All posts tagged: conversations

The Florida Mass Shooter’s Conversations With ChatGPT Are Worse Than You Could Possibly Imagine

The Florida Mass Shooter’s Conversations With ChatGPT Are Worse Than You Could Possibly Imagine

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech In the months before he committed a grisly mass shooting, Phoenix Ikner obsessively used Open AI’s ChatGPT to engage in conversations that are about as disturbing as possible. Over the course of more than 13,000 messages with the bot obtained by the Florida Phoenix, the student at Florida State University (FSU) called himself an incel, bemoaned that God had abandoned him, repeatedly asked about Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh — and, most significantly, used ChatGPT to plan the April 17, 2025 mass shooting at his college campus that killed two and wounded seven. “If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?” the then-20-year old asked the day of the massacre, along with an eyepopping question: “By how many victims does it usually get on the medi[a?].” These alarming conversations not only reveal Ikner’s disturbed state of mind, but they also bring up difficult questions about a possible link between ChatGPT use and violence, whether …

A Novel Approach to Navigate Hard Conversations at Work

A Novel Approach to Navigate Hard Conversations at Work

Published by Jenni Sidey

Your youngest team members may just be different from the rest of your team, and the most vivid illustration of this difference is in how they perceive hard feedback. Hard is now seen as harsh. Requests for mediation or support around perceived microaggressions, emotional distress, or communication breakdowns are on the rise. Coaches often refer to Gen Z as a fragile population, believing that many parents failed to prepare them for careers. In fact, today, being offended is often a form of moral high ground. Empathy is required. Professional is now seen as personal. I see a pattern where younger employees are likely to frame feedback as personally harmful, as unfair attacks, or as lacking in psychological safety. They feel “you’re not just criticizing what I did, you’re invalidating who I am.” Any criticism feels like an assault. The amygdala in their brains can react as if they’re in physical pain. Conflict is now canceled. Gen Zers may wish to cancel any experience that’s disagreeable. Managers are unsure how to proceed for fear of being …

7 Rare Communication Skills Couples In The Strongest Relationships Use When Conversations Get Heated | Mary Ellen Goggin Jerry Duberstein

7 Rare Communication Skills Couples In The Strongest Relationships Use When Conversations Get Heated | Mary Ellen Goggin Jerry Duberstein

Published by Jenni Sidey

Marriage is supposed to be that one sacred place where you can be yourself and speak freely. But when you’re afraid to communicate with your spouse, your relationship and home life can feel more like a prison. It’s not uncommon for one or both spouses in a marriage to have difficulty being assertive in their communication with one another. Communicating our needs and desires doesn’t always come naturally, even when we love someone. Some people instinctively shy away from conflict and don’t want to trouble or inconvenience others, including a spouse. They would rather acquiesce than speak up. But the importance of communication in a good marriage is that it deepens intimacy between a couple. Communication skills strengthen relationships. While conflict avoidance is common in relationships, research has suggested it is not a good strategy for a comfortable and satisfying relationship. If and when you’re afraid to communicate with your spouse, chances are there is something more telling going on. The influence of one’s upbringing has a profound effect on their relationship behavior and communication …

How to have brutally honest conversations about money with your partner : NPR

How to have brutally honest conversations about money with your partner : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The first time Vivian Tu got “financially naked” in front of her partner — a term she uses to describe “brutally honest conversations” about money — it was out of desperation. She was just starting her career on Wall Street and living in a roach-infested apartment in New York City. She had to use her savings to break the lease and move out. So she asked her new boyfriend whether she could temporarily stay at his place. It was an opportunity to get real with him about her financial situation. She told him: “I have no money. I am broke. I have nothing.” That openness ended up strengthening their relationship, she says. Eventually, they got married. Tu is now an entrepreneur who runs Your Rich BFF, a media company that teaches people about their finances. She says it’s critical for couples to talk about money as soon as they can. It’s one of the topics of her latest book, published in February, Well Endowed, which offers advice to young people about making big financial decisions, …

People Who Have No Clue How Real Life Works Almost Always Use 11 Phrases In Casual Conversations

People Who Have No Clue How Real Life Works Almost Always Use 11 Phrases In Casual Conversations

Published by Jenni Sidey

While wealthy, advantaged people in society today often try to cover up and hide their privilege to protect their image and social perceptions, most actually have little knowledge about the reality of the world for marginalized, low-income, or disadvantaged individuals around them.  While their behaviors might be easy to conceal, people who have no clue how real life works almost always use phrases in casual conversations that give them away. Whether it’s a kind of selfishness that only people who have been spoiled adopt or a passiveness that overlooks empathy toward those who are struggling, these groups of people are clearly ignorant and privileged in a way that narrows their perspective of the world. People who have no clue how real life works almost always use 11 phrases in casual conversations 1. ‘That’s not fair’ fizkes | Shutterstock Many entitled people operate with a misguided view of fairness in their lives, believing that anything that’s not accommodating, convenient, or comfortable for them is immediately “unfair.” However, accepting that the world isn’t fair all the time gives people …

How “Supercommunicators” Make Conversations Work

How “Supercommunicators” Make Conversations Work

Published by Jenni Sidey

I’m excited to introduce a new feature on my Psychology Today blog: Wellness Reads by Dr. Deb. This series is designed for anyone who loves learning how psychology, wellness, and everyday life intersect. For the Wellness Reads blog posts, I’ll highlight a book that offers meaningful insights into how we live, relate, and grow. Following the post, you can listen to the author who will join me on the Wellness in Today’s World podcast to continue the conversation. You don’t just get to read about the ideas. You also get to hear them come alive by the author themselves. For the inaugural Wellness Reads book selection, I couldn’t think of a better choice than Charles Duhigg’s Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (2024). As a psychologist, much of my professional career is spent thinking and teaching about communication: how to communicate effectively, why it breaks down, how it can heal, and what helps people feel truly seen, valued, and respected. Duhigg’s book speaks directly to these questions in a practical, hopeful, and …

If Fake People Make You Physically Uncomfortable To Be Around, You Likely Have These 10 Rare Traits

If Fake People Make You Physically Uncomfortable To Be Around, You Likely Have These 10 Rare Traits

Published by Jenni Sidey

Every once in a while, you may come across someone who hasn’t done anything specific to you or to anyone else around you, but for some reason their presence makes you feel a bit uneasy. Suddenly, you want to leave their company but you can’t quite pinpoint why. All you know is that everything they say doesn’t feel real and they seemingly have a bit of a fake persona. They might be nice, constantly saying the right thing, but if fake people make you physically uncomfortable to be around, you likely have certain rare traits. Sometimes that discomfort isn’t judgment at all, though; rather, it’s your body picking up on something you aren’t able to put into words quite yet. After all, our gut instincts, whether it’s about people, certain places, or even a specific thing, can help guide us faster and make more accurate decisions. So, not only do you have a strong intuition, but you’re also a much more observant person than those around you. These traits, and others, are the reason why …

OpenAI Brings ChatGPT to CarPlay for Hands-Free Voice Conversations

OpenAI Brings ChatGPT to CarPlay for Hands-Free Voice Conversations

Published by skeptic

OpenAI has updated ChatGPT with support for CarPlay, which means ‌CarPlay‌ users can now ask ChatGPT questions and make requests directly from their vehicle dashboard. Apple began allowing third-party voice-based conversational apps to interface with ‌CarPlay‌ in iOS 26.4, but apps need to implement the feature and get a special entitlement from Apple. For the ChatGPT app and other apps that implement ‌CarPlay‌ support, voice has to be the primary method of interaction. Apple says that chatbot apps should not show text or imagery in response to queries. Apple has a voice control template that apps are required to use. Apps have to display the voice control screen while voice-based services are active, and apps are able to have up to four action buttons. To use ChatGPT with ‌CarPlay‌, an iPhone running iOS 26.4 or later is required. ‌CarPlay‌ has supported third-party apps for years, but Apple limits the types of apps that are available to cut down on driver distractions. Apple has a list of allowed app categories, which includes audio apps, communication apps, …

WhatsApp can now draft AI-generated responses based on your conversations

WhatsApp can now draft AI-generated responses based on your conversations

Published by skeptic

WhatsApp is rolling out a slew of new features and updates, including one that generates AI-powered suggested replies based on your conversations. The Meta-owned messaging platform is also launching other features, including a new way to free up space, the ability to touch up photos with Meta AI, and more. Most notably, however, is the app’s update to its “Writing Help” feature that helps users draft messages. Writing Help, which first launched last August, already helps users rephrase, proofread, or adjust the tone of their messages. On Thursday, the Meta-owned company said in a blog post that this latest update will help users get their message “just right.” Meta is likely hoping that people use its in-app technology when drafting messages, rather than external tools like ChatGPT. Of course, not everyone will want to use the new feature, as users likely prefer authentic, personal conversations with friends and family as opposed to AI-generated messages. (Using AI to write an email is one thing; using it to message the family group chat is another!) The company …

Gen Z Is Using AI to Have Difficult Relationship Conversations, and the Results Are Massively Cringe

Gen Z Is Using AI to Have Difficult Relationship Conversations, and the Results Are Massively Cringe

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Researchers, teachers, and mental health professionals alike have spent the past few years reeling as teens and young adults exported their brains to AI chatbots — so it should come as no surprise they’re now using the tech as a crutch to sidestep hard conversations they don’t want to have. New reporting by CNN details the troubling rise of young people using AI models like ChatGPT to step in for them during life’s delicate moments. One Yale University student identified as Patrick, for example, used ChatGPT to reject a girl he had met through some mutual friends. “Hey Emily! I hope your half-marathon went well — I’m sure you crushed it,” Patrick began. The ensuing text, six paragraphs long and chock full of ChatGPTisms, may be the perfect distillation of 21st century cringe. In it, the AI’s version of Patrick said it’d be cool to “hang out more — whether it’s just as friends or whatever it was …