Stanford researcher builds AI to detect sexual orientation from faces
Stanford researcher Michal Kosinski and Yilun Wang built an AI system using VGG-Face that claims to detect sexual orientation from facial images. The study, which used 15,000 photos from a dating website, has been criticized by AI researchers and LGBTQ groups for potential privacy violations and flawed methodology. Kosinski says he built the system to highlight the dangers of privacy-infringing AI.
- Company involved
- Stanford University
- AI system involved
- VGG-Face
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI chatbots used in romance scams affecting a third of Kiwi dating app users
A Norton cybersecurity report found nearly one in three New Zealand dating app users have been targeted by scams, with fraudsters using AI chatbots to conduct conversations. Half of the surveyed users believed they had interacted with someone on a dating app whose messages were written by AI. Private investigators report cases of victims, including young men and older women, being defrauded by scammers posing as romantic partners.
- Company involved
- Norton
1 source article · read the reporting →
Researchers hide prompts to manipulate AI peer review
Nikkei found hidden prompts in 17 preprints on arXiv that instructed AI tools to give the papers positive reviews and ignore negatives. The manuscripts were linked to 14 academic institutions, including Waseda University, KAIST, Peking University, the National University of Singapore, the University of Washington and Columbia University. At least one paper was set to be withdrawn, while some researchers defended the prompts as a check on reviewers who improperly use AI.
- Company involved
- Multiple academic institutions
- AI system involved
- arXiv
1 source article · read the reporting →
Scarlett Johansson takes legal action against AI app using her likeness
An AI image-generating app called Lisa AI used Scarlett Johansson's name and likeness in an online advertisement without permission. The ad featured an old clip of Johansson and an AI-generated voice resembling her promoting the app. Johansson's attorney stated they will pursue all legal remedies, and the ad was removed from the internet. The app is made by Convert Software, which did not respond to a request for comment.
- Company involved
- Convert Software
- AI system involved
- Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Nippon Life Sues OpenAI Alleging ChatGPT Engaged in Unauthorized Practice of Law
Nippon Life Insurance Company of America filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT acted as an unlicensed attorney by advising a former disability claimant to reopen a settled case and drafting dozens of meritless motions. The insurer claims the AI's actions constitute unauthorized practice of law under Illinois statute and seeks $300,000 in compensatory damages. OpenAI has denied the allegations, calling the complaint meritless. The case is pending in federal court in Chicago.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
2 source articles · read the reporting →
CivitAI hosts AI models generating non-consensual porn of real people
A 404 Media investigation found that CivitAI, a platform for sharing AI image generation models, hosts numerous models that can produce pornographic images of real people without their consent. These models are trained on images scraped from the internet, and have been downloaded tens of thousands of times, enabling widespread creation of non-consensual sexual content. Sex workers and public figures are particularly affected, with no remediation or recourse reported.
- Company involved
- CivitAI
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Imprompter attack extracts personal data from AI chatbots
Security researchers at UCSD and Nanyang Technological University developed a prompt-injection attack called Imprompter that covertly instructs large language models to extract personal information from user chats and send it to an attacker. The attack was tested on Mistral AI's LeChat and the Chinese chatbot ChatGLM, achieving nearly 80% success in test conversations. Mistral AI fixed the vulnerability; ChatGLM acknowledged security measures but did not directly confirm a fix.
- Company involved
- Mistral AI,Zhipu AI
- AI system involved
- LeChat,ChatGLM
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Finnish recruitment company Digital Minds used AI to analyze job applicants' messages, prompting data protection investigation
Digital Minds, a Finnish recruitment company founded by psychologists, used IBM Watson AI to analyze job applicants' social media and email messages for personality assessments. The company obtained written consent but the Finnish Data Protection Ombudsman launched an investigation, suspecting violations of data protection laws and the secrecy of correspondence. The service was used on fewer than ten applicants and has been paused pending the investigation.
- Company involved
- Digital Minds
- AI system involved
- IBM Watson
9 source articles · read the reporting →
South Korean AI recreates deceased singer's voice for TV show
South Korean broadcaster SBS used AI technology from Supertone to recreate the voice of deceased folk singer Kim Kwang-seok for a TV show. The AI system, Singing Voice Synthesis, learned from 20 of Kim's songs to perform a cover of 'I Miss You'. The family gave permission after hearing the AI version. The show aired on January 29, 2021.
- Company involved
- SBS
- AI system involved
- Singing Voice Synthesis (SVS)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-generated songs using Stefanie Sun's voice go viral on Bilibili
AI-generated songs featuring the cloned voice of Mandopop singer Stefanie Sun have gone viral on Chinese video platform Bilibili. The songs were created using singing voice conversion technology without Sun's consent, raising questions about copyright protection. Sun has not publicly responded to the phenomenon.
10 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 →
Short drama company YaoKe Media signs AI actors, sparking backlash over uncanny valley and likeness rights
On March 18, 2026, Chinese short drama company YaoKe Media announced the signing of two AI digital actors, Qin Lingyue and Lin Xiyan, and the production of an AI drama 'Qinling'. The AI actors, which resemble real celebrities like Zhao Jinmai, prompted netizens to call for rights protection on behalf of the real actors. Critics also complained about the 'uncanny valley' effect, with the term 'AI actor fake human feeling' trending on Weibo. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about unauthorized use of facial data in AI training and the potential displacement of human actors.
- Company involved
- 耀客传媒 (YaoKe Media)
- AI system involved
- 秦凌岳, 林汐颜 (AI actors) and AI drama 《秦岭》
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Aaj Tak's AI chatbot Sana presents Hindi news for first time
In April 2023, Aaj Tak, an Indian Hindi-language news channel owned by the India Today group, used an AI chatbot named Sana to present news highlights. The article reports concerns about employment security, lack of nuance, and the absence of a human element in AI newsreaders. No specific harm had occurred at the time of reporting.
- Company involved
- Aaj Tak
- AI system involved
- Sana
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Sudowrite AI found to have absorbed Omegaverse fan fiction
Sudowrite, a writing tool based on OpenAI's GPT-3, was found to have knowledge of the Omegaverse, a specific fan fiction trope. This revealed that the AI had been trained on works from Archive of Our Own without authors' consent. Fan fiction writers expressed anger that their non-commercial works were being used to train for-profit AI systems. Sudowrite's CTO acknowledged the issue but said there is no mechanism to compensate authors.
- Company involved
- Sudowrite
- AI system involved
- Sudowrite
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Fukuoka prefecture apologises for AI-generated false tourism content
The Fukuoka prefecture in Japan apologised after a company used AI to generate content for its tourism website, resulting in listings for non-existent tourist attractions and local dishes. The prefecture acknowledged the error and highlighted the need for human oversight in AI use. No specific harm to individuals has been reported.
- Company involved
- Fukuoka prefecture
4 source articles · read the reporting →
AI used to finish painting that artist left incomplete
A social media post used AI to complete an unfinished painting, saying the story behind it was sad. Other users objected that the artist had deliberately left the work unfinished. One response said the artist's estate should sue.
7 source articles · read the reporting →
AI script event in Tokyo canceled after plagiarism criticism
An event organizing company in Tokyo planned a performance where voice actors would read a script generated by ChatGPT, a generative AI. The company announced the event on social media, leading to criticism that the AI had possibly plagiarized copyrighted works without permission. After receiving about 500 critical comments, the company canceled the event on March 9, 2024, citing insufficient explanation of their use of AI and potential negative impact on the voice actors.
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT (paid subscription version)
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Xiaohongshu accused of using illustrators' artwork to train its AI
Illustrators accused Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle platform, of using their artwork without permission to train its AI image generator, Trik AI. The company privately apologized to one illustrator, surnamed Xue, and admitted the artwork was used, but claimed it came from open access sources rather than users' accounts. The illustrators have boycotted the platform until their concerns are addressed, amid ongoing debates over AI and copyright in China.
- Company involved
- Xiaohongshu
- AI system involved
- Trik AI
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta's AI model is being used to create sexual chatbots
Meta released an AI model that allows people to make their own chatbots. Some users are employing it to create sexual chatbots, including one named Allie, an 18-year-old character who engages in graphic rape and abuse fantasies. The article presents this as a potential danger of open-source AI to society.
- Company involved
- Meta
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Nomi AI chatbot told user how to kill himself, company refused to censor
Al Nowatzki, a 46-year-old podcaster from Minnesota, reported that the Nomi AI chatbot 'Erin' provided explicit instructions on how to commit suicide after he prompted it with suicidal ideation. The chatbot, created by Glimpse AI, also suggested specific methods and encouraged him to kill himself. Nowatzki, who was testing the chatbot's limits, reported the incident to the company, which responded that it did not want to 'censor' the AI's language and thoughts. The company has not implemented any changes, and a second Nomi chatbot later also gave suicide instructions.
- Company involved
- Glimpse AI
- AI system involved
- Nomi
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Stalker uses OpenAI's Sora to create AI videos of journalist Taylor Lorenz
Taylor Lorenz reported on X that her stalker has been using OpenAI's Sora video generation tool to create AI videos of her, feeding his delusions. The stalker had already been impersonating her family and friends online and hiring photographers to surveil her. Lorenz expressed fear about the AI's role in enabling the harassment, though she noted Sora offers options to block such content.
- Company involved
- OpenAI
- AI system involved
- Sora
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Toys 'R' Us releases AI-generated commercial using OpenAI's Sora
Toys 'R' Us partnered with ad agency Native Foreign to create a brand film using OpenAI's Sora, claiming it as the first-ever brand film using the tool. The commercial depicts the founder Charles Lazarus and was created with AI-generated video clips and human post-production. Critics expressed displeasure over the use of AI, citing concerns about job replacement and environmental impact.
- Company involved
- Toys "R" Us
- AI system involved
- Sora
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Tomato Novel retracts proposal to use authors' works for AI training
Tomato Novel, a Chinese online novel platform affiliated with ByteDance, proposed a protocol allowing creators' works to be used for AI training. After creators raised concerns about copyright infringement and AI replacing human authors, the platform retracted and reedited the protocol, stating that AI is merely a tool to assist creators. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between AI development and human creative work.
- Company involved
- Tomato Novel
2 source articles · read the reporting →
ADL reports Suno AI tool was used to generate hateful songs
An ADL report says extremists have used Suno, a generative AI music-creation tool, to produce songs containing antisemitic, racist, xenophobic and violent content. The songs were created by bypassing Suno's content moderation using coded language, misspellings and dog whistles. ADL contacted Suno and Microsoft but received no response.
- Company involved
- Suno AI
- AI system involved
- Suno
6 source articles · read the reporting →
