Digital trailblazer talks Artificial Intelligence
Every minute of every day, 1 million people ask Siri a question. Two thousand Taylor Swift songs are streaming. Sixteen thousand videos are uploaded to Tik Tok. Four million or more likes are clicked on Facebook posts.
Also, each minute, nearly 6 million Google searches are conducted, Theresa Payton told a North Platte audience Tuesday during a Town Hall presentation.
In addition to all of that, the use of artificial intelligence is exploding. Payton said there were 6 million Google searches per minute last year, but that was less than the year before. The amount of google searches in decreasing these days, in favor of such programs as Chat GPT and Grok, and other free Artificial Intelligence assistants that can answer complex questions and solve problems.
People wonder if their online information is secure. How easily can their phone or computer be hacked. Could their identity be stolen. Could their information be held for ransom?
The dangers increase with fake images and fake voices that AI can generate. An NBA program is underway that can substitute a person’s image into an action video of a pro basketball player.
People should use old-school safeguards such as keeping their own records, cross-checking, asking for sources. Always have a backup plan, a playbook for disaster, like you do if the power goes out or you are trapped in a blizzard.
Payton also talked about the advantages of AI. Chat GPT, Grok and other assistants can help unravel computer code, analyze ways to improve your company or personal interactions, even write sophisticated plans to upgrade a business.
Payton advises not only using passwords to safeguard information, but also “passphrases” shared with business colleagues, friends or family members, so communications are not hijacked. She advises practicing the phrase, so you won’t forget it when you need it. If you can’t remember the phrase when it’s needed, ask someone in the group about something only the two of you would know, such as the name of book you shared or movie you talked about at length.
The rapid deployment of artificial intelligence in the workplace and home can be breathtaking.
She recently asked Grok to generate a list of 1,000 questions about how to make a business better. Grok generated the list. Then she asked for answers to the top 10 questions. Grok gave them to her.
People should use old-school safeguards such as keeping written records, cross-checking, asking AI advisors for sources. Always have a backup plan, a playbook for disaster, like you do if the power goes out or you are trapped in a blizzard. Keep key phone numbers in a safe place. Keep handwritten records. People should audit their AI shadow. Ask the AI advisor for all the information about yourself, and demand it be corrected or removed.
She goes to “extreme measures” when she travels, filing a trip plan in advance so people will know where and when to find her, and she blocks access to and from sources that are unneeded.
She said it is wise to verify information from AI, but to trust it enough to use it.
Payton said AI is not just about reshaping technology, it is rewriting the way people interact. Ninety-five percent of customer interactions will be powered by AI by the end of the year, according to Servion Global Solutions.
When asked about the potential of bots one day dominating mankind, she said it is a valid concern. She favors the creation of a digital bill of rights so a person can always know how and where their information is used. She’s advocated for it for more than a decade.
And she said CEOs are putting guardrails in place – kill switches so processes can be stopped if they go off the rails. She said automated processes can be required to “show their think modes” to inspectors.
Dangers exist, for example, “We’ve seen how addictive social media can be. There is a lack of guardrails there,” she said. Yet she said extensive federal restrictions would probably be outmoded before they could be enacted.
Payton is a trailblazer in technology in banking and the White House. She was the first woman to serve as the White House communications director under George W. Bush. She starred in the cast of the CBS TV reality hide-and-seek show, “Hunted.”
Her 2024 book, Manipulated, is one of 10 “must-read” books about cyber-crime, according the Guardian news service.
The lecture series
It is the 43rd year of Town Hall Lecture Series in North Platte, covering topics of the science, history, current events and the arts.
Annual memberships pay for admission to four lectures for $75 a year plus tax. The price is good through May. The price will increase to $85 a year after June 1 to cover the rising costs of speakers. More information can be found at www.nptownhall.com. Season tickets may be purchased online or by contacting Betty at 308.530.8448.
Looking ahead, the Lecture Series will present:
May 14 – Laurie Woolever, “What I Learned From Traveling With Bourdain”
In the 2025-26 season:
- Sept, 23 – Andy Buckley, from the hit show The Office.
- Oct. 9 – Shailee Basnet, part of the first female team to climb Mt. Everest.
- April 14, 2026 – Kate Anderson Brower, a glimpse of first families in the White House.
- May 6, 2026 – Cece Moore, real life stories of a DNA detective.
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