• WalletHub's report ranks state economies based on their economic activity, health, and innovation.
• Washington leads the list driven by high-tech jobs and STEM professionals.
• Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Kentucky are among the weakest state economies in the US.

States like Washington, Utah, Massachusetts, Texas, and California may not seem like they have much in common, but each has a strong economy that's helping to fuel national growth.

Those five states have the best economies, according to a new ranking of all 50 states and DC by financial services company WalletHub. Meanwhile, Mississippi, Hawai'i, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Louisana have the worst.

"A strong state economy doesn't guarantee success for the state's residents, but it certainly makes financial success more attainable," Cassandra Happe, a WalletHub analyst, wrote in the report. "Factors like a low unemployment rate and high average income help residents purchase property, pay down debt, and save for the future."

To determine the best state economies, WalletHub compared the 50 states and DC across three categories: economic activity, economic health, and innovation potential. Each of the three categories was evaluated using 28 metrics of varying weights, including share of fast-growing firms, unemployment rate, and entrepreneurial activity.

"The best state economies also encourage growth by being friendly to new businesses and investing in new technology that will help the state deal with future challenges and become more efficient," Happe wrote.

Washington secured the top spot due to its performance in both economic activity and innovation potential. The state's economy benefits significantly from high industry research and development investment levels, positioning it at the forefront of technological advancement. After all, Amazon and Microsoft are headquartered in the state.

Additionally, people who move to Washington are the fifth-most educated in the country, contributing to the state's sixth-highest median household income after adjusting for the cost of living. A November report from Bank of America based on internal customer data showed that people who move to Seattle for a new job receive the largest pay raises among all US cities.

Utah was the runner-up with the second-highest median annual household income after adjusting for the cost of living. The state also has a healthy labor market, featuring one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and substantial growth in its civilian labor force.

Meanwhile, several states in the south are among those with the lowest rankings. Many of the states scored low across the board as they struggled with issues like high unemployment rates and low household incomes.

Here are the top five states, followed by the five states ranked the lowest.

1. Washington

Economic activity rank: 1

Economic health rank: 15

Innovation potential rank: 2

2. Utah

Economic activity rank: 7

Economic health rank: 1

Innovation potential rank: 10

3. Massachusetts

Economic activity rank: 11

Economic health rank: 43

Innovation potential rank: 1

4. Texas

Economic activity rank: 2

Economic health rank: 7

Innovation potential rank: 24

5. California

Economic activity rank: 3

Economic health rank: 49

Innovation potential rank: 3

46. Louisiana

Economic activity rank: 26

Economic health rank: 48

Innovation potential rank: 49

47. Arkansas

Economic activity rank: 40

Economic health rank: 38

Innovation potential rank: 47

48. West Virginia

Economic activity rank: 32

Economic health rank: 45

Innovation potential rank: 51

49. Hawai'i

Economic activity rank: 49

Economic health rank: 32

Innovation potential rank: 50

50. Mississippi

Economic activity rank: 48

Economic health rank: 50

Innovation potential rank: 45

• The US has been "too passive" in the Red Sea, a retired US general told CBS' Face The Nation.
• Kenneth F. McKenzie, former CENTCOM commander, said the US Navy should go after Houthi leaders.
• The Houthis have been using drones and missiles to target commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

A retired US general said the US has been too passive when it comes to the Houthis, letting them dominate the Red Sea, and said that it should go after their leaders instead.

"We've been too passive," Kenneth F. McKenzie, who previously led the US Central Command, told CBS' Face The Nation on Sunday.

"We've allowed the Houthis really to dominate the global maritime communications by closing down effectively the Suez Canal," he said.

The Houthis have been using drones and missiles to target ships in the Red Sea corridor to exert pressure on Israel and the West over the war in Gaza.

As a result, the main maritime lanes have needed to be guarded by a US Navy carrier strike group and vessels from European nations.

The US Navy's Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has spent months combating the Houthis in the key shipping lanes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to allow the safe transit of international commercial shipping.

The US strike group — which consists of an aircraft carrier and several other warships — has gone after over 400 Houthi targets in dozens of self-defense operations, according to data Navy officials shared with Business Insider last month.

But McKenzie, who oversaw the high-profile 2019 special forces raid in Syria to kill or capture then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said the US has been essentially "catching and not pitching" in the Red Sea, despite deploying "multi-billion-dollar warships."

While he acknowledged the US Navy had upped its use of munitions, he said it needed to go after the source of the attacks: Houthi leadership and command-and-control facilities in Yemen.

"I would argue that the threat of escalation is very small if we conduct these attacks," McKenzie said.

The sheer number of ships engaged in the region makes it the largest battle the US Navy has been engaged in since World War II, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper told "60 Minutes" in February.

That same month, Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, the US strike group's commander, told BI that they had planes in the sky "constantly."

"It's a huge effort," Miguez said.

According to a post by The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, the Houthis are difficult to degrade or deter, in part because Iran supports them with weaponry, but also because they use the conflict to strengthen their domestic support in Yemen.

Yahya Sare'e, a spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, has vowed to continue attacks until the Israeli "aggression" in Gaza stops, per Reuters.

Last month, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned of the prospect of a protracted conflict, saying the Houthis' threat is likely to remain active for some time.

In an analysis in February, BI's defense writer Michael Peck said that the US could face the same fate as Egypt, which sent 70,000 soldiers into Yemen and conducted a relentless bombing campaign in the 1960s, but failed to suppress the group.

• Companies are cutting middle management positions due to cost cutting and other pressures.
• The great "unbossing" could make Gen Zers better at their jobs, experts suggest.
• Fewer managers might boost Zoomers' productivity and foster workplace autonomy.

The great unbossing is underway, with companies cutting middle management positions.

Cost cutting, Gen Z's distaste for management, remote working, and increased pressure on performance are all factors in why middle managers are finding their jobs are most at risk during layoffs.

But while critics think the repercussions of a flatter corporate structure could be less mentorship and feeling more stress coming from above, according to hiring experts, there are also benefits. And one might be that Zoomers get better at their jobs.

Sophie O'Brien, a Gen Z hiring expert and the founder of the recruitment agency Pollen Careers, told Business Insider the role of a middle manager is to effectively "micro-manage juniors."

"But actually, there's evidence to suggest this is not productive and limits people's learning potential," she said. "The most effective team development is when people are given autonomy and the freedom to fail."

O'Brien said fresh talent is often better equipped to identify issues with traditional ways of working in a company, which could help with shaking up the structure to be more efficient.

She said that not having a micromanager picking apart their work could benefit Gen Zers who don't feel they need to be "spoon-fed."

O'Brien said micromanagers can have a "detrimental impact" on Zoomers' productivity, especially if it's their first job.

"It can cause them to feel demotivated, doubt or second-guess themself, and make them disengage from their work," she said. "Because if their ideas or work is constantly being rehashed or rejected, they'll naturally lose interest in their role."

Not having multiple layers of management will give Zoomers "more autonomy and flexibility," O'Brien said, "and this can encourage empowerment, creativity, and for them to take full responsibility for their work."

Doing it right

Those who are skeptical of companies axing middle managers say it could mean junior staff won't receive the mentorship needed to climb the ladder.

But issues should only arise with this shift if companies don't handle it properly, O'Brien said.

One way to ensure young hires feel supported is to introduce mentoring programs, she said, because this will give them first-hand exposure to people from different teams with different levels of responsibility.

They should also be introduced to the leadership team, O'Brien added, so they have visibility within the company.

"This not only benefits more junior employees but mentors, too," she said.

"We're now in a working world where there can be four generations working together, and the intergenerational divide has never been so vast."

Making room for more conversations between people at all levels "can make for greater empathy, understanding, and better culture," O'Brien said.

Reverse mentoring can also help bring an organization together, O'Brien said, to help give junior employees access to a variety of senior staff and leaders, so they are not stuck with a "terrible boss."

Overall, it's about "trial and error," O'Brien said, and "making brave decisions."

"Even just making a change and adopting a growth mindset as a business can create positive change, even if it fails, because it shows you want to do the best by people, that you won't just stick to the status quo," she said.

'Unbossing' can impact anyone

While millennials are currently most likely in the firing line, the great unbossing can come to anyone. So, it may be a wake-up call for those who are coasting, "quiet quitting," or simply in the wrong job.

Catherine Rymsha, a visiting lecturer in management at The University of Massachusetts Lowell, told BI that cutting middle managers "alleviates the time and costs of upskilling and developing them into effective leaders."

Companies are cutting managers to "weed out underperforming talent," Rymsha said, "while promoting the next-gen of leaders to aid in both developing those people and keeping an eye on the bottom line."

According to Joe Camberato, the CEO of the fintech marketplace National Business Capital, it all comes down to who brings value and who doesn't.

"If you want to protect your job, don't just focus on your title or job description," he said. "Focus on what brings real value to your company, department, or team, and go above and beyond to make that happen."

Camberato said staffers of all generations, from Boomers to Gen Zers, need to evolve, "especially as technology advances."

"You need to embrace change and new technologies to keep bringing value to your company and your position," he said. "If you don't, you risk being left behind without a job."

• A tussle over a new gas pipeline deal exposed the power imbalance between Xi and Putin. 
• Putin is dependent on the pipeline amid international sanctions. 
• But China has also staked alot on Russia winning in Ukraine.

At the Shangri-La conference in Singapore on Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused China of doing Russia's bidding in seeking to disrupt a peace conference scheduled for June.

"Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," said Zelenskyy of China, whose economy is vastly bigger than Russia's.

Zelenskyy's remarks highlight the increasing interdependence between China and Russia in the wake of Russia's 2022 Ukraine invasion.

But the relationship has been lopsided. Rather than simply doing Putin's bidding, Russia has so far largely been in Xi Jinping's' hands.

In the wake of its Ukraine invasion, Russia has been increasingly isolated on the world stage, and China has stepped in, providing vital economic, diplomatic, and (according to the US) military support in the form of dual-use components for Russia's military industry.

A Financial Times report on Monday included important new details on the underlying power dynamic of the relationship, claiming the reason a massive new gas pipeline deal between Russia and China has stalled is that China is driving a hard bargain.

Sources told the FT that China would only commit to the deal if it gets the gas at the same heavily subsidized rates as it's sold at in Russia and would accept a small fraction of the pipeline's 50 billion cubic meters annual output.

It's bad news for Russia's President Putin, with the Russian gas industry having been badly impacted by sanctions and increasingly dependent on exports to non-Western countries, notably China.

China's leader, Xi Jinping, has exploited the power imbalance in the China-Russia relationship. He has brokered influence in the Central Asian Republics, which have traditionally been part of Russia's sphere of influence, and found a huge new market in Russia for Chinese exports such as vehicles.

But Xi is also increasingly dependent on his wager of a Russian victory in Ukraine coming good.

And he's still keen to help Russia's leader, with the FT reporting that boycotting the peace conference was one of the requests Putin made to Xi when the leaders met in May.

China is undergoing a serious economic downturn, and its support for Russia is imperilling its ties with wealthy Western economies, which its major businesses depend upon.

If Xi comes out of the Ukraine war with little to show, then his credibility and bid to assert China as the world's major power will be seriously dented.

And that's likely enough to ensure China will continue to do Russia favors.

• The Singapore Airlines severe turbulence incident may lead to tighter seatbelt rules.
• Tim Clark of Emirates highlighted the industry's response at the International Air Transport Association meeting.
• He said the airline was looking at AI to help predict where turbulence might occur. 

The death of a Singapore Airlines passenger in a severe turbulence incident last month is likely to lead to stricter seatbelt rules, according to the president of Emirates.

Emirati newspaper The National reported that Tim Clark made the comments during a Sunday media conference in Dubai at the International Air Transport Association's annual meeting.

"The whole industry is now upping the game in regards to making sure that passengers are seated and strapped in," Clark said, per The National.

It comes after last month saw three incidents of severe turbulence. A 73-year-old British man died and 71 others were injured on Singapore Airlines Flight 321 on May 21.

Six days later, 12 people were injured by turbulence on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Dublin. And on May 28, local media reported a Turkish Airlines flight attendant broke her back due to turbulence.

According to The National, Clark said that as a result of the incidents, "The industry will start being a lot more concerned about making sure that people are in their seats and strapped in."

Singapore Airlines announced it would no longer serve meals when the seatbelt sign is on, changing its policy as a result of the incident.

"We're trying to use a bit of AI" to predict where turbulence might be, Clark also said.

Severe injuries due to turbulence are incredibly rare, and not wearing a seatbelt is the biggest risk factor. But sometimes there isn't enough time between turning the sign on and the onset of turbulence for passengers to strap in.

Clear air turbulence, which occurs in cloudless conditions at a high altitude, can be especially sudden. A rise in incidents has been linked to the climate crisis, which has altered wind dynamics.

A 2023 study by researchers at the UK's University of Reading found that in 1979, there were around 17.7 hours of severe turbulence over an average point above the Atlantic Ocean. By 2020, this had jumped to 27.4 hours, an increase of 55%.

• A couple who won $1.2 million in the lottery plan to keep their jobs as police officers.
• Graeme and Katherine White said they want to show their kids "good work ethic."
• They plan to buy a new house, a puppy, and a trip to Disneyland.

A British couple who won the lottery said they have no plans to quit their jobs because they want to teach the importance of having a strong work ethic to their children.

Graeme and Katherine White won £1 million, or around $1.2 million, in the National Lottery's EuroMillions on May 7, according to multiple reports.

The couple work as police officers in Cambridgeshire, England, and share a 5-year-old daughter and a 3-year-old son.

In a statement shared with the BBC and The Independent, they said they would reduce their working hours but wouldn't quit because they want to set a good example for their kids.

"We're only young and both enjoy what we do, so see no need to stop. But we have cut down our hours, which means we'll have more of a work-life balance," Graeme said in the statement, cited by The Independent.

"I also think it's important for the children to see us working to instill a good work ethic," he added.

Coffee, Disneyland, and a new puppy

Graeme told The Independent that he and Katherine initially thought it was "a mistake" when they discovered they had won.

While waiting for a call to confirm the news, the couple made their first purchase: Coffee from Caffè Nero, a popular British coffee chain.

Graeme told The Independent that Caffè Nero was a "little upgrade" as they usually purchased coffee from Greggs, a British bakery chain known for its affordable menu.

After the news was confirmed, the couple started planning how they would spend their winnings. According to Graeme, one of the first things on their list was a new home.

"We always wanted to live somewhere rural with plenty of outdoor space for the children – and so we could keep some chickens and goats – but thought that would be something we'd have to wait for years down the line when we were able to downsize," Graeme told The Independent.

"However, now thanks to our amazing lucky break we don't have to wait, our dream home can become a reality, and we can start house hunting right away," he said.

"It's crazy to think, but our 20 year plan has now become our 12 month plan!"

The couple also plan to purchase a trip to Disneyland and a Labrador puppy for the children.

"We've already started to think of names, and obviously have some National Lottery-inspired options on the list, including 'Lottie' and 'Millie,'" Graeme said.

The White family aren't the first lottery winners to keep their day jobs.

Richard Nuttall, a British accountant who won $78 million in the EuroMillions earlier this year, said in a press conference that he planned to keep working until the end of the tax year because he didn't want to let his clients down.

Timothy Schultz won $28 million in the Powerball lottery in 1999. He recently told Business Insider that his winnings meant he could retire early at 21, though he continues to pursue passion projects such as documentaries and podcasts.

"After winning the lottery, I thought hard about what makes me happy. Sitting on a beach drinking margaritas is fun, but the novelty wears off," Schultz said.

"I needed a reason to wake up in the morning and a goal to achieve. That is why I went back to college to earn a degree, work on several productions, and pursue my desire to entertain and inspire people positively; I love it, and it drives me."

The National Lottery did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

• Starbucks has rolled out a line of boba-inspired Refresher drinks in the US.
• The blue beverages all include raspberry-flavored popping pearls and its new Summer-Berry Refreshers mixture.
• The drinks looked very attractive, although the coconut-milk-based beverage was lacking in flavor.

Starbucks has rolled out its first-ever line of boba-inspired drinks in the US as part of its summer menu.

The three new iced beverages were released in May, two and a half years after Starbucks said it was conducting a limited test of beverages "made with coffee pearls."

The new drinks, which all have lengthy names, are the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, the Summer Skies Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, and the Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage.

The drink all consist of raspberry-flavored popping pearls and a summer berries Refreshers mixture designed to taste of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Unlike many boba beverages, which use black, oolong, or green tea as a base, none of Starbucks' drinks actually contain tea.

I tried two of the drinks — here's what I thought.

Starbucks has been advertising the drinks with the tagline "summer at first sip."

Signs for the drinks emphasize the contrast between the bright blue liquid and the pinkish-red pearls. Starbucks says that the line constitutes its first blue-colored drinks.

Source: Starbucks

In reality, the drinks weren't quite as brightly colored as they appeared in the ads. All the stores I visited advertised just two of the three drinks from the range on their menu boards — the milky Summer Skies drink and the lemonade-based drink.

The Summer-Berry Lemonade is made by combining the new Refresher with lemonade, popping pearls, and ice. The drink looked very attractive, and the contrast between the blue and red was striking.

The drink tasted quite tart and tangy. "This tastes like a childhood Popsicle more than anything," my friend said.

The other drink I got, the Summer Skies Drink, is made from the new Refresher, coconut milk, popping pearls, and ice. The pearls looked more distinctive in this drink, though the liquid was a much more subtle shade of blue.

I'm not a big fan of coconut, so I was skeptical at first, but you couldn't taste the coconut at all. However, the milk also diluted the flavor of the Refresher, and overall the drink had a very mild, creamy taste. "It tastes like a mild Herbal Essences shampoo," my friend said.

The popping pearls helped give the drink the flavor it needed, though. I was surprised by how strongly the pearls tasted of raspberry.

Boba is often made from chewy tapioca pearls, created using starch from the roots of cassava plants, but Starbucks uses popping pearls instead, which release a burst of flavor when they explode in your mouth.

The pearls were quite irregularly sized, which surprised me. Though they were all perfectly round, some were much bigger than the others.

The drinks were served with a very wide straw, which meant that the pearls didn't get stuck in it — a common issue I've had with boba. You can see here that the straw is wider than the pearls.

My 16-ounce drinks were each served with two scoops of the pearls, which seemed like a good ratio. However, as is the nature of boba, the pearls sunk to the bottom of the cup and I ended up with a lot leftover once all the liquid had been drunk.

At the location I visited in Nashville, Tennessee, both drinks cost $7.05 for a grande (a 16-ounce drink), including tax. Starbucks' website shows that you can also customize other beverages by adding a scoop of pearls for $1.25.

Starbucks said in a release that it "drew inspiration from drinks around the world, especially East Asian beverages with boba or pearls that have been popular for decades."

Source: Starbucks

Did Starbucks' drinks look good? Yes. Did they taste good? Somewhat. But would I choose to go back to Starbucks for boba? Probably not. Dedicated boba stores offer a huge variety of flavors and toppings — my go-to is taro milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls — and you can customize your drink to your heart's desire.

• Sam Altman has invested in more than 400 companies, The Wall Street Journal reported. 
• Some firms reportedly backed by Altman do business with OpenAI, raising questions about conflicts.
• OpenAI says the company carefully manages any potential conflicts. 

Sam Altman and his venture funds have reportedly invested in more than 400 companies.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Altman is one of Silicon Valley's most prolific individual investors, with holdings worth more than $2.8 billion as of early this year.

The CEO does not own a stake in OpenAI, which has been valued at $86 billion. He reportedly earns a yearly salary of around $65,000. His net worth, however, recently crossed the $2 billion mark, Bloomberg reported.

Most of this is due to his sprawling investment portfolio, which includes major companies such as Reddit and Stripe.

The Journal reported that Altman has also drawn on a debt line from his bank, JPMorgan Chase, which allows him to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in private startups.

The Journal report said that several of the startups Altman has poured money into also do business with OpenAI, raising questions about potential conflicts for the AI company's CEO.

In a recent example, OpenAI announced a partnership with Reddit, which sent the company's stock soaring by more than 10% and boosted Altman's personal Reddit stake by $69 million.

In a blog post about the partnership, OpenAI said Altman was not involved in the deal, which was led by the company's COO and approved by its independent board of directors. 

Representatives for Altman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider made outside normal working hours.

When contacted by The Journal, a spokesperson for Altman declined to comment on any potential conflicts of interest between OpenAI and his personal investments.

Bret Taylor, the chairman of OpenAI's board, told the outlet Altman had "consistently followed policies and been transparent about his investments."

"Sam is fully focused on his role as CEO. We carefully manage any potential conflicts and always put OpenAI and our mission first," Taylor said.

Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner, who helped drive Altman's brief ouster from OpenAI last November, recently accused the CEO of "withholding information" and "misrepresenting" what was going on.

In an episode of the "The TED AI Show" podcast, Toner claimed Altman did not tell the board he previously owned the OpenAI startup fund.

Taylor said in a statement to the podcast at the time, "We are disappointed that Ms. Toner continues to revisit these issues."

Reuters reported that it was documented in a March filing that the company had changed the governance structure of its venture capital fund, so Altman was no longer in control of the fund.

• A couple found a safe while magnet fishing in Queens, New York.
• Inside were bundles of cash — worth an estimated $100,000. Police said they could keep it.
• Magnet fishing involves using high-powered magnets to retrieve items from underwater.

A magnet-fishing couple found a sunken safe in the depths of a lake in Queens, New York. Inside were bundles of cash, with an estimated value of around $100,000, according to Spectrum News NY1.

James Kane and Barbie Agostini told the outlet that they reported their find to the New York Police Department, and were pleasantly surprised when they were told they could keep their discovery.

There's no sense of how the safe ended up in the lake.

According to Spectrum News NY1, the couple was in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Friday magnet fishing — a hobby they got into during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Magnet fishing involves attaching high-powered magnets to a rope and lowering it into the water to retrieve valuable items.

The activity is like "poor man's treasure hunting," Kane told the local outlet.

But this time they struck gold.

The pair told Spectrum News NY1 that, in the past, they had found a World War II grenade, a motorcycle, old guns, and a purse containing foreign currency and jewelry.

When they initially pulled up the safe and discovered bundles of soggy hundred-dollar bills, Agostini told Spectrum News NY1 she thought it was a joke.

Then, she said: "I lost it."

Although many of the notes were soaking wet, and some almost entirely destroyed, the couple decided to inform the police because of any potential "legalities," per Spectrum News NY1.

"Finders keepers rule has worked for us," Kane told the outlet after they were told they could keep the money.

The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The cost of magnet fishing equipment varies. Kits start at about $15 on Amazon, but specialist kits can cost hundreds.

• A Harvard study found that AI phishing scams are as effective as human ones.
• AI large language models can automate phishing, cutting costs by 95%.
• AI, however, can also help detect phishing.

Online scams might soon just be a battle between AIs, one launching the attacks and another defending against them.

Online scams are only becoming more prevalent, and with new AI technology, Harvard researchers say they could become much more difficult to avoid.

Researchers at Harvard Business School published a study that found 60% of participants were duped by AI-automated phishing emails, which was comparable to the success rates of phishing messages created by humans, they wrote in the Harvard Business Review.

Phishing scams trick users into sharing personal information. A scammer will usually send an email or some other message pretending to be a company or individual asking for credit card information, passwords, or other sensitive information.

While phishing scams are nearly as old as the internet, AI models are enhancing "their severity," researchers said. In the study, researchers found that large language models can automate the "entire phishing process" — from crafting the emails, identifying targets, and collecting information — which can reduce the cost of carrying them out by 95%.

"Because of this, we expect phishing to increase drastically in quality and quantity over the coming years," the authors wrote.

While the AI models could make phishing scams worse, the researchers suggest they could also be used to help detect and fight them.

Some AI models are better at it than others. Claude correctly identified phishing attempts even in "non-obvious phishing emails, sometimes outperforming human detection rates," the researchers wrote.

Several AI models tested in the study also provided "excellent recommendations" for responding to phishing emails once they correctly identified them.

"For example, during our experiment, LLMs encouraged users who received an attractive discount offer email to verify the offer with the company's official website, which is a great strategy to avoid phishing attacks," the researchers wrote in the Harvard Business Review.

The Federal Trade Commission says the best way to avoid phishing scams is to never click on a link from someone you don't know in an email or text message. The agency says to check if you have an account with the company or know the person and if you don't, report the message to its Anti Phishing Working Group.