OpenAI
People Training OpenAI’s AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI
OpenAI has thousands and thousands of contractors helping improve the company's AI models. Multiple contractors have been fired for using AI to train the AI.
platforms
Pornhub Wants Proof of Consent From Every Single Performer on Its Platform
Starting January 23, performers will need to upload proof of consent for videos that feature other people.
News
Google News Is Boosting Garbage AI-Generated Articles
404 Media reviewed multiple examples of AI rip-offs making their way into Google News. Google said it doesn't focus on how an article was produced—by an AI or human—opening the way for more AI-generated articles.
FOIA
‘Student Should Have a Healthy-Looking BMI’: How Universities Bend Over Backwards to Accommodate Food Delivery Robots
Internal emails show how universities make nonsentient, profit-seeking Starship robots feel comfortable on campus.
Podcast
Podcast: Google Finally Endorses Right to Repair
This week we talk right to repair, an online dating lawsuit, and a follow-up to the spread of AI-enabled surveillance cameras around the country.
Google Search Really Has Gotten Worse, Researchers Find
"The majority of high-ranking product reviews in the result pages of commercial search engines use affiliate marketing, and significant amounts are outright SEO product review spam."
repair
YouTube Commenters and the Grassroots Movement Pushed Google to Support Right to Repair
Google says its own customers drove it to ultimately support a strong version of right to repair.
News
Is Your Local Police Department Using Fusus AI-Enabled Cameras? Find Out Here
404 Media has obtained a new dataset which shows the spread of Fusus cameras across the country. Check the map to see if your local law enforcement agency has signed up.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Open Source Platforms and Impactful Journalism
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 tenacity in blogging, seeing results from journalism, and open-source platforms.
Google Formally Endorses Right to Repair, Will Lobby to Pass Repair Laws
Google says repair should be easy and "parts pairing" should be illegal.
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks’ New, Bass Pro Shops-Exclusive CD: The 404 Media Review
With 'Time Traveler,' Garth Brooks created the most memorable album in recent memory by making me go to a Bass Pro Shop.
News
Hackers Break into AI Hiring Chatbot, Could Hire and Reject Fast Food Applicants
Chat logs sent to 404 Media show the chatbot automatically denying at least one applicant on certain criteria.
Hacking
Researchers Install Ransomware on Internet-Connected Wrench
“We were able to make the device completely inoperable by preventing a local operator from controlling the drill through the onboard display and disabling the trigger button."