Virginia Backaitis

New Jersey

Technology Talent Scout, Brilliant Leap and Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Technology talent scout at Brilliant Leap. I write about work and tech for some of the world's biggest publications. I help the C-suite create content.

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Articles

OpenAI Explores Social Network Launch to Capitalize on ChatGPT’s Popularity

1 week ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

Rumor has it that OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, could be in the early stages of developing its own social network. Or so say multiple sources familiar with the matter. The potential expansion would position OpenAI as an AI powerhouse as it seeks new ways to monetize its technology and compete with the likes of Facebook, Google and X. While still in its early stages, OpenAI has reportedly built an internal prototype featuring an interface “focused on ChatGPT’s image generation” tool.
Time-Saver or Legal Liability?

1 week ago | vktr.com | Virginia Backaitis

The latest wave of AI can do things we couldn't have imagined even five years ago. But not all AI is the same — some tips to tell the fakes from the real deal. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The old saying rings true in most cases, yet when it comes to AI solutions, all bets are off. After all, the latest generation of LLM technology can do things we wouldn't have imagined five years ago.
Sometimes AI Is a Sham

1 week ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

Sometimes, AI is a sham. Consider a startup that tried to sell me a GPT-based system capable of doing everything from identifying a prospect to closing a sale. No human input is required, or so they claimed. But, after I filled out a form on the company’s website requesting more information, a human contacted me. They never even claimed to be AI.
Time-Saver or Legal Liability?

1 week ago | reworked.co | Virginia Backaitis

The latest wave of AI can do things we couldn't have imagined even five years ago. But not all AI is the same — some tips to tell the fakes from the real deal. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The old saying rings true in most cases, yet when it comes to AI solutions, all bets are off. After all, the latest generation of LLM technology can do things we wouldn't have imagined five years ago.
Thinking Machines Lab Seeks Record-Breaking $2 Billion Seed Round

1 week ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

In what would mark one of the largest seed funding rounds in tech history, AI startup Thinking Machines Lab is reportedly looking to raise a staggering $2 billion. The company, led by former OpenAI executive Mira Murati, has quickly become the industry’s most-watched new venture. The gravitational pull of Thinking Machines Lab has proven irresistible to top talent.
Why Your Privacy Fears Keep Feeding the Data Machine

2 weeks ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

Guest post by Rich KrakmaitisIn an era marked by the relentless surge of digital technologies, privacy fears have become a pervasive concern for individuals navigating the digital landscape. These fears are not unfounded; they are grounded in the reality that personal data is commodified and utilized by various online platforms without explicit user consent. The rising tide of privacy concerns stems from a perceived lack of control over personal information.
OpenAI Talent Rally to Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab, Again

2 weeks ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

Mira Murati’s AI startup Thinking Machines Lab continues its impressive talent acquisition streak, adding two prominent former OpenAI leaders to its advisory roster. Bob McGrew, OpenAI’s previous chief research officer, and Alec Radford, a pioneering researcher behind the company’s most transformative innovations, have joined the venture. Their names appeared quietly on the company’s website in March without fanfare. Despite inquiries, a spokesperson for the startup has not responded with comments.
Meet Oumi.ai: Unconditionally Open-Source AI and Its New Hallucination Detection Model

3 weeks ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

Oumi launched a groundbreaking open-source hallucination and bias detection model today. The startup, which focuses on building an unconditionally open artificial intelligence platform, unveiled HallOumi, an 8-billion parameter model that reportedly outperforms major models including DeepSeek R1, OpenAI o1, Google Gemini 1.5 Pro, Llama 3.1 405B, and Claude Sonnet 3.5 , despite its smaller size.
What is Web Scraping?

4 weeks ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Josh Gordon |Virginia Backaitis

by Josh Gordon, infrastructure expert, GeonodeEver wondered how companies gather huge amounts of data from the internet without breaking a sweat? That’s where web scraping comes into play. Imagine having a digital assistant that tirelessly scours websites, picking up the information you need and organizing it into neat spreadsheets or databases. That’s essentially what web scraping does. Web scraping involves two main players: the crawler and the scraper.
The State of Equal Pay for Women in 2025: Persistent Gaps and the Fight for Fairness

1 month ago | digitizingpolaris.com | Virginia Backaitis

It’s Equal Pay Day, a public awareness event that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. If you’re a typical female, your situation doesn’t look pretty. Advocates and experts sound the alarm on the persistent gender pay gap and the growing threats to women’s economic security.