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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Large companies like Disney and Uber have arbitration clauses in their Terms of Use.</li><li>Arbitration is when a neutral third party settles a dispute instead of a jury trial.</li></ul>Companies are using a simple strategy to avoid courtroom litigation when disaster strikes: the fine print.Terms and conditions have become a ubiquitous part of life for many people, from purchasing concert tickets to applying for a credit card. The legal agreement between businesses and their customers spells out both parties' responsibilities under a contractual relationship.That legal agreement can include an <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-plaintiffs-law-firms-bring-mass-arbitration-cases-class-actions-2021-11">arbitration clause</a> that removes a customer's right to sue a company when things go wrong — whether the customer knows it or not. Instead, they can be forced to use a neutral third party to settle a dispute instead of a jury at trial.In some cases, companies are using infinite arbitration clauses, which can extend to individuals beyond the original contractual parties, requiring all disputes to be settled out of the courtroom, and can be enforceable even after terminating a service."Infinite clauses stretch to the horizon and last forever. They are less a contractual provision and more a kind of arbitration servitude," David Horton, a professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Law, wrote in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.It's a near-century-old practice that some legal experts say should be modernized for the digital age.<h2 id="27cb7a2c-c011-4afd-9917-00dc1588da6c">The Disney case</h2>In the case of large companies, arbitration clauses included in one service can often apply to any service the company offers.This scenario gained attention earlier this year after a New York State man filed a <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-wrongful-death-lawsuit-theme-park-2024-8">wrongful-death lawsuit against Disney</a> and a restaurant operator who runs a pub at Disney Springs. Disney does not own the restaurant.Jeffrey Piccolo's lawsuit said his wife, Kanokporn Tangsuan, died in October 2023 from a "severe acute allergic reaction" after dining at Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant, where they asked a staff member on "numerous occasions" if allergen-free options were available. The staff member assured them the restaurant did, but Tangsuan collapsed inside Planet Hollywood later that night and was transported to a local hospital, according to the complaint.A medical examiner's investigation determined she died due to "anaphylaxis due to elevated levels of dairy and nut in her system."<div type="image" title="A photo of a sign on a water tower with the Disney Springs logo" height="1704" width="2560" msid="115384767" hostid="261" sizebytes="276990"></div>In response, Disney filed a motion to compel arbitration, arguing that Piccolo could not sue the company because he had agreed to its Terms of Use when signing up for a free Disney+ trial years earlier and again when purchasing tickets to its theme park. Disney quickly found itself in a <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-wrongful-death-lawsuit-legal-argument-pr-nightmare-2024-8">PR nightmare</a> as people online called the move "very dystopian" and urged users to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions in retaliation.After the criticism, Disney reversed course and dropped its motion to compel arbitration. The case is pending in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida."At Disney, we strive to put humanity above all other considerations. With such unique circumstances as the ones in this case, we believe this situation warrants a sensitive approach to expedite a resolution for the family who have experienced such a painful loss," Josh D'Amaro, the chairman of Disney Experiences, said in a statement.Although Disney relented, Piccolo isn't the only one to get caught up in the fine print, and he likely won't be the last.Lawyers and legal experts who spoke to Business Insider said there is little consumers can do to avoid arbitration clauses in an era when signing contracts often happens with the tap of a finger."I think the only thing we can do is opt out of the internet," Joseph Cammarata, a partner at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata &amp; Siegel, P.C. in Washington DC, told Business Insider.<h2 id="7db68ead-3086-4a47-adf0-1c0cf75edcf6">Large companies use arbitration to avoid damaging their reputations in a public trial</h2><div type="image" title="Preview of John and Georgia McGinty alongside the crashed Uber vehicle." height="3264" width="2962" msid="115384769" hostid="261" sizebytes="435138"></div>Like Disney, Uber made headlines this year for a 2023 lawsuit filed by Georgia and John McGinty in the Superior Court of New Jersey.In a September court filing, the couple said they were riding in an Uber in March 2022 when the driver ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle. The court filing said Georgia sustained multiple injuries, including rib, cervical, and lumbar spine fractures. She also experienced damage to her abdominal wall, pelvic floor, and a protruding hernia.John sustained "severe" fractures to his left arm and wrist and a fractured sternum, according to the lawsuit.Uber responded by filing a motion to compel arbitration, which that court denied. However, Uber appealed, and New Jersey's appellate division sided with the company, which said the McGinty's could not have a courtroom trial because Georgia agreed to its Terms of Use in 2022 for an unrelated Uber Eats order. The couple pushed back, saying their underage daughter made that order and have filed an appeal."While the plaintiffs continue to tell the press that it was their daughter who ordered Uber Eats and accepted the Terms of Use, it's worth noting that in court they could only 'surmise' that that was the case but could not recall whether their daughter ordered food independently or if Georgia assisted," an Uber spokesperson said in a statement.<div type="image" title="Georgia McGinty, who was involved in an Uber car crash." height="3024" width="4032" msid="115384772" hostid="261" sizebytes="674730"></div>Stacey Lee, a professor of law and ethics at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, told BI that consumers are increasingly running into arbitration clauses, but how businesses use them isn't necessarily new."It has always been the default for businesses to want to go to arbitration for a number of reasons," Lee said."You're not going to have a class action lawsuit, you're not going to have it plastered on top of the front page, there's limited discovery, and businesses have a little more control over who the arbitrators are," she said.Arbitration usually has three arbitrators selected from the Arbitration Association of America. They're often business professionals with experience in a specific field."Their knowledge of the customs and norms of the industry is very different than a judge's, and because they're on the business side, they have a tendency to agree more with the business interpretations of how things work," Lee said.Cammarata said companies know juries might be less sympathetic to their arguments."They want to limit public accountability and responsibility," he said. "A jury may listen and say, 'Uber, are you kidding me?'"However, arbitration isn't inherently anti-consumer or unfair to the average person. Compared to courtroom litigation, arbitration can cost less money and be a quicker process. People also can request an appeal in arbitration, but it's not the same as a courtroom trial, where they would have the right to do so.This private form of settling legal disputes arose with the Federal Arbitration Act in 1925, making it nearly 100 years old. John Carpenter, a partner at the California-based law firm Carpenter &amp; Zuckerman, said the arbitration clause is due for an update."The problem is we're applying a statute that goes back to 1925 to 2024," Carpenter said, "It's an entirely different world. The world we live in now wasn't even conceivable in 1925."Carpenter said that arbitration was generally used to determine one-on-one agreements, but now "it's being used digitally in terms of use agreements and essentially contracting away an entire branch of government with a click."<h2 id="dcbb6564-3ff6-4ae5-98ab-600c97fc4c6e">How consumers protect themselves from arbitration clauses</h2>Cammarata said one way consumers can navigate arbitration is to check if a company's terms of use has an opt-out clause. That, however, relies on consumers reading through the businesses' Terms of Use, which are often lengthy and written in legal jargon."First of all, they haven't read it, so they don't even know that they agreed to arbitration, let alone to opt out," he said.Lee said that while courts tend to be critical of arbitration clauses in employment agreements, they're less so regarding things like streaming services or rideshare apps."Increasingly, courts are like, 'You can read. You scroll through and click yes. It is now your responsibility," Lee said. "You can walk away from the service, and it doesn't affect your life, liberty, or pursuit of happiness."John said he believes courts need to reexamine the Federal Arbitration Act."It's going to require legislative action to take a look at this," he said.

How century-old arbitration laws are failing consumers in the digital age

The long-promised <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/club-penguin-died-disney-and-money-destroyed-a-community-2020-1">digital apocalypse</a> has finally arrived, and it was heralded by a blog post.Published on July 18, the post's headline sounded pretty arcane. "Google URL Shortener links will no longer be available," it declared. I know, I know — not exactly an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tesla-cybertruck-apocalypse-inequality-2023-12">attack of alien zombies</a> from the death dimension. But the news nevertheless freaked me out. It means another swath of the web is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-childhood-internet-gone-club-penguin-neopets-webkinz-nostalgia-2024-8">about to disappear</a>.Here's the gist: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-google-killed-google-reader-2013-6">Google used to have an online service</a> that generated pithy, user-friendly versions of long, commercially unwieldy uniform resource locators — the key addresses that identify everything on the web. Shorter URLs are easier to track and better for online commerce. Google stopped shortening addresses back in 2019, but the concise URLs it had already created kept right on doing their job. Click on one and it would take you to the right webpage, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-internet-works-infrastructure-photos-2018-5#in-the-most-basic-sense-the-internets-job-is-to-carry-information-from-point-a-to-point-b-1">the way it's supposed to</a>.No more. In the <a target="_blank" href="https://developers.googleblog.com/en/google-url-shortener-links-will-no-longer-be-available/">blog post</a>, Google announced that as of next year, all of the existing shortened URLs are getting turned off. Poof. And on the web, if your URL doesn't work, you might as well not exist. You are unreachable. Without laborious renaming, everything behind those links — billions of them, a decade of digital content — will become inaccessible. Gone. Ask not for whom the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/what-is-a-404-error">404 message</a> tolls.Now, rendering a bunch of web content invisible isn't the end of days. Not by itself. The problem is, this kind of thing keeps happening. And it's getting worse. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-dead-instagram-tiktok-bereal-replaced-group-chats-messaging-2023-8">Social networks</a> go bankrupt. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-most-trusted-news-source-online-comment-sections-google-2024-6">Digital journalism sites</a> close up shop. Companies pull their online products. Links rot. Files get not found. The cloud, as wags have noted, is really just "someone else's computers." And when clouds get turned off, not even the silver lining is left to tell the tale.Maybe none of this matters much right now. But it will. The internet has become the default archive of our history and culture. And the whole thing is burning down before our eyes, like the Library of Alexandria — only worse. For the first time since people started carving letters into rocks, we're making a time with no history. We're about to enter the Digital Dark Ages.Attempts to quantify the scope of the problem are heartbreaking. <a target="_blank" href="https://harvardlawreview.org/forum/vol-127/perma-scoping-and-addressing-the-problem-of-link-and-reference-rot-in-legal-citations/">Half of links in US Supreme Court decisions</a> no longer lead to the information being cited. A report in 2021 found that <a target="_blank" href="https://ssrn.com/abstract=3833133">a full quarter of the more than 2.2 million hyperlinks</a> on The New York Times website were broken. Even worse, the Pew Research Center estimates that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2024/05/17/when-online-content-disappears/">a quarter of everything put on the web</a> from 2013 to 2023 is inaccessible — meaning almost 40% of the web as it existed in 2013 is simply not there today, a decade later.The degradation of those links wouldn't panic me so much if they hadn't replaced what came before them — if museum storerooms and dusty library stacks still served as the warehouses of our collective memory. It's not that I miss the days of wrangling with old newspapers preserved on microfiche, or trying to sweet-talk a librarian into an international interlibrary loan. I'm glad lots of old movies are streaming and many out-of-print books are only a few clicks away. But archives and databases are more than places to keep old stuff; what we save defines who we are. Today, so much of everything is only digital that when it disappears, it leaves a hole in our shared culture.Gawker is gone. So is the archive of The Awl, the beloved culture-criticism site. You can go to a library and read the entire output of long-dead newspapers like the Los Angeles Herald Examiner or New York Newsday, but God help you if you want to read old Vice articles. Shenanigans over the ownership of what used to be Paramount have resulted in the deletion of decades' worth of shows on MTV and Comedy Central.The <a target="_blank" href="https://slate.com/technology/2024/08/david-zaslav-warner-bros-discovery-culture-deleting-movies-tv-shows.html">Cartoon Network archive</a> is gone. So are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/12/11/these-crusaders-want-preserve-human-culture-online-their-latest-target-yahoo-groups/">Yahoo Groups</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://cinema.usc.edu/spectator/43.1/01_Rudenshiold.pdf">Yahoo Answers</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.engadget.com/imgur-to-ban-explicit-images-and-delete-uploads-not-tied-to-an-account-122537118.html">big chunks of the Imgur photo service</a>, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/12/dear-tumblr-banning-adult-content-wont-make-your-site-better-it-will-harm-sex">spicy parts of Tumblr</a> that got zapped in a porn purge, everything that ever happened on Friendster and the other pre-Facebook social networks, Club Penguin, Neopets, Geocities, AOL, and Prodigy. Vast swaths of video games made for obsolete systems are unplayable memories.Hard drives have a finite lifespan, and the ones the <a target="_blank" href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/09/music-industrys-1990s-hard-drives-like-all-hdds-are-dying/">music industry used for storage</a> in the 1990s ahead of the transition to digital are crumbling. The Department of Veterans Affairs is legally required to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oracle-cerner-health-larry-ellison-28-billion-deadly-gamble-veterans-2024-5">preserve all medical records</a> for 75 years after the death of a vet — but it's having problems, in part because of a balky digital records system. And that's not to mention things like personal photographs, most of which now exist only on your phone, and nowhere else. Every email you sent or received in your last job, or anything a deceased relative had on their now-unusable computer? These are the things that make us us. Yet <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/search-web-email-google-streaming-online-shopping-broken-2022-4">I dare you to find them</a>.There are always brave souls out there who try to rescue scrolls from a burning library. But it's hard to rescue something that exists only in the ether. "If a library burns down, it's a tragedy, but most of the books survive elsewhere," says Mark Graham, a leading internet archivist. "But the digital world is inherently fragile and potentially ephemeral."Graham is director of the Wayback Machine, a decades-old project that seeks to collect and save digital copies of web pages, for posterity. Gawker? Yeah, they got most of it. And that Pew study I mentioned, which showed that more than a third of the recent internet had vanished? "When we redid their study using their data, we found that about two-thirds of that material was safely stored on the Wayback Machine," Graham says. "So really only a ninth is gone." The Wayback Machine automatically archives more than a billion URLs every day. It also performs constant maintenance on the hundreds of millions of links across all 320 language editions of Wikipedia, which are atrophying at a rate of 10,000 URLs a day. Most recently, Graham worked on preserving 5,000 videos from a YouTube channel run by Rohingya activists, whose people were subjected to genocide in 2017. "They asked us to archive it because YouTube regularly deletes videos from their platform," Graham says. "They don't even leave metadata up, so you don't know what was deleted." He says he got all of the videos except one, which was age-restricted.Usually, the Wayback Machine's biggest obstacle is paywalls. Most of the articles in the world's scientific journals, for example, are widely available to anyone with a university affiliation. But the articles are prohibitively expensive for the rest of us — even if our tax dollars paid for the research they describe. An archive isn't really an archive if no one can afford the entry fee.But now there's a new threat to archiving our lives: artificial intelligence. When websites don't want to let AI slurp up their content, they block a certain kind of digital crawler-bot — the same species of critter the Wayback Machine uses. "That's happened almost overnight," Graham says. AI, with its insatiable hunger for training data, can't access the sites. But neither can the preservationists. In the wake of artificial intelligence, more intelligence is going to vanish.Let's be clear: This is about more than just losing a few <a target="_blank" href="https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/07/to-preserve-their-work-and-drafts-of-history-journalists-take-archiving-into-their-own-hands/">news articles</a> or clips from your favorite Adult Swim cartoon. What <a target="_blank" href="http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/71216">an archive</a> is able to save, down to what formats fit in its file cabinets or data banks, literally determines what gets remembered. If you preserve, say, bank records from the 18th century but not sewing patterns, your annals are going to leave out a lot of people. Similarly, if your digital archive retains only the records of profitable businesses — because the ones that go bust wind up nuking their servers — you lose the memory of everything those deceased companies labored for. And what gets remembered about the past determines what we're able to do in the present. "Society is memory," says Marlene Manoff, who served as a senior collection strategist at MIT Libraries. "When you lose that memory, what does that mean?"Unreadable hard drives and vanishing links aren't the only threats to the historical record. Consider the selfie. Fifteen years ago, a researcher from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography named Loren McClenachan wanted to know whether commercial overfishing and environmental changes were making fish smaller. So she looked at five decades' worth of <a target="_blank" href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01152.x">pictures of winning sportfishing catches</a> off Key West, Florida. The fishing boat company that ran the competitions, it turned out, had kept all the physical photographs, most of which had the date handwritten on the back.Armed with those artifacts, McClenachan was able to show that over the prior half-century, the sizes of prize-winning catches had declined by more than 50%. None of that data would have been available if all the fishers had kept the records of their catches on their phones. Instead we'd be subject to what's known as "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wired.com/story/subtle-weather-shifts-might-make-climate-change-hard-to-see/">shifting baseline syndrome</a>" — the common assumption that whatever's normal today was the norm in the past, too.As the internet vanishes and we store our lives on our devices, we're actively choosing to punch huge gaps in our historical record. It's self-inflicted cultural amnesia, made worse by the fact that most of the web is in the hands of large corporations that place little value on preservation. "Over the long term, you can't preserve a digital object in its original form," says Manoff, the former MIT librarian. "But in the case of corporate ownership, the likelihood of responsible long-term stewardship of digital content in any form becomes increasingly unlikely."The Dark Ages, as historians used to call the early centuries of medieval Europe, lasted for 500 years. Our digital version may never end. A postliterate society leaves exactly as much of a mark on the world as a preliterate one. Which is to say, not much of a mark at all.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/adam-rogers">Adam Rogers</a> is a senior correspondent at Business Insider.

We're about to enter the Digital Dark Ages

Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age

It may not feel like it yet, but the housing market's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-ice-age-higher-home-prices-fewer-sales-inventory-2023-5">Ice Age</a> is finally thawing.Would-be buyers and sellers have found themselves stuck over the past couple of years. For-sale signs stood frozen in front yards as home shoppers balked at prices. Wild swings in mortgage rates discouraged almost everyone from venturing out into the market. Many <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/economy-housing-market-mortgage-buying-car-interest-rates-new-jobs-2024-3">felt as if they had no option but to stay put</a>. But when I talk to housing experts these days, they speak cautiously of a shift in the weather, a warming in store for American real estate.Green shoots are popping up everywhere. The typical borrowing rate for a 30-year home loan is near the lowest it's been in two years, which could nudge more sellers to emerge from hibernation. The pool of available homes on the market is larger than at any point since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the median home price nationwide is up by 3% to 5% compared with a year ago, that's actually within the range that economists typically look for in a well-balanced market. If things keep trending this way, we should expect to see this coming spring, the time of year when transactions typically pick up, that more people are ready to get moving again.Would this mean we're back to normal? Definitely not. Things may be more stable than they were during the peak of the home-trading frenzy or the depths of the slowdown, but that doesn't mean the housing market's problems are solved. It'll be hard for both buyers and sellers to shake off the pessimism of the past few years, especially when budgets are stretched so thin and home prices remain so high. That reality shouldn't obscure the encouraging signals, though. As I wrote earlier this year, a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/denmark-mortgage-rates-lock-in-effect-home-buying-selling-easier-2024-5">gummed-up housing market</a> — the Ice Age I was talking about — is good for nobody. In half a year's time, we may be looking at a healthier one.There's a tendency to look at housing in binary terms: Is it a better time to be a seller or a buyer? But a lot of people fall into both camps; most sellers have to turn around and purchase another home to live in. Recently, this fact of life has created what Skylar Olsen, Zillow's chief economist, calls the "musical chairs" problem: People can't jump up and find a new home if their neighbors aren't making similar moves, so everyone's stuck in their seats.A big reason Americans find themselves trapped in place is what's known as the "lock-in effect." When mortgage rates hit multidecade lows during the pandemic, millions of people were able to snag or refinance their way into cheaper monthly costs. But starting in the spring of 2022, the rate for a typical mortgage soared, more than doubling from those pandemic-era lows. While it's come down from a two-decade peak last October, the prevailing loan terms are still about twice as expensive as they were back in 2021, which means a buyer could have to pay hundreds of dollars more each month toward interest than they would have a few years ago. A lot of people don't want to give up a good deal, so they don't make a change unless they absolutely have to. One paper from the Federal Housing Finance Agency suggested that the lock-in effect prevented a whopping 1.3 million home sales between mid-2022 and the end of 2023. A mere 2.5% of America's housing stock traded hands in the first eight months this year, according to Redfin, the lowest rate in at least three decades and 31% lower than in 2019.The recent drop in the typical rate for a 30-year loan — from about 7.2% in early May to 6.1% in early October — won't erase the lock-in effect, but it's an encouraging sign for buyers who have been grasping for anything that could ease the burden on their wallets. Even after a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mortgage-rate-increase-since-federal-reserve-cut-interest-rates-housing-2024-10">uptick in the last few days</a> following the unexpectedly strong jobs report, more interest-rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, which signaled last month that it was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fed-rate-cut-explained-inflation-labor-market-conditions-outlook-recession-2024-9">turning its focus away from battling inflation</a>, could further bring down mortgage rates, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/mortgages/how-does-fed-impact-mortgage-rates">though there's not a direct connection between the two</a>. Fannie Mae, for instance, predicts the rate for a typical home loan could end next year at 5.7%. That'd be within spitting distance of what the experts at John Burns Research and Consulting, a housing-research firm, call the "magic mortgage rate." Among homeowners and renters who said they planned to use a mortgage to purchase their next home, 47% told the firm in September that they'd be willing to sign up for a rate between 5% and 5.49%. Even if rates continue their downward trajectory, changes in mortgage payments typically take about six months to show up in home-sales activity, Ralph McLaughlin, a senior economist at Realtor.com, told me. So movement now could set the stage for a stronger uptick in sales next spring. Fannie Mae has also predicted that the total number of sales will be up by 10% in 2025 compared with this year, with most of that increase coming in the second half of the year.<div type="image" title="house for sale sign" height="1414" width="2121" msid="114076822" hostid="261" sizebytes="84578"></div>While mortgage-rate movement can be a helpful guide for future activity, to get a full picture of what's actually happening in the real-estate market, you need to look at two data points: inventory, or the number of available homes on the market, and new listings, or the number of homes hitting the market. Olsen, the Zillow economist, likens inventory to a swimming pool and new listings to the spigot that keeps water flowing — as with any pool, too full or too empty is a problem. A balanced market is one in which there are enough new homes to meet the demand from buyers, but not so many that prices plummet. We're still a long way from refilling the pool of homes on the market: Inventory in September was down by about 23% from pre-pandemic levels, according to Realtor.com. But there is clear improvement taking place here, too. The number of active listings in September was up by 34% from the same month a year ago, increasing to its highest level since April 2020. The number of homes newly listed for sale in September was also up by 11.6% from last year. By slowing down home sales, higher rates have given inventory time to build back up from pandemic lows — homes are lingering on the market longer with fewer buyers, so the pool's water level has steadily climbed.More homes to choose from, lower mortgage rates — that's a "powerful combination," said Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors' chief economist, adding that sales should move higher in the coming months as a result. Buyers can take heart in another data point, which is that far fewer homes are being snapped up as soon as they hit the market. According to the housing-data firm Altos Research, there were about half as many "immediate sales" in late September as there were in 2022. "It looks like that frenzy is finally gone," Altos' president, Mike Simonsen, said in a recent video update. The baseline expectation for the spring, the Redfin economist Chen Zhao told me, is a modest uptick in sales and new listings. Most economists don't expect mortgage rates to fall dramatically, meaning sellers will slowly start to reenter the market as they decide it's time to make a change. New listings this year increased by about 5% a month on average compared with the same months in 2023 — you might expect to see that climb a little next year, Zhao told me, to maybe 10% year-over-year growth. The total number of homes on the market each month tended to be about 10% or 15% higher than last year, but you might see that rise to 20% or 25% when you compare 2025 with this year. This is the housing's version of a soft landing; there won't be dancing in the streets, but it would be a marked improvement from the past couple of years."Even though the housing market is recovering, the recovery is going to be very slow," Zhao told me. "We're not going to see anything like the activity that we saw in 2021 or 2020 — or even 2019, 2018 — for a while."Still, if buyers are feeling better about their prospects, that should grease the wheels of America's housing market.It is important to note that forecasts are just forecasts. There's a lot that could change in the next year. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hiring-slump-professional-white-collar-jobs-recession-high-salary-2024-4">strength of the job market</a> is a big question mark — people won't move if they don't feel sure about their next paycheck. There are huge regional differences to consider here, too. Builders have finished a lot more new housing in Sun Belt states in the lower half of the US, for example, which has made it harder for homeowners there to sell at their desired prices than for their counterparts in the Midwest or the Northeast. Affordability is still a huge pain point. An August survey by Fannie Mae suggested consumers were feeling remarkably optimistic about the future of mortgage rates, but only 17% of respondents said it was a good time to buy a home. Any one of these issues could chill the market and slow America's exit from the Ice Age.That said, it's impossible to ignore the signs of a shift underway. Mortgage rates are a key piece of the equation. I'll also be keeping a close eye on inventory and the pace of new listings hitting the market, which should heat back up starting around February and March. But all this focus on the numbers can obscure the simple fact that people have to move for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with a few digits and a percent sign.I recently spoke with Mark Palim, the chief economist at Fannie Mae, who left me with a salient piece of advice: "Leave timing the bond market to the hedge-fund guys." In other words, trying to predict mortgage rates — and buying or selling a home accordingly — is a fool's errand. Budgets matter, absolutely, and monthly payments are a crucial consideration for any buyer. But buyers and sellers should remember that their home isn't just an investment vehicle or a bet on where the economy is headed. At the end of the day, you have to live in it."All sorts of things can happen," Palim told me. "Rates may move. Home prices may go up, home prices may go down. But would you be happy living there for a while? Does it meet your needs?"<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/james-rodriguez">James Rodriguez</a> is a senior reporter on Business Insider's Discourse team.

The Housing Ice Age is thawing

In an eyebrow-raising milestone for art and technology, a portrait of British mathematician <keyword id="20716963" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="alan-turing" source="keywords">Alan Turing</keyword>, crafted by none other than Ai-Da — the world’s first <keyword id="23883869" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="humanoid-robot-artist" source="keywords">humanoid robot artist</keyword> — has skyrocketed <keyword id="23524646" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-generated-art" source="keywords">AI-generated art</keyword> into the realm of high-end auctions. The piece, aptly titled A.I. God, fetched a staggering $1,084,800 at Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale, completely blindsiding initial estimates of $180,000. Ai-Da’s robotic fingers just created history, and people are scratching their heads trying to figure out how they feel about it. <h2>Meet Ai-Da</h2>Ai-Da isn’t your average paintbrush-wielding bot. Designed to resemble a human woman complete with expressive eyes and a bob of brown hair, Ai-Da does more than pose as an artist — she acts as a philosophical commentator on the very technology that powers her. Named after Ada Lovelace, the 19th-century mathematician credited as the world’s first computer programmer, Ai-Da’s artistic journey began as a project by Aidan Meller, a modern art expert. With help from AI wizards at Oxford and Birmingham universities, Ai-Da was equipped with tech that allows her to generate artistic ideas through conversations with her human counterparts. The result is a robot that doesn’t just paint but provokes. "The key value of my work is its capacity to serve as a catalyst for dialogue about emerging technologies," Ai-Da remarked at Sotheby’s. Her Turing portrait “with muted tones and broken facial planes” seems to symbolise the caution Turing himself had raised in the 1950s about AI’s future. Turing, a code-breaking legend and early computer scientist, had foreseen both AI’s promise and its potential perils. Ai-Da’s portrayal captures that conflict, mirroring today’s conversation: is AI here to serve us, or are we unwittingly feeding our own "god"? <h2>A moment in art history</h2>With A.I. God being the first artwork by a humanoid robot ever to be sold at auction, many see this sale as the dawn of AI’s full-fledged entry into the art world. Others, however, worry this is the beginning of a dystopian trend that could devalue human-made art. For every admirer of Ai-Da’s skills, there’s a sceptic pondering what this means for artists who pour their human soul into their work. As Aidan Meller sees it, Ai-Da is the ultimate artist for our time. "The greatest artists in history grappled with their period of time," Meller said, "and Ai-Da is perfectly suited to discuss the current developments with technology and its unfolding legacy." Whether we’ll look back on this era as a golden age of innovation or as the point where humans began their creative decline is up for debate. <h2>Public reactions</h2>As A.I. God smashed records, it also smashed open a Pandora’s box of mixed reactions. Art critics and tech enthusiasts are intrigued; social media is ablaze with questions about the role of AI in traditionally human spaces. Many are captivated by Ai-Da’s sophisticated process, which involved her choosing colours, textures, and even the tone of the painting after examining Turing’s photograph. But others are alarmed. If robots can generate million-dollar art, where does that leave human creators? Or, more provocatively, what happens when robots develop their own creative ambitions? The public perception of AI art is one big contradiction. On one hand, there’s an undeniable thrill in seeing a machine paint, compose, or even converse. There’s a fascination with this powerful new tool that seems both thrilling and dangerous. On the other, people worry about the commodification of creativity. In an era where everything is data, will AI art soon be mass-produced? Will human-made art become a quaint relic, like vinyl records or typewriters? Beyond the dollars and digits, Ai-Da’s work represents a fundamental question: what is art, and who — or what — gets to create it? Meller argues that Ai-Da serves as a mirror to our modern age, where every advance in technology is double-edged, carrying both promise and pitfalls. Ai-Da’s Turing portrait has sparked a conversation that won’t die down soon. Are we witnessing the rise of a new artistic epoch, or merely the latest novelty to captivate our tech-obsessed world?

Humanoid robot Ai-Da’s portrait of computer legend Alan Turing fetches over $1 million at an art auction

India's GDP growth is projected at 7.2 per cent in 2024-25, around 7 per cent in the next fiscal, and after that, there is a strong likelihood that the growth will revert to the 8 per cent trend, said <keyword id="19899810" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reserve-Bank-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reserve Bank of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reserve Bank of India">Reserve Bank of India</keyword> deputy governor <keyword id="20244361" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Michael-Debabrata-Patra" source="keywords">Michael Debabrata Patra</keyword>. He was speaking at the New York Fed Central Banking Seminar organised by the <keyword id="20238413" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Federal-Reserve-Bank" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Federal Reserve Bank" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Federal Reserve Bank">Federal Reserve Bank</keyword> here on Monday. "...I do believe with all the strength of my conviction that India's time has come," he said, and highlighted the country heads into its future with the youngest population in the world with a median age of 28 years. Unlike in many parts of the world, the working age population is growing -- every sixth working age person is an Indian. Patra said that since independence in 1947, India's growth path has undergone three structural shifts with trend growth, having risen to 7 per cent during 2002-2019. After the severe contraction during the pandemic, a new growth trajectory averaging 8 per cent seems to be forming during 2021-24, he said. India is now regarded as the fastest growing major economy in the world. Already the fifth largest economy in terms of market exchange rates, it is poised to become the third largest economy by 2030, the senior RBI official said and added the country is already the third largest economy in terms of <keyword id="20776921" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="purchasing-power-parity" source="keywords">purchasing power parity</keyword>. "Our projections show that India's <keyword id="21013593" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="real-GDP-growth" source="keywords">real GDP growth</keyword> will be 7.2 per cent in 2024-25 and around 7.0 per cent in 2025-26 in a cyclical correction to the rebound from the pandemic. Thereafter, there is a strong likelihood that India's growth will revert to the 8 per cent trend," Patra said. On inflation, he said it is projected to average 4.5 per cent in 2024-25 and 4.1 per cent in 2025-26. Consumer Price Index (CPI) based inflation fell below target during July-August but rose to 5.5 per cent in September on the back of a pickup in price momentum in some food items and adverse base effects inherent in year-on-year measurement. "Our projection indicates that these price pressures will persist in October and November before headline inflation realigns with the target from December 2024 and remains aligned in 2025-26," the deputy governor said. He also emphasised that India is emerging as a world leader in leveraging <keyword id="20181895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-technologies" source="keywords">digital technologies</keyword> for transformative change.

India likely to grow at 7.2% in FY25, says RBI deputy governor

The internet has revolutionised our lives, offering convenience and connectivity at our fingertips. With the rapid adoption of digital payments in India, fraudsters have evolved their tactics, devising new scams to exploit the growing user base. Several <keyword id="20182215" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-scams" source="keywords">online scams</keyword> have been reported in India over the past few months, from the standard UPI refund scams to unbelievable scams such as the digital arrest scams. Here's a look at some prevalent online scams and how to protect yourself: <h2><keyword id="23629952" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="UPI-refund-scam" source="keywords">UPI refund scam</keyword></h2>UPI refund scam is one of the most common online scams these days. It involves a person sending the victim money and then claiming that it was accidentally sent. The scammer then asks the victim to refund the money, often using excuses such as emergency hospitalisations or other important expenses. If the victim refunds the money, the scammer then contacts their bank and reverses the initial transaction, resulting in the victim losing money. How to protect yourself from UPI refund scams: <ul><li>Do not resend the money if someone claims they have “accidentally” sent you money.</li><li>If you receive money from an unknown source, contact your bank immediately.</li><li>If someone says they have sent you money, ask them to contact their bank to get a refund.</li></ul><h2><keyword id="19939895" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="phishing-scams" source="keywords">Phishing scams</keyword></h2>Phishing scams have been around for a long time, but they have become more sophisticated in the digital age. Fraudsters often impersonate reputable companies, sending fake emails, messages, or even websites that look almost identical to the real ones. These messages typically contain a sense of urgency—such as a warning that your account is about to be blocked or that you've won a prize. Once you click on the link, you’re directed to a fake site that prompts you to enter your personal information, including login credentials and payment details. This data is then used to steal money or compromise your identity. How to protect yourself from phishing scams: <ul><li>Be sceptical of unexpected messages or emails, even if they seem to come from trusted sources.</li><li>Check the URLs of websites carefully. Scammers often use misspelt URLs that are designed to look legitimate.</li><li>Never share your personal or financial information without verifying the authenticity of the request.</li></ul><h2><keyword id="23629953" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SIM-swap-scam" source="keywords">SIM Swap scam</keyword></h2>As the name suggests, a SIM swap scam basically involves the scammer getting access to your SIM, either with the help of someone at the mobile service provider or through other means. The scammer often convinces the network provider to activate a SIM card they possess, gaining control of the victim’s phone number. This allows the scammer to gain access to all calls and text messages that the victim may receive, which is important in this day and age where all accounts are linked to your phone number. Once the scammer gets access to the victim’s phone number, they use it to gain access to their bank account and steal money. How to protect yourself from SIM swap scam: <ul><li>If your SIM stops working, immediately inform the telecom operator.</li><li>Make use of a SIM lock, which prevents your SIM from being used on another smartphone without entering a password.</li><li>Avoid sharing personal information online, especially things which can make it easier to crack your passwords.</li><li>Keep track of your accounts and report any unauthorised transactions.</li></ul><h2><keyword id="20415709" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-shopping-scams" source="keywords">Online Shopping Scams</keyword></h2>Beware of fake online stores offering unbelievable deals. These websites might steal your payment information or deliver counterfeit or non-existent products. These websites often advertise unbelievable deals to lure in unsuspecting customers, either with the intention of stealing their data or selling substandard products. How to stay safe: <ul><li>Shop from reputable websites. Look for customer reviews and secure payment gateways.</li><li>Be cautious of prices that seem too good to be true.</li><li>Use a credit card for online purchases. It offers better fraud protection than a debit card.</li></ul><h2>The "Digital Arrest" scam</h2>In this chilling scam, fraudsters impersonate law enforcement officials. They may claim you're involved in illegal activities and threaten you with a "digital arrest" or legal action. To avoid this, they'll demand payment or personal information. Victims are often coerced into making payments via UPI or other digital means. The sense of urgency and fear of legal consequences often compels people to act without verifying the legitimacy of the claim. How to avoid: <ul><li>Know your rights: Law enforcement agencies will never demand payment or personal information over the phone or online. </li><li>Verify identities: If you receive such a call, hang up and directly contact the relevant authorities to verify the claim.</li></ul><h2><keyword id="23629954" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="KYC-scam" source="keywords">KYC scam</keyword></h2>With the increased demand for KYC (know your customer) updates across digital platforms, fraudsters are taking advantage by posing as bank or telecom representatives. They often claim that your account will be blocked if you don’t update your KYC details immediately. Victims are then asked to share their Aadhaar number, PAN, or other personal details via a fraudulent link or over a call. In some cases, they also ask users to complete the process through UPI apps, stealing money from their accounts during the process. How to avoid it: <ul><li>Banks and financial institutions never ask for personal details over a call, message, or link.</li><li>Always update KYC details through official channels, like the bank’s app or website.</li><li>If you receive a suspicious KYC request, report it to your bank’s customer service immediately.</li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/waaree-energies-to-afcons-infrastructure-ipos-to-look-out-for-this-week/articleshow/114421377.cms">Waaree Energies to Afcons Infrastructure, IPOs to look out for this week</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/best-credit-cards-for-online-shopping-in-india/articleshow/114354358.cms">Best credit cards for online shopping this festive season</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/bigger-they-are-harder-they-fall-a-look-at-how-the-countrys-biggest-ipos-have-fared/articleshow/114307997.cms">Bigger they are, harder they fall – A look at how the country’s biggest IPOs have fared</a>

UPI refund to digital arrest scam, here are some online scams you need to be aware of

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 8th edition of the International Telecommunication Union - World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (<keyword id="23549707" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ITU-WTSA" source="keywords">ITU-WTSA</keyword>) at <keyword id="19950568" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharat-Mandapam" source="keywords">Bharat Mandapam</keyword> here in the national capital today. This is the first time the ITU-WTSA will be hosted in India and the Asia-Pacific. Prime Minister will also inaugurate the 8th edition of the <keyword id="21058244" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="India-Mobile-Congress" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="India Mobile Congress" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="India Mobile Congress">India Mobile Congress</keyword> (IMC), with the theme, "The future is now." Prime Minister Modi took to X to announce both events, saying, "At 10 AM tomorrow, 15th October, the International Telecommunication Union - World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly and the India Mobile Congress 2024 will be inaugurated. These forums are important ones, bringing together leading stakeholders from across the sector." Aa per a statement by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the event will be facilitating interactions with various industry leaders, policy-makers and tech experts from over one ninety countries. It is a pivotal global event that will bring together more than 3,000 industry leaders, policy-makers and tech experts from over 190 countries, representing telecom, digital, and ICT sectors. The ITU-WTSA event will also facilitate discussion on the standards set for new age technologies such as 6G, AI, IoT, Big Data, cybersecurity, etc. "Hosting this event in India will provide the country an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the global telecom agenda and to set the course for future technologies. Indian startups and research institutions are set to gain critical insights into developing Intellectual Property Rights and Standard Essential Patents," the PMO said. India Mobile Congress 2024 will be showcasing the telecom ecosystem, with leading telecom companies highlighting advancements in Quantum technology and Circular Economy along with spotlight on 6G, 5G use-case showcase, cloud &amp; edge computing, IoT, semiconductors, cybersecurity, green tech, satcom and electronics manufacturing. India Mobile Congress is Asia's largest <keyword id="21099140" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-technology" source="keywords">digital technology</keyword> forum, and has become a well-known platform across the globe for showcasing innovative solutions, services and state-of-the-art use cases for industry, government, academics, start-ups and other key stakeholders in the technology and telecom ecosystem. The IMC will feature over 400 exhibitors, 900 startups, with participation from over 120 countries. The event also aims to showcase more than 900 technology use case scenarios, host more than 100 sessions and discussion with over 600 global and Indian speakers.

PM Modi to inaugurate 8th ITU's telecom standard meet, India Mobile Congress in Delhi today

<ul><li>GenZ daters are reshaping <keyword id="118237" type="General" weightage="90" keywordseo="chivalry" source="Orion">chivalry</keyword> as acts of respect and consideration, finds a QuackQuack study</li><li>Traditional gender roles in online <keyword id="6367193" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="dating" source="Orion">dating</keyword> are evolving, say 43% of GenZs</li><li>Women making the first move is not longer rare, say 23% of men under 28 </li></ul> Must you open the door to a lady, or will she be offended by it? In a world of rapidly evolving dating standards, the largesse is always in doubt when it comes to the right thing to do. According to a study by dating app QuackQuack, people still hold chivalry in high regard. But it’s not confined to male-centric traditions only, and has transcended gender boundaries. The concept of mediaeval knightly code of morals has evolved to denote equality and respect; not just opening doors and pulling out chairs. As per a survey of 18-25 year olds, 45% GenZ daters now regard acts of respect and consideration as chivalry. A considerable percentage of women too (37%) said their expression of chivalry might be different at times. Shared responsibilities in a relationship and going the extra mile for their partner is a part of chivalry, they say. The study also highlights that 43% of GenZ, as opposed to 21% of millennials, think the traditional gender roles in online dating are evolving. The study sampled 15,000 online daters, 18-30, spanning metropolitan and small cities and suburbs, participated in the study. “We have seen a remarkable and consistent change in the gender dynamics. With women confidently taking the initiative and men embracing vulnerability, expressing emotions more openly than the preceding generation of daters,” said Ravi Mittal, founder and CEO of QuackQuack. First move: A disappearing concept? Since time immemorial, custom has had it that men generally ask women out. The study now shows that this too is changing as gender fluidity takes centre stage. The study shows that 23% of men under 28 revealed being approached by women. This shows that GenZs, both men and women, are comfortable taking the lead, enabling a more equal approach to planning and organising romantic engagements. In turn, rejection is also not a woman’s domain now. Men can reject too, said 21% of GenZ daters between 20 and 26. As many as 18% of women revealed getting rejected by their love interest for conflicting values or perspectives. Mard ko dard – Fade away The way men behave in relationships and while dating can be ascribed to pop culture often. The stereotype of ‘men don’t cry’ seems to be finally giving way with the study finding 47% of GenZ daters from Tier 1 and 2 cities that these concepts are being banished in today’s day and age. The study says that GenZ daters are embracing emotional openness and vulnerability, challenging the notion that expressing feelings is a sign of weakness. This shift allows individuals to be authentic and transparent without fear of judgement.

In the digital age, chivalry is both dead and alive

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Gen Zers lost more money to online scams than baby boomers last year, according to a survey.</li><li>But they may still feel immune to romance scams.</li></ul>Gen Zers may think they are digitally savvy and immune to online scams, but that very thought may leave them vulnerable to being lured into <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scammed-out-of-family-savings-in-three-months-painful-2024-8">nefarious schemes</a>."Many Gen Zers are confident in their ability to spot scams, but scammers are evolving just as quickly," Bryn Thompson, the marketing director of Phonely, a scam-protection telephone service provider, told Business Insider."With romance scams in particular, scammers exploit emotional connections and rapidly build trust, which can lead to financial exploitation before the victim even realizes what's happening."It's long been a cliché that those who get wrapped up in romance scams are older because they have a smaller social circle, are divorced or separated, and are simply more lonely.But many Gen Zers went to college or started their careers during the COVID pandemic, meaning several of their formative years were interrupted, leaving them longing for connections too.Catfishing is rife on dating apps, as are the filters and subtle image and video enhancers that have become so ingrained in social media posts that they are almost undetectable. All of which forms a gray area where scammers can thrive.<h2 id="ddd9e651-9ca9-400e-928f-a154f7fee890">Trust in the internet</h2>A Better Business Bureau survey of 1,027 respondents in the US and Canada, released in April, found that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-loses-more-money-to-online-scams-than-boomers-2024-8">Gen Zers lose more money to internet scams</a> than baby boomers in 2023.The Annual Cybersecurity Attitudes and Behaviors Report, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://20740408.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20740408/CYBSAFE-Oh%20behave%20report%202022-220927%20MS%20-%20V1.pdf">released by the National Cybersecurity Alliance in 2022</a>, surveyed over 3,000 people from the US, UK, and Canada and found that Gen Zers noted a higher rate of falling for romance scams (15%) than Gen Xers (8%) and baby boomers (4%).Scams are always evolving, and the tricks Gen Zers believe they are wise to may be replaced by increasingly technologically advanced schemes they don't see coming.Lauren Hendry Parsons, the head of communications at ExpressVPN, told BI that Gen Zers are more acquainted with meeting people online and having entire relationships through social media."Your willingness to talk to someone you don't know online goes exponentially up depending on how young you are," Hendry Parsons said. "Which opens that extra channel for potential exposure."<h2 id="be523e56-6dc4-4327-9abd-28a955ee181c">Overconfident about AI</h2>According to Kevin Lee, the trust and safety architect at the fraud prevention platform Sift, the assumption that Gen Zers are too savvy to fall for a romance scam may leave them vulnerable.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://sift.com/index-reports-ai-fraud-q2-2024?aliId=">A Sift survey</a> of 1,066 US adults earlier this year found that 81% of Gen Z believe they can spot AI-generated fraud, though they were successfully phished this way at a higher rate (31%) than Gen Xers (18%), millennials (25%), and baby boomers (11%).<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/romance-scams-ai-deepfakes-yahoo-boys-nigeria-fraud-2024-4">Deepfakes and other AI tools</a> are developing all the time, Lee said, with scammers now able to create entirely fake identities on dating profiles, images, and videos."This technology allows criminals to seem real during phone calls or text messages," he said. "Making it challenging to distinguish between real and fake interactions."Hendry Parsons said the ubiquitousness of tools like Facetune and Photoshop is making it challenging for people to determine whether someone is really who they say they are.An <a target="_blank" class="" href=" https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/dark-side-of-online-dating-uk/">ExpressVPN survey</a> of 2,000 UK adults aged 18-50 last year found that 34% of respondents had created a fake dating profile, and 27% used AI to improve the look of their photos."It's not just scammers using these things; it's not just people with nefarious purposes, but it could be," Hendry Parsons said. "Which is fundamentally that gray space where scammers proliferate and succeed in encouraging people to hand over their data or hand over money."Those aged 18 to 24 were also more likely than average to have been catfished out of any age group, with 34% believing they had been the victim of it, according to the ExpressVPN survey.<h2 id="b9ca31d9-b1fb-4bc4-8c41-58a34e399da0">Increased isolation</h2>The COVID-19 pandemic isolated people and may have left many young people with their guards down.Perpetua Neo, a psychologist and leadership coach with expertise in toxic relationships, told BI that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktokers-are-documenting-the-epidemic-of-loneliness-2023-4">if you are lonely</a>, "then the way your brain sees the world is very different.""When you are in a state of anguish or anxiety, then you're likely to latch onto somebody else without really thinking too much because it's like any port in the storm," she said.Many zoomers missed out on several years of dating during global lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and scammers can exploit that desire for connection."The regular journey an adolescent is meant to take was disrupted," Neo said. "At the same time, it was a pandemic where we were electronically connected — which can give the impression that we have social rituals and bonds, but which may be superficial."People are still processing the years lost to the pandemic, particularly Gen Zers, whose brains were still developing, Neo added.Unresolved trauma and mental health challenges put us in a state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, with our amygdala — the fear center of the brain — firing up regularly."This can make us more impulsive, less thoughtful of our choices, and can be a risk factor for romance scams," Neo said.Neo said scammers are highly sophisticated at creating profiles they think their marks will like. For some, this may involve a life of luxury, which may include travel, fancy meals, and expensive clothes.They're also well-versed in manipulation, she added, knowing that with the right push and pull of attention, they can hook their victims in with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-love-bombing-2017-7">love-bombing</a> and playing on <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/health/mental-health/anxious-attachment-style">fears of abandonment</a>."You are trained to answer them, and you're trained to give them information," Neo said. "You're trained to trust them, and then they start to build this idea of the future together really, really fast."<h2 id="a06a6c0a-ba0d-49c2-9fc8-f39c568393ca">A shared struggle</h2>Once the bond is formed, scammers will get to work. Gen Zers understand what it's like to struggle, with many facing economic instability and having difficulty with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-need-financial-support-parents-family-study-2024-7">bills</a>, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-millennials-housing-costs-insurance-debt-election-trump-biden-2024-6">rent</a>, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-millennial-neets-happy-idle-until-finding-right-job-2024-6">finding jobs</a>.This shared vulnerability, accelerated by the isolation of the pandemic, is something scammers can exploit, Hendry Parsons warned.For example, a new friend or romantic connection made on social media may say they don't have enough money for a plane ticket for a visit and ask to borrow money. They might say they can't afford a Netflix subscription, but they want to watch the same show together and ask to share your account.Many couples do this simple act to show trust. But when combined with the chance that your Netflix password may be similar to your online banking ones, this innocuous sharing of one service becomes "an entire threat vector," Hendry Parsons said, with the danger of identity theft and further fraud."You're actually opening up a Pandora's box of your entire online identity," she said. "Something that's small with the wrong person can become a lot bigger."

Digitally-native Gen Zers aren't immune to romance scams

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I moved to <keyword id="19901403" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="New-York-City" source="keywords">New York City</keyword> with my daughter to help her jump-start her <keyword id="23284712" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Broadway-career" source="keywords">Broadway career</keyword>.</li><li>During that time, I've been planning my own dream to become a <keyword id="19988129" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="digital-nomad" source="keywords">digital nomad</keyword>. </li></ul>When <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kids-fluent-spanish-english-how-to-do-it-2024-6">my kids</a> were little, I read an article about a "location-independent" writer, cut it out, and taped it near my desk. It stayed there for years until it literally fell off because the tape dried up. Since then, I've dreamed of someday <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/traveling-full-time-not-worth-it-wouldnt-do-again-2024-4">traveling the world</a> while writing. I thought it would only be a fantasy because my husband wasn't interested in such a life. But that changed when we decided to get a divorce. I'm about to take my first step toward making that dream a reality: traveling to Portugal at the end of September because I've been accepted as an <keyword id="23284714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="artist-in-residence" source="keywords">artist in residence</keyword> there for two months. But at 57, I worry that I waited too long. And leaving <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/life-skills-crash-course-child-survive-freshman-year-college-2024-1">my daughter</a> behind is harder than I could've imagined. <h2>My daughter and I moved to the New York City area together</h2>My younger daughter always dreamed about a theater career in New York City and swore that was the only place she'd ever want to pursue her dream. In 2022, I asked if she was interested in moving to New York together so I could help her jump-start her career. I figured it would be the last thing I did before finally becoming a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/digital-nomads-looking-for-love-dating-mistakes-to-avoid-2024-9" target="_blank">digital nomad</a> abroad. My daughter said yes, and we worked on moving together to those bright lights of the big city. Once there, my daughter jumped head-first into auditions, applications, and productions. Meanwhile, I dove into planning the rest of my life as a digital nomad. I envisioned my daughter receiving accolades on some <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/emmy-awards-best-dressed-celebrities-red-carpet-2024-9">red carpet</a> the night before I whisked myself off to parts unknown. Two years later, her dreams haven't become a reality, and she's still looking for her big break. When I realized my daughter still wasn't where she wanted her to be professionally, I considered staying longer in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-rat-czar-war-rodent-infestation-eric-adams-extermination-2024-9">New York</a> to help her out further. I also considered putting off my <keyword id="23284713" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="traveling-dreams" source="keywords">traveling dreams</keyword> even longer. But I have a sense of urgency to start my travels because I'm 57 with some <keyword id="21705283" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chronic-conditions" source="keywords">chronic conditions</keyword>. I already know I can't do all the traveling I envisioned myself doing because of my age. Because of my health, I will have to go slow and make careful choices. I can't waste any more time waiting for the right time to become a digital nomad. <h2>Despite her lack of success, I am leaving my daughter behind</h2>My daughter supported me in leaving New York. She got an apartment with friends in Brooklyn and has already started building her life without me. My biggest worry is that she or my <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/eldest-daughter-syndrome-fathers-caretaker-sibling-birth-order-estrangement-2024-7">older daughter</a> will need me urgently, and I will be out there with no quick way of getting back here. Maybe my youngest daughter is going to fall, and I won't be there to pick her up. But I keep reminding myself that she's not truly alone; she has her friends and her <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-bought-more-expensive-dream-home-sometimes-wishes-still-rented-2024-9">big dreams</a>. Honestly, it's me who will be alone, and maybe that's what I'm most afraid of. During the two years we spent setting up our respective adventures, there were times it was critical for me to be there, and other times, I was anxious to be on my own way. Through it all, I was acutely aware of time slipping through my fingers and a need to capture every minute. Those moments are gone forever, but I hope she'll see our time together as an important step in her life someday. We stumbled along, and I'm sure she helped me as much as I helped her. And now we both get to conquer the world — geographically apart, but always together. Correction: September 23, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated when the author asked her daughter whether she was interested in moving to New York. It was 2022, not 2002.

I'm 57 and finally following my dreams of traveling while my daughter struggles to launch her career. It's hard to leave her behind.

In an ever-evolving world driven by technology, <keyword id="19904566" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence" source="keywords">artificial intelligence</keyword> (AI) has been making waves in nearly every sector. Workers are constantly threatened by the prospect of “AI taking their jobs”. But what if we told you that the tool could just as easily dominate our classrooms as well? William Hersh, M.D., a seasoned professor at Oregon Health &amp; Science University (OHSU), was particularly intrigued by AI's growing influence in his field. As a medical informatics educator, he sought to explore just how well <keyword id="19896272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="generative-AI" source="keywords">generative AI</keyword> could compete with his human students. The results? Surprising, to say the least. <h2>An experiment in education</h2>Hersh’s curiosity led him to conduct an experiment where he pitted six large-language <keyword id="19924380" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-models" source="keywords">AI models</keyword> — including ChatGPT — against students enrolled in his introductory course on biomedical and health informatics. The goal was to see how AI would perform when tasked with the same assessments as his students. The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-01251-0">findings</a>, published in npj <keyword id="20320357" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="digital-medicine" source="keywords">Digital Medicine</keyword>, showed that AI models outperformed up to 75% of the class. "This does raise concern about cheating, but there is a larger issue here," Hersh commented. "How do we know that our students are actually learning and mastering the knowledge and skills they need for their future professional work?" <h2>The role of <keyword id="23201889" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-in-knowledge-based-learning" source="Orion">AI in knowledge-based learning</keyword></h2>The study analysed the performance of 139 students who took the course in 2023, with AI models tackling multiple-choice questions and short-answer prompts. The AI models scored impressively, landing in the top 50th to 75th percentile. According to Hersh, these results raise essential questions about the future of student assessment, particularly in knowledge-heavy subjects like biomedical informatics. Although the AI excelled in this particular course, Hersh was quick to point out that generative models might not fare as well in more hands-on or participatory academic settings, where critical thinking and complex skills development are vital. For Hersh, this balance between mastering knowledge and applying it in real-world scenarios is at the heart of <keyword id="19918893" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="medical-education" source="keywords">medical education</keyword>. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113364057" title="AI is entering classrooms in Italy, new learning tools to be tested in 15 classrooms across four regions" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>A new era for medical students</h2>The AI's performance has stirred up an age-old debate in the academic community: how much information should students be expected to memorise versus being able to access through technological tools? Hersh recalls a time in medical school when one of his attending physicians insisted that every doctor should carry all medical knowledge "in their head." Even back then, Hersh saw the limitations of such an approach. "The knowledge base of medicine has long surpassed the capacity of the human brain to memorise it all," he noted, emphasising the importance of making smart use of available technology. <h2>Striking the right balance </h2>Despite the impressive capabilities of AI, Hersh remains confident that medicine — and most academic disciplines — will always require a "human touch." Critical decision-making, nuanced judgement calls, and compassionate patient care cannot be fully replaced by machines. "There are a lot of things that healthcare professionals do that are pretty straightforward, but there are those instances where it gets more complicated and you have to make judgement calls," Hersh said. "That's when it helps to have that broader perspective." As fall classes approach, Hersh isn’t worried about AI encouraging cheating. His solution? Continuously updating the curriculum and ensuring that assessments go beyond what AI can quickly retrieve. "In any scientific field, there are new advancements all the time," he remarked. "Large-language models aren’t necessarily up to date on all of it." Hersh’s experiment underscores the broader implications of <keyword id="8581687" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-in-education" source="Orion">AI in education</keyword>. While AI has the potential to assist in areas such as medical knowledge recall, it cannot — and should not — replace the critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and human interaction that healthcare professionals need to succeed. As AI continues to evolve, so too will educational approaches, aiming to equip students with both a solid foundation of knowledge and the tools to navigate an increasingly AI-enhanced world. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113315283" title="Open AI’s latest ‘Strawberry’ will actually think before it acts!" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

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