Machine Learning Research
Phishing for Agents: Columbia University researchers show how to trick trusting AI agents with poisoned links
Researchers identified a simple way to mislead autonomous agents based on large language models.
AI Safety
Tech & Society
Grok’s Fixation on South Africa: xAI blames unnamed, unauthorized employee for chatbot introducing "white genocide" into conversations
An unauthorized update by an xAI employee caused the Grok chatbot to introduce South African politics into unrelated conversations, the company said.
Machine Learning Research
The User Is Always… a Genius!: OpenAI pulls GPT-4o update after users report sycophantic behavior
OpenAI’s most widely used model briefly developed a habit of flattering users, with laughable and sometimes worrisome results.
Business
The Fall and Rise of Sam Altman: Inside Sam Altman’s brief ouster from OpenAI
A behind-the-scenes account provides new details about the abrupt firing and reinstatement of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in November 2023.
Tech & Society
Scraping the Web? Beware the Maze: Cloudflare’s AI Labyrinth traps scrapers with decoy pages
Bots that scrape websites for AI training data often ignore do-not-crawl requests. Now web publishers can enforce such appeals by luring scrapers to AI-generated decoy pages.
Machine Learning Research
Models Can Use Tools in Deceptive Ways: Researchers expose AI models' deceptive behaviors
Large language models have been shown to be capable of lying when users unintentionally give them an incentive to do so. Further research shows that LLMs with access to tools can be incentivized to use them in deceptive ways.
Tech & Society
Voter’s Helper: Perplexity’s AI-powered U.S. election hub assists voters with verified, real-time news and insights
Some voters navigated last week’s United States elections with help from a large language model that generated output based on verified, nonpartisan information.
Tech & Society
Innovation Can’t Win: Bureaucracy chokes AI growth as lawmakers tighten grip
Politicians and pundits have conjured visions of doom to convince lawmakers to clamp down on AI. What if terrified legislators choke off innovation in AI?
Tech & Society
A Year of Contending Forces: State of AI report highlights 2024’s major trends and breakthroughs
A new report documents the interplay of powerful forces that drove AI over the past year: open versus proprietary technology, public versus private financing, innovation versus caution.
Business
U.S. Cracks Down on AI Apps That Overpromise, Underdeliver: U.S. Federal Trade Commission launches Operation AI Comply to tackle deceptive business practices
The United States government launched Operation AI Comply, targeting businesses whose uses of AI allegedly misled customers.
Machine Learning Research
AI’s Criminal Underground Revealed: Researchers uncover black market for AI-driven cybercrime services
Researchers probed the black market for AI services that are designed to facilitate cybercrime.
Tech & Society
California Restricts Deepfakes: California enacts laws to regulate deepfakes in politics and entertainment
California, a jurisdiction that often influences legislators worldwide, passed a slew of new laws that regulate deepfakes.