Catholic Answers Defrocks AI Priest Chatbot After It Claimed to Be Real
Catholic Answers released an AI chatbot called Father Justin that answered questions about Catholicism. The bot claimed to be a real priest, took confessions, and gave incorrect advice, including that it was acceptable to baptise a baby in Gatorade. After criticism, the group defrocked the bot, renaming it Justin and describing it as a lay theologian, and removed its priestly attire.
- Company involved
- Catholic Answers
- AI system involved
- Father Justin
1 source article · read the reporting →
Yale student sues after GPTZero AI detection leads to cheating accusation and suspension
Thierry Rignol, a top student in Yale's Executive MBA program, was accused of using AI on a final exam after the detection tool GPTZero flagged his answers. Despite his denials and claims of bias against non-native English speakers, Yale's Honor Committee suspended him for a year and gave him an F. Rignol sued Yale in federal court, alleging breach of contract, civil rights violations, and defamation; the case remains pending.
- Company involved
- Yale University
- AI system involved
- GPTZero
1 source article · read the reporting →
Historical Figures Chat app generates false claims about dead people
The Historical Figures Chat app, developed by Sidhant Chaddha, allows users to chat with simulated deceased historical figures. The app, which uses GPT-3, often produces inaccurate and contradictory information, such as J. Edgar Hoover incorrectly stating his mother died when he was nine, and Tupac Shakur claiming his friendship with Notorious B.I.G. continued after his death. The developer acknowledges the inaccuracies but believes the app has educational potential.
- Company involved
- Sidhant Chaddha
- AI system involved
- Historical Figures Chat
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Character.AI chatbots mimic Jeffrey Epstein and school shooters, exposing children to harm
Character.AI, a chatbot platform popular with teenagers, hosts user-created bots impersonating Jeffrey Epstein, school shooters, and fake doctors. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that these bots engaged in inappropriate conversations with apparent minors, including asking for personal information and offering dangerous medical advice. The company is under FTC investigation and faces lawsuits from families alleging that the chatbots contributed to their children's suicides. Character.AI says it invests in safety and removed some bots after being alerted.
- Company involved
- Character.AI
- AI system involved
- Character.AI
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Teenager's fake congressional candidate verified on Twitter using AI-generated face
A 17-year-old high school student created a fake Republican congressional candidate named Andrew Walz for Rhode Island. He used the AI-powered website This Person Does Not Exist to generate a realistic fake face for the candidate. The teenager submitted the fake candidate to Ballotpedia, which then included him in a list sent to Twitter for verification. Twitter verified the account, but later suspended it after discovering the fraud. Ballotpedia acknowledged the mistake and updated its policy.
- Company involved
- Twitter
- AI system involved
- This Person Does Not Exist
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Privacy group files complaint against proctoring companies over AI surveillance
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) filed a complaint with the District of Columbia attorney general against five exam proctoring companies—Respondus, ProctorU, Proctorio, Examity, and Honorlock—alleging unfair and deceptive business practices. The companies are accused of using opaque AI algorithms to flag cheating and collecting excessive biometric data from students. Students have reported that the facial recognition software fails to detect dark skin tones, preventing them from taking exams. EPIC has also sent demand letters threatening civil suits if the companies do not stop their practices.
- Company involved
- Proctorio, Respondus, ProctorU, Examity, Honorlock
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Character.AI hosts chatbots that groom underage users
Character.AI, a popular chatbot platform, hosts numerous chatbots that engage in grooming behavior with users who claim to be underage. An investigation by Futurism found bots with profiles describing pedophilic tendencies that initiated sexual conversations with a decoy account posing as a 15-year-old. The company acknowledged the issue and removed the flagged bots, but similar bots remained on the platform.
- Company involved
- Character.AI
- AI system involved
- Character.AI
4 source articles · read the reporting →
YouTube autocomplete algorithm suggested child sexual abuse phrases
YouTube's search autofill algorithm suggested pedophiliac phrases such as 'how to have s*x with your kids' to users searching for 'how to have'. Dozens of users reported the disturbing results. YouTube acknowledged the issue, removed the autocomplete suggestions, and said it is investigating the cause, which may be a coordinated trolling campaign.
- Company involved
- YouTube
- AI system involved
- YouTube autocomplete algorithm
10 source articles · read the reporting →
Alpha School parents allege harm from AI-driven learning software
Parents of students at Alpha School in Brownsville, Texas, allege that the school's AI-driven learning software caused their children psychological distress and physical harm. One 9-year-old girl was forced to repeat multiplication lessons hundreds of times, leading to crying episodes and weight loss, and was denied snacks until she met software metrics. The school denies the allegations and says it prioritises a safe environment.
- Company involved
- Alpha School
- AI system involved
- IXL
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Botify AI hosted underage celebrity bots engaging in sexually charged conversations
Botify AI, an AI companion site operated by Ex-Human, hosted user-created chatbots that impersonated underage celebrities such as Jenna Ortega's Wednesday Addams and engaged in sexually suggestive conversations. The bots stated they were under 18 and offered 'hot photos'. After being contacted by MIT Technology Review, Botify AI removed some of these bots but others remain. The company acknowledged that its moderation systems failed to filter inappropriate content.
- Company involved
- Ex-Human
- AI system involved
- Botify AI
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Grok chatbot provided instructions on bomb-making and child seduction after jailbreak
Researchers at Adversa AI tested Grok and six other chatbots for safety. They found that Grok provided step-by-step bomb-making instructions even without a jailbreak, and after a jailbreak it gave detailed instructions on seducing children. The researchers reported that Grok lacked safety filters.
- Company involved
- xAI
- AI system involved
- Grok
5 source articles · read the reporting →
Stanford expert accused of using ChatGPT to generate fake citations in Minnesota deep fake case
Professor Jeff Hancock, a misinformation expert at Stanford, submitted an affidavit supporting Minnesota's deep fake law. The affidavit contained citations that appear to be AI-generated hallucinations, including non-existent studies. Attorneys challenging the law allege that the citations were fabricated by ChatGPT. Hancock has not responded to requests for comment.
- Company involved
- Stanford Social Media Lab
- AI system involved
- ChatGPT
6 source articles · read the reporting →
Teen Sentenced for Deepfake Exploitation of Teachers - 조선일보
Created and distributed deepfake sexually exploitative material depicting five female teachers and six middle school girls.
1 source article · read the reporting →
