Taylor & Francis sells academic authors' research to Microsoft AI without consent
Academic authors have expressed shock after Taylor & Francis sold access to their research to Microsoft AI without informing them or offering additional payment. The authors allege they were not given the opportunity to opt out of the deal. The arrangement involves Microsoft using the research to train its AI systems. The authors have not received any compensation for the use of their work.
- Company involved
- Taylor & Francis
- AI system involved
- Microsoft AI
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Google and Bing surface nonconsensual deepfake porn in top search results
The article reports that Google and Bing search engines display nonconsensual deepfake pornographic images of female celebrities at the top of image search results when searching for women's names combined with "deepfakes" or general terms like "fake nudes". The search engines also return links to tools that advertise the creation of such material. Victims can request removal through forms, but the companies do not proactively search for and delist the content. Legal experts and advocates say the burden is on victims and the companies have the technical ability to do more.
- Company involved
- Google, Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Google Search, Bing Search
9 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft Copilot gives false election information in Swiss and Bavarian elections
AI Forensics and Algorithm Watch tested Microsoft's Copilot chatbot during the 2023 Swiss federal elections and German state elections in Hesse and Bavaria. They found that one-third of its answers contained factual errors, including incorrect election dates, outdated candidates, or fabricated controversies. The chatbot also evaded questions 40% of the time and sometimes attributed false information to credible sources. The organisations alerted Microsoft multiple times.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Copilot (Bing Chat)
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Authors including Mike Huckabee sue Meta, Microsoft over AI training data
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and other authors have filed a lawsuit against Meta, Microsoft, EleutherAI, and Bloomberg, alleging that their copyrighted books were used without permission to train AI models. The suit centers on the Books3 dataset, part of the Pile, which contains over 180,000 works. The authors claim the companies pirated their work and incorporated it into training data without compensation. The case is the latest in a series of copyright lawsuits against AI companies.
- Company involved
- Meta, Microsoft, EleutherAI, Bloomberg
7 source articles · read the reporting →
Kevin Roose discusses his conversation with Microsoft's Bing chatbot
Kevin Roose, a New York Times columnist, had a conversation with Microsoft's AI-powered chatbot Bing. The conversation was discussed on CNBC's Fast Money programme on 16 February 2023. The article gives no further details about the content of the conversation or any resulting harm.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Bing
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Uber faces discrimination claim over facial recognition dismissal
Pa Edrissa Manjang, an UberEats driver, was dismissed after Uber's facial recognition system failed to recognize him. He alleges racial discrimination and harassment. Uber attempted to have the claim struck out, but the East London Employment Tribunal refused. Uber later reinstated Manjang, and the case continues.
- Company involved
- Uber
- AI system involved
- Microsoft facial recognition technology
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft's Zo chatbot made offensive statement about Quran
Microsoft's Zo chatbot, part of the Kik messenger, told a user that the Quran is very violent in response to a question about healthcare. The bot also expressed an opinion about Osama Bin Laden's capture. Microsoft admitted the errors and said they have been fixed. The incident highlights challenges in preventing AI chatbots from learning biased or offensive content from human interactions.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Zo
10 source articles · read the reporting →
AI Moderation Tools Sexualize Women's Photos, Leading to Shadowbanning
An investigation by The Guardian found that AI content moderation tools used by social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn exhibit gender bias, falsely classifying photos of women in everyday situations as sexually explicit. Microsoft's algorithm rated a pregnant woman's belly as 90% likely to be 'sexually suggestive', and a LinkedIn test showed a photo of women in underwear was rated 96% racy while a similar men's photo was 14%. This leads to shadowbanning, where women's posts are suppressed without their knowledge, harming content creators who rely on viewership. Experts warn that such bias, stemming from male-dominated data labeling, disadvantages women and denies them agency.
- Company involved
- Instagram and LinkedIn
3 source articles · read the reporting →
Microsoft Outlook spam filter discriminates based on keywords like 'Nigeria'
An experiment by AlgorithmWatch found that Microsoft Outlook's spam filter marked legitimate emails as spam based on single words such as 'Nigeria', 'sex', and 'loan'. The same emails without those words were delivered normally. Microsoft declined to comment. The open-source SpamAssassin filter also had rules singling out words like 'Nigeria' and 'Ivory Coast', raising concerns about racial bias in spam filters.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Outlook
1 source article · read the reporting →
NewsGuard Study Finds AI Chatbots Spreading Russian Disinformation
A NewsGuard study found that popular AI chatbots, including OpenAI's ChatGPT-4 and Meta AI, frequently regurgitated Russian disinformation. Researchers entered prompts based on false narratives and found that about one-third of responses contained misinformation from a network of fake local news sites. The chatbots presented the false claims as fact, failing to identify the sources as propaganda. The issue was pervasive across the industry, raising concerns about AI's role in spreading election misinformation.
- Company involved
- OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, and others
- AI system involved
- Various large language models including ChatGPT-4, Grok, Mistral, Copilot, Meta AI, Claude, Gemini
4 source articles · read the reporting →
New York City's AI Chatbot Gives Illegal Advice to Businesses
New York City's Microsoft-powered AI chatbot, a pilot program by the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation, was found to be providing false and illegal business advice. Testing by The Markup revealed that the chatbot incorrectly stated landlords could refuse tenants on rental assistance and that employers could take a cut of workers' tips, both of which violate city and state laws. A spokesperson said the chatbot has provided accurate answers to thousands and that the city is working to upgrade the tool. The incident highlights the risks of deploying AI in government services without adequate safeguards.
- Company involved
- New York City Office of Technology and Innovation
2 source articles · read the reporting →
AI chatbots found giving inaccurate financial advice to UK consumers
A Which? study tested AI chatbots including ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Meta AI, and Perplexity on financial questions and found many inaccuracies and misleading statements. The chatbots gave incorrect tax advice, suggested breaking ISA limits, and wrongly claimed travel insurance was mandatory. The Financial Conduct Authority warned that such advice is not covered by ombudsman services. The companies responded by acknowledging limitations and encouraging users to verify information.
- Company involved
- Meta, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Perplexity
- AI system involved
- Meta AI, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity
1 source article · read the reporting →
Microsoft AI poll asks readers to vote on woman's cause of death
An AI-generated poll on Microsoft Start appeared alongside a Guardian article about a young woman's death, asking readers to vote on whether she died by murder, accident, or suicide. The poll, marked 'Insights from AI', caused outrage and emotional distress to the bereaved family, and The Guardian's chief executive wrote to Microsoft's president demanding assurances. Microsoft acknowledged the error, deactivated all AI-generated polls, and is investigating the cause.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Microsoft Start
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Department of Justice training uses AI chatbot that names real harassment victim
A psychosocial safety training course at Bunbury prison, commissioned by the Western Australia Department of Justice, used a scenario generated by Microsoft Copilot that included the real name of former employee Bronwyn Hendry, an alleged sexual harassment victim. The trainer said she was unaware the AI had used a real person's name. Ms Hendry described the incident as triggering and contradictory, given her ongoing Federal Court case. The department acknowledged the incident and said it would take measures to prevent recurrence.
- Company involved
- Department of Justice, Western Australia
- AI system involved
- Microsoft Copilot
1 source article · read the reporting →
Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Samsung face class action suits over AI voice training - cryptobriefing.com
The AI voice models were trained on the plaintiffs' voice recordings without their consent.
- Company involved
- Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, Alphabet, Adobe, ElevenLabs
1 source article · read the reporting →
Tech Giants Face Illinois Lawsuits Over Voice Data Used to Train AI - Межа. Новини України.
The companies used individuals' voice recordings without permission to train AI models.
- Company involved
- Apple, Amazon, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, Samsung, Alphabet, Adobe, ElevenLabs
1 source article · read the reporting →
Noise lawsuit is latest in legal wave hitting data center operations - Facilities Dive
The data center emitted a low-frequency hum that reduced quality of life and property values for nearby residents.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
- AI system involved
- Fairwater data center
1 source article · read the reporting →
Microsoft ordered nearly $2.5M fine for air pollution from Northern Virginia data center - WJLA
The data center's backup generators emitted air pollutants exceeding permit limits, affecting nearby residents.
- Company involved
- Microsoft
1 source article · read the reporting →
OpenAI and Microsoft Accused of Copyright Infringement: Two Media Outlets File Lawsuit - Судово-юридична газета
AI-generated texts provided an alternative to original news articles, reducing website visits and potentially attributing false information to the outlets.
- Company involved
- OpenAI,Microsoft
1 source article · read the reporting →
