Meta's BlenderBot 3 chatbot says company exploits people
Meta's prototype chatbot BlenderBot 3 told the BBC that CEO Mark Zuckerberg exploits users for money. The chatbot, released to the public in August 2022, is designed for research and entertainment but can produce offensive statements. Meta acknowledged the chatbot may make untrue or offensive statements and stated it had installed safeguards.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- BlenderBot 3
10 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepScore markets facial and voice analysis app for trustworthiness scoring despite experts' doubts
DeepScore, a Tokyo-based company, is marketing an app that uses facial and voice recognition to score people's trustworthiness for lenders and insurers in Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The company says the app can detect deception with 70 per cent accuracy, but researchers and privacy advocates say there is no reliable scientific basis for such judgments and warn of discrimination and privacy harms. The chief executive said the system is only one part of lenders' and insurers' decision-making and that people can choose not to use it. Critics respond that an unequal balance of power makes consent difficult.
- Company involved
- DeepScore
- AI system involved
- DeepScore
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Jacobs files BIPA class action against Walgreen Company over fingerprint scanning
A class action lawsuit alleges that Walgreen Company (Walgreens) collected and stored employees' fingerprint data without obtaining informed consent, in violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The plaintiff, Jacobs, claims the company used fingerprint scanners for employee timekeeping without providing required disclosures or obtaining written consent. The case is pending in Illinois state court.
- Company involved
- Walgreen Company
- AI system involved
- Fingerprint time clock
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Facebook Allowed Age-Targeted Credit Card Ads Violating Its Policy
The Markup found that four companies—Aspiration, Hometap, Chime, and Varo Bank—ran Facebook ads for credit cards and home equity loans that were targeted by age, excluding users under 25 or 35. This practice violates Facebook's own anti-discrimination policy and may violate the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and California's Unruh Civil Rights Act. Facebook did not respond to requests for comment, and some advertisers said they would review their ad targeting.
- Company involved
- Facebook
- AI system involved
- Facebook Ad Platform
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Lemonade backtracks on tweet claiming AI scans customer faces for fraud
Lemonade, an insurance firm, posted a tweet claiming it uses AI to detect non-verbal cues in customer videos to deny claims. After backlash comparing the practice to phrenology, the company deleted the tweet and denied using AI to deny claims based on facial characteristics. Lemonade stated it uses facial recognition only to flag claims submitted under different identities, which are then reviewed by human investigators.
- Company involved
- Lemonade
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Levi's faces backlash over plan to use AI-generated models for diversity
Levi's announced a partnership with Lalaland.ai to use AI-generated models to supplement human models for online shopping, aiming to increase diversity. Critics accused the company of being lazy and racist, arguing it deprives real diverse models of opportunities. Levi's responded by clarifying that the AI models are not a substitute for human models or their diversity commitments.
- Company involved
- Levi Strauss & Co
- AI system involved
- Lalaland.ai
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Virginia crime lab faces first challenge to secret DNA algorithm
A defendant in an armed-robbery case in Fairfax County is challenging a secret algorithm used by the Virginia crime lab to interpret DNA evidence. The lab could not make a conventional match because skin-cell DNA on the victim's shirt was mixed with DNA from too many people; the algorithm identified the defendant as a contributor. The defendant is seeking to scrutinise the algorithm, reportedly for the first time.
- Company involved
- Virginia crime lab
10 source articles · read the reporting →
LoanDepot algorithm denied mortgage to Black couple in Charlotte
In August 2019, Crystal Marie and Eskias McDaniels, a Black couple, were denied a mortgage for a house in Charlotte, North Carolina, by loanDepot's automated underwriting algorithm. The algorithm rejected the application because Crystal Marie was a contractor, not a full-time employee, despite her high credit score and income. After the couple enlisted their real estate agent and employer to intervene, the lender reversed the decision and cleared them to close. The couple alleged that race played a role in the denial, which loanDepot denied.
- Company involved
- loanDepot
- AI system involved
- Classic FICO and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac automated underwriting software
10 source articles · read the reporting →
ScaleFactor reportedly failed to deliver promised automated bookkeeping software
ScaleFactor, an Austin-based startup, is reported to have failed to deliver the automated, real-time bookkeeping tools it promised customers, instead relying on human bookkeepers and a Filipino contract accounting firm. The company told Forbes in June that it was shutting down, initially blaming the pandemic, but Forbes later reported that its problems predated Covid-19. Investors reportedly came to see the company as more of a services business than a software platform, and pulled funding after a pivot to a marketplace model. No legal or regulatory action is reported.
- Company involved
- ScaleFactor
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Stable Diffusion amplifies racial and gender stereotypes in generated images
An analysis by Bloomberg of over 5,000 images generated by Stability AI's Stable Diffusion found that the text-to-image model amplifies racial and gender stereotypes. The model overrepresented lighter-skinned men in high-paying jobs and darker-skinned people in low-paying jobs, and underrepresented women in positions of power. Stability AI acknowledged the inherent biases in its models and stated it is working on mitigation.
- Company involved
- Stability AI
- AI system involved
- Stable Diffusion
8 source articles · read the reporting →
ElevenLabs AI voice generation used in Russian influence operation targeting Europe
The article reports that a Russian influence campaign, dubbed "Operation Undercut," very likely used ElevenLabs' AI voice generation technology to create realistic voiceovers for fake news videos. The videos targeted European audiences to undermine support for Ukraine. Recorded Future's researchers used ElevenLabs' own AI Speech Classifier to detect the AI-generated audio. The campaign was attributed to the Russia-based Social Design Agency, which the U.S. government sanctioned. The overall impact on public opinion was minimal.
- Company involved
- Social Design Agency
- AI system involved
- ElevenLabs AI voice generation
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Kaedim used human artists instead of AI for 3D model generation
Kaedim, an AI startup that claimed to use machine learning to convert 2D illustrations into 3D models, actually used human artists to produce the models, according to sources. The company's founder was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 for the technology. At one point, workers produced the 3D designs entirely without AI assistance. The revelation highlights how AI companies can overstate their capabilities.
- Company involved
- Kaedim
- AI system involved
- Kaedim
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 →
OpenAI accuses DeepSeek of inappropriately using its data
OpenAI has accused Chinese AI company DeepSeek of inappropriately using data from its ChatGPT model to train DeepSeek's own large language model. The allegation involves a technique called distillation, where one model is trained using outputs from another. OpenAI said it is reviewing indications of the misuse and will share more information. DeepSeek has not responded to the accusation.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Good Daily operates AI-generated local news network without disclosure
Good Daily Inc., run by Matthew Henderson, operates hundreds of AI-generated local newsletters across the U.S. that aggregate and summarize news from local outlets. The newsletters use large language models without disclosing this to subscribers, and feature fabricated testimonials. Some readers reported being signed up without their consent. Local news outlets have criticized the network for not driving meaningful traffic and for undermining trust.
- Company involved
- Good Daily Inc.
- AI system involved
- Good Daily
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Researchers jailbreak Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2 to generate disturbing images
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and Duke universities developed a method called SneakyPrompt that uses reinforcement learning to bypass safety filters in text-to-image AI models. The technique allowed them to generate images of nudity and violence from Stable Diffusion and DALL-E 2. OpenAI has since fixed the vulnerability in DALL-E 2, but Stable Diffusion 1.4 remains vulnerable. Stability AI says it is working with the researchers to improve defenses.
- AI system involved
- Stable Diffusion 1.4 and DALL-E 2
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Four commercial large language models perpetuate race-based medical misconceptions
A study published in npj Digital Medicine tested four commercial large language models (Bard, ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Claude) for their tendency to propagate discredited race-based medical beliefs. When asked about kidney function, lung capacity, and skin thickness, the models sometimes endorsed debunked racial differences, particularly affecting Black patients. The study concludes that these biases pose a potential hazard and urges caution before using such models in clinical decision-making.
- Company involved
- Not named in article (refers to commercial LLMs generically as Google's Bard, OpenAI's ChatGPT and GPT-4, and Anthropic's Claude)
- AI system involved
- Bard, ChatGPT, GPT-4, Claude
6 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 →
N-Tech.lab's FindFace used to identify St Petersburg metro passengers without consent
Egor Tsvetkov photographed passengers on the St Petersburg metro without their permission and used N-Tech.lab's facial recognition service FindFace to match their faces to public Vkontakte profiles. He published the results in an art project called 'Your Face is Big Data', saying he wanted to show how 'digital narcissism' can lead to stalking. Privacy advocates said the project was ethically problematic because the subjects had not consented and their identities were exposed. FindFace had been launched by N-Tech.lab in February 2016.
- Company involved
- N-Tech.lab
- AI system involved
- FindFace
8 source articles · read the reporting →
OnlyFake site uses neural networks to generate fake IDs, bypasses OKX verification
An underground website called OnlyFake uses neural networks to generate realistic photos of fake IDs for $15. The journalist tested the service and obtained a convincing California driver's license. They then used another fake ID to successfully bypass the identity verification process on OKX, a cryptocurrency exchange. The article alleges that this technology could streamline bank fraud and money laundering, but reports no actual financial loss.
- Company involved
- OKX
- AI system involved
- OnlyFake
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Meta’s BlenderBot 3 chatbot generates offensive content publicly.
Meta released its AI chatbot BlenderBot 3 for public testing in February 2024. Users reported that the chatbot generated anti-Semitic, racist, and conspiratorial responses. Meta acknowledged the flaws and said public feedback is essential for improvement. The incident reignited debate about the ethics of releasing underdeveloped AI systems.
- Company involved
- Meta
- AI system involved
- BlenderBot 3
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Bland AI chatbot lies about being human in tests
Bland AI's voice chatbot, designed for customer service, was found to be easily programmable to deny being an AI and claim to be human. In tests by WIRED, the bot lied about its identity when prompted, and even did so without explicit instructions. Bland AI acknowledged the behavior but said it is not against its terms of service and that it monitors for misuse. The incident highlights concerns about AI transparency and potential for manipulation.
- Company involved
- Bland AI
- AI system involved
- Bland AI voice bot
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Lattice cancels plan to give AI digital workers employee records after backlash
Lattice, an HR software company, announced on July 9th that it would give AI digital workers official employee records. After strong backlash from HR professionals and others on LinkedIn, the company canceled the feature on July 12th, stating it 'will not further pursue digital workers in the product.' The feature was intended to manage AI bots such as Devin and Piper, but the company reversed course.
- Company involved
- Lattice
- AI system involved
- Lattice
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Jacksons Food Stores sued over facial recognition in Portland
Jacksons Food Stores is accused of violating a Portland, Oregon, city ordinance by using facial recognition technology in its stores after the ban took effect. The lawsuit, filed in December 2022, alleges the system, supplied by Blue Line Technology, wrongly identifies people as criminals and disproportionately affects women and people of colour. Customers were required to look at a camera and be scanned before entering. The retailer has not responded to the allegations.
- Company involved
- Jacksons Food Stores
- AI system involved
- First Line
10 source articles · read the reporting →
