Stay on top of tech: five ways to take back control, from emails to AI | Technology

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Stay on top of tech: five ways to take back control, from emails to AI | Technology

Make AI work smarter

Asking ChatGPT to write your emails is so two years ago. Generative AI tools are now going beyond the basic text-prompt phase. Take

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’s

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, an experimental “AI research assistant” that lets you upload not just text but also videos, links and PDFs. It will provide a summary of the content, answer questions about it, and even make a podcast-like “AI overview” if you want it to – all while organising your original sources and notes. As AI tools advance, expect more features like this to be baked into everyday software. All the usual caveats of using AI apply: the responsibility for factchecking lies with you.

Break free of the algorithm

If you’re stuck in a feedback loop of samey music or TV recommendations, go for a refresh. Some platforms, such as

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, let you delete your viewing history, which will help clear the slate (select “hide all” under “viewing activity” for a do-over). Spotify is harder to crack: you’ll need to train it into offering a broader selection by diversifying your listening. Choose playlists that focus specifically on new music, or go old school and ask friends for their tips. Use the “private session” mode or select “exclude from your taste profile” to keep your guilty pleasures (or your kids’ nursery rhymes) from infecting future recommendations.

Learn to spot AI video

Manipulated videos, or “deepfakes”, might already be old hat, but you can expect to see more entirely AI-generated videos as text-to-video tools enter the mainstream. OpenAI’s

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and Meta’s

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are continuing to be developed, with impressive (or concerning, depending on your stance) results. Look for watermarks that show a video is AI-generated, and watch out for telltale mistakes, such as errors in anatomy or weird physics. Most importantly, use context clues: if something seems particularly shocking, unlikely, or out of place, be on guard.

Look up, look out, make a backup

So-called “snatch thefts” are at a high, with the equivalent of more than

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occurring across England and Wales each day. Thieves, often on bikes or mopeds, grab phones to sell overseas. There’s not much you can do in the moment – the

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never to confront a thief – but you can slightly soften the impact by making sure anything important on your phone is backed up. Many manufacturers offer to automatically sync all your files to a cloud service; alternatively, you can find options for specific media in the relevant phone or app settings.

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Tackle the tech drawer of doom

Everyone has one: the drawer (or cupboard or box) of discarded devices, broken electronics and tangled cables hoarding valuable metals. Make this the year you reclaim the space from your unwanted e-waste. You can find banks for electrical items at many recycling points, and shops such as Currys and John Lewis offer recycling facilities. Head to

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or

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to find your nearest. If your old stuff is in good nick, you can also try selling or donating it; remember to wipe personal data from laptops and phones by doing a factory reset or removing the hard drive.

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#Stay #top #tech #ways #control #emails #Technology

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