Also: Recovery-friendly jobs, Bob Iger's PR blunder, where's my Cybertruck? 
Good morning.
Feeling the heat yet? July 2023 is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded on earth…and possibly the hottest in 120,000 years. That’s according to data collected by the World Meteorological Organization, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, and Leipzig University. Their work shows that, based on the first three weeks of the month, July is set to be 0.2 degree Celsius (about 0.4 degree Fahrenheit) warmer than the previous warmest July in 2019. And July is typically the warmest month of the year. If you are in Greece or Arizona or Mexico, this may come as no surprise. But it moves the climate change debate from predictions to lived experience.
Separately, IT professionals are clearly feeling the first great impacts of generative A.I. Another new survey out today, which was conducted for Freshworks and covered 2,000 IT professionals around the world, found that 71% of them are already using A.I. to support their workload, and 46% are using generative A.I. tools like ChatGPT. And while they have concerns about A.I.’s tendency to produce false information (41%), security and privacy issues (38%), and the potential it may lead to layoffs (28%), they also see significant benefits, including freeing up time formerly spent on repetitive tasks (49%), and freeing up employees to do more complex work (45%).
You can read the full study here. And since it is Friday, some feedback. J.A. took me to task for this sentence yesterday—“Twenty years ago, most CEOs found it fairly easy to lay low and avoid controversy.”—writing that I should have used “lie low” not “lay low.” Anyone else care to weigh in?
Other news below.
Alan Murray
@alansmurray
alan.murray@fortune.com
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Recovery friendly
Small businesses across the U.S. are embracing policies that offer employment and workplace support to the millions of Americans recovering from substance abuse. The “recovery-friendly workplace” movement is also a bet that these policies will make businesses more attractive in a tight labor market. Workers in recovery tell Fortune’s Erika Fry that working in a supportive business boosted their self-confidence and professional ambition. Fortune
Iger’s PR blunder
Disney CEO Bob Iger made a serious communications misstep when he called demands from striking actors and writers “not realistic” earlier this month, PR experts tell Fortune. “That’s not what people want to hear” after COVID and inflation-related challenges, one marketing professor said. Studio heads, learning from Iger’s mistake, are now taking a more cautious approach when talking about the strike. Fortune
Where’s my Cybertruck?
Over 1.5 million customers are still waiting for news on when they might get their hands on Tesla’s Cybertruck, announced over three years ago. The all-electric truck has been beset with supply chain snarls, higher-than-expected costs, and the wild behavior of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Yet Tesla needs the new vehicle to reinvigorate its product line, which hasn’t seen a new model since 2020’s Model Y. Fortune
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Creating a more sustainable, inclusive, and vibrant San Francisco Revitalizing downtown San Francisco – helping to make it a sustainable place to live and work – is a goal of the Yes SF, Urban Sustainability Challenge, an UpLink challenge launched by Deloitte, Salesforce and World Economic Forum. Entrepreneurs can submit ideas for innovative solutions to renew the city’s urban spaces by August 11 for the chance to receive funding and support. Submit ideas
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