Samantha Cole

Samantha Cole

Sam Cole is writing from the far reaches of the internet, about sexuality, the adult industry, online culture, and AI. She's the author of How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex.
279 posts
Behind the Blog: Party Time
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Party Time

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss last night's shindig.
Podcast: Is Criticizing AI Ableist?
Podcast

Podcast: Is Criticizing AI Ableist?

On the podcast this week: generative AI Doom, drama in NaNoWriMo, and Apple's face swap problem.
Sextortion Scammers Try to Scare People by Sending Photos of Their Homes
News

Sextortion Scammers Try to Scare People by Sending Photos of Their Homes

If you got an email containing your address and a PDF with a photo of your street, don't freak out: it's a fake sextortion scheme.
NaNoWriMo Says Condemning AI Is ‘Classist and Ableist’
News

NaNoWriMo Says Condemning AI Is ‘Classist and Ableist’

The organization that runs National Novel Writing Month, a November challenge to write 50,000 words, said "the categorical condemnation of Artificial Intelligence has classist and ableist undertones."
Massive AI Dataset Back Online After Being ‘Cleaned’ of Child Sexual Abuse Material
News

Massive AI Dataset Back Online After Being ‘Cleaned’ of Child Sexual Abuse Material

LAION-5B is back, with thousands of links removed after research last year that showed it contained instances of abusive content. 
Behind the Blog: Bobbleheads and Maxed-Out Gaming
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Bobbleheads and Maxed-Out Gaming

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss generative AI in gaming, getting into sports events, and good laptops.
Behind the Blog: Skipping Meetings and Calming Nerves
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Skipping Meetings and Calming Nerves

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss running 404 Media for a whole year, public speaking, and meetings.
What We Learned In Our First Year of 404 Media
Announcements

What We Learned In Our First Year of 404 Media

In August 2023, we launched 404 Media with a novel idea: pay journalists to do journalism. Here we are, a year later.
Shein Is Suing Temu For Copyright Infringement
copyright

Shein Is Suing Temu For Copyright Infringement

Shein, notorious for being accused of copyright infringement by small artists and big brands alike, is suing its competitor Temu for... copyright infringement.
Swift Could Sue Trump Under State Law for Fake AI Endorsement
AI

Swift Could Sue Trump Under State Law for Fake AI Endorsement

Donald Trump accepted fake endorsements from AI-generated versions of Taylor Swift and her fans. Under a recently-enacted Tennessee law, the AI-generated images could be illegal.
Nvidia Sued for Scraping YouTube After 404 Media Investigation
nvidia

Nvidia Sued for Scraping YouTube After 404 Media Investigation

David Millette, a YouTube creator, filed a class action lawsuit against Nvidia citing “unjust enrichment and unfair competition” for how the company built its training data for the “Cosmos” project video model.
Behind the Blog: Lost in Translation
Behind The Blog

Behind the Blog: Lost in Translation

This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss LLMs and languages, and a big data breach.