Mike McBride Online

Tech

Gmail Users Losing POP and Getting AI Whether We Like It or Not
ByMike McBride January 10, 2026January 10, 2026 Reading Time: 1 minute

Personally, I’ve moved away from using the POP feature in Gmail to import mail from other email accounts into Gmail to take advantage of the spam protection. Since I host my own sites and my own M365 tenant, much of that spam protection lives elsewhere for me, but I can understand why others have continued to use it.

But it’s going away.

Never fear, though. In 2026, Google wouldn’t dare let you have a product that doesn’t feature AI. So, we’re all getting the AI Inbox, and you will have to opt out if you do not want an AI-generated list of to-dos and summaries instead of just reading your email.

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Artificial Intelligence | Personal | SocialNetworking

Worth Reading – Is 2026 The Year We All Decide to Quit the Internet?
ByMike McBride January 5, 2026January 4, 2026 Reading Time: 2 minutes

I’ve always written under the assumption that people were reading what I put out here and, hopefully, learning something. In the age of AI-slop, I want more of that, and only that. I’m seeking it out and connecting with it. I am not connecting with people who are creating crap content in a chase for attention. Bring your authentic self, or I’m ready to assume your account is AI slop.

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Artificial Intelligence | SocialNetworking

Worth Reading – X Users Have the Power to Edit Any Image Without Permission
ByMike McBride January 2, 2026January 1, 2026 Reading Time: 2 minutes

Should we start a pool on the first Grok-produced image harassment case to hit the courts? Will it be simple harassment, or will it involve CSAM, revenge porn, etc.? There’s no way this doesn’t get misused, and Elon knows it. He doesn’t care.

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Artificial Intelligence | LawFirms

Worth Reading – The Achilles’ Heel of AI: The Data That Feeds It
ByMike McBride December 24, 2025December 24, 2025 Reading Time: 1 minute

This challenge, in part, is why my job title is now related to Information Governance and Compliance. It’s recognizing that data is a valuable asset and a significant risk. Grounding your AI in low-quality data is a massive risk

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LawFirms | Mental Health

Worth Reading – The Legal Profession Cannot Yoga Its Way Out of a Mental Health Crisis
ByMike McBride December 18, 2025December 17, 2025 Reading Time: 1 minute

Yoga or mindfulness seminars are nice, but they won’t eliminate the mental health impacts of working 60-80 hours every week. If that’s your expectation, you are harming your employees. If your business model depends on causing this harm, don’t be surprised that people opt to do something other than continuing to work for you. It’s in their best interests.

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Artificial Intelligence

Worth Reading – AI can change political opinions by flooding voters with real and fabricated facts
ByMike McBride December 13, 2025December 13, 2025 Reading Time: 1 minute

So what you’re telling me is that AI chatbots can spout so much bullshit, so fast, and so confidently that they are incredibly effective at changing people’s political beliefs?

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