Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer uses AI to create controversial photo series
Magnum photographer Carl De Keyzer used AI to create a photo series titled 'Putin's Dream' after a planned road trip to Russia was cancelled due to the war. He trained the AI with his own photographs to maintain his style. The images were posted online to promote the book, leading to outcry on social media and accusations of contributing to disinformation. De Keyzer deleted the images and had a conversation with Magnum about the project.
- Company involved
- Carl De Keyzer
4 source articles · read the reporting →
360 Kid's Smartwatch gives racist response about Chinese people
A parent in Henan Province, China, asked a 360 Kid's Smartwatch whether Chinese are the smartest people in the world. The watch replied with racist insults and questioned China's Four Great Inventions. The company's founder acknowledged the issue, stating the answer was pulled from public internet content, and said the harmful information was removed and the software is being upgraded to an AI version.
- Company involved
- 360 company
- AI system involved
- 360 Kid's Smartwatch
4 source articles · read the reporting →
DeepSeek-R1 censors 85% of sensitive Chinese political prompts in tests
Promptfoo tested DeepSeek-R1 against a dataset of 1,360 politically sensitive prompts and found that about 85% of them were refused. The refusals followed a standard form aligned with Chinese Communist Party policy. The testing also demonstrated that the censorship could be trivially bypassed using simple jailbreak techniques, such as prompt injection or changing the context.
- Company involved
- DeepSeek
- AI system involved
- DeepSeek-R1
5 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-driven Shadow Play network spreads pro-China propaganda on YouTube
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) revealed an extensive network of at least 30 YouTube channels, called Operation Shadow Play, that used generative AI to produce and publish pro-China and anti-US content. The network exploited YouTube's algorithmic recommendation system to cross-promote videos, gaining about 730,000 subscribers and 120 million views. The operation is alleged to be a coordinated influence campaign, possibly directed by a Mandarin-speaking controller, though the specific actor is unknown.
- Company involved
- Not specified (the operator is unknown)
- AI system involved
- Shadow Play
4 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 →
Chinese Communist Party uses AI to create anti-American memes
Researchers at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found that a campaign linked to the Chinese Communist Party is using AI image generators to create and spread memes designed to stoke anti-American sentiment by capitalising on President Biden's support of Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza. The memes are being distributed on social media platforms like X, Facebook, and YouTube. Platforms have taken down some accounts, but the campaign continues.
- Company involved
- Chinese Communist Party
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Cigna StressWaves Test found unreliable and invalid in independent study
A study published in Scientific Reports evaluated the Cigna StressWaves Test (CSWT), an AI tool that claims to assess psychological stress from speech. The study found that the CSWT had poor test-retest reliability and poor validity compared to the Perceived Stress Scale. The authors warned that widespread availability of the tool could lead to misleading results and negative consequences for users making healthcare decisions. Cigna has not publicly responded to the findings.
- Company involved
- Cigna
- AI system involved
- Cigna StressWaves Test
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Houston's ShotSpotter system delays police response and over-polices minority communities
Houston Police Department deployed ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system, in Southeast and Northwest Houston starting in late 2020. The system alerts police to suspected gunfire, but over 80% of alerts are unfounded. This has led to longer response times for other calls and increased police presence in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods, causing anxiety and concerns of over-policing. Critics argue the technology has not reduced gun violence and diverts resources from more effective strategies.
- Company involved
- Houston Police Department
- AI system involved
- ShotSpotter
7 source articles · read the reporting →
AI-cloned videos of dead celebrities spark family outrage in China
On Douyin, Chinese creators used AI to generate videos of deceased celebrities including Coco Lee, Qiao Renliang, and Yao Beina, making them appear to speak and move. Families, such as Qiao Renliang's father, criticized the practice as disrespectful and legally infringing on image rights. Experts noted that China's Civil Code protects the rights of the deceased, and families could sue for infringement. Some videos were deleted after backlash, but the practice continues, particularly for foreign celebrities.
- Company involved
- Douyin (content platform)
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Chicago class action challenges ShotSpotter's discriminatory stop-and-frisk deployments
ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system used by the Chicago Police Department, generates alerts that lead to police deployments and stop-and-frisk stops. Analyses show over 90% of alerts are unfounded, and the system is deployed only in predominantly Black and Latinx districts. A class-action lawsuit against the City of Chicago alleges the system fuels unconstitutional and discriminatory policing, including false accusations against individuals like Michael Williams.
- Company involved
- City of Chicago
- AI system involved
- ShotSpotter
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Leonardo AI misused to create nonconsensual explicit images of celebrities
Leonardo AI, an AI image-generating platform backed by Samsung, has been misused to create nonconsensual explicit images of celebrities. The platform allows users to generate images using user-generated Stable Diffusion models. Users bypassed ethical guardrails by misspelling celebrity names and using sexually suggestive terms. The misuse was reported by 404 Media.
- Company involved
- Leonardo AI
- AI system involved
- Leonardo AI
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Humanoid robot lunges at crowd at Spring Festival Gala in Tianjin
At the Spring Festival Gala in Tianjin, China, on February 9, 2025, a humanoid robot suddenly lunged towards a crowd of onlookers behind a barricade. Security staff dragged the robot away. Festival organisers stated that the robot suffered a 'simple failure' and that additional safety measures would be implemented. No injuries were reported.
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Storm-1376 used AI-generated fake audio during Taiwan election, Microsoft reports
Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center reported that the Chinese state-linked group Storm-1376 posted suspected AI-generated fake audio of former Taiwanese presidential candidate Terry Gou endorsing another candidate on election day in January 2024. Gou had made no such statement, and YouTube removed the content before it reached a wide audience. The group has also used AI-generated memes and news anchors as part of influence operations in Taiwan and the United States.
- Company involved
- Storm-1376 (also known as Spamouflage and Dragonbridge)
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Huawei Pura 70 series AI editing tool removes clothing unintentionally
Huawei's Pura 70 series includes an AI retouching feature that can inadvertently remove clothing from images. Users on Weibo posted videos demonstrating this, raising privacy concerns. Huawei customer service acknowledged the issue, attributing it to algorithm loopholes, and promised a fix in upcoming system updates.
- Company involved
- Huawei
- AI system involved
- Pura 70 series AI retouching feature
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Evolv weapon detection system falsely flags Chromebooks as weapons
Evolv's AI-based weapon detection system has been reported to falsely identify certain Chromebook laptops as weapons, causing false alarms at security checkpoints. The system is used in venues such as schools. The article discusses the flaw and user experiences. No official response from Evolv has been mentioned.
- Company involved
- Evolv
- AI system involved
- Evolv
5 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 →
Audit of LAION-400M finds sexual violence, racial slurs, and stereotypes in dataset
An audit of the LAION-400M dataset by Abeba Birhane and colleagues at University College Dublin and University of Edinburgh found that its automated curation using CLIP failed to remove sexually explicit images, racial slurs, and stereotypes. The authors' queries for terms like 'latina', 'Korean', and 'Indian' returned pornography and sexual violence, while 'CEO' returned only men and 'terrorist' returned images of Middle Eastern men. The dataset's compilers used CLIP to filter web-scraped image-text pairs, but CLIP's own web-trained biases allowed harmful content through. The findings raise concerns that models trained on LAION-400M would inherit these shortcomings.
- Company involved
- LAION-400M team
- AI system involved
- LAION-400M
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Luma's Dream Machine generates video with Disney character
Luma's AI video tool Dream Machine generated a trailer that included a recognizable character from Disney's Monsters, Inc. The company's CEO said a user uploaded an image containing the character, which the system then animated. The incident raises concerns about lack of transparency in training data and potential copyright infringement. Disney has not publicly commented.
- Company involved
- Luma
- AI system involved
- Dream Machine
7 source articles · read the reporting →
AI news presenters James and Rose terminated after two months at Hawaii newspaper
The Garden Island newspaper in Hawaii deployed AI-generated news presenters James and Rose, created by Caledo, to produce video broadcasts. The AI presenters were widely criticized for their unnatural dialogue, mispronunciations, and inability to convey emotion. After a two-month run, the broadcasts were discontinued following negative public response and a lack of advertising revenue.
- Company involved
- Oahu Publications
- AI system involved
- James and Rose
8 source articles · read the reporting →
Elon Musk posts AI-generated image of Kamala Harris with false communist claim
Elon Musk posted an AI-generated image on his social media platform X depicting Vice President Kamala Harris as a communist, with a false caption claiming she vowed to be a communist dictator. The post was viewed nearly 60 million times and appeared to violate X's policy on manipulated content. X did not respond to a request for comment.
- Company involved
- X
4 source articles · read the reporting →
Bo Yu Long Zhu Fishing Download: Tesla Autopilot Another Fatal Accident, Owner's Family Demands Full Logs - Pchome Computer Home
博鱼龙珠捕鱼下载特斯拉自动驾驶再出致命事故，车主家属要求公开完整日志 - Pchome电脑之家
A fatal accident involving Tesla's autopilot has occurred again. The family of the car owner is demanding that the complete logs be released.
- Company involved
- Tesla
- AI system involved
- Autopilot
1 source article · read the reporting →
Paper Werewolf uses AI-generated decoys and XLLs to target Russian organizations
The threat group Paper Werewolf (aka GOFFEE) is conducting a cyberespionage campaign targeting Russian defense and high-technology organizations. The campaign uses AI-generated decoy documents, such as invitations and official letters, to trick recipients into opening malicious Excel XLL add-ins that deliver a backdoor called EchoGather. The backdoor collects system information and communicates with a command-and-control server. The campaign is ongoing and was first detected in late October 2025.
- Company involved
- Paper Werewolf
- AI system involved
- EchoGather
2 source articles · read the reporting →
Stable Diffusion Accused of Stealing Artists' Styles Without Consent
Artists including Greg Rutkowski and Karla Ortiz allege that Stability AI's image generator Stable Diffusion was trained on their work without permission, enabling users to create images mimicking their distinctive styles. The artists express concern that this threatens their livelihoods and identities, as their names become prompts for generating similar art. A tool is being developed to help protect artists from such unauthorised use, but the situation remains unresolved.
- Company involved
- Stability AI
- AI system involved
- Stable Diffusion
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Durham's ShotSpotter fails to detect two deadly shootings
ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system piloted by the Durham Police Department, failed to detect two fatal shootings in February 2023, as well as a New Year's Day shooting that injured five. The system, which uses sensors and human review to alert police, did not send alerts for these incidents within its three-square-mile coverage area. The company stated it investigated and provided a report to the police, while a city official defended the pilot, noting it is still early in the year-long trial. Community concerns have been raised about increased police presence and potential racial profiling.
- Company involved
- Durham Police Department
- AI system involved
- ShotSpotter
5 source articles · read the reporting →
