Spanish data regulator orders Worldcoin to stop processing biometric data in Spain
The Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) has ordered a precautionary measure against Tools for Humanity Corporation, the company behind Worldcoin, to cease collection and processing of personal data in Spain. The AEPD received complaints alleging insufficient information, collection of data from minors, and inability to withdraw consent. The regulator acted under GDPR Article 66.1 to prevent potentially irreparable harm to individuals' data protection rights.
- Company involved
- Tools for Humanity Corporation
- AI system involved
- Worldcoin
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Evolv backtracks on claimed UK government testing of AI weapons scanner
Evolv Technology, maker of AI-powered weapons scanners, backtracked on claims that its system had been tested by the UK government's National Protective Security Authority. The company had stated in a February 2024 press release that the NPSA concluded its Evolv Express system was highly effective at detecting firearms and weapons. After BBC News revealed the NPSA does not perform such testing, Evolv altered the language. The company is under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission over its marketing practices. Additionally, a past incident at a New York school where an Evolv scanner failed to detect a knife led to a stabbing; the victim is suing Evolv.
- Company involved
- Evolv Technology
- AI system involved
- Evolv Express
3 source articles · read the reporting →
First Accident Before Test Phase: Robotaxis Launch in Furttal
Erster Unfall, bevor die Testphase beginnt: Robotaxis starten im Furttal - nzz.ch
Switzerland's first self-driving taxi service launched in the Furttal region near Zurich, but three days before the start a test vehicle had a minor accident in Dänikon, damaging a ground plate and two tires. The pilot project, called Iamo, aims to complement public transport, with a safety driver on board during the test phase.
- Company involved
- Swiss Transit Lab
1 source article · read the reporting →
Airbnb bans users in Australia using trustworthiness algorithm
Airbnb is accused of using an algorithm acquired from Trooly to score users' trustworthiness based on publicly available data, including social media and occupation. Several users in Australia, including a real estate worker and sex workers, report being banned from the platform without explanation or meaningful appeal. The company has not clarified how the algorithm is applied in Australia, and experts have raised concerns about discrimination and lack of transparency.
- Company involved
- Airbnb
- AI system involved
- Trooly
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Google AI Overviews hallucinates Airbus involvement in Air India crash
Google's AI Overviews feature generated incorrect search results claiming that a fatal Air India crash involved an Airbus A330, when the aircraft was actually a Boeing 787. The error was spotted by a Reddit user and reported by Ars Technica. Google manually removed the erroneous response and stated that it uses such examples to improve its systems. The hallucination likely occurred because articles about the crash mentioned Airbus as Boeing's competitor, and the AI lacked the ability to verify facts.
- Company involved
- Google
- AI system involved
- AI Overviews
1 source article · read the reporting →
ChatGPT fabricates travel destinations, endangering tourists in Peru and Japan
Tourists using ChatGPT to plan trips have been given fabricated information, including a non-existent canyon in Peru that could have led to a fatal hike, and incorrect cable car times in Japan that left a couple stranded on a mountain. Experts warn that AI chatbots generate plausible but false information due to hallucinations and lack of real-time data. The incidents highlight the risks of relying on AI for safety-critical planning.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
3 source articles · read the reporting →
FTC Orders Edmodo to Stop Unlawful Collection of Children's Data for Advertising
The FTC filed a complaint against Edmodo, an education technology provider, alleging that it collected personal information from children under 13 without parental consent and used it for advertising, in violation of the COPPA Rule. Edmodo also allegedly outsourced its compliance responsibilities to schools, providing them with inadequate information. Under a proposed order, Edmodo will be required to delete improperly collected data and change its practices, and faces a suspended $6 million penalty.
- Company involved
- Edmodo, LLC
- AI system involved
- Edmodo
1 source article · read the reporting →
Fake Epstein Island toy ad created with OpenAI's Sora 2 goes viral
A fake commercial created using OpenAI's Sora 2 video tool has spread online, depicting a mock children's toy ad set on 'Epstein Island' with references to Donald Trump and child exploitation allegations. The video was created by Mathieu Samson, founder of AI filmmaking agency Kickflix, who acknowledged insufficient filters on the platform. OpenAI has not yet responded to the incident.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora 2
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Zhihu denies using behaviour perception system to monitor employees
Zhihu, a Chinese Q&A platform, was accused of using a behaviour perception system to monitor employees' visits to job-seeking websites and resume submissions. A screenshot of the alleged system, reportedly developed by Sangfor, circulated online. Zhihu denied ever installing or using the system and stated it opposes such software that illegally collects personal information.
- Company involved
- Zhihu
- AI system involved
- Behaviour perception system
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Engineer.ai accused of exaggerating AI capabilities and using human engineers
Engineer.ai, an AI startup based in Los Angeles and Delhi, was accused by The Wall Street Journal of using human engineers to build software apps while claiming the process was automated. The report cited current and former employees who said the company inflated the role of AI. Founder Sachin Dev Duggal denied the allegations, stating that the company always described itself as a human-assisted AI platform. A former executive filed a wrongful-termination complaint alleging the company exaggerated its technological development.
- Company involved
- Engineer.ai
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Whitebridge AI faces complaint over false reputation reports
Whitebridge AI, a Lithuanian company, is accused of generating false reputation reports using unlawfully scraped social media data. The reports contained false warnings for 'sexual nudity' and 'dangerous political content'. Privacy group Noyb filed a complaint with the Lithuanian data protection authority, alleging violations of the GDPR. The complainants sought access to their data but received no response, and were later required to provide a qualified electronic signature to correct errors.
- Company involved
- Whitebridge AI
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Poland's Ministry of Labor profiles unemployed with discriminatory algorithm
In May 2015, Poland's Ministry of Labor and Social Policy introduced an algorithmic system to profile unemployed people into three categories based on their readiness to work, location, and disabilities. The system is accused of being discriminatory and lacking transparency, as it uses default criteria that may lead to social exclusion. A report by the Panoptykon Foundation in October 2015 highlighted these issues and recommended reforms, including granting the right to appeal.
- Company involved
- Ministry of Labor and Social Policy
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Inflection background check errors lead to lawsuits from banned Airbnb users
Inflection, a background check company used by Airbnb, Uber, and other platforms, has been sued multiple times for providing inaccurate reports. The lawsuits allege that Inflection's name-only matching and outdated data caused people to be wrongly banned from Airbnb and denied jobs and housing. Some cases have been settled, while others remain ongoing. The company is accused of violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
- Company involved
- Inflection
- AI system involved
- Inflection background check
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Tenant screening software denies housing to disabled Latino man in Connecticut
In 2016, Carmen Arroyo requested to move her disabled son Mikhail into a larger apartment in the same complex. The landlord, WinnResidential, used CoreLogic's CrimSafe tenant screening software, which flagged a dropped retail theft charge against Mikhail as disqualifying. The landlord rejected the application without explanation. Arroyo sued CoreLogic and WinnResidential under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Fair Housing Act, alleging that the software disproportionately excludes people of colour. The case was scheduled for trial in August 2021.
- Company involved
- WinnResidential
- AI system involved
- CrimSafe
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Software flaw misclassified women as children on Tui flight
A software flaw in Tui's reservation system misclassified 38 adult female passengers as children due to a language difference where 'Miss' is used for children in the programming country. This led to incorrect weight calculations for take-off on a flight from Birmingham to Majorca on 21 July 2020. The AAIB report stated that the safe operation of the aircraft was not compromised, and Tui corrected the fault.
- Company involved
- Tui
- AI system involved
- Reservation system
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Just Eat UK couriers deactivated by AI for minor overpayments
Just Eat UK couriers were deactivated from the platform after an AI system flagged them for alleged overpayments as small as £1.35. The system used GPS data to detect drivers moving away from restaurants while waiting for orders. Drivers claim they were asked to move by restaurant staff and that the deactivation was done with little human oversight. A report by Worker Info Exchange details eleven cases, and the company says each case is reviewed by a human before deactivation.
- Company involved
- Just Eat
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Amazon accused of using Project Nessie algorithm to inflate prices
Amazon is accused of using a secret algorithm called Project Nessie to inflate prices on its platform. The algorithm monitored competitors' prices and raised its own, then reverted if rivals didn't follow. The practice was revealed through an FTC lawsuit. Amazon says it scrapped the program in 2019 and denies wrongdoing.
- Company involved
- Amazon
- AI system involved
- Project Nessie
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Amazon's Fallout poster suspected to be AI-generated
Amazon is accused of using an AI image generator to create a promotional poster for its upcoming Fallout TV series. Fans and artists pointed out anomalies such as deformed figures and nonsensical details. Amazon has not commented on the allegations.
- Company involved
- Amazon
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Adobe accused of selling unlabelled AI-generated Israel–Palestine images on Adobe Stock
Adobe has been accused of selling AI-generated images of the Israel–Palestine conflict on Adobe Stock without clearly labelling them as synthetic. The photorealistic images, produced with tools such as Firefly, could be mistaken for authentic photography and fuel misinformation. An investigation by Interesting Engineering found many images that appeared to be AI-generated but were not labelled as such. Adobe's published policy says Stock accepts AI-generated content if it meets submission standards.
- Company involved
- Adobe
- AI system involved
- Adobe Firefly
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Civitai dropped by cloud provider OctoML over CSAM image generation
Civitai, an AI image generation platform, was dropped by its cloud computing provider OctoML after an investigation by 404 Media found it was being used to generate images that could be categorized as child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The platform also faced scrutiny for nonconsensual deepfakes of celebrities and private citizens, primarily women. Civitai added new moderation filters in response, but OctoML terminated the business relationship.
- Company involved
- Civitai
- AI system involved
- Civitai
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Investing.com uses AI to copy competitors' articles without credit
Investing.com, a financial news site owned by Joffre Capital, is accused of using AI to generate stories that closely resemble articles published by competitors such as CryptoNewsLand, The Motley Fool, and FXStreet. The AI-generated pieces often cite the same statistics and sources as the originals but do not credit them. Competitors like FXStreet have expressed concern that this practice threatens original journalism. Investing.com disclosed AI assistance in its stories but did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Investing.com
- AI system involved
- Unnamed AI content generation system
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Midjourney faces criticism over database of 16,000 artists used to train AI
A database listing 16,000 artists, including a six-year-old child, has been circulated, alleging that Midjourney used their works to train its text-to-image generator. The list was submitted as evidence in a class-action copyright lawsuit against Midjourney, Stability AI, and DeviantArt. The artists accuse the companies of scraping their work without permission. Midjourney did not respond to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Midjourney
- AI system involved
- Midjourney
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Midjourney v6 accused of generating near-identical copyrighted images
Midjourney's v6 image generator has been criticized for producing images that closely resemble copyrighted movie scenes, such as a Joaquin Phoenix Joker scene. Artist Reid Southen accused the company of using copyrighted content without a license and said his account was banned. Midjourney has updated its terms of service to hold users responsible for intentional copyright infringement. The company faces multiple lawsuits over training data.
- Company involved
- Midjourney
- AI system involved
- Midjourney v6
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Mahindra Racing partners with AI woman Ava Rose as ambassador, drawing criticism
Mahindra Racing, a Formula E team, announced a partnership with Ava Rose, an AI-generated woman, to serve as its 'artificial intelligence ambassador' for the season. The team is accused of avoiding hiring a real woman for the role, drawing criticism from women in motorsport and others. The AI persona, who has an Instagram presence, will engage with fans and share behind-the-scenes content. Mahindra Racing has not responded publicly to the backlash.
- Company involved
- Mahindra Racing
- AI system involved
- Ava Rose
7 source articles · read the reporting →
