Persuasive?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/08/writing-is-an-exercise-in-the-art-of-persuasion-if-we-use-ai-we-lose-the-art

Writing is an exercise in the art of persuasion. If we use AI we lose the art

A few weeks ago, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, an academic in political science at Macquarie University, wrote an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald in which she reported on excessive use of AI chatbots by students to write their essays.

In it, she raised her concern that universities are qualifying lawyers, nurses, financial advisers, engineers and teachers who do not have the essential skills required to perform their roles. If that is the case, the societal consequences are obvious.

Not everybody in the university sector agrees, and the University of Western Sydney’s pro vice-chancellor for quality and integrity, Prof Cath Ellis, wrote an opinion piece in rebuttal.

There was a problem, though. Ellis’s piece itself was written by AI – which was not disclosed to the newspaper. Readers spotted the telltales of AI phraseology, and social media lit up with negative comments.

(Related)

https://www.axios.com/2026/06/08/ai-america-literacy

AI is masking America's "post-literate" workforce

Millions of working Americans struggle to read at a functional level — and artificial intelligence may be helping hide it.

Why it matters: Low literacy is quietly becoming a major economic drag, even as AI tools allow workers to complete tasks they may not fully understand.

• Experts warn that this can mask deeper skill gaps until workers are asked to make judgments, solve problems or evaluate AI-generated answers.

• Some researchers call this "cognitive surrender" — when people defer to AI outputs without fully evaluating them.

• That creates a workforce that looks productive on the surface but is vulnerable to disruption.

Tools & Techniques.

https://www.bespacific.com/google-pinpoint-explained/

Google Pinpoint Explained

Wondertools: “Google’s Pinpoint is now open to everyone. It’s a surprisingly powerful free tool for making sense of giant piles of digital stuff. (Before June 3, it was restricted to journalists and academics). Read on to learn more about creative ways to use Pinpoint; its new AI features and their limitations; and how Pinpoint differs from NotebookLM.  How Pinpoint Works – Pinpoint lets you store and analyze hundreds of thousands of files so you can find tiny needles in gigantic digital haystacks.

• Pinpoint can transcribe hundreds of hours of audio and video.

• It also makes your handwritten text, scans, and PDFs searchable, like my enormous collection of scanned handwritten notes and whiteboards.

• Once Pinpoint processes your files you can search, summarize, and organize your collections.

• Pinpoint makes it easy to query, label, and extract data from hundreds or thousands of documents. It’s simple to use. No complex menus or commands…”