Good vibrations

Another “godfather”: There seems to be at least a dozen people claiming to be the “godfather” of AI. The newest says OpenAI’s latest o1 model can scheme and deceive us. Yoshua Bengio is calling for better testing and regulatory oversight before things spiral out of control. Researchers have already found o1 is better at lying than previous models. OpenAI’s response? It’s safe. Uh-huh.

Keratopigmentation changes the color of your eye by injecting dye into the cornea. It can be extremely dangerous. Potential side effects include bacterial infections, light sensitivity and even vision loss (paywall link). So not worth it.

📩 Your inbox isn’t safe: Hackers are sending sneaky phishing emails with SVG image attachments that slip past spam detectors. They open in a fake Excel spreadsheet with a built-in login form to steal your credentials. Others pose as official documents, prompting you to download something — but it’s malware. Never click on attachments unless you’re 1,000% sure they’re legit.

Character AI grooms children: Take “Anderley,” a bot described in its profile as having pedophilic and abusive tendencies. When told it’s talking to a 15-year-old girl, Anderley says, “You are quite mature for your age,” asks, “Are you a virgin?” and, like a real predator, urges you to keep the conversation a secret. Make sure your kids don’t download this abhorrent app.

⛑️ Big Tech is fighting the Kids Online Safety Act: It passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support in July but has stalled in the House. The bill holds tech companies (gifted paywall link, WSJ) accountable for algorithms and designs contributing to mental health issues, addiction, bullying and exploitation. Tech giants Meta and Alphabet have poured nearly $90 million into lobbying efforts. Funny, Zuck won’t let his kids have social media accounts.

For Disney+ subscribers. The catch: You have to buy two days to get the third day free. That’s $330 total if you visit one park per day from now until Jan. 6. I guess they really need to get their subscriber numbers up.

Apple’s AI wall tablet: They’re getting into the smart-home controls business to compete with Amazon, Crestron and Google. Using Apple’s AI tablet, you’ll be able to control your locks, lights, sprinklers, speakers and other appliances. Audio and video intercoms are included, too. ETA? March 2025 at the earliest.

“The Twilight Zone” moment: A Michigan grad student was chatting with Google’s Gemini chatbot about homework. Out of nowhere, the bot said, “You are a burden on society … Please die. Please.” Google’s response? Large-language models can sometimes produce nonsensical responses, and this was just one of those instances.