Heidi C. Mannetter
@heidimannetter.bsky.social
Professor, risk management consultant, and researcher. Easily distracted by shiny objects. Trying like hell to use my powers for good. Currently studying genAI in higher ed. Fueled by cold brew coffee and mom guilt. Opinions are my own.
One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting on the floor in the corner of a tiny office in Iowa Falls with my baby sister while my parents spent what felt like hours talking to their PCA officer. It must have been 1980-81. I am having a very real physical reaction to today's Register headline:
November 20, 2025 at 12:47 PM
One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting on the floor in the corner of a tiny office in Iowa Falls with my baby sister while my parents spent what felt like hours talking to their PCA officer. It must have been 1980-81. I am having a very real physical reaction to today's Register headline:
Well of course OpenAI wants brands to upload all of their brand IP to ChatGPT. Am I alone in thinking that there is no way brands that have spent decades building goodwill & equity through mascots they control (vs. unpredictable human spokespeople) are just going to turn their creative over to AI?
November 4, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Well of course OpenAI wants brands to upload all of their brand IP to ChatGPT. Am I alone in thinking that there is no way brands that have spent decades building goodwill & equity through mascots they control (vs. unpredictable human spokespeople) are just going to turn their creative over to AI?
This is a textbook example of "how to turn a crisis into an opportunity." Companies scapegoat AI to justify massive layoffs, but AI isn't causing these RIFs. Most of these firings should be blamed on low consumer confidence as our economy careens towards a recession.
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing as AI Starts to Bite
Companies ranging from Amazon to Target are sending workers into an unwelcoming market.
www.wsj.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This is a textbook example of "how to turn a crisis into an opportunity." Companies scapegoat AI to justify massive layoffs, but AI isn't causing these RIFs. Most of these firings should be blamed on low consumer confidence as our economy careens towards a recession.
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
When does all the winning start? Screenshot of headlines from this morning's Iowa Business Record,
September 5, 2025 at 2:19 PM
When does all the winning start? Screenshot of headlines from this morning's Iowa Business Record,
I suppose it could be considered refreshing that a genAI company is saying the quiet part out out in its marketing and positioning, but I am not sure I want to live in a world where most written work is simply the AI snake is eating its AI tail.
April 24, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I suppose it could be considered refreshing that a genAI company is saying the quiet part out out in its marketing and positioning, but I am not sure I want to live in a world where most written work is simply the AI snake is eating its AI tail.
Reposted by Heidi C. Mannetter
Notable that AI is getting a *lot* less priority from management teams when they talk to investors.
April 24, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Notable that AI is getting a *lot* less priority from management teams when they talk to investors.
Posts no one wants to read but I am going to share anyway, #248: Why I felt compelled to draft a critical discourse analysis on university funding narratives based on two episodes of a popular podcast.
April 13, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Posts no one wants to read but I am going to share anyway, #248: Why I felt compelled to draft a critical discourse analysis on university funding narratives based on two episodes of a popular podcast.
List of Iowa layoffs since the first of the year from today's Business Record:
April 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
List of Iowa layoffs since the first of the year from today's Business Record:
Marketing, comms, & design students: here's a real-life example of why you don't put white font on a yellow background with no outline if you want your audience to be able to read your message at a glance (Marketing rule #246: make it easy for your audience to comprehend your message). #GoCyclones
March 24, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Marketing, comms, & design students: here's a real-life example of why you don't put white font on a yellow background with no outline if you want your audience to be able to read your message at a glance (Marketing rule #246: make it easy for your audience to comprehend your message). #GoCyclones
What a loss for not only the U of I, but the state of Iowa. This program brought people from all over the world to our state. Some fell in love with Iowa and chose to stay and raise families here, others featured Iowa in their written works. www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/202...
Federal funds canceled for University of Iowa's International Writing Program
The U.S. Department of State canceled its funding of the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. It’s the end of a 58-year-old partnership, which has brought writers from all over the worl...
www.iowapublicradio.org
March 7, 2025 at 2:08 PM
What a loss for not only the U of I, but the state of Iowa. This program brought people from all over the world to our state. Some fell in love with Iowa and chose to stay and raise families here, others featured Iowa in their written works. www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/202...
Ezra thinks that AI is going to eliminate most marketing jobs. Another 'expert' confused about marketing & comms. I can't wait to meet the GAI that can do product dev, manage multi-channel distribution, & integrate dozens of vendors. @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Government Knows AGI is Coming
Podcast Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 03/04/2025 · 1h 6m
podcasts.apple.com
March 5, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Ezra thinks that AI is going to eliminate most marketing jobs. Another 'expert' confused about marketing & comms. I can't wait to meet the GAI that can do product dev, manage multi-channel distribution, & integrate dozens of vendors. @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Reposted by Heidi C. Mannetter
Trudeau: "I want to speak first directly to the American people. We don't want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally. We don't want to see you hurt either. But your government has chosen to do this to you. As of this morning, markets are down and inflation is set to rise dramatically."
March 4, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Trudeau: "I want to speak first directly to the American people. We don't want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally. We don't want to see you hurt either. But your government has chosen to do this to you. As of this morning, markets are down and inflation is set to rise dramatically."
Reposted by Heidi C. Mannetter
We’re witnessing a Brexit-level instance of completely unnecessary economic destruction. A country that’s not hit by any shock, but simply chooses policy self-harm.
JFC. The US Economic Policy Uncertainty Index is at its highest level since 2000, higher than during the Financial Crisis, higher than during COVID
February 26, 2025 at 11:28 PM
We’re witnessing a Brexit-level instance of completely unnecessary economic destruction. A country that’s not hit by any shock, but simply chooses policy self-harm.
This is a big deal for large review sites like Wirecutter and review bloggers. www.wsj.com/business/med...
Google Tweak Creates Crisis for Product-Review Sites
New rules for recommendation sites such as Forbes Vetted and CNN Underscored threaten their business models and hurt freelancers.
www.wsj.com
February 28, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is a big deal for large review sites like Wirecutter and review bloggers. www.wsj.com/business/med...
Sad day for Iowa. www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
Iowa Senate passes bill ending trans civil rights after thousands protest at the Capitol
Protesters filled the Iowa Capitol on Thursday as lawmakers prepared for final votes on a bill removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
www.desmoinesregister.com
February 27, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Sad day for Iowa. www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/p...
It's a sad day to be an Iowan. My state has the distinction of being the first in the nation to revoke rights previously granted by the state legislature; the majority of senators voted in favor of stripping transgender Iowans of their discrimination protections.
February 27, 2025 at 9:44 PM
It's a sad day to be an Iowan. My state has the distinction of being the first in the nation to revoke rights previously granted by the state legislature; the majority of senators voted in favor of stripping transgender Iowans of their discrimination protections.
Iowa has the highest cancer rate in the nation. I have to wonder how many of these Iowan cancer survivors received treatment funded in part by Medicare/Medicaid? www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/rive...
2025 Iowa cancer report finds fewer Iowans are dying from cancer
Iowa has one of the highest cancer rates in the U.S., but advancements have led to more survivors of cancer.
www.iowapublicradio.org
February 27, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Iowa has the highest cancer rate in the nation. I have to wonder how many of these Iowan cancer survivors received treatment funded in part by Medicare/Medicaid? www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/rive...
December 2023-24. Imagine with this map will look like a year from now based on current events. www.axios.com/2025/02/11/u...
Where unemployment is rising and falling
Over two-thirds of U.S. metros ended 2024 with higher unemployment compared to a year prior.
www.axios.com
February 24, 2025 at 4:44 PM
December 2023-24. Imagine with this map will look like a year from now based on current events. www.axios.com/2025/02/11/u...
The EU has stronger data privacy laws than many US states because the Holocaust still feels like recent history to many Europeans - they have a memory of the adverse consequences of providing the government access to personal information like race & religion. 1/x www.techradar.com/pro/security...
Profit over privacy? Google gives advertisers more personal info in major ‘fingerprinting’ U-turn
Privacy campaigners condemn controversial Google practice
www.techradar.com
February 18, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The EU has stronger data privacy laws than many US states because the Holocaust still feels like recent history to many Europeans - they have a memory of the adverse consequences of providing the government access to personal information like race & religion. 1/x www.techradar.com/pro/security...
Reposted by Heidi C. Mannetter
One of our supporters shared this with us—people are getting creative tonight!
February 14, 2025 at 4:25 AM
One of our supporters shared this with us—people are getting creative tonight!
Louder for the folks in the back. The left has a marketing & messaging problem. Marketing 101: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. The facts, logic, data, and multi-syllabic words that Dems use to talk to each other is not the language of constituents. 54% of Americans' literacy is below 6th grade level.
February 14, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Louder for the folks in the back. The left has a marketing & messaging problem. Marketing 101: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. The facts, logic, data, and multi-syllabic words that Dems use to talk to each other is not the language of constituents. 54% of Americans' literacy is below 6th grade level.
My research on generative AI is unexpectedly overlapping with what is currently happening in Washington. A 🧵: 1/x
February 13, 2025 at 6:52 PM
My research on generative AI is unexpectedly overlapping with what is currently happening in Washington. A 🧵: 1/x
Iowa lawmakers could use their time to address the state's well-documented water quality issues and backing research to determine why Iowa is leading the nation in cancer cases, but instead we get this: www.radioiowa.com/2025/02/12/b...
Backers urge Iowa House to pass bill on ;chemtrails' - Radio Iowa
Nearly two dozen Republicans in the Iowa House are co-sponsoring a bill that would ban chemical emissions for the purpose of changing the weather. A subcommittee hearing on the bill yesterday was pack...
www.radioiowa.com
February 12, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Iowa lawmakers could use their time to address the state's well-documented water quality issues and backing research to determine why Iowa is leading the nation in cancer cases, but instead we get this: www.radioiowa.com/2025/02/12/b...
It's hardly been two years, but genAI is already making us dumber:
“you deprive the user of the opportunities to practice their judgement & strengthen their cognitive [skills], leaving them atrophied & unprepared when the exceptions do arise,” the researchers wrote. www.404media.co/microsoft-st...
“you deprive the user of the opportunities to practice their judgement & strengthen their cognitive [skills], leaving them atrophied & unprepared when the exceptions do arise,” the researchers wrote. www.404media.co/microsoft-st...
Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”
Researchers find that the more people use AI at their job, the less critical thinking they use.
www.404media.co
February 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
It's hardly been two years, but genAI is already making us dumber:
“you deprive the user of the opportunities to practice their judgement & strengthen their cognitive [skills], leaving them atrophied & unprepared when the exceptions do arise,” the researchers wrote. www.404media.co/microsoft-st...
“you deprive the user of the opportunities to practice their judgement & strengthen their cognitive [skills], leaving them atrophied & unprepared when the exceptions do arise,” the researchers wrote. www.404media.co/microsoft-st...
There is no way the ag lobby will allow farmers to suffer any real consequences. The administration will carve out exceptions and all of those farmers who only get their information from Fox News and voted for Trump will get their money, just wait.
The federal government promised it would reimburse farmers for millions in infrastructure investments, but Trump's funding freeze just left farmers on the hook.
And if Trump's tariffs go through, farmers will be in even more dire straits.
A "new Golden Age" for whom?
And if Trump's tariffs go through, farmers will be in even more dire straits.
A "new Golden Age" for whom?
Farmers on the hook for millions after Trump freezes USDA funds
The White House had repeatedly said the funding freeze would not affect benefits that go directly to individuals.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 10, 2025 at 11:19 PM
There is no way the ag lobby will allow farmers to suffer any real consequences. The administration will carve out exceptions and all of those farmers who only get their information from Fox News and voted for Trump will get their money, just wait.