it would cost a lot of money to have a conversation with an astrologist). Here's what it said: ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET ChatGPT shared a powerful perspective I hadn't considered: My need for stability vs. adventure aren't opposites but rather complementary. But I need a secure foundation in order to feel free. I always thought of it as a battle but, in fact, I can have both. The foundation enables freedom. Pretty insightful stuff. I like how it breaks down action steps to tend to both sides of my psyche: ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET Next, I asked what's interesting about my chart that's not obvious to me. ChatGPT revealed that my need for security vs. surprise also comes through in my love life. I need love to feel surprising and non-traditional, even if I crave long-term connections. It even told me about how I interpret and show love. ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET Not surprised that banter is important, as Aussies love good quips. It also picked up that I require freedom and impact in my work, even suggesting women's health advocacy, which is a growing passion of mine (after coming out and trying to conceive via IVF). ChatGPT even touched on past-life tendencies and then gave me some themes for the year: ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET Relinquishing timelines -- a powerful lesson for me this year, as I navigate infertility. As I chatted with my AI astrologer, two big questions came up for me: What the second half of 2025 will bring. When I'll get pregnant. Here's some of my reading, which was filled with an impressive amount of info and predictions: ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET It also gave me a "thematic timeline" for the rest of the year, and "themes to lean into." Can AI use astrology to predict your future? I asked ChatGPT when I will get pregnant and, to its credit, it said it can't predict exact events. One point for ethics! But it can help identify windows of emotional readiness, karmic timing and cosmic support based on my chart and current planetary transits. Here's what my AI astrologer predicts: ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET I asked one final question: When should I do an embryo transfer based on my transits? It gave me two windows: Oct. 28-Nov. 22, 2025, and Feb. 7-Feb. 20, 2026. It described why those windows would be strong according to the planets and stars, and which would be the best transfer days within those windows. I even asked what was happening in June, when my latest embryo transfer failed. It explained what was going on in the planets and how the Capricorn Moon isn't a fertile placement. I ended the chat here on a high note: ChatGPT/Screenshot by CNET The verdict? Time will tell whether this comes true but I felt empowered and excited about my future after my AI astrology session. I won't be surrendering all control to the cosmos (or ChatGPT for that matter), but it's an insightful exercise to add to your self-discovery toolkit.
