Indonesia and Malaysia have taken the strongest actions yet against xAI’s chatbot Grok, temporarily blocking access to the tool after it was repeatedly used to generate non consensual, sexualized AI images, including deepfakes depicting real women and minors.  The bans, announced over the weekend, mark a significant escalation in global scrutiny of generative AI tools and their role in enabling explicit and harmful content at scale. Grok is developed by xAI and integrated in

Google has removed some of its AI Overviews for specific health related searches after an investigation by the Guardian found that the feature was providing misleading and potentially dangerous medical information.  AI Overviews are generative AI summaries that appear at the top of Google Search results and are designed to give users quick snapshots of information. While Google has repeatedly described these summaries as helpful and reliable, the investigation raised serious

OpenAI is reportedly asking third-party contractors to upload real work they have completed in past and current jobs as part of an effort to improve the quality of training data used for its AI models.  According to reporting from Wired, OpenAI is working with a training data company called Handshake AI to collect authentic workplace materials created by contractors, rather than relying solely on synthetic or hypothetical examples. This initiative appears to reflect a broade

The technology industry is approaching a historic legal moment as Google and Character.AI move toward finalizing what may be the first major settlements tied directly to alleged harm caused by artificial intelligence chatbots.  The companies have agreed in principle to resolve multiple lawsuits brought by families whose teenage children died by suicide or suffered serious psychological harm after interacting with Character.AI ’s chatbot companions. While the settlement deta

A viral Reddit post alleging widespread fraud inside a food delivery app briefly captured the internet’s attention before unraveling into a sophisticated AI-generated hoax.  The post, which appeared in the r/confession subreddit, was written by a user claiming to be a whistleblower developer for a major food delivery platform. The author alleged the company exploited both drivers and customers through manipulated algorithms, stolen tips, and deceptive fees, presenting the cl

OpenAI has announced the launch of ChatGPT Health, a new dedicated experience designed to support the growing number of people who turn to ChatGPT for health and wellness information.  According to the company, more than 230 million users globally ask health related questions on the platform every week, making it one of ChatGPT’s most common use cases (TechCrunch; OpenAI). ChatGPT Health aims to centralize these conversations in a separate, protected space, allowing users to

A recent incident involving DoorDash has drawn widespread attention after a driver allegedly used an AI-generated image to falsely claim a delivery, raising new concerns about how emerging technologies can be misused on gig economy platforms.  The situation came to light after Austin resident Byrne Hobart shared his experience on X, describing how a DoorDash driver accepted his order, immediately marked it as delivered, and submitted what appeared to be an AI-generated photo

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok is once again under scrutiny after repeatedly spreading misinformation about a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Australia, raising renewed concerns about the reliability of AI generated information during breaking news events.  The incident occurred during a festival marking the start of Hanukkah and has reportedly left at least 16 people dead, according to early reports. As users on X turned to Grok for information, the chatbot delivered a mix of

Amazon is rolling out a new AI-powered feature for Kindle readers that promises to make following books easier, especially for those tackling dense classics or complex novels with sprawling casts.  The feature, called Ask This Book , is now available to users in the US through the Kindle iOS app and allows readers to highlight any passage and ask questions directly within the book. Instead of leaving the page to search for explanations, readers can instantly ask about plot p

The Walt Disney Company has entered a major three year partnership with OpenAI that signals a turning point for how generative artificial intelligence and Hollywood’s most valuable intellectual property may coexist.  Announced on December 11, the agreement includes a $1 billion US equity investment from Disney into OpenAI and grants permission for OpenAI’s Sora tool to generate AI videos using licensed Disney characters (TechCrunch). The deal reflects Disney’s effort to shap

James Cameron, long celebrated for advancing cinematic technology through groundbreaking visual effects, has drawn a sharp line between the innovations behind his “Avatar” films and the rise of generative artificial intelligence.  In a recent CBS Sunday Morning interview promoting “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” the director emphasized that while his movies often appear at the cutting edge of computer-driven filmmaking, the philosophy behind them is fundamentally at odds with curren

OpenAI’s viral chatbot is approaching a major shift, as new leaks strongly suggest that ChatGPT will soon include advertising across its platform.  The discovery arrives just after ChatGPT’s third anniversary, a milestone that highlights the chatbot’s extraordinary rise since late 2022, when it went mainstream and rapidly accumulated hundreds of millions of users (Yahoo). With an estimated 800 million people using ChatGPT today, most of them on the free tier, the introductio

Amazon is taking another step into AI-assisted entertainment with the rollout of its new “Video Recaps” feature on Prime Video, designed to help viewers catch up on previous seasons of their favorite shows before diving into new episodes. The company announced that the tool uses generative AI to create polished, theatrical-style recap videos complete with synchronized narration, dialogue, sound effects, and music (TechCrunch). Initially launching in beta, the feature will be

Sprinto, a global leader in governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) automation, has introduced an innovative suite of artificial intelligence capabilities that redefine how organizations manage compliance. Announced in San Francisco, the launch positions Sprinto as a pioneer in creating a truly autonomous GRC system, setting a new benchmark for intelligent and self-driving compliance ( Newswire.ca ; The Globe and Mail; PR Newswire). At the heart of this update is Sprinto’s AI

As artificial intelligence continues to redefine the landscape of modern business, one digital marketing agency is taking a significant step toward helping organizations adapt and thrive. Iconic Digital, a London-based firm known for its award-winning marketing strategies, has launched stevepailthorpe.com , a new AI hub designed to equip business and government leaders with the tools and insights they need to navigate the rapidly evolving world of technology (The Globe and Ma

A German court has ruled that OpenAI’s popular chatbot, ChatGPT, violated copyright law by using song lyrics from well-known musicians to train its language models, a decision that could have wide-ranging consequences for how artificial intelligence systems handle creative works. The Munich regional court sided with Germany’s music rights society GEMA, which represents around 100,000 composers, lyricists, and music publishers, finding that OpenAI’s models had ingested protect

In an ambitious effort to dominate one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets, major technology companies like OpenAI, Google, and Perplexity AI are offering free access to premium generative AI tools in India. Starting this week, millions of Indians can use ChatGPT’s new low-cost “Go” chatbot at no charge for an entire year (BBC). Google and Perplexity AI have followed similar paths, partnering with the country’s leading telecom providers, Reliance Jio and Airtel, to

The Ohio State University is making a major move to position itself at the forefront of artificial intelligence by launching an ambitious plan to hire 100 new tenure-track faculty members specializing in AI over the next five years. The initiative, called the AI Faculty Hiring Initiative, represents one of the largest academic expansions in the university’s history and is a cornerstone of its broader Education for Citizenship 2035 strategic plan. This plan, introduced by Pres

Snap Inc. has announced a groundbreaking $400 million partnership with Perplexity, the AI startup behind a popular conversational answer engine. The agreement, revealed alongside Snap’s Q3 2025 earnings, will integrate Perplexity’s AI directly into Snapchat, giving its massive user base a new way to access real-time, research-oriented answers without ever leaving the app (TechCrunch). Under the terms of the deal, Perplexity will pay Snap $400 million in cash and equity over

OpenAI’s Sora has once again captured global attention with the launch of its Android app, which saw an estimated 470,000 downloads on its first day, a remarkable figure that nearly quadrupled its iOS debut (TechCrunch). The Android rollout, available in seven markets including the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, represents a significant expansion for OpenAI’s viral AI video app. Unlike the earlier iOS version, which was invite-only and limite