📕 Hello there on Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples' Day, depending on what it’s called in your hometown, friend. Ol’ Chris wasn’t the best human in our history books. After he arrived on our shores in 1492, he captured Native Americans to be sold as slaves in Spain, and he also tortured, mutilated and murdered them. He tried to push Christianity on them. A new documentary released this past Saturday tackled an old mystery and used DNA analysis to reveal he was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe. Not everyone agrees.

Let’s jump in with trivia that’s also a security tip. Today, 91% of phishing scams originate from this one source. Is it … A.) Phishing emails, B.) Compromised websites, C.) Unsecured Wi‑Fi or D.) That person in your life who clicks on anything? Put on your thinking cap, and read to the end for the answer. Thank you for letting me in your inbox. — Kim

I saw a viral post on LinkedIn where a guy from San Diego, Jack Ryan, logged in for a virtual job interview. Instead of a person on the other side of the screen, it was a bot. You can tell by his face Jack wasn’t impressed. I wasn’t, either.

Everyone’s scared of robots taking our jobs, but you may not realize how many are part of the hiring process now. It goes way beyond resume-scanning tech. If you’re looking for a career change or know someone who is, this is important intel to keep you tech-ahead, not left tech‑behind.

And I thought Siri was judgmental

The “hiring manager” shown in that viral LinkedIn post was created by Fairgo.ai, a tech startup out of Australia. Fairgo’s bot asks questions, summarizes the conversation, ships that summary to the company doing the hiring and that’s that.

Using AI saves time, that’s for sure, but what could go wrong? Let me count the ways AI has screwed up in other areas.

Not long ago, New Zealand grocery chain Pak‘nSave’s AI “meal-bot” posted recipes for bug spray potatoes and glue sandwiches. Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing AI freaked people out with threats and declarations of love. My favorite is the McDonald’s AI drive-thru, where chatbot errors resulted in one hungry customer ordering 260 chicken nuggets.

I don’t want you to be caught off-guard if you’re the only human in your next interview, so let’s go over some tips.

🗣️ Keep it human

“Mirroring” is when we copy someone else’s mannerisms without even realizing it. You definitely don’t want to finish your robo-interview sounding like a robot yourself.

Pretend you’re speaking with a real human being. Maintain eye contact with the camera as much as you can.

💬 Polish your verbal resume

Read the job description before your interview. You’ll want to use phrases from it throughout your resume since the AI’s job is to match what you say to the job description.

For example, if the job post describes wanting “someone with four to five years of experience in a similar role, proficiency in Adobe Suite and people-management skills,” work in your background with people management, name-drop Adobe and tell the bot how many years of experience you have. Just don’t overdo it and read the entire job description back to your AI interviewer, or you’ll sound, yes, like a robot.

Also, if the bot interviewer asks, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” don’t answer, “Hopefully alive.” AI bots can’t process humor.

⚠️ Don’t forget the e‑interview basics

• Make sure you’re somewhere with reliable Wi‑Fi that won’t cut in and out on you.
• Set up your camera at a flattering angle. Ideally, keep it level with your face or just above, not at chin level.
• Keep your room well-lit. Turning up your screen’s brightness helps in a pinch if you’re shadowy — or grab a cheap ring light.
• Declutter your background. If you use a virtual background, pick something simple.
• Limit background noise. A barking dog or bustling coffee shop is distracting for you and the interviewer, human or not.

Companies aren’t the only ones using AI

One of the most popular tools for job searchers right now is Final Round AI. Final Round’s Interview Copilot works with apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams as an interview assistant, feeding you, the interviewee, answers in real time. (I tried the five-minute free trial; the paid version starts at $96 a month.)

When you’re hiring for an important position, always bring the person you’re interviewing into your office, if possible. You want to know what they think — not what the AI they paid for “thinks.”

🤓 Kelvin and Celsius had a job interview, but only one of them got the job — Celsius, because he had a degree. (Was that a groan I heard?)

Are you still relying on QuickBooks? There’s a smarter, more powerful solution waiting for you. Here’s why NetSuite by Oracle is the right choice for your business:

• All-in-one solution: Manage financials, HR, inventory and more from one platform.
• Boost efficiency: Eliminate tedious paperwork and get real-time insights to grow your business.
• Proven success: Trusted by over 40,000 companies.

Whether your business earns hundreds of thousands or hundreds of millions, who wouldn’t want less manual work, better decision-making and higher profits? Now’s the time to make the switch.

🤖 Tough decisions: Should AI weapons be fully autonomous and allowed to make deadly decisions? The big fear is that enemy states like China may go all in on AI weapons first, while the U.S. still needs someone to press a button each time to fire. FYI: While the U.S. military doesn’t buy fully autonomous weapons yet, companies here aren’t banned from making or selling them.

🔍 Breaking up Google’s search monopoly: The DOJ has some remedies lined up: Forcing Google to share its data with competitors, restricting those default search browser deals, and even splitting off Chrome or Android. Google says these “solutions” would hurt consumers (their cash cow) and stifle innovation. Google might become like Ask Jeeves by the time this government legal battle is settled.

😡 Frustration overload: This summer’s National Public Data hack leaked the personal details of 2.9 billion people. Now, the company’s drowning in class-action lawsuits and might be stuck paying for credit monitoring. No surprise, they just filed for bankruptcy, claiming only a few thousand dollars in assets. How convenient.

“Text pesting”: That’s the name for a disturbing type of harassment an estimated one-third of young women deal with regularly. Creeps use the contact info from a professional interaction, like an Instacart delivery or rideshare, to send unwanted sexual messages. Take Millie, who got, "I can't wait to pick you up and see your beautiful face again, I long for you" from a driver.

🚨 Data disaster: Archive⁠.⁠org, the internet’s digital library, just suffered a massive breach, leaking 31 million records — emails, addresses, screen names and hashed passwords. The site claims a DDoS attack, but reports confirm it was actually hacked. The cherry on top? Hackers temporarily posted on the homepage, “See 31 million of you on HIBP!” That’s Have I Been Pwned.

Another day, another scam: Fraudsters are pretending to be mortgage providers, saying your home warranty needs to be renewed. Look for the telltale sign at the bottom of mailed notices in tiny little letters: “We are not affiliated with your current mortgage.”

“Facebook is so lit,” said no Gen Zer ever: Zuckerburg knows this, so they’re going all in to capture those younger eyes for more billions in ad revenues. They’re showing nearby events, groups and activity recs. Short video clips now look like TikTok, and friends can find profiles of people you can date. Just wait till Grandma sends you a DM like, “You have such a pretty face. Pull your hair back so it shows.”

🌟 It’s time for you to know the pleasures of sitting on your butt and letting tech do the heavy lifting.

• Smart plugs (20% off) transform a lamp, fan, humidifier or anything else. Click the coupon box for an extra $4 discount.
• Control the lights using just your voice with these Govee color-changing smart bulbs. (There’s a $3 coupon here, too.)
• Save money and energy with a smart thermostat.
• This doorknob lets you in the house using only a fingerprint.
• Upgrade your sprinklers (25% off!) to keep the lawn green without overwatering. It all happens automatically.

‘Bout time: Apple iOS 18 makes it easier to change the email address associated with your iCloud account. It’s been a royal pain in the butt until now. Look for the Primary Email option under your account settings.

You don't know me: If you use ChatGPT on the web, you might notice it starting to “remember” things about you, like your movie tastes or knowledge about specific topics. This can mean more tailored answers for you, but if you'd rather the AI forget who you are, click your profile picture (top right) then Settings > Personalization > Clear ChatGPT's memory.

New in Google Docs: Tabs. They’re in the left sidebar and take the place of the old header system, which wasn’t all that good. Click the + (plus sign) next to the document tabs to make a new one. Think of it like a digital table of contents. Here’s a list of tips and tricks.

⏰ Hop off the snooze cruise: If you’re like the one in three people who hit the snooze thrice every morning, there’s a simple fix. Fire up the Clock app on your iPhone, choose an alarm and toggle off the “Snooze” option. Now you have more time in the morning to wish you were still in bed. If you use an Android, there’s no option to turn off snoozing. Willpower … engage!

“She said WHAT?”: If you're struggling to hear the dialogue in movies and shows, Prime Video has you covered. Pause the playback, click or tap on the Subtitles and Audio button, then pick English Dialogue Boost. You're welcome. Better idea? See if you qualify for a 45-day risk-free trial of these German-engineered hearing aids so you hear everything all the time.*

Sometimes, I have such a hard time remembering my favorite Celine Dion song, but it's all coming back to me now.

The answer: A.) Phishing emails are the most common source of cyberattacks by a lot — 91%! Quick tips to spot them: Beware of urgency, payment demands and random attachments.

🤣 Did you hear about the cannibal who switched to Spam? He says it's the greatest thing since sliced Fred. Sorry, I had to.

A little note for those of you ready to try AI: If you know how to use it, it’s so dang helpful. I use it every single day. Grab your referral link below, and after one pal signs up, I’ll send you my new e‑book with 50 smart prompts for AI for free, right to your inbox, so you can try them, too. See you right back here tomorrow with the best tech newsletter in the USA! — Kim