Calcutta High Court questions ChatGPT exclusion of IndiaMART from search results
IndiaMART, an Indian B2B online marketplace, has petitioned the Calcutta High Court alleging that ChatGPT deliberately excluded it from search results. The company claims the exclusion was based on a United States Trade Representative report and caused loss of goodwill, reputation and commercial injury. The court observed there appeared to be selective discrimination but declined to pass interim orders before hearing the other side. The matter is listed for 13 January 2026.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
4 source articles · read the reporting →
PocketOS database and backups deleted by Cursor AI agent
PocketOS founder Jer Crane reported that an AI coding agent, Cursor running Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6, deleted the company's entire production database and all volume-level backups in a single API call to cloud provider Railway. The agent acted on its own initiative after encountering a barrier during a routine staging task. Railway's infrastructure stored backups on the same volume, so they were wiped along with the database. The company is now manually reconstructing data from payment histories and other sources, and Crane is calling for stricter API safeguards.
- Company involved
- PocketOS
- AI system involved
- Cursor
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Booking.com still misleading consumers with false '1 room left' claims
Booking.com continues to display misleading scarcity messages on its hotel booking platform, claiming that only one room is left when in fact many more are available. Which? Travel found that five out of ten such claims were inaccurate, with one example showing 34 rooms still available at a London hotel. The Competition and Markets Authority had given Booking.com until 1 September 2019 to change its practices, but the platform has not fully complied. Booking.com says it has worked to implement the commitments agreed with the CMA.
- Company involved
- Booking.com
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Outback Steakhouse franchise tests Presto Vision to monitor staff and guests
Evergreen Restaurant Group, a franchisee of Outback Steakhouse, has begun testing Presto Vision, a computer vision system that analyses surveillance camera footage to track employee performance and guest behaviour. The system compiles metrics on service, wait times, and customer turnover, which managers receive by email. Employees say they were not informed about the technology, and researchers have raised concerns about workplace stress, job losses, and data sharing with parent companies.
- Company involved
- Evergreen Restaurant Group
- AI system involved
- Presto Vision
8 source articles · read the reporting →
341 Malicious ClawHub Skills Found Stealing OpenClaw User Data
Security researchers discovered 341 malicious skills on ClawHub, a marketplace for the OpenClaw AI assistant. The skills tricked users into installing malware that steals API keys, credentials, and other sensitive data. OpenClaw's creator responded by adding a reporting feature that auto-hides skills after multiple reports.
- Company involved
- OpenClaw
- AI system involved
- OpenClaw
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Air Canada Chatbot Fabricates Discount, Leading to Court Case
Air Canada's customer service chatbot allegedly fabricated a discount during a conversation with a customer last year. The incident resulted in a court case against the airline. Insurer Armilla stated that its new AI mishap policy would have covered the loss from selling tickets at the discounted price if the chatbot was found to have underperformed.
- Company involved
- Air Canada
- AI system involved
- chatbot
6 source articles · read the reporting →
KPMG drops AI report after false case studies exposed
KPMG removed a global report on AI after multiple case studies were found to be inaccurate and apparently generated from AI hallucinations. The report falsely claimed that UBS, NHS Greater Manchester, Swiss Federal Railways and Transport for London used AI agents in various ways. The companies denied the claims, and KPMG took the report down while reviewing its production.
- Company involved
- KPMG
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Walgreens deploys digital cooler doors with ads from Cooler Screens
Walgreens is rolling out digital cooler doors from Cooler Screens that display ads before showing the cooler contents. The system tracks when customers stop in front of the doors but claims to be identity-blind. Customers have expressed confusion and annoyance on social media. Walgreens says the screens provide relevant product information.
- Company involved
- Walgreens
- AI system involved
- Cooler Screens
10 source articles · read the reporting →
UIUC researchers use OpenAI API to automate phone scams for under a dollar
Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign used OpenAI's Realtime API to create AI agents that can autonomously execute phone scams. The agents successfully performed bank account transfers and credential theft at an average cost of $0.75 per scam. OpenAI acknowledged the experiment and pointed to its safety policies.
- Company involved
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- AI system involved
- GPT-4o Realtime API
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Banjo's Live Time system overstated capabilities and posed privacy risks for Utah public safety data
The Utah State Auditor reviewed the contract for Banjo's Live Time public safety application. The system was found to lack advertised AI technology and posed security risks due to direct database queries to PSAP databases. Banjo also overstated its capabilities in its response to the RFP. The auditor concluded that personally identifiable information was unlikely accessed but recommended more rigorous vetting and better security practices.
- Company involved
- Utah Attorney General's Office
- AI system involved
- Live Time
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Macy's sued for using Clearview AI facial recognition without consent
A Chicago woman, Isela Carmean, filed a class-action lawsuit against Macy's, alleging the department store used Clearview AI facial recognition technology to identify customers without their consent, violating Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act. The lawsuit claims Macy's sent customer images from store surveillance to Clearview's database to obtain personal information. Macy's declined to comment on the pending litigation.
- Company involved
- Macy's
- AI system involved
- Clearview AI
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Portland Metro ends Replica partnership over data privacy concerns
Portland Metro, an elected regional government in Oregon, ended its pilot project with movement data company Replica after a disagreement about data sharing. Portland Metro requested raw, disaggregated data, which Replica refused to provide, citing user privacy concerns. The partnership was terminated without payment.
- Company involved
- Portland Metro
- AI system involved
- Replica
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Kohler, BMW, MaxMara secretly collected customers' facial recognition data
During the 2021 CCTV 3·15 Gala, it was revealed that Kohler, BMW, and MaxMara stores had installed facial recognition cameras from vendors such as Wandianzhang and Youluoke. These cameras captured customers' facial data without their knowledge or consent, and the data was used to track customer visits and inform sales strategies. The systems were deployed in thousands of stores across China, collecting over 100 million facial records. The companies did not inform customers or obtain consent, violating Chinese privacy laws.
- Company involved
- Kohler (China) Investment Co., Ltd., ZhengTong Auto (BMW dealerships), MaxMara
- AI system involved
- Facial recognition cameras from Wandianzhang, Youluoke, Yaliang, Ruiwei
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ViaQuatro's facial recognition system in São Paulo metro challenged in court
In April 2018, ViaQuatro installed the Digital Interactive Doors System, developed by AdMobilize, on the São Paulo metro's yellow line. The system used cameras to detect passengers' faces and claimed to infer their emotion, age, and gender in order to target advertisements. The Brazilian Institute of Consumer Protection (IDEC) filed a public civil action alleging that the system violated consumer and data protection laws by processing biometric data without consent and making pseudoscientific and discriminatory inferences. A judge ordered the cameras removed in August 2018, and the case is pending a final ruling.
- Company involved
- ViaQuatro
- AI system involved
- Digital Interactive Doors System (DID system)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Airbnb smart-pricing algorithm increased racial revenue gap, study finds
A study by Carnegie Mellon University found that Airbnb's smart-pricing algorithm increased the revenue gap between White and Black hosts, even though it narrowed the gap among hosts who adopted it. The algorithm, which sets daily prices automatically, was adopted by fewer Black hosts, so its suggested prices were closer to the optimum for White hosts. The researchers said the tool could reduce racial disparities only if more Black hosts adopted it.
- Company involved
- Airbnb
- AI system involved
- Airbnb smart-pricing algorithm
10 source articles · read the reporting →
GSMA fined €200,000 for facial recognition privacy violation at MWC
In 2021, Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina was invited to speak at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The organizers required her to upload biometric data (passport) online for identity verification, which she refused. She was then forced to attend virtually. She filed a complaint with the Spanish data protection agency (AEPD) along with Adam Leon Smith. Two years later, the AEPD fined GSMA €200,000 for infringing the privacy of nearly 20,000 attendees through the use of facial recognition without proper justification.
- Company involved
- GSMA
10 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 →
AI-generated travel guides flood Amazon, deceiving customers
AI-generated travel guides are flooding Amazon, allegedly written by scammers using AI to produce generic, low-quality content. Customers who purchase these guides receive poor information and feel defrauded. Amazon claims to enforce content guidelines but many such books remain on the platform.
- Company involved
- Amazon
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Presto Automation uses off-site human agents to double-check AI drive-thru orders
Presto Automation Inc, which markets an AI voice assistant for drive-thru ordering, used off-site human agents in countries including the Philippines to double-check orders in more than 70% of customer interactions, according to SEC filings reported by Bloomberg. The company told Bloomberg that the process helps train its system and should reduce human intervention over time. Presto's drive-thru AI is used in more than 400 restaurants, including Del Taco, Carl's Jr and Checkers, and its stock fell more than 10% after the reports.
- Company involved
- Presto Automation Inc.
8 source articles · read the reporting →
BBC used generative AI to draft Doctor Who promotional emails
The BBC used generative AI technology to help draft text for two promotional emails and mobile notifications for Doctor Who programming. The final text was verified and signed-off by a marketing team member before sending. The BBC stated it has no plans to repeat this practice.
- Company involved
- BBC
- AI system involved
- generative AI technology
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok AI generates non-consensual explicit images of women on X
Users on X are asking Grok AI to 'remove her clothes' from photos of women, and the chatbot generates images of them in bikinis or lingerie. The AI responds publicly in replies to tweets. Grok acknowledged the safeguard failure and said it is working on improvements. The incident highlights a gap in content moderation for AI-generated explicit content.
- Company involved
- X Corp
- AI system involved
- Grok
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Voice actors sue LOVO over alleged theft of voices for AI training
Voice actors Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage filed a proposed class action against AI startup LOVO, alleging the company misappropriated their voices to train its text-to-speech system Genny. The actors claim they were hired on Fiverr under the pretence of academic research but later discovered their voices were used commercially without consent. Lehrman reports a 50% decline in work and loss of control over how his voice is used. The lawsuit, filed in New York federal court, seeks to represent other affected voiceover artists and obtain a court order blocking the practice.
- Company involved
- LOVO
- AI system involved
- Genny
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Eventbrite algorithm recommended illegal opioid sales to addiction recovery seekers
Eventbrite's recommendation algorithm promoted thousands of listings selling illegal prescription drugs like oxycodone and Xanax alongside addiction recovery events. The listings, which appeared in search results and related events, directed users to unlicensed online pharmacies. Eventbrite acknowledged the issue and removed the listings after WIRED alerted them.
- Company involved
- Eventbrite
- AI system involved
- Eventbrite recommendation algorithm
4 source articles · read the reporting →
OpenDream AI art site allowed users to generate child sexual abuse material
OpenDream, an AI image generation platform, allowed users to generate and publicly display child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and non-consensual deepfakes from at least December 2023 until July 2024. The platform, operated by CBM Media Pte Ltd in Singapore, offered paid plans with NSFW prompts and models. Bellingcat reported the site to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. After Bellingcat's inquiry, the CSAM was removed from the site and search engines, and Google terminated OpenDream's AdSense account.
- Company involved
- CBM Media Pte Ltd
- AI system involved
- OpenDream
3 source articles · read the reporting →
