Author: openjargon

• Meta said it won't launch its AI assistant in Europe following pushback from regulators.
• Regulators raised privacy concerns about Meta's plan to scrape user data to train its AI.
• But Meta says that data is essential to offer a useful product.

Meta is taking a "my way or the highway" approach with its generative AI product.

Meta announced Friday it won't release its AI features in Europe because the EU's stringent privacy regulations would make it a "second-rate experience."

Meta said in a press release that it was "disappointed" by the Irish Data Protection Commission's (DPC) request to "delay training our large language models (LLMs) using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram," calling it a "step backward for European innovation."

"We are committed to bringing Meta AI, along with the models that power it, to more people around the world, including in Europe. But, put simply, without including local information we'd only be able to offer people a second-rate experience. This means we aren't able to launch Meta AI in Europe at the moment," the company said.

European regulators don't seem all that torn up about it. In fact, they welcomed the announcement.

"The DPC welcomes the decision by Meta to pause its plans to train its large language model using public content shared by adults on Facebook and Instagram across the EU/EEA," the commission said in a press release on Friday, referring to the European Union and the European Economic Area.

Meta has faced heightened scrutiny in Europe over its plans to use public content from its apps to train its AI. Earlier this month, a European advocacy group called for a halt to Meta's data scraping plans, saying the company would use "years of personal posts, private images, or online tracking data" to train its AI.

• German chancellor Olaf Scholz said it's "very likely" Joe Biden could be reelected in November.
• Scholz dismissed the idea that Biden was too old.
• Scholz also touched on Russian President Vladimir Putin's new demands to end the Ukraine war.

German chancellor Olaf Scholz believes it is "very likely" that President Joe Biden could be reelected in November.

Biden has "pursued a policy that has led to proper economic development in the country, that has helped to ensure that peace and security are in good hands and that the US is actually playing its role in the world," Scholz said in an interview with Axel Springer media outlets.

Business Insider is owned by Axel Springer.

"I think it's a bit strange how people in this country are speculating about who will win the next American election. I think it is very likely that the current president could win the election," said the German leader.

"He is committed to togetherness and cohesion in his country," Scholz added.

Biden has faced concerns over his age and mental fitness. But the German chancellor dismissed such worries, saying the president is "very clear."

He is "one of the most experienced politicians in the world, especially when it comes to international politics," Scholz said.

"I can only say that this is a man who knows exactly what he is doing," he added.

The German chancellor was speaking ahead of a Ukraine peace conference set to be held in Switzerland.

In a new poll by Reuters/Ipsos, 41% of registered voters said they would vote for Trump if the election were held now, while 39% said they'd vote for Biden.

However, the survey had a roughly three-percentage-point margin of error for registered voters, Reuters says, noting that a survey from the end of May showed Biden with a two-percentage-point lead over Trump.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the war in Ukraine would only end if Kyiv agreed to do away with its hopes for NATO entry and give up the four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow.

Scholz said that the offer did not seem serious: "There can only be a peace that works for Ukraine and does not compromise its integrity and sovereignty. There cannot be a peace dictated by Russia."

Scholz also underlined the importance of the G7's decision to lend Ukraine $50 billion using frozen Russian assets.

"I think this is a message to Ukraine that it can count on us. But it is also a message to Putin that he should not rely on the fact that he just has to wait long enough and then support for Ukraine will fade away," he added.

• Dozens of people got sick this month at Havasupai Falls in Grand Canyon National Park.
• Tourists experienced vomiting, diarrhea, and fever symptoms.
• Officials said people in the northern Arizona region are experiencing "a gastrointestinal illness."

Dozens of tourists who hiked to a waterfall in the Grand Canyon have fallen ill, including one woman who had to be airlifted out of the national park.

The illnesses broke out near Havasu Falls in the Havasupai Indian Reservation in Arizona this week. Mary Blair told Fox 10 that her family was finishing a four-day hike in the area when her son became sick.

"He was throwing up and having diarrhea all night long. I got him in the river. We were in there at midnight, 1 o'clock, just to lower his body temperature," she told the outlet.

Blair said she later learned her son wasn't the only person struck by illness that night. She told the outlet her family decided to leave the canyon via helicopter and discovered other groups along the way.

"On the way up, all of us were passing people who are throwing up and that's when I was like, what the heck is going on?" she said. "There's probably 60–70 people down the line. There are multiple people throwing up."

Another tourist, Maylin Griffiths, told a local CBS affiliate she and her friends were hiking in the area when she experienced fever-like symptoms, including a 104° temperature. Griffiths had to be airlifted out of the canyon.

"We were violently ill. They were able to admit us to the clinic there because they considered it life-threatening," she told the outlet.

The Havasupai Tribal Council acknowledged the recent illnesses in a press release on Friday, describing it as "gastrointestinal symptoms."

The council said it held meetings with local health officials, who determined that the symptoms are affecting people across the northern Arizona region. Not just the Havasupai campground.

"The Tribe is working with IHS and other state agencies to further investigate the illness and to take measures to prevent further spreading of the illness not only to campers but to local tribal members," the council said.

The exact cause of the illnesses hasn't been disclosed, but Coconino County shared a health advisory on Wednesday.

"Gastrointestinal illness caused by a virus can spread in settings where people come in close contact with each other and when good hand hygiene is not practiced," the statement said. "These types of outbreaks can be ongoing if appropriate safeguards are not in place."

A county spokesperson told the Associated Press that hikers should take precautions, including monitoring early signs of norovirus. Norovirus, or "stomach flu," can cause vomiting and other symptoms.

Representatives for the Arizona Department of Health Services and Indian Health Services did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• A body language expert said Kate Middleton was "using a masking smile" at Trooping the Colour.
• According to the expert, it was "significant" that Kate chose not to wave at the crowds very much.
• "It makes her come across as quite stoic," said Darren Stanton.

Kate Middleton put on her "game face" for the crowds and cameras at the 2024 Trooping the Colour parade, according to a behavioral and body-language expert.

The Princess of Wales attended the royal event, which was held on Saturday in London alongside other senior members of the British royal family, including her husband, Prince William. It marked her first official appearance since she went public with her cancer diagnosis in March.

Her attendance was only announced the evening before and came as something of a surprise as it was believed that she would be stepping away from royal duties amid undergoing "preventative chemotherapy."

The mother-of-three joined other senior members of the British royal family for all public-facing parts of the ceremony. She was seen arriving at Buckingham Palace with her husband, Prince William, and their children.

Speaking on behalf of Slingo, body-language expert Darren Stanton said that the first glimpse of the princess set the tone for the annual royal event, which she has never missed since joining the royal family in 2011.

"Looking at the first photograph of Kate Middleton and Prince William heading to the ceremony together, Kate is using a masking smile. It's her game face," he said.

"She's using this as a way to power through and do the best she can," Stanton said, noting that "her composure appears calm and collected on the outside."

He also observed that Kate's "smile isn't completely engaged," which may suggest that she's not feeling completely at ease.

"Internally, she's feeling a sense of wanting to make people proud, but she is also feeling nervous – which is understandable."

During the procession to and from the Horse Guards Parade, Stanton said that it was "significant" that Kate chose only to wave at the crowds a few times.

"It makes her come across as quite stoic," he said.

Kate and her children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, watched on from Glass State Coach as William rode horseback for the ceremony.

"It appears she's trying to avoid attention with quite a bit of distance," he noted.

"Today is about the King and Kate adopting a reserved and low-key manner that reinforces that," said Stanton.

Later in the day, Kate was seen in high spirits as she joined other royal family members on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet the crowd and watch the military flypast.

It was unknown whether Kate would appear on the balcony or not, as the palace had noted ahead of time that while Kate was expected, these plans were subject to change on short notice.

• Before Alex Trebek began hosting "Jeopardy!" in 1984, Art Fleming was at the helm.
• Pat Sajak retired from "Wheel of Fortune" in June after more than 40 years as the host.
• The question-and-answer format of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" has changed over the years.

Classic game shows like "Wheel of Fortune," "The Price Is Right," and "Jeopardy!" have remained fixtures of American households for decades. 

While the set design, game format, and hosts have changed through the years, the suspense and excitement of watching contestants win big keeps people watching.

Here's how four classic game shows have evolved over time.

Art Fleming hosted "Jeopardy!" from 1964 to 1974, and then hosted a revamped version from 1978 to 1979.

"Jeopardy!" creator Merv Griffin first spotted Fleming in an airline commercial and thought he'd be perfect for the hosting gig, The New York Times reported.

Alex Trebek began hosting the show in 1984, when it became syndicated daily.

Trebek won seven Emmy Awards for Outstanding Game Show Host.

After Trebek's death in 2020, "Jeopardy!" featured a series of guest hosts until Ken Jennings took over as the show's permanent replacement.

Trebek died of pancreatic cancer in November 2020. While the show searched for a new permanent host, celebrities such as Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper, LeVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers took turns guest-hosting "Jeopardy!"

"Jeopardy!" executive producer Mike Richards was named the new host of "Jeopardy!" in August 2021 but resigned shortly afterward when a series of controversies surfaced about his past conduct.

The hosting gig was then shared by Ken Jennings, who holds the show's record for the most consecutive games won and highest winnings during regular-season play, and "Big Bang Theory" actress Mayim Bialik until May 2023, when Jennings became the sole permanent host.

"Let's be totally clear: no one will ever replace the great Alex Trebek. But we can honor him by playing the game he loved," Jennings said during his first episode as guest host.

When Fleming hosted the show, the category amounts ranged from $10 to $50.

The amounts were then raised to range from $25 to $125.

When Trebek took over hosting in 1984, the amounts ranged from $100 to $500.

They were eventually raised to the current $200 to $1,000 range (and $400 to $2,000 in the Double Jeopardy round) in 2001.

"Wheel of Fortune" began airing in 1975.

"Wheel of Fortune" was also created by Griffin, who imagined it as a cross between hangman and roulette.

It's now the longest-running syndicated game show on American television.

The show aired its 8,000th episode in May 2024. The cost to buy a vowel has remained $250 throughout the show with no adjustments for inflation, E! News reported.

Pat Sajak began hosting "Wheel of Fortune" in 1981, and Vanna White joined in 1982.

As host of the show, Sajak interacts with contestants and shares whether they've guessed puzzles correctly, while White operates the board and reveals letters.

Sajak, who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest career as a game show host for the same show, announced his retirement after 41 seasons.

Ryan Seacrest will take over as the host of "Wheel of Fortune" in the fall.

Sajak shared an emotional goodbye message on his final episode as host in June, describing "Wheel of Fortune" as a place "where kids learned their letters, where people from other countries honed their English skills, where families came together along with friends and neighbors and entire generations."

"What an honor to have played even a small part in all that," he said. "Thank you for allowing me into your lives."

Bill Cullen was the first host of "The Price Is Right," holding the role from 1956 to 1965.

The show was created by producer Bob Stewart, who got the idea from watching people guess how much furniture in a display window cost, The Independent reported.

Bob Barker hosted a revamped version of the show beginning in 1972.

The format of the show changed from the previous iteration of the show — instead of contestants winning the items they correctly guessed the prices of, winners received the opportunity to play another pricing game.

After 35 years, Drew Carey took over the show from Barker and continues to host today.

The show's 9,000th episode aired in 2019, according to IMDB.

Producer Michael Davies brought the British game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" to the US in 1999, with Regis Philbin as host.

The American version of the show began as a two-week special on ABC, but it was such a hit that it began airing regularly in prime time, CNN reported. "Is that your final answer?" became part of the American lexicon.

Meredith Vieira took over as host in 2002 and held the position until 2013.

During her tenure, the show's format underwent several changes, including imposing time limits on answering questions and mixing the questions' levels of difficulty out of a set order. Vieira and the contestants also began standing for the duration of the show and looking at a larger screen instead of sitting in front of individual computers.

From 2013 to 2019, the show cycled through several hosts, including Cedric the Entertainer, Terry Crews, and Chris Harrison.

The show was canceled in 2019, CNN reported, but it didn't stay canceled for long.

Jimmy Kimmel now hosts a new version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" with celebrity guests who compete for charity.

The new version of the show, which began airing in April 2020, had no studio audience due to the coronavirus pandemic. The studio audience returned in 2022.

• Phishing scams targeting weight loss drugs like Ozempic rose 183% from January to April.
• Social media sites like Facebook are hotspots for these scams, McAfee says.
• Scammers exploit the high cost of these drugs to lure victims with cheap offers.

If anyone knows a good deal when they see it, it's an online scammer.

The trendy weight loss drug Ozempic, which can cost $1,000 a month, is an opportunity apparently too good for them to pass up.

New research released by McAfee, a computer and cybersecurity company, says that phishing scams targeting consumers interested in weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Semaglutide rose 183% from January to April compared to the previous three months.

Criminals use phishing scams to trick people into sharing personal information. A scammer usually sends an email or some other message pretending to be a company or individual the victim is familiar with, asking for credit card info, passwords, or other sensitive information.

Most scams occur on sites like Facebook or Craigslist, where researchers said they found 207 phony postings advertising Ozempic in just one day in April.

On Facebook, scammers often pretend to be doctors, claiming to hand out Ozempic and other drugs without a prescription, the report says. Once they contact potential victims, the scammers pressure them to use unconventional payment methods for prescription drugs, McAfee says.

"One example on Facebook Marketplace included a 'Doctor Melissa' based in Canada who could provide Mounjaro and Ozempic without a prescription, with payment available through Bitcoin, Zelle, Venmo, and Cash App — all of which are non-standard payment methods for prescription drugs and should be red flags for consumers." the report says.

While studies say Ozempic costs just $5 to make, the drug sells for about $1,000 a month. This high price makes some consumers more eager to take a cheap offer online, McAfee says.

"Cybercriminals are always on the lookout for ways to make their scams more attractive and believable," Abhishek Karnik, head of McAfee's Threat Research Team, told Business Insider. "Tapping into the current craze for Ozempic and related weight loss drugs is one way scammers can lure you in through phishing emails, fake social posts, or ads, all under the guise of a deal that seems too good to be true."

Some tips McAfee recommends to avoid becoming a victim of scams are to stay away from unofficial retailers, watch out for suspiciously low prices or strange payment methods, and watch for missing product details, such as expiration dates.

"Scam websites typically lack verifiable product information and sometimes are poorly designed with grammar issues," the company says. "Pay attention to and read the fine print."

If you fall victim to a scam, money can be difficult for law enforcement to recover. The Federal Trade Commission recommends reaching out to whatever company, bank, or credit card company helped you facilitate the money transfer to try and recover stolen funds.

• The US has sent more than $50 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine, said the State Department.
• The assistance has included advanced US weapons like HIMARS missiles and Abrams tanks.
• The US has also sent weapons of Russian origin, including the T-72 tank and Mi-17 helicopter.

The US has spent $51.2 billion in military assistance for Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022, according to a recent fact sheet published by the State Department. This total rises to $54 billion when the years since Russia's initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014 are included.

The range and quantity of weapons is far-reaching. Ukraine has received over four million shells, 400,000,000 small arms rounds, and grenades, as well as hundreds of advanced missile systems, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery pieces, river patrol boats, and electronic warfare technologies.

The US has even sent Ukraine weapons of Russian origin including 45 T-72s (versus 31 US Abrams tanks), Mi-17 helicopters and 122mm GRAD rockets.

Check out the range of military hardware the US has supplied Ukraine, according to the comprehensive list compiled by the US State Department.

Tanks

The US delivered 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine in the fall of last year.

More surprisingly, Ukraine has received 45 tanks of Russian origin from the US, 14 more than the US's own Abrams. These T-72B tanks are cheaper and less advanced than the US-made Abrams.

The Abrams were a major addition to Ukraine's arsenal of mostly aging Soviet armor and augmented previous deliveries of the German-made Leopard tanks and British Challengers.

Robert Greenway, a Hudson Institute expert who served in the Army with the Abrams, previously told Business Insider that the Abrams "can do other things, but it's built to kill tanks."

"The A1 may be old in the sense that it's been in our inventory for quite some time, but it's far superior to anything that the Russians have," he said.

Soviet-designed choppers

Ukraine has also been sent 20 Mi-17 helicopters. Like the T-72B tanks, these aircraft are Russian in origin.

Ukraine has also received many unmanned aerial systems (UAS), such as the Cyber Lux K8 and the Phoenix Ghost drones.

Artillery rounds by the million

Ukraine has received a colossal number of artillery shells from the US, including More than 3,000,000 155mm, 800,000 105mm, and 400,000 152mm artillery rounds.

It has also supplied tens of thousands of precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds.

However, these prodigious supplies didn't satisfy Ukraine's armed forces' appetite for munitions. Over the winter months, it faced a severe shortage of artillery shells, partly due to a US military aid package being stalled in Congress.

Ukraine's defense minister, Rustem Umerov, wrote in a February letter to EU counterparts that the shortages had left Ukraine unable to fire more than 2,000 artillery shells a day, roughly one-third of Russia's capacity.

In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said for the first time since Russia's invasion, Ukraine's forces had reported no shortages of artillery shells.

Patriots

Since February 2022, the US has provided Ukraine with one MIM-104 Patriot air defense system and munitions for the battery. The $1-billion Patriot is a ground-based, mobile surface-to-air missile battery that can down crewed and uncrewed aircraft, cruise missiles, and short-range and tactical ballistic missiles.

According to Frederik Mertens, a Hague Center for Strategic Studies analyst, their performance in Ukraine has been "an unmitigated success."

After months of pleas from Ukrainian officials, President Joe Biden approved the transfer of a second battery from the US last week, unnamed senior military and administration officials told The New York Times.

Ukraine has received one other Patriot battery jointly provided by Germany and the Netherlands. Germany has also pledged three more Patriots and is considering pledging a fourth, per Bloomberg.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NATO that Ukraine needs at least seven in April, Reuters reported.

Surface-to-air missiles

Ukraine has received 12 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS).

According to one developer, Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace, NASAMS are short-to-medium-range ground-based air defense systems that target UAVs and cruise missiles, perform counter-fire operations, and provide coastal defense.

Though not on the list published by the US State Department, America has also supplied Ukraine with a mixture of shorter and, more recently, longer-range MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (or ATACMS).

The longer-range ATACMS could prove crucial for Ukraine, as they can travel about 190 miles and hit higher-value targets in places like Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014.

According to the US Department of Defense, Ukraine has also received Avenger air defense systems and the HAWK (an acronym for "Homing All the Way Killer"), a medium-range surface-to-air missile.

Ukraine has also received equipment to help integrate Western launchers, missiles, and radars with Ukrainian systems, often older Soviet models.

This suggests a link to the Pentagon's FrankenSAM project, a hybrid air defense system that combines Soviet launchers with US missiles.

Ukraine published photos of the finished products in May after months of experimenting with US engineers. Ukraine's existing inventory of Soviet-era Buk systems has been developed to fire old RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles supplied by Washington.

HIMARS and howitzers

Ukraine has received 12 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missiles, more than 40 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (or HIMARS), and the accompanying ammunition. The HIMARS can fire rockets up to 50 miles and be hailed as a lifeline for Ukraine in the early months of the war.

However, recent reports suggested that US-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers had been rendered "completely ineffective" as a result of Russian electronic jamming systems.

Ukraine also received 72 105mm Howitzers.

The howitzer requires five people to operate it and can launch 100-pound, 155-millimeter shells 18 miles without rocket assistance.

They are among the best big guns in the Ukrainian armory. "The reason is its precision," one Ukrainian gunner told Radio Free Europe.

Russian rockets

Ukraine has been sent thousands of rockets, including 60,000 122mm GRAD rockets for the Russian launchers still used by Ukraine's army.

The highly-rated Bradley fighting vehicle

Ukraine has received 300 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles capable of transporting troops on the battlefield, providing fire support, and conducting reconnaissance missions.

These vehicles, which are quick and highly maneuverable, are operated by a three-person crew consisting of a driver, the commander, and a gunner and can carry up to half a dozen fully equipped soldiers.

Ukraine's soldiers highly rate the Bradley.

Last week, a war video released by Ukraine appeared to show a US-supplied M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle in a head-on clash with a Russian armored personnel carrier.

Ukrainian troops have reported that Russian soldiers are "afraid" of facing US-supplied Bradley fighting vehicles.

Javelins missiles have helped destroy Russian armor

The US has supplied over 10,000 Javelin anti-armor systems. Ukraine has successfully used the weapons to strike Russian tanks and vehicles.

Maritime weapons

Ukraine has received two Harpoon coastal defense systems, anti-ship missiles from the US, and over 80 coastal and riverine patrol boats.

Body armor

More than 100,000 body armor and helmets have been sent to Ukraine from the US. Various Medical supplies, including first aid kits, bandages, monitors, and other equipment, as well as field equipment, cold weather gear, generators, and spare parts, have also reached the front line.

More serious protective equipment like chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear protective gear, along with bomb disposal equipment and protective gear, have been received by Ukraine.

They've also had night vision devices, surveillance and thermal imagery systems, optics, and rangefinders.

Satellites and electronic warfare equipment

Russia has a sophisticated electronic warfare program and has improved at disabling high-tech missiles provided to Ukraine by its Western allies, such as HIMARS.

Ukraine has received various types of Electronic warfare (EW) and counter-EW equipment from the US, four SATCOM antennas, SATCOM terminals and services, and secure communications systems.

The US has also sent 21 air surveillance radars to support Ukraine's existing air defense.

• Summer internships at top-tier companies are more competitive than ever this year.
• Applications per internship jumped to 93, up from 53 last year, according to Handshake, a jobs site.
• Students who landed a summer role say their top tip is to apply early.

Landing a summer internship at a top-tier company isn't easy, but this year, the competition is steeper than ever.

The number of internships offered on Handshake, a job and internship platform used by millions of college students, fell by 7% this year.

The drop was most pronounced in financial services, professional services, nonprofits, and tech, where the number of internships offered has dropped by more than 13% since last year.

Many of these industries have faced significant headwinds over the past year. Major consulting firms have tightened their belts and pushed back start dates for new hires. Big tech companies have gone through mass layoffs.

Internships have been one of the casualties of the corporate cost-cutting.

"Internship programs are expensive: You have to use part of your HR team to oversee these interns and make their lives great," Julia Pollak, chief economist at job site ZipRecruiter, which noted a 14% drop in internship listings in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, told Bloomberg.

Students still see internships as the most reliable path to a full-time job. So, the pressure to land one this year has been high.

Applicants on Handshake submitted an average of 93 applications per internship this year, up from 53 last year. The surge in applications was most pronounced in the tech industry, which saw an average of 247 applications per role compared to 134 last year.

Students who've successfully landed summer internships say to apply early.

Adriana Rivera, a rising senior at Massachusetts Institute of Technology interning at Deutsche Bank this summer, said she started applying for a summer internship in January 2023 — 18 months before her start date this June.

"It just gets earlier every year and it gets more competitive every year," Rivera told Business Insider. Thankfully, one of her professors clued her into the timeline during the spring semester of her sophomore year. "Very early on he asked me, 'Are you doing recruiting? Have you already started?' And I was like, what do you mean it's really early?"

Rivera said she started applying "like crazy" to every internship she could find after that, but that approach wasn't fruitful. She wasn't hearing back from many companies, and when she did, she wasn't advancing past the first-round interview.

So she re-evaluated her perspective and realized she needed to go into interviews with a better sense of why she wanted the role — and who she was as a person. "Looking back, I know I just needed to do it with intention," she said.

Other students say the best way to land a role is to network with as many people as possible.

Rachel Barker, a rising senior at Southern Methodist University interning at a real estate company this summer, told Business Insider by LinkedIn message, "I was simply networking and going on coffee dates with people in the commercial real estate industry in Fort Worth, and it led me to some great people who wanted me on the team."

• Kate Bast is a mom of two and an influencer.
• She says simple crafts and repurposing items you already have can keep kids entertained.
• Here she shares her favorite ways to keep kids busy during the summer.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kate Bast. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When you're a mom, sometimes a few minutes of entertainment for the kids makes all the difference. It can allow you to drink your coffee while it's still hot or use the bathroom uninterrupted — things only parents understand the luxury of. If you're trying to get work done while the kids are home this summer, keeping them entertained is a way to stay productive and somewhat sane.

Thinking of new activities all the time can be draining, but I'm here to tell you you don't have to be a crafty or artistic parent to keep your kids engaged and entertained this summer. There are simple ways to do it without spending money on new toys or giving in to screen time demands. Here's how.

Use crafts at just the right moment

If I spend a half hour or so of quality time with my 4-year-old, it can really change the mood of the day. She feels seen and often spins into her own world to continue being creative even after our activity ends.

I like to start the week with two or three simple craft projects at the ready. When the mood feels heavy, or we need a pick-me-up, I bring out the crafts.

Use items you already have around your house

There's nothing worse than trying an activity only to realize that you don't have everything you need or buying craft supplies that you only use once. That's why I emphasize simple crafts with things you already have around the house, like washable window paints made with dish soap, flowers, and paint.

Most parents have Elmer's glue around, which is the perfect base ingredient for adventure. Toddlers and preteens alike love making peelable nail polish or homemade window clings.

Repurpose your kids' favorite toys

Sometimes, seeing a familiar toy in a new setting can spark creativity. Take magnetic tiles, for example, which most of us have lying around. Why not use them to decorate your metal garage door? You could cut stickers in half and put them on the tiles, creating a matching game.

Stuck inside on a rainy day? Construction paper and painter's tape can make tunnels for toy cars that will keep kids entertained for ages. Kids absolutely adore these simple spins on familiar activities.

Encourage independence

We all want our kids to entertain themselves more. While there's certainly a learning curve with age, I've found that even tots can be encouraged to stay occupied with a little challenge. For example, use strips of painter's tape to make marks at different heights on the wall. Challenge your child to use building blocks to make a tower that tall.

Older kids can use tech for inspiration. I love the app Brickit, which scans your Lego bricks or other brick building blocks and shows kids how to make new creations using what they already have.

Don't be afraid to recycle ideas

One of the hardest parts of parenting is finding new ideas — whether for dinners or activities. It's fine to let that pressure go. Kids, especially young ones, love repetition. My daughter loves making Mellow Mallow, a homemade fluffy slime that turns into a fidget. There's no limit on how often she'll do it. Best of all, as she gets more familiar with an activity, she's able to do more by herself, while I take care of her infant sister.

This summer, you'll be surprised about what you have in your house that you can reinvent. These activities are accessible to anyone, and they'll leave you feeling like a superstar parent.

• Google made headlines with some of its inaccurate AI Overviews and AI-generated images.
• Google's VP of Search reportedly said at a meeting that it shouldn't stop taking risks because of mistakes.
• Experts weighed in on Google's strategy and the risks that could arise.

All of the Big Tech companies are racing to scale their AI capabilities and roll out new products — but Google keeps making headlines about AI mistakes that go viral.

Shortly after releasing its AI Overviews feature, which provides AI-generated summaries for some search queries at the top of the page, the internet started buzzing about the search engine recommending eating glue pizza or consuming rocks.

Earlier this year, it launched its image-generation tool on Gemini and caused a stir when the chatbot inaccurately recreated images of historical figures. Google acknowledged the issue and paused the feature.

It sounds like Google isn't going to pump the brakes anytime soon, though, even with the high-profile flubs.

Google VP of Search Liz Reid addressed the recent pizza glue and eating rocks fiasco at a recent all-hands meeting and took the opportunity to reaffirm the company's AI strategy, according to leaked audio obtained by CNBC.

"It is important that we don't hold back features just because there might be occasional problems," Reid reportedly said in the meeting.

The VP said in the meeting that Google should address the problems when they're discovered and "act with urgency," but that doesn't mean it "shouldn't take risks," CNBC reported.

AI investor and managing partner at venture capital group Gaingels Lorenzo Thione told Business Insider that he generally thinks it's the right move to push experimental features out. But he said users need to know when and how they can rely on results. Thione said product disclosures need to be different when the tool being used is the publisher, curator, and moderator.

Google notes that "Generative AI is experimental" in AI Overviews. It also has a safety guide for developers that states generative AI tools "can sometimes lead to unexpected outputs, such as outputs that are inaccurate, biased, or offensive."

Google is far from the only company figuring out the risks of generative AI products. Tim Cook said Apple Intelligence is bound to get some things wrong, although he doesn't expect it to be often. Microsoft also said on Thursday that it would hold off on launching an AI tool intended to be available when its CoPilot PCs ship after privacy concerns arose.

But CEO of AI platform Copyleaks Alon Yamin told BI that by releasing large-scale features right at the top of Google Search, the company is making those mistakes particularly visible.

The alternative is to be more gradual about releasing features and not place them at the center if they're not fully ready, he said.

Yamin said it makes sense that the company wants to release products quicker because of talks about Google being behind in the AI race. But while generative AI isn't fully bulletproof at the moment, it's important to balance timing with innovation and accuracy, Yamin said.

Reid previously wrote in a blog post that Google builds "quality and safety guardrails into these experiences," and extensively tests them before launching. But Reid said in the all-hands meeting that Google "won't always find everything," according to the CNBC report.

It's worth noting these mistakes didn't appear to crop up frequently. A Google spokesperson said the "vast majority" of results are accurate and that the company found a policy violation on "less than one in every 7 million unique queries with AI Overviews."

But while a suggestion to glue cheese on pizza and eat rocks may be a minor error, Yamin said there are more serious risks around privacy, security, and copyright that could arise — and the faster you work, the more risk there is.

Do you have a tip about Google? Reach out to the reporter from a non-work email at aaltchek@insider.com.