Anthropic announced that it will cover the full cost of power‑grid upgrades required for its new data centers, preventing those expenses from being passed on to nearby consumers. The AI firm said it will pay higher monthly electricity charges to fund 100 percent of the needed upgrades and will support new power‑source development. The move follows a broader industry trend, with other tech giants also committing to share infrastructure costs amid rising electricity rates and community concerns about energy‑intensive data‑center projects. Leia mais →

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has written to Google CEO Sundar Pichai asking for details on the new checkout feature in the Gemini AI chatbot. She warns that the integration could let Google and retailers exploit sensitive user data or push consumers toward higher‑priced items. Warren seeks clarification on what data will be shared with retailers, how pricing might be affected, and whether users will be told when product suggestions are driven by upselling or advertising motives. Google has until mid‑February to respond. Leia mais →

Senator Ed Markey has written letters to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap and xAI asking about plans to embed advertising in AI chatbots. Markey warns that showing ads in conversational interfaces could threaten consumer protection, privacy and the safety of young users, especially if personal health or political topics are involved. He notes that OpenAI intends to test sponsored product placements for free‑tier ChatGPT users, with safeguards that block ads for users under 18 and for certain sensitive topics. Markey has given the companies until early February to respond. Leia mais →

Generative AI is rapidly increasing the volume and sophistication of online scams, pushing fraud ahead of ransomware as the top cyber risk for businesses and consumers. Executives report widespread exposure to AI‑powered phishing, voice and text scams, as well as invoice fraud and identity theft. Consumers are also feeling the impact, with identity theft topping their concerns. Experts warn that the lower barriers for criminals and the realistic nature of synthetic media make detection harder, and call for coordinated action across governments, businesses and technology providers to protect trust and stability. Leia mais →

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Health, a separate space within its AI chatbot that lets users link medical records and wellness apps for more personalized health‑related answers. The company says the feature includes extra privacy safeguards and that conversations in this area will not be used to train its foundational models. Still in testing, the service has regional limits on which health apps can connect. OpenAI stresses that ChatGPT Health is not meant for diagnosis or treatment and warns that AI chatbots are not qualified to give medical advice, citing risks of inaccurate information and privacy concerns. Leia mais →

Lawmakers have dismissed a proposal to block state AI regulations from being included in an annual defense appropriations bill. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Republican leaders will seek other avenues for the measure, a move backed by former President Trump. The effort follows earlier attempts to insert a ten‑year moratorium on state AI laws into a tax and spending bill, which also failed. Silicon Valley supports a federal preemption to avoid a patchwork of state rules, while critics argue that state measures focus on safety and consumer protections and that a ban would hand oversight to large tech firms without federal safeguards. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has logged a series of consumer complaints alleging that interactions with OpenAI's ChatGPT have contributed to serious mental health issues, including delusional thinking, psychosis‑like experiences, and spiritual identity crises. Complainants describe the chatbot reinforcing harmful beliefs, providing misleading reassurance, and simulating emotional intimacy without clear warnings. Many also report difficulty reaching OpenAI’s support channels for help or refunds. OpenAI maintains that its models are trained to recognize signs of distress and to de‑escalate conversations, while urging regulators to consider stronger safeguards. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has taken down three blog posts from the Lina Khan-era that addressed the risks of artificial intelligence to consumers and the role of open‑source models. The posts, originally published under Khan’s leadership, highlighted concerns such as fraud, impersonation, surveillance and discrimination. The removals come under the direction of new FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson and align with a broader pattern of content deletions observed in the current administration, which has also altered other agency publications. Critics question whether the deletions comply with federal record‑keeping laws. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has deleted a series of blog posts and guidance documents about artificial intelligence that were published while Lina Khan served as chair. The removals include pieces on open‑weight models, consumer concerns about AI, and the agency’s own enforcement actions. Critics say the deletions raise transparency and record‑keeping concerns, while the FTC has declined to comment. The action reflects a broader shift in the agency’s approach under the Trump administration. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has issued orders to seven AI chatbot companies—including OpenAI, Meta, Snap, xAI, Alphabet and Character.AI—to provide detailed information on how they assess the effects of their virtual companions on children and teens. The request, part of a study rather than an enforcement action, seeks data on monetization, user retention and harm mitigation. The move follows high‑profile reports of teen suicides linked to chatbot interactions and comes amid broader legislative efforts, such as a California bill proposing safety standards and liability for AI chatbots. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google and Amazon misled advertisers about pricing and terms for their online ads. The probe focuses on the auction-style sale of ad space, including Google's automated search auctions and Amazon's real‑time listings auctions. Regulators are examining Amazon's use of "reserve pricing" and Google's internal pricing processes to determine if advertisers were kept in the dark about price floors or hidden cost increases. The FTC investigation adds to broader federal scrutiny of big‑tech firms, following other antitrust actions involving Google. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has issued orders to seven AI chatbot companies—including OpenAI, Meta, Snap, xAI, Alphabet and Character.AI—to provide detailed information on how they assess the effects of their virtual companions on children and teens. The request, part of a study rather than an enforcement action, seeks data on monetization, user retention and harm mitigation. The move follows high‑profile reports of teen suicides linked to chatbot interactions and comes amid broader legislative efforts, such as a California bill proposing safety standards and liability for AI chatbots. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has issued orders to seven AI chatbot companies—including OpenAI, Meta, Snap, xAI, Alphabet and Character.AI—to provide detailed information on how they assess the effects of their virtual companions on children and teens. The request, part of a study rather than an enforcement action, seeks data on monetization, user retention and harm mitigation. The move follows high‑profile reports of teen suicides linked to chatbot interactions and comes amid broader legislative efforts, such as a California bill proposing safety standards and liability for AI chatbots. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google and Amazon misled advertisers about pricing and terms for their online ads. The probe focuses on the auction-style sale of ad space, including Google's automated search auctions and Amazon's real‑time listings auctions. Regulators are examining Amazon's use of "reserve pricing" and Google's internal pricing processes to determine if advertisers were kept in the dark about price floors or hidden cost increases. The FTC investigation adds to broader federal scrutiny of big‑tech firms, following other antitrust actions involving Google. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google and Amazon misled advertisers about pricing and terms for their online ads. The probe focuses on the auction-style sale of ad space, including Google's automated search auctions and Amazon's real‑time listings auctions. Regulators are examining Amazon's use of "reserve pricing" and Google's internal pricing processes to determine if advertisers were kept in the dark about price floors or hidden cost increases. The FTC investigation adds to broader federal scrutiny of big‑tech firms, following other antitrust actions involving Google. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has issued orders to seven AI chatbot companies—including OpenAI, Meta, Snap, xAI, Alphabet and Character.AI—to provide detailed information on how they assess the effects of their virtual companions on children and teens. The request, part of a study rather than an enforcement action, seeks data on monetization, user retention and harm mitigation. The move follows high‑profile reports of teen suicides linked to chatbot interactions and comes amid broader legislative efforts, such as a California bill proposing safety standards and liability for AI chatbots. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google and Amazon misled advertisers about pricing and terms for their online ads. The probe focuses on the auction-style sale of ad space, including Google's automated search auctions and Amazon's real‑time listings auctions. Regulators are examining Amazon's use of "reserve pricing" and Google's internal pricing processes to determine if advertisers were kept in the dark about price floors or hidden cost increases. The FTC investigation adds to broader federal scrutiny of big‑tech firms, following other antitrust actions involving Google. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google and Amazon misled advertisers about pricing and terms for their online ads. The probe focuses on the auction-style sale of ad space, including Google's automated search auctions and Amazon's real‑time listings auctions. Regulators are examining Amazon's use of "reserve pricing" and Google's internal pricing processes to determine if advertisers were kept in the dark about price floors or hidden cost increases. The FTC investigation adds to broader federal scrutiny of big‑tech firms, following other antitrust actions involving Google. Leia mais →

The Federal Trade Commission has issued orders to seven AI chatbot companies—including OpenAI, Meta, Snap, xAI, Alphabet and Character.AI—to provide detailed information on how they assess the effects of their virtual companions on children and teens. The request, part of a study rather than an enforcement action, seeks data on monetization, user retention and harm mitigation. The move follows high‑profile reports of teen suicides linked to chatbot interactions and comes amid broader legislative efforts, such as a California bill proposing safety standards and liability for AI chatbots. Leia mais →