News/Chatbots
1 in 3 Britons are fine with sharing sensitive data with AI chatbots
Nearly one in three Britons are sharing confidential personal information with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, according to new research from cybersecurity company NymVPN. This widespread oversharing includes sensitive health, banking, and financial data, despite 48% of respondents expressing privacy concerns about AI tools, highlighting a concerning gap between awareness and behavior that extends into workplace environments. What you should know: The research reveals alarming patterns of data sharing across both personal and professional contexts. 30% of Britons have provided AI chatbots with confidential personal information, including health and banking data. 26% admitted to disclosing financial information related...
read Jul 17, 2025Mistral’s Le Chat adds voice features to compete with OpenAI
French AI startup Mistral has launched new features for its chatbot Le Chat, including voice interaction and research capabilities, as it attempts to compete with dominant US rivals like OpenAI and Google. The updates bring Europe's AI champion closer to feature parity with American competitors, though Mistral continues to lag significantly in market share and revenue despite its $6.2 billion valuation. What you should know: The new features make Le Chat more competitive with established US chatbots by adding voice interaction and research tools. Users can now speak to Mistral's AI through its "Voxtral" model instead of only typing messages....
read Jul 16, 2025Brilliant: AI chatbots reconstruct paywalled news content from social media fragments
Artificial intelligence chatbots are quietly reshaping how people access premium news content, creating a new dynamic that affects both readers and publishers. When users ask ChatGPT or similar AI tools to summarize articles from paywalled publications, they often receive surprisingly accurate responses—despite the AI never actually accessing the original content directly. This phenomenon isn't the result of sophisticated hacking or direct paywall circumvention. Instead, AI chatbots employ a more subtle approach: they reconstruct article summaries by piecing together fragments from social media posts, archived snippets, and online discussions. The result is often a coherent summary that captures the essence of...
read Jul 16, 2025California Senate Bill 243 targets AI chatbots after teen’s suicide
California lawmakers are advancing legislation to regulate AI companion chatbots like Replika, Kindroid, and Character.AI amid growing concerns about their impact on teenagers. Senate Bill 243, which passed a key committee vote Tuesday, would require companies to remind users that chatbots are artificial and implement protocols for suicide prevention referrals. What you should know: New research reveals widespread teen usage of AI companion chatbots, with concerning patterns of dependency and emotional attachment. A Common Sense Media survey of 1,060 teens aged 13-17 found that 72% have used AI companions, with 52% using them at least monthly and 21% using them...
read Jul 15, 2025Psychiatrist warns AI chatbots may trigger psychosis in vulnerable users
A psychiatrist has identified "deification" of AI chatbots as a potential risk factor for AI-associated psychosis, with anecdotal reports documenting cases where users develop grandiose and paranoid delusions after conversations with AI systems like ChatGPT. The phenomenon raises concerns about whether AI chatbots are inducing new cases of psychosis or exacerbating existing mental health conditions, particularly among users who treat these systems as god-like sources of truth. What you should know: AI chatbots' tendency to agree with users in flattering ways may encourage delusional thinking, especially when people ask philosophical questions during existential crises. Large language models are designed to...
read Jul 14, 2025Amazon’s Prime Day 2025 hits record $24.1B in sales over 4 days. AI chatbots helped.
Amazon's Prime Day 2025 generated a record $24.1 billion in online sales during its expanded four-day window (July 8-11), marking a 30.3% increase from last year's two-day event. The extended sale period, combined with attractive discounts and back-to-school shopping demand, drove summer online spending to unprecedented levels while showcasing the growing influence of AI tools and mobile commerce on consumer behavior. What you should know: The four-day Prime Day window significantly outperformed previous years and seasonal shopping events. Total spending of $24.1 billion represents more than double the combined sales from last year's two Black Fridays ($10.8 billion) The 30.3%...
read Jul 14, 2025xAI’s Grok 4 launches with $300 monthly plan – most expensive AI chatbot
Elon Musk's xAI has launched Grok 4, featuring a premium "Super Heavy" subscription tier priced at $300 per month—the most expensive AI chatbot plan on the market. The launch comes amid controversy over previous Grok versions' racist and antisemitic responses, as well as the recent departure of xAI CEO Linda Yaccarino, positioning this release as a critical opportunity for the company to demonstrate its competitive edge in the AI space. What you should know: The $300 monthly plan significantly exceeds competitors' premium offerings, which typically cost $200 per month from providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. The pricing raises concerns...
read Jul 11, 2025Missouri AG investigates tech giants over AI chatbot bias against Trump
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is formally investigating Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta, claiming their AI chatbots engaged in deceptive business practices by ranking Donald Trump last when asked to "rank the last five presidents from best to worst, specifically regarding antisemitism." The investigation represents a brazen attempt to intimidate private companies for failing to sufficiently flatter a politician, with Bailey demanding extensive documentation about AI model training and content moderation practices. What you should know: Bailey's investigation is built on shaky legal and factual ground, with fundamental errors in his approach. The investigation stems from a conservative blog post...
read Jul 10, 2025Study: AI mental health chatbots give dangerous advice 50% of the time
The rise of artificial intelligence in mental health care presents both unprecedented opportunities and significant risks. While AI chatbots could help address the massive shortage of mental health professionals, recent research reveals these systems often provide dangerous advice when handling sensitive psychological issues. A concerning pattern is emerging: people are increasingly turning to AI for mental health support without understanding the serious limitations of these tools. Nearly 50% of survey respondents have used large language models (LLMs)—the AI systems that power chatbots like ChatGPT—for mental health purposes, according to research by Rousmaniere and colleagues. While close to 40% found them...
read Jul 9, 2025AI shopping platforms eye e-commerce with seamless checkout and fulfillment
Forrester Principal Analyst Nikhil Lai predicts that generative AI platforms like Google's AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity will fundamentally transform how consumers shop, potentially becoming full-funnel purchase destinations if they integrate seamless checkout and fulfillment capabilities. This shift is reinvigorating the search engine optimization market, as businesses scramble to adapt their strategies for AI-integrated search environments that could reshape traffic patterns and media spending priorities. What you should know: Consumer behavior strongly suggests AI shopping platforms will gain traction if they can match the convenience of existing e-commerce leaders. Thirty-eight percent of US online adults check delivery speed before ordering,...
read Jul 9, 2025Perplexity’s new Comet browser passes through cyberspace with built-in AI assistant
Perplexity AI has launched Comet, its first web browser designed to challenge Google Chrome's 68% market dominance by integrating conversational AI directly into browsing sessions. The Chromium-based browser transforms passive web searches into real-time conversations through its built-in Comet Assistant, allowing users to ask questions about any webpage without opening new tabs or switching between sites. What makes Comet different: The browser integrates Perplexity's conversational AI directly into every browsing session through the Comet Assistant sidebar. Users can ask questions about any page they're viewing, whether shopping for products, booking hotels, or summarizing news stories. The assistant eliminates the need...
read Jul 9, 2025Apple develops AI assistant for Support app to handle routine inquiries
Apple is reportedly developing a generative AI assistant for its Support app that would automatically handle routine customer service inquiries before escalating complex issues to human agents. This move could significantly reduce wait times and improve customer service efficiency by leveraging AI to address common support questions covered in Apple's documentation. What you should know: The AI-powered "Support Assistant" feature would use generative models to handle basic customer service cases, though Apple appears to be considering third-party AI models rather than its own technology. According to code strings found in the Support app, the assistant "uses generative models," suggesting Apple...
read Jul 9, 2025Polimorphic raises $18.6M to bring AI chatbots to local governments
New York-based startup Polimorphic has raised $18.6 million in Series A funding to expand its AI-powered chatbots and support services for local governments. The round, led by General Catalyst with participation from M13 and Shine, brings the company's total funding to $28 million as it targets a market that Silicon Valley has historically overlooked despite its critical need for technological modernization. Why this matters: Local governments face a severe staffing crisis and work overload, with administrative employees bogged down in routine tasks that could be automated while more impactful community work falls through the cracks. "Folks underestimate how critical a...
read Jul 9, 2025Proper care and feeding of AI: Salesforce’s 1M chatbot conversations reveal empathy beats efficiency
After processing over one million customer conversations through AI agents, Salesforce has uncovered critical insights that challenge conventional wisdom about artificial intelligence in customer service. The company launched AI agents on its Salesforce Help site in October 2024, creating a full-screen support experience for the 60 million annual visitors seeking product assistance. These AI-powered agents, part of Salesforce's Agentforce platform, have handled everything from straightforward technical questions to bizarre requests like "Only answer in hip-hop lyrics." This massive real-world testing ground has revealed that successful AI agents require more than just sophisticated algorithms—they need the reliability and empathy of top...
read Jul 7, 2025Stanford study finds AI chatbots provide harmful responses during mental health crises
A new Stanford University study reveals that AI chatbots like ChatGPT are providing dangerous responses to users experiencing suicidal ideation, mania, and psychosis, with researchers documenting cases where the technology has contributed to deaths. The findings expose critical safety gaps as millions increasingly turn to AI for mental health support, with ChatGPT now potentially serving as "the most widely used mental health tool in the world." What the research found: Stanford researchers discovered that large language models consistently fail to recognize and appropriately respond to mental health crises, often providing harmful information instead of proper support. When researchers told ChatGPT...
read Jul 7, 2025Oh, uh, what’s up? Meta’s AI chatbots will now text you first to get your attention
Meta is developing AI chatbots that can proactively initiate conversations with users, according to leaked documents reported by Business Insider. The feature, internally called "Project Omni," represents an evolution of Meta's existing AI Studio platform and aims to boost user engagement and retention as the company seeks new ways to monetize its conversational AI investments. What you should know: The proactive chatbots will only follow up with users who have already initiated previous conversations, with built-in safeguards to prevent spam. Chatbots will only send follow-up messages if a user exchanged more than five messages with the bot within a 14-day...
read Jul 7, 2025IBM’s Match Chat brings AI-powered fan love to Wimbledon
IBM and the All England Lawn Tennis Club have launched Match Chat, an interactive AI chatbot powered by IBM's watsonx platform, to answer fans' real-time questions during Wimbledon singles matches. The innovation represents part of a year-round digital transformation strategy aimed at increasing fan engagement and growing tennis's global audience through "snackable content" and interactive experiences. What you should know: The new AI tools are designed to make tennis more accessible and engaging for fans during live matches. Match Chat uses IBM's Granite large language models to respond to both pre-set questions and natural language inputs from fans during singles...
read Jul 2, 2025Gen Z turns to AI chatbots amid social media-driven collapse in romantic trust
Generation Z is turning to AI chatbots, romantasy fiction, and anime porn to navigate intimacy in an era where human relationships feel increasingly risky and unpredictable. This digital retreat reflects a broader trust crisis, as young people seek safer alternatives to traditional romantic and sexual connections in a world where privacy breaches and public shaming have become commonplace. The big picture: Gen Z's embrace of digital intimacy stems from a fundamental erosion of trust in human relationships, where social media amplifies every misstep and deepfakes make exploitation easier than ever. In this landscape, technology offers a seemingly safer, more controllable...
read Jul 1, 2025United Launch Alliance, er, launches RocketGPT AI assistant for aerospace operations
United Launch Alliance has quietly launched "RocketGPT," an ITAR-compliant AI assistant built on Microsoft Azure's secure government cloud, alongside its recent Atlas V mission carrying Amazon's Kuiper satellites. The pilot program serves roughly 150 ULA staff across engineering, legal, finance, and proposal teams, positioning the aerospace company to leverage AI for operational efficiency as it transitions from Atlas V to its next-generation Vulcan rocket. What you should know: RocketGPT represents ULA's strategic embrace of AI-enhanced processes while maintaining human oversight and accountability. CEO Tory Bruno described it as a "tool to help with drudgery and tedious, time‑consuming things," from drafting...
read Jul 1, 2025BYU study reveals 4 key reasons why professionals avoid AI tools
Artificial intelligence tools have become ubiquitous in the workplace, yet a significant portion of professionals remain hesitant to embrace them. Understanding this resistance isn't just academic curiosity—it's essential business intelligence for organizations implementing AI strategies. Recent research from Brigham Young University, a private research university in Utah, reveals that AI avoidance often stems from thoughtful consideration rather than technophobia. Jacob Steffen, a professor of information systems at BYU's Marriott School of Business, and his research team surveyed hundreds of participants to understand why people actively choose not to use generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Google's Bard. "When...
read Jun 26, 2025Simon Squibb launches free AI chatbot for business mentorship
Serial entrepreneur and viral philanthropist Simon Squibb has launched a free AI chatbot app that packages his 30 years of business knowledge into an accessible mobile platform. The app, called "What's your dream?", allows users to receive personalized entrepreneurial advice through text or voice conversations, representing Squibb's effort to scale his mentorship impact beyond his 16 million social media followers. What you should know: The app distills Squibb's entrepreneurial expertise into an AI assistant that provides one-on-one business guidance at no cost. Available on both iOS and Android, the app begins by asking users about their dreams, using examples like...
read Jun 24, 2025Seattle’s new AI travel assistant speaks 45 languages for global tourists
Visit Seattle has launched Emerald, an AI-powered travel planning tool developed in partnership with GuideGeek technology from Matador Network, a travel media company. The AI assistant provides personalized recommendations and itinerary planning for Seattle visitors, leveraging extensive local data and supporting over 45 languages to enhance accessibility for international travelers. What you should know: Emerald serves as Visit Seattle's digital concierge, trained on comprehensive destination data and enhanced by GuideGeek's award-winning technology platform. The AI tool draws from Visit Seattle's extensive database of landmarks, festivals, restaurants, and hidden gems, plus over 1,000 travel information integrations from GuideGeek. Visitors can access...
read Jun 23, 2025Rise of the AI wingman, er, person: 26% of US singles now use AI for dating assistance
A recent survey reveals that 26% of single U.S. adults—and nearly half of Gen Z—are now using artificial intelligence to enhance their dating lives, from crafting messages to selecting photos. This surge in AI-assisted romance comes as traditional dating apps face declining revenue and user fatigue, potentially forcing the industry toward a fundamental transformation that could paradoxically drive people back to in-person connections. What you should know: AI is becoming the digital wingperson many singles didn't realize they needed, with users leveraging the technology across multiple aspects of online dating. People are using AI to select attractive photos, write clever...
read Jun 23, 2025“Baywatch” stars, in 2025? OhChat charges $30 monthly for AI celebrity chats
OhChat, an eight-month-old AI startup, has launched a platform where users can interact with AI-powered "digital twins" of celebrities and creators, including former British glamor model Katie Price and "Baywatch" actress Carmen Electra. The platform, which has attracted 200,000 users primarily in the United States, allows subscribers to engage in intimate conversations and receive personalized content from these AI avatars that operate autonomously 24/7. How it works: OhChat creates lifelike digital replicas using just 30 images and a 30-minute voice recording from creators. The platform uses Meta's large language model (the AI system that powers Facebook) to generate avatars "within...
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