by Todd Pillars | Jan 30, 2025 | AI, News
The US Copyright Office just released a 52-page report on their stance towards content created by and with AI.
Here are the main takeaways:
- AI-generated content alone cannot be copyrighted – A human must make creative arrangements or modifications to the output to be protected.
- Simply issuing prompts to an AI system does not qualify for copyright protection.
- Using AI as a tool as part of a larger human-generated work does not prevent copyright protection.
- No new laws are needed. Existing copyright law principles are flexible enough to apply to AI technology.
Source: https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/copyright-office-releases-part-2-of-artificial-intelligence-report/s/f3959c36-d616-498d-b8f9-67641fd18bab
Part 1: https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/copyright-office-releases-part-1-of-artificial-intelligence-report–recommends-federal-digital-repli/s/33eeaa40-8847-4668-9c58-8a45c3ac9e01
by Todd Pillars | Jan 2, 2025 | AI, Leadership, News, Start Up
My annual tradition continues: what three words will guide me and my business this year?
Empathy
It’s the ability to know when someone is experiencing a difficult time while staying present and supportive without taking on their feelings as our own. Empathy enables us to recognize their challenges while maintaining the clarity needed to help them find solutions. For me, it’s an important part of building trust, talking openly, and showing genuine care.
In work and life, empathy helps us connect with others in a real way while keeping healthy boundaries. When we practice this understanding approach, we can show others we hear them and value their feelings without getting weighed down by their worries. This balanced way of connecting helps us become better leaders, form stronger bonds with people, and grow in our own lives too.
Authenticity
Is about staying true to who you are in both your words and actions. It’s not just about being honest, it’s about staying true to your inner self by expressing your real thoughts and feelings, not pretending to be someone else to gain approval or fit in. When you’re authentic, people trust you because they see you as genuine and consistent, someone they can depend on.
In both personal and professional settings, authenticity strengthens relationships by fostering trust and mutual respect. It allows you to act with confidence and integrity, even when faced with challenges or pressure. By being authentic, you create deeper connections, build credibility, and live in alignment with your values and purpose.
Impact
is about creating meaningful change and leaving a lasting impression. When it comes to reach, it’s not just about how many people you connect with but how deeply your message resonates. True impact inspires others to think, feel, or act in ways that align with their values and needs.
Reaching more people means multiplying opportunities to share your message. Social media, public speaking, or even word of mouth can expand your influence. But reach alone isn’t enough. It must be paired with clarity and consistency to ensure your connections are genuine and lasting. Impact comes from the quality of your influence, not just the quantity.
AI – A New Direction
2024 marked the rise of Generative AI. Major players like OpenAI, Meta, Google, Anthropic, and even X unveiled their visions for the future of AI, setting the stage for profound shifts across industries. Fields like marketing, photography, and filmmaking are being reshaped in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago.
What unites these advancements is AI’s ability to enhance both the reach and impact of your message. It enables hyper-personalization, deep research, trend analysis, and unmatched scalability. However, the key lies in using AI ethically — with empathy and authenticity. When you use technology in a way that stays true to your values and shows respect for your audience, it becomes a powerful way to build trust and create authority and influence.
I’ve always said, “The more High-Tech we become, the more we need High Touch!”
Many of you know I spent 17+ years in the I.T. space and the pull of the Startup World is strong. I’ll be “Building In Public” soon and I hope you’ll join me on this journey! You can subscribe to my Newsletter here.
by Todd Pillars | Jan 2, 2023 | News
Normally my year-end review and goal-setting session include choosing three words that succinctly describe what I want to accomplish over the coming year. This time I’m going with just one word! One, that has three meanings.
Forge
- To be formed by extreme heat and pressure.
- To create relationships and opportunities to serve.
- Move forward, even (or especially) against adversity.
2022 was an extremely trying year! From starting a new career (non-self-employed OR a J.O.B.) in a non-marketing related field to working with a completely incompetent, micro-managing, and narcissistic elected official that lost her re-election bid, to not knowing if I had a job because said “elected” lost, to getting picked up (retained) by the incoming Commish and offered a huge jump in salary to do a job that I had no clue I’d love as much as I do. And, that was just 1/3 of my time.
I also earned my Level 2 USA Hockey Youth Coach and am an Assistant Coach on my son’s 12U Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning Ice Hockey team. (2022 Florida State Champions 12U White). I was off the ice for 38 years and now skate 5 times a week – 2 days for my own time – Mid-level Novice at Advent Health Center Ice and a clinic at PowerPole Arena in Tampa. Plus I dropped almost 20 lbs. in the process.
For 2023 I’ve decided (well, honestly, it was part of retaining me at work ) that I’m going to college. I’ve picked Pasco Hernando State College for this #57YearOldFreshman. I will be pursuing an A.A. in Political Science with the intention to transfer to the University of Central Florida’s B.A. in their PoliSci program in 2025-26. From there? Who knows.
If you’d asked me in November of 2019 where I thought I’d be in 2023? My answer would’ve been much different
For now, it’s head down at work, head up on the ice, and nose in the books for 2023!
by Todd Pillars | Jan 2, 2023 | News
Or, better yet: How I spent 38 years allowing my belief that I was dumb to hold me back.
The first full week of January brings another facet of my growth – I enrolled in College. Pasco Hernando State College to be exact. I’ll talk about the primary reasons here, as much as to walk through my thought process as to document the occasion.
I graduated June 6th, 1984 from Gobles Public High School in Gobles, Michigan (pop. 851) with what I thought was a class of 42 (but recently found out was actually 60.) I don’t much recall walking across the stage to receive my diploma, just heard my name and I ran to shake Tommy D’s hand before he changed his mind. I do remember thinking that I’m glad that it went alphabetically instead of by grade so I wouldn’t be #43 (a story I’ve carried with me for 38 years.)
As I got back to my seat I also remember thinking that I was looking forward to taking time off from school because well, kids that got a lot of C’s in their classes, had double-digit “absences” and a record 48 tardies over 4 years, and marginal scores on their ACTs didn’t have much opportunity to go on to anything but maybe Community College. If only I had been just a little better at sports!
So after a year of kinda wandering, going through two J.O.B.s, I did just that; I enrolled at Kalamazoo Community College. Because of my mediocre ACTs I was required to take remedial Grammar and Mathematics. During the entrance test, I was faced with not knowing what a dangling participle was (which literally haunts me to this day.) I promptly dropped out and joined the U.S. Air Force. And spent 38 years thinking I was dumb…
…fast forward to last fall. I was told that if I wanted more opportunities and more money I had to get my degree. It didn’t matter the college I chose, online or on campus, full- or part-time, but I had to get that second piece of paper if I wanted to advance. I went from being adamantly opposed to scared to death that my academic history would repeat itself.
Reluctantly, I started researching online colleges – there was no way I could work full-time, be a part-time hockey coach, and go to school in person. I also had to find a school that Pasco County BoCC would offer tuition reimbursement. Private colleges like SNHU, WGU, and Full Sail were 100% self-paced and online but weren’t “approved.” I didn’t want to go into debt to get a raise!
So with my list of qualifying nearby colleges – St. Leo University, University of Central Florida, and Pasco Hernando State College – I started my application process. First stop: I had to request my High School transcripts. I was sure they were in a storage room somewhere, tucked into an old dusty metal 4-drawer filing cabinet, near the back of the drawer where C-grade students were kept. Yet, the part-time receptionist found my transcripts within minutes of my request and sent me a copy, much to my chagrin, stating my grades were not as sucky as I previously thought!
To be clear, I wasn’t going to get into Harvard, but, I wasn’t last in my class, either. (Cue the hypnotic, spiraling tunnel visual)
What I had heard all those years ago – that I was behind 42 other students in my class – was not what the transcripts said at all. Let’s do the NEW math: There were actually 60 kids in my class and I was ranked 18th! Meaning my grades were “better” than 42 other students. Granted, my attitude back then sucked and I was an athletic snob, but I wasn’t the C student that I thought I was all those years. In fact, my GPA was 2.849 – a B-! What a difference that would have made to an 18-year-old from a family that had, up to that point, no college graduates.
So tomorrow I’m excited to become a #57YearOldFreshman at PHSC on my way to a degree in Political Science, 38 years in the making. Come, join me on this adventure!
by Todd Pillars | Jan 2, 2020 | News
Picking up the tradition Chris Brogan started 13 years ago I’ve thought long and hard about what three words will guide me through this year. Why? Because I’ve never done it before and my year didn’t turn out as I would have liked. So, let’s give it a whirl and prove Chris right!
2019 was a strange year.
Looking back on the ups and downs of 2019 only one word came to mind: Meh.
There were some amazing high points, like becoming a Certified Go-Giver Speaker with Bob Burg (I have been a Certified Coach since 2011) and spending a long weekend honing my photography skills with Peter Hurley, (arguably) the best Headshot photographer in the world. But, the frustrations of not completing a couple of key goals really got me down.
My 3 words
Humor. Life can be decidedly unfunny at times. As I’ve gotten older I’ve found it harder to laugh about things – especially about myself. I’m going to consciously look for the lighter side of things, and in the process, hopefully, make others laugh too.
Empathy. Generalizing, I think we assume this to mean “walk a mile in another person’s shoes.” There’s more to it though, or as Bob says, “but we all have different sized feet!” Our environment causes us to look at things differently. We all have our own unique perspectives. I’m going to listen more to try and understand the why of what people say and do.
Consistency. Fits and starts almost killed me last year. I’ve created a schedule for on my calendar until activities and tasks become a habit. Life happens, but I’m less likely to get derailed if I have a strong habit of regularly getting things done. I’m not going to repeat last year!
What about you?
Leave a comment below with your three words or join the conversation over in Twitter with #My3Words. See you soon!
Chris Brogan’s post: https://chrisbrogan.com/3words2020/
Bob Burg’s The Go-Giver Certified Speaker Program https://gogiverspeaker.com/
Peter Hurley’s Headshot Crew https://headshotcrew.com/
