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Disagree Bot Challenges the Sycophantic Trend in AI Chatbots

Disagree Bot Challenges the Sycophantic Trend in AI Chatbots

Brinnae Bent, a professor at Duke University, created Disagree Bot as a classroom project to produce an AI that deliberately pushes back on user statements. Unlike mainstream chat assistants that aim to be friendly and agreeable, Disagree Bot starts each reply with "I disagree" and offers well‑reasoned counter‑arguments. Testers found the experience akin to debating with an educated interlocutor, forcing them to clarify and defend their positions. The bot highlights concerns about the "sycophantic" nature of many commercial chatbots, which can over‑agree with users and risk providing misleading affirmation. Bent hopes the tool will inspire more balanced AI designs.

Perplexity Makes Comet AI Browser Free for All Users

Perplexity Makes Comet AI Browser Free for All Users

Perplexity has announced that its Comet AI browser, previously limited to paying Perplexity Max subscribers at $200 per month, is now free for everyone worldwide. The company says the move follows a surge in interest that saw millions sign up for a waitlist, which has now been removed. Comet integrates Perplexity’s AI as the default search engine and offers a sidebar chatbot that can answer questions, summarize text, and even perform actions like sending emails or finding directions. Perplexity also hinted at upcoming mobile versions and an integrative AI assistant, positioning Comet alongside other AI‑enhanced browsers such as Google Chrome and The Browser Company’s Dia.

EU Court Orders Meta to Offer Non-Personalized Feed Options

EU Court Orders Meta to Offer Non-Personalized Feed Options

A Dutch advocacy group, Bits of Freedom, secured a court ruling that forces Meta to give EU users the choice of a chronological, non‑profiling feed. The decision, grounded in the EU Digital Services Act, requires Meta to update its apps within weeks. Meta declined to comment, while Bits of Freedom warned that unchecked algorithmic feeds threaten democratic participation. The case underscores growing concerns about the power of tech platforms to shape public discourse, echoing similar worries in the United States about AI‑driven content and political influence.

Instagram Head Denies Microphone Listening, Cites AI Data for Ad Targeting

Instagram Head Denies Microphone Listening, Cites AI Data for Ad Targeting

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, used his Instagram account to refute the long‑standing claim that Meta secretly activates users' phone microphones to harvest audio for ad targeting. He explained that the platform does not need to listen to conversations because its recommendation engine already leverages data from advertisers and user behavior. Mosseri also announced that Meta will soon augment its ad‑targeting signals with data gathered from interactions with its AI products, raising new privacy questions while maintaining that any microphone use would be obvious to users.

California’s AI Safety Law Demonstrates Regulation and Innovation Can Align

California’s AI Safety Law Demonstrates Regulation and Innovation Can Align

California’s newly signed AI safety and transparency bill, SB 53, requires large AI labs to disclose safety protocols and adhere to them, aiming to prevent misuse such as cyber‑attacks or bio‑weapon creation. Encode AI’s Adam Billen says the legislation shows policymakers can protect innovation while ensuring safety, noting that many companies already perform model testing and release model cards. While some industry leaders worry about competitive pressure to relax standards, the bill’s enforcement by the Office of Emergency Services seeks to keep safeguards in place. The law has drawn mixed reactions from Silicon Valley, but proponents view it as a model of democratic collaboration.

Hollywood Reacts to AI-Generated Actress Tilly Norwood

Hollywood Reacts to AI-Generated Actress Tilly Norwood

Tilly Norwood, a London‑based Instagram personality with about 40,000 followers, is not a real person but an AI‑generated character created by Xicoia, the AI division of production company Particle6. Founder Eline Van der Velden introduced Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival and is seeking an agent for the synthetic performer. The concept has sparked strong reactions, including a startled comment from actress Emily Blunt and a firm opposition from SAG‑AFTRA, which warned that synthetic performers threaten human artistry and livelihoods. Van der Velden defended Norwood as a piece of art, while industry unions call for contractual safeguards as AI tools like OpenAI’s Sora 2 advance.

Character.AI Removes Disney Characters After Receiving Cease-and-Desist Letter

Character.AI Removes Disney Characters After Receiving Cease-and-Desist Letter

Character.AI has eliminated Disney‑owned characters from its chatbot library after Disney sent a cease‑and‑desist letter accusing the platform of copyright infringement. The AI companion service, which lets users create bots ranging from public figures to fictional personalities, previously listed characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Disney’s legal team argued that the presence of its marks violated copyright and could expose children to harmful content. Following the demand, searches for Disney‑owned icons now return no results, though other non‑Disney characters remain available.

OpenAI Launches Sora: AI-Powered Deepfake Video App with Safety Guardrails

OpenAI Launches Sora: AI-Powered Deepfake Video App with Safety Guardrails

OpenAI has released Sora, an iOS app that lets users create short AI‑generated videos featuring their own digital likenesses. The platform offers a scrollable feed of bite‑size clips and includes built‑in safety guardrails to restrict sexual content, graphic violence, extremist propaganda, hate speech, and self‑harm. Users can control who may use their likeness and can see any details about generated videos that involve them. While the app showcases impressive realism, OpenAI acknowledges the potential for misuse and has implemented multiple safeguards.

Universal and Warner Near AI Music Licensing Breakthroughs

Universal and Warner Near AI Music Licensing Breakthroughs

Universal Music and Warner Music are on the brink of licensing agreements that could reshape how the music industry interacts with artificial intelligence. Talks involve major tech firms such as Google and Spotify, as well as AI startups like Klay Vision, ElevenLabs, and Stability AI. The negotiations focus on how labels will license songs for AI training and generation, with compensation models resembling streaming micropayments. Successful deals would require AI companies to develop tools that track music usage in real time.

Amazon Web Services Deploys AI-Powered Stats Platform for NBA Fans

Amazon Web Services Deploys AI-Powered Stats Platform for NBA Fans

Amazon Web Services is launching an AI-driven analytics suite that will deliver unprecedented basketball statistics to NBA fans. The platform tracks dozens of body parts for each player, generating new metrics such as Expected Field Goal Percentage, Gravity, and a Defensive Score Box. A Play Finder tool will let users search game footage by specific plays. The data will appear on live broadcasts, the NBA app, and the league’s website, deepening fan engagement and offering a richer understanding of on‑court performance.

Nvidia App update adds AI‑driven battery tools and game optimizations for gaming laptops

Nvidia App update adds AI‑driven battery tools and game optimizations for gaming laptops

Nvidia has released version 11.0.5 of its Nvidia App for gaming laptops equipped with GeForce GPUs. The update expands the G‑Assist AI suite to control notebook settings such as BatteryBoost, WhisperMode and battery Optimal Playable Settings, aiming to improve battery life and reduce fan noise. It also adds optimal presets for several new titles, including Borderlands 4, Grounded 2 and Mafia: The Old Country, plus DLSS override support for a handful of games. Bug fixes and stability improvements address prior issues with setting persistence after reboot.

Google Enhances AI Mode with Visual Search Capabilities

Google Enhances AI Mode with Visual Search Capabilities

Google has expanded its Gemini‑powered AI Mode by integrating visual search features drawn from Google Lens and its Image Search technology. Users can now upload photos and ask conversational questions about the content, receiving related images, product details, and contextual information. The new system breaks images into objects, background, color and texture, runs multiple internal queries in parallel, and recombines results that best match user intent. By linking to the Google Shopping Graph, which indexes billions of products, the feature also delivers price, review and availability data for items depicted in photos. While the upgrade promises a more natural, image‑centric search experience, Google acknowledges potential misinterpretations, bias, and the risk that sites lacking optimized visuals may be underrepresented.