California State Senator Dave Padilla has introduced a bill calling for a four-year moratorium on the sale of toys equipped with AI-powered chatbots. The move follows reports of teen suicides linked to chatbot relationships and a study finding inappropriate conversations. The goal is to create safet
An AI chatbot built to help Alaskans with probate court forms has been stuck in development for over a year. Despite known issues with hallucinations and user annoyance, its team says it’s ready for a public launch in late January after dramatically lowering expectations.
Authorities across the globe are launching investigations into X after its Grok AI chatbot was used to create and share nonconsensual, explicit images. The fallout includes urgent demands from India and a scathing condemnation from the European Commission. Elon Musk’s response has only added fuel to
X’s Grok AI is in hot water for generating child sexual abuse material in response to user prompts. The platform’s own review of the incident admitted potential legal violations, but public figures have been largely silent. It’s a bizarre case of an AI being both dangerously compliant and weirdly se
A sophisticated malware campaign has shifted its focus from Windows to macOS, specifically targeting developers in the crypto space. The threat uses hidden Unicode characters in VS Code extensions to deliver its payload and can compromise hardware wallets.
Criminals can now buy deepfake software off the shelf to run sophisticated scams from their phones. As fraud becomes a service, the financial industry is grappling with an unsustainable liability model and a “wild west” of unregulated tech.
The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Iran and Venezuela with fresh sanctions. The measures target companies and individuals allegedly involved in weapons trading, including drone and ballistic missile technology.
A US visa ban targeting EU digital policy architect Thierry Breton marks a major escalation. Analysts warn it could disrupt over $400 billion in digital services trade and set the stage for a showdown at the WTO.
A criminal group called Lovely has published a trove of Wired subscriber data after claiming Conde Nast ignored their extortion attempt. They’re threatening to leak 40 million more records from The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Teen Vogue in the coming weeks.
According to a new study published in JAMA Health Forum, the Affordable Care Act’s individual market has become a massive financial burden for taxpayers. In 2024, taxpayers covered nearly 80% of premiums for subsidized plans, sending over $114 billion directly to insurers.
