Ask Candid Candace: Can AI be trusted, and are the Bears breaking up with Chicago?

Dear Candid Candace:  Am I safe with AI? It seems like AI is everywhere these days, on our phones, computers and just about everywhere else. Honestly, I'm not sure whether to embrace it or hide all my devices in a drawer.

Signed, Digitally Nervous in Chicago

Dear Digitally Nervous:  You're not alone! The common-sense answer is yes, you can use AI safely, but treat it like you would a very smart stranger at a cocktail party: interesting, helpful but definitely not someone you should tell everything to. Don't share passwords, Social Security numbers, financial information or other highly personal details, and don't automatically believe everything AI tells you. Be especially careful with unexpected links, messages, photos or videos, since scammers are increasingly using AI to make fraud look very convincing.

In other words, use AI as a tool, not as your diary, banker or personal fortune teller. And if an AI-generated photo of your dog suddenly tells you he's won the lottery, I wouldn't start searching for a new car. 

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Dear Candid Candace:  Are the Bears really leaving Chicago? I'm getting whiplash trying to keep up. First Arlington Heights, then Hammond, Indiana. Are the Bears actually moving, or is this just another chapter in the never-ending stadium saga?

Signed, Confused in the End Zone

Dear Confused:  You aren't the only one reaching for migraine meds. The Bears are still playing at Soldier Field, but their stadium future is looking increasingly like a move across the state line. In June, the team's board voted to advance its stadium development project in Hammond, Indiana. Then in August, Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said the team's “sole focus” was a new stadium and mixed-use development in Hammond. The team has been studying two potential Hammond sites, Lost Marsh and Wolf Lake Terminal, and has even raised the possibility of using portions of both. 

So, are the Bears leaving Chicago? That's where things appear to be headed, but the final Hammond site and development agreement have not been completed. For now, the Bears remain very much a Chicago team, and they're still playing their 2026 home games at Soldier Field. 

It's not over till it's over.....

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