Anthropic's Claude AI loses $1,000 running a vending machine experiment
In a test by Anthropic and The Wall Street Journal, an AI agent named Claudius Sennet was given control of an office vending machine. Despite initial instructions to generate profit, the AI was manipulated by journalists into setting all prices to zero and ordering items like a PlayStation 5 and a live fish. The experiment ended after three weeks with a $1,000 loss. Anthropic's red team head called it 'enormous progress'.
- Company involved
- Anthropic
- AI system involved
- Claude (Claudius Sennet agent)
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Study finds Italian car insurers charge more based on birthplace
A study by the Universities of Padua, Udine and Carnegie Mellon found that Italian car insurers, including Genertel, Mps, Quixa and Con.Te, use birthplace and citizenship in pricing algorithms, charging some drivers over €1,000 more. The practice was ruled against in a 2018 decree involving Linear, but the study says it continues. The companies contacted denied or explained the findings.
- Company involved
- Genertel, Mps, Quixa, Con.Te
8 source articles · read the reporting →
GEMA sues OpenAI for unlicensed use of song lyrics in ChatGPT training
On 13 November 2024, German copyright collective GEMA filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in Munich, alleging that the company used copyrighted song lyrics from GEMA's repertoire to train its ChatGPT chatbot without obtaining licenses or paying authors. GEMA claims that when prompted, ChatGPT reproduces original song lyrics, demonstrating the unauthorized use. The lawsuit seeks to establish that OpenAI must compensate the approximately 100,000 GEMA members. The case is pending before the Munich Regional Court.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Userviz machine-learning aimbot shut down after Activision request
A developer known as User101 shut down the Userviz cheat after Activision requested that he stop developing it. The software used computer vision and machine learning to automate aiming in games such as Call of Duty: Warzone, and was marketed as undetectable. It was never published, and the developer said his intention was not to do anything illegal.
- Company involved
- User101
- AI system involved
- Userviz
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Bruce Springsteen addresses Ticketmaster dynamic pricing outrage
Bruce Springsteen addressed fan outrage over Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing for his 2023 tour, which led to ticket prices skyrocketing up to $5,000. Springsteen said he told his team to do what other artists do and that most tickets were affordable. He offered refunds to fans who complained.
- Company involved
- Ticketmaster
- AI system involved
- Ticketmaster dynamic pricing
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Douyin content creator used deepfake to fake Ukraine soldier identity
A content creator on Douyin used deepfake technology to pretend to be a Chechen soldier in Ukraine, posting fabricated videos for months. The account gained nearly 400,000 followers and sold items via e-commerce. Users discovered the IP address was in Henan, China, revealing the deception. Douyin suspended the account for spreading misinformation and banned it from making money.
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ElevenLabs voice cloning tool used to create deepfake celebrity audio clips
Speech AI startup ElevenLabs launched a beta voice cloning tool. Within days, users on 4chan posted deepfake audio clips featuring voices resembling celebrities like Emma Watson reading offensive material. ElevenLabs acknowledged the misuse and said it is considering additional safeguards.
- Company involved
- ElevenLabs
- AI system involved
- ElevenLabs platform
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Study finds Midjourney, DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion accept over 85% of fake news prompts
A study by AI startup Logically tested Midjourney, DALL-E 2, and Stable Diffusion and found that they accepted over 85% of prompts seeking to generate fake political news. The systems generated images of ballot stuffing, small boat arrivals, and explosions. Logically warned that the lack of moderation could pose threats to upcoming elections. Stability AI responded by stating its ethical use license and measures to prevent misuse.
- Company involved
- Midjourney, OpenAI, Stability AI
- AI system involved
- Midjourney, DALL-E 2, Stable Diffusion
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Answer.AI tests Devin and reports 14 failures in 20 tasks
Answer.AI's team tested Devin, an autonomous AI coding assistant, on 20 real-world tasks over a month. Devin succeeded in only 3 tasks, failed 14, and was inconclusive in 3. The team found Devin often produced overly complex or hallucinated solutions and could not recognize fundamental blockers. They ultimately decided to stick with tools that allow more human control.
- AI system involved
- Devin
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Purdue study finds ChatGPT wrong over half the time on software questions
A study by Purdue University found that ChatGPT provided incorrect answers to over half of 517 software development questions from Stack Overflow. Despite the errors, 34% of users preferred ChatGPT's answers over human responses. The study warns that relying on ChatGPT for coding could jeopardize programmers' professional reputations.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Magic: The Gathering admits marketing image used AI
Magic: The Gathering posted a marketing image and initially claimed it was not created using AI. After community members pointed out AI components, the company admitted the mistake. The image was created by a vendor using AI tools in Photoshop. The company is now evaluating its vendor policies.
- Company involved
- Magic: The Gathering
- AI system involved
- Photoshop
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Ubisoft faces backlash after announcing Ghostwriter AI writing tool
Ubisoft has announced Ubisoft Ghostwriter, an AI tool that generates first drafts of non-player character dialogue. The company says it saves writers time, but writers and creatives have criticised it, saying it will require time-consuming editing and could lead to job losses and lower-quality narratives. Ubisoft says the tool is already in use in some of its games, though it has not named them.
- Company involved
- Ubisoft
- AI system involved
- Ubisoft Ghostwriter
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Witcher 3 mod uses AI to replicate Geralt's voice without actor's consent
A mod for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt called 'A Night to Remember' uses AI technology (CyberVoice) to generate new voice lines for Geralt, simulating the voice of actor Doug Cockle without his permission. The mod team used existing voice lines and CyberVoice, a paid service similar to audio deepfakes, to create new dialogue. The actor has publicly stated he wishes he could sue AI platforms for using his voice without consent.
- Company involved
- CD Projekt Red
- AI system involved
- CyberVoice
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Teething problems in Mater Dei's medicine robots addressed
The Malta Union for Midwives and Nurses claimed that a €23 million investment in two computerised drug administration robots, Mario and Sophia, at Mater Dei Hospital had resulted in a complete failure. However, sources within the Health Ministry said that most teething problems have been addressed and that the supplier has not been paid yet. They reported that out of over 1,700 medication rounds, only four required a contingency plan.
- Company involved
- Mater Dei Hospital
- AI system involved
- Mario and Sophia
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Italian privacy regulator investigates OpenAI's Sora video generation model
The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante Privacy) has opened an investigation into OpenAI's new AI model 'Sora', which creates short videos from text instructions. The regulator has asked OpenAI to provide information on the algorithm's training, data sources, and compliance with European data protection regulations. OpenAI must respond within 20 days.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
7 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI suspends developer of bot mimicking Dean Phillips
OpenAI suspended the developer of a bot that used ChatGPT to impersonate Democratic presidential candidate Dean Phillips. The bot interacted with users without disclosing it was an AI, violating OpenAI's policies against political campaigning. This is the company's first known action against misuse of its AI in a political campaign.
5 source articles · read the reporting →
SAG-AFTRA files complaint against Epic Games over AI-generated Darth Vader voice in Fortnite
Actor union SAG-AFTRA has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against Epic Games over its use of AI to recreate the voice of Darth Vader in Fortnite. The union alleges that Llama Productions, an Epic subsidiary, made unilateral changes to terms and conditions of employment by using AI-generated voices to replace bargaining unit work without providing notice or opportunity to bargain. The complaint, filed with the US National Labor Relations Board, argues that this constitutes a failure to bargain in good faith. Epic Games has not yet responded to a request for comment.
- Company involved
- Epic Games
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Apple Intelligence falsely claims Luke Littler won PDC Championship before final
Apple Intelligence, an AI summarisation feature, falsely generated a notification claiming darts player Luke Littler had won the PDC World Championship before he played the final. The incorrect summary was based on a BBC story about Littler winning the semi-final. A separate false alert told BBC Sport app users that tennis player Rafael Nadal had come out as gay, conflating a story about a Brazilian gay tennis player. The BBC has called on Apple to fix the problem, stating the false alerts undermine trust in its journalism.
- Company involved
- BBC
- AI system involved
- Apple Intelligence
6 source articles · read the reporting →
X's Grok AI used to create racist images of football players
In December 2024, X's Grok AI chatbot was used to generate photorealistic racist images of several football players and managers, including depictions of a black player picking cotton and eating bananas with monkeys. The images were created using Grok's new Aurora feature, which has fewer restrictions and can be jailbroken. Online abuse experts warn this is the start of a growing problem, and the Premier League is aware of the images.
- Company involved
- X
- AI system involved
- Grok
1 source article · read the reporting →
Wimbledon's AI feature 'Catch Me Up' generates inaccurate player profiles
Wimbledon's new AI-powered 'Catch Me Up' feature, developed with IBM, generated inaccurate player profiles and match descriptions on the first day of the 2024 championships. The system incorrectly described Emma Raducanu as the British No 1 instead of No 3, and misstated her match wins. It also described a match between Zhang Shuai and Daria Kasatkina as an 'eagerly anticipated encounter between two up-and-coming players,' despite both being established players. The errors were corrected after a user pointed them out on social media, and the All England Club acknowledged the issue, stating the feature would evolve with human checks.
- Company involved
- All England Club
- AI system involved
- Catch Me Up
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Game Offline Lore used an AI clone of Mark Brown's voice in Doom videos
Mark Brown, creator of Game Maker's Toolkit, says YouTube channel Game Offline Lore used an AI-generated clone of his voice to narrate videos about Doom without his consent. He says the channel has removed comments flagging the videos and is likely earning ad revenue from them. Brown filed a privacy complaint with YouTube, which says it is reviewing the content. The videos remain live.
- Company involved
- Game Offline Lore
4 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenAI's Sora 2 allowed unauthorized use of Bryan Cranston's likeness
OpenAI's Sora 2 video generation platform allowed users to create images of actor Bryan Cranston without his permission, leading to a video of his 'Breaking Bad' character interacting with Michael Jackson. After outcry from Cranston, SAG-AFTRA, and talent agencies, OpenAI added guardrails and an opt-in protocol to protect performers' voices and likenesses. Cranston thanked OpenAI for the changes, and the union called it a positive resolution.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora 2
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Developer iperov releases DeepFaceLive real-time face-swap AI on GitHub
The developer iperov has published DeepFaceLive, a neural network for real-time face swapping, on GitHub. The tool automatically replaces a user's face in live streams and video calls with a nonexistent model or a celebrity, and the installation instructions are simple. The developer claims 95% of deepfakes on YouTube were made with the related DeepFaceLab. No specific harm is reported, but the article highlights the tool's potential for misuse.
- Company involved
- iperov
- AI system involved
- DeepFaceLive
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Disney, Universal, Warner Bros. sue MiniMax over Hailuo AI copyright infringement
Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery have filed a copyright lawsuit against Chinese AI company MiniMax, alleging that its Hailuo AI image and video generator was built using stolen copyrighted characters. The lawsuit claims MiniMax used characters such as Darth Vader and Minions to market the service without authorization. The studios are seeking profits and an injunction to halt the infringement. MiniMax has not responded to the allegations.
- Company involved
- MiniMax
- AI system involved
- Hailuo AI
7 source articles · read the reporting →
