News/Privacy
Memory-wholed: Why Claude’s Memory feature could expand to free users sooner than expected
Anthropic has introduced Memory functionality for Claude, its AI assistant, marking a significant step toward more personalized AI interactions. This feature, now available exclusively for Team and Enterprise customers, allows Claude to remember user preferences, project details, and conversation context across sessions—similar to capabilities already offered by competitors like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Memory represents a fundamental shift in how AI assistants operate. Rather than treating each conversation as isolated, Memory-enabled AI systems maintain continuity by storing relevant information about users' work patterns, preferences, and ongoing projects. For businesses, this means no longer having to repeatedly establish context about company...
read Sep 11, 2025Claude AI now remembers conversations automatically for Team users
Anthropic has rolled out automatic memory capabilities for Claude AI, allowing the chatbot to remember details from previous conversations without prompting. The feature is currently available only to Team and Enterprise users, enabling Claude to automatically incorporate user preferences, project context, and priorities into its responses. What you should know: This upgrade builds on Anthropic's previous memory feature that required users to manually prompt Claude to remember past chats. Claude's memory now carries over to projects, a feature that lets Pro and Teams users generate diagrams, website designs, graphics, and more based on uploaded files. The system appears particularly focused...
read Sep 11, 2025WIRED tested the $129 AI necklace that alienates users and fails technically
The Friend, a $129 AI necklace created by 22-year-old entrepreneur Avi Schiffmann, continuously records conversations and responds with intentionally rude commentary designed to combat loneliness. Two WIRED reporters who tested the device found it to be a social disaster that alienated people at gatherings and suffered from significant technical problems, highlighting broader issues with always-on AI wearables. What you should know: The Friend pendant hangs around users' necks and records everything they say, then uses AI to provide snarky commentary about their conversations. The device is designed with a deliberately foul mood, as Schiffmann believes moodiness makes AI more engaging...
read Sep 11, 2025Beyond the ankle bracelet: Oklahoma considers AI to monitor parolees with facial recognition
Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a proposal from Montana-based Global Accountability to implement an AI-powered parole and probation monitoring system that would use facial recognition and fingerprint scanning for check-ins. The state could become the first in the nation to adopt the company's Absolute ID platform, which would cost approximately $2 million for a one-year pilot program covering 300 parolees and up to 40 officers. What you should know: The Absolute ID platform combines biometric identification (facial recognition and fingerprints), location tracking, and virtual boundary alerts to monitor people on parole and probation through smartphones and smartwatches. Users would scan their...
read Sep 10, 2025Pot calling kettle? Spotify upset by thousands of users selling streaming data to AI developers
Over 18,000 Spotify users have joined "Unwrapped," a collective that pools and sells their streaming data to AI developers, earning $55,000 from their first data sale in June. The initiative represents a growing movement where users seek to monetize their personal data while building AI tools that offer deeper music insights than Spotify's annual Wrapped feature provides. The big picture: Users are no longer content waiting for Spotify to evolve its popular year-end recap feature, instead turning to AI-powered alternatives that can analyze their complete listening history for emotional patterns, mood tracking, and social comparisons with friends. What you should...
read Sep 4, 2025AI voice tech and ambient AI help UK doctors stay ahead of schedule for first time in years
Ambient AI and voice recognition technologies are transforming healthcare workflows by automating documentation and streamlining administrative tasks for overwhelmed medical professionals. These advances are particularly impactful in UK general practice settings, where GPs can now dictate consultation summaries and referral letters directly into digital platforms, helping them stay ahead of schedule for the first time in years. The big picture: Healthcare professionals spend equal time documenting patient interactions as they do consulting with patients, contributing significantly to burnout and inefficiencies in primary care settings. How it works: Modern voice recognition systems use advanced AI to transcribe naturally spoken language in...
read Sep 3, 2025AI scams cost military families $200M in 2024, advocacy group warns
AI-powered scams targeting U.S. military families cost victims nearly $200 million in 2024, according to a Veterans and Military Families advocacy group warning. The surge in artificial intelligence-enabled fraud represents a growing threat to service members and their families, who are increasingly vulnerable to sophisticated deception tactics that leverage AI's ability to create convincing fake communications and impersonations. Why this matters: Military families face unique vulnerabilities to scams due to frequent deployments, financial stress, and their often-public service records that scammers can exploit to build credible fake personas. The scale of the problem: The $200 million figure represents losses from...
read Sep 3, 2025Activist uses facial recognition AI to unmask ICE agents from arrest videos
A Netherlands-based immigration activist is using AI and facial recognition technology to identify masked US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents captured in viral arrest videos. Dominick Skinner's project has reportedly identified at least 20 ICE agents, turning surveillance technology against federal law enforcement in a striking reversal of conventional power dynamics. How it works: Skinner's team uses AI to reconstruct complete facial images from partially visible faces, then runs those images through existing facial recognition systems.• The process involves using AI to predict what the rest of an ICE agent's face likely looks like based on visible portions, then...
read Sep 2, 2025Illinois school district installs AI gun detection amid accuracy concerns
Oak Lawn High School District 229 in Illinois has installed an AI-powered gun detection system from Omnilert, a company specializing in school security technology, that monitors both inside and outside the school campus. The district received the technology through a three-year grant that covers the cost of the AI detection appliance, training, and technical support, with the system going live before students returned on August 13. How it works: The Omnilert system integrates with existing security cameras to identify potential firearms using artificial intelligence. When the AI detects what appears to be a gun, it sends the data to a...
read Sep 2, 2025Your prompt is showing: Therapists secretly using ChatGPT during sessions raises privacy concerns
Some therapists are secretly using ChatGPT and other AI tools during sessions and in client communications, often without disclosure or consent. Multiple clients have discovered their therapists using AI through technical mishaps or telltale signs in communications, leading to feelings of betrayal and damaged trust in relationships where authenticity is paramount. What you should know: Several clients have caught their therapists using AI tools in real-time during sessions or in email responses. Declan, 31, watched his therapist input his statements into ChatGPT during a video session when screen sharing was accidentally enabled, with the AI providing real-time analysis and suggested...
read Aug 28, 2025WhatsApp launches AI writing assistant with privacy-focused processing
WhatsApp has launched Writing Help, an AI-powered tool that can adjust the tone of messages or completely rewrite them to sound more professional, funny, or supportive. The feature leverages Meta's AI technology while using Private Processing to ensure message privacy, marking another step in Meta's integration of AI assistance across its messaging platforms. How it works: Users can access Writing Help through a new pencil icon on their keyboard in both individual and group chats. The tool can modify message tone or provide alternative ways to convey the same message, similar to Instagram's existing writing assistant. Writing Help is powered...
read Aug 28, 2025Old Town, Maine uses new AI to track residents for local business enhancement
Old Town, Maine, will begin using artificial intelligence to track residents and visitors later this year through a smartphone data collection program called Placer.ai. The initiative aims to gather demographic and behavioral insights to enhance local marketing efforts and attract new businesses to the downtown area. How it works: Placer.ai collects data from smartphones in specific geographic areas, building comprehensive profiles of user behavior and demographics. The system tracks where people were before entering an area, how long they spend there, where they go afterward, and personal information like annual income. AI aggregates the data, recognizes patterns, and creates mapping...
read Aug 27, 2025Michigan criminalizes nonconsensual AI-generated intimate images
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation making it illegal to create or distribute AI-generated pornographic images depicting real people without their consent. The new laws, which took effect Tuesday, establish both criminal penalties and civil remedies for victims of nonconsensual intimate deepfakes, addressing a growing form of digital exploitation. What you should know: The Protection from Intimate Deep Fakes Act and its companion bill specifically target AI-generated sexual imagery that falsely portrays identifiable individuals. House Bills 4047 and 4048 were sponsored by Representatives Matthew Bierlein (R-Vassar) and Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing). The legislation prohibits both the creation and distribution of...
read Aug 26, 2025Sneaky Peek: Halo X smart glasses record conversations without consent, raising privacy concerns
Harvard dropouts AnhPhu Nguyen and Caine Ardayfio have unveiled Halo X, AI-powered smart glasses that continuously record and transcribe every conversation while providing real-time AI insights to users. The device has sparked widespread backlash on social media, with critics condemning it as a dystopian surveillance tool that threatens privacy and could further erode critical thinking skills. What makes this controversial: Unlike Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses, the Halo X deliberately omits visual indicators that would alert others when they're being recorded. Co-founder Nguyen told Futurism their core difference is "we aim to literally record everything in your life, and we think...
read Aug 25, 2025Ohio now the Buck-AI State in new K-12 instructional requirement
Ohio has become the first state in the United States to require K-12 public schools to adopt artificial intelligence policies, according to education publication EdWeek. This groundbreaking mandate, signed into law as part of the state budget last month, establishes essential guardrails while encouraging innovation in educational AI use—a critical step as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integral to workforce preparation. What you should know: The AI policy requirement emerged from recommendations by a coalition of businesses, nonprofits, and educators who recognized the urgent need for structured guidance.• Schools must adopt their own AI policies by July 1, 2025, though they...
read Aug 22, 2025GOP candidate posts photorealistic AI selfie with Democratic leaders without disclosure
New Hampshire state Senator Daniel E. Innis posted an AI-generated fake selfie on social media showing himself with Democratic representatives Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Chris Pappas during his 2026 GOP Senate campaign. The synthetic image, which lacked AI disclosure and was designed to look like a realistic photograph rather than an obvious illustration, highlights how artificial intelligence is already being deployed in subtle ways to shape political perceptions ahead of the next election cycle. What happened: Innis acknowledged the image was artificially created when questioned, saying his communications team produced it as part of an AI social media trend....
read Aug 22, 2025A face only AI could love: Can a synthetic visage solve facial recognition’s privacy problem?
Researchers are exploring the use of synthetic faces—computer-generated images that don't belong to real people—to train facial recognition AI systems, potentially solving major privacy concerns while maintaining fairness across demographic groups. This approach could eliminate the need for scraping millions of real photos from the internet without consent, addressing both ethical data collection issues and the risk of identity theft or surveillance overreach. The big picture: Facial recognition technology has achieved near-perfect accuracy rates of 99.9 percent across different skin tones, ages, and genders, but this success came at the cost of individual privacy through massive data collection from real...
read Aug 20, 2025300K Grok AI conversations exposed on Google after users hit “share”
Over 300,000 Grok AI chatbot conversations have become publicly searchable on Google after users clicked the "Share" button, exposing private chats that were likely intended for limited sharing. This privacy breach mirrors a similar incident with ChatGPT shared conversations and highlights growing concerns about how AI platforms handle user data and content sharing permissions. The big picture: When Grok users share conversations through the platform's built-in feature, those chats receive publicly accessible URLs that Google's web crawlers can index and display in search results. The issue stems from how "shareable" URLs are structured and whether AI companies adequately protect users...
read Aug 18, 2025AI transcription saves Channel Islands doctors, along with those forced to read their handwriting
A Jersey GP practice has become the first on the island to implement Heidi Health, an AI-powered transcription system that records and processes doctor-patient conversations. The technology allows doctors to focus entirely on patient care rather than manual note-taking, while also automating administrative tasks like drafting referral letters. Why this matters: Health Plus, a Jersey medical practice, is pioneering the use of AI transcription technology in Jersey's healthcare system to improve both doctor efficiency and patient experience. Dr. Ed Klaber of Health Plus explains that artificial intelligence will "allow GPs to be more present during appointments, improve communication with patients...
read Aug 18, 2025Android 16 QPR2 brings AI agents, flexible parental controls, and UWB upgrades
Google is accelerating Android development with a new twice-yearly release schedule, and the upcoming Android 16 QPR2 update represents the company's first "minor" release under this faster cadence. QPR stands for Quarterly Platform Release—Google's system for delivering significant updates between major Android versions. This December release will introduce three substantial improvements that signal Google's broader push into AI-powered mobile experiences and enhanced device connectivity. While these updates may seem technical on the surface, they represent meaningful shifts in how businesses and consumers will interact with their Android devices. 3 major features coming to Android 16 QPR2 1. AI agents that...
read Aug 18, 2025Lawsuit accuses Otter.ai of secretly recording 25M users for AI training
A federal class-action lawsuit filed against Otter.ai accuses the popular AI transcription service of secretly recording and processing millions of users' private conversations without proper consent to train its artificial intelligence systems. The suit, filed in California federal court, alleges that Otter's default settings allow it to record virtual meetings without alerting all participants, potentially violating state and federal privacy and wiretapping laws. What you should know: The lawsuit centers on Otter Notebook's automatic recording capabilities during virtual meetings across major platforms. Plaintiff Justin Brewer of San Jacinto, California claims his privacy was "severely invaded" when Otter secretly recorded a...
read Aug 14, 2025Google quietly expands Gemini data use for AI training—here’s how to opt out
Google is quietly expanding how it uses customer data to train its artificial intelligence models, and users who don't pay attention to their privacy settings might inadvertently become part of the training process. Starting September 2, files, photos, videos, and screen captures that users share with Gemini, Google's flagship AI assistant, could be sampled and used to improve the company's AI services. This represents a significant shift in how Google handles user-generated content within its AI ecosystem, bringing the search giant's data practices more in line with competitors like OpenAI. The change arrives as Google races to keep pace with...
read Aug 13, 2025YouTube’s AI age detection now requires ID from misidentified adults
YouTube will begin using artificial intelligence to automatically detect users' ages on Wednesday, requiring adults incorrectly flagged as minors to provide government ID, credit card information, or biometric data to prove their age. The system aims to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content, but privacy advocates and users are raising concerns about data security and the burden placed on adults who may be misidentified by the AI. How it works: The AI analyzes user behavior patterns to determine whether someone is under 18, regardless of the birthdate they provided when signing up. The system examines signals like video search patterns,...
read Aug 13, 2025Google’s Gemini now remembers your chats automatically—here’s what that means for privacy
Google's Gemini AI chatbot will now automatically remember details from past conversations to personalize future responses, eliminating the need for users to manually prompt the system to recall previous discussions. The update expands Gemini's memory capabilities beyond its current manual "remember" feature, positioning Google to compete more directly with ChatGPT's cross-chat memory functionality while raising questions about AI safety and user privacy. How it works: Gemini will automatically store and reference key details and preferences from your conversation history to tailor its responses. If you previously discussed creating a YouTube channel about Japanese culture, Gemini might later suggest video ideas...
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