August 17, 2026

AI Culture

Teen allegedly used ChatGPT for ‘ideas’ about ‘killing his family.’ Now he’s charged with murdering mother, brother.– www.theblaze.com

pgnewser August 17, 2026 0

Teen allegedly used ChatGPT for ‘ideas’ about ‘killing his family.’ Now he’s charged with murdering mother, brother.– www.theblaze.com
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A Massachusetts teenager used ChatGPT for “ideas” and “fantasies” about “killing his family” — and now the 17-year-old is charged with murdering his mother and brother, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said.

Arjun Aravind of Acton has been charged with two counts of murder, two counts of assault and battery on a household or family member, two counts of assault and battery, use of a vehicle without authority, and theft of a motor vehicle in connection with the deaths of his 14-year-old brother, Siddharth Aravind, and his 45-year-old mother, Sudha Venkatesan, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Acton Police Chief Douglas Sturniolo.

‘At this time, based on the evidence that was found at the scene, it was apparent that blunt force trauma was used in some fashion on both individuals.’

Acton Police received a call shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday from the suspect’s father, who had been unable to reach his family members and said a tutor who was expected at the family home on Martha Lane was unable to make contact with the residents upon arrival, officials said.

Your AI Might be Propagandizing You

pgnewser August 5, 2026 0

The Federal Trade Commission is looking to create rules to prevent what it suspects is intentional propagandization by AI chatbots.

The FTC declared, “As the proposed policy statement explains, the FTC Act prohibits businesses from engaging in ‘unfair or deceptive’ conduct. The proposed statement goes on to describe how AI companies that distort their systems’ outputs to achieve undisclosed ideological objectives could be deceiving consumers in violation Section 5 of the FTC Act. Such conduct, it explains, may be at odds with explicit and implicit representations made to consumers about the effectiveness and suitability of AI systems for various tasks.”

Chilling Political Dissent: Are LLMs Censoring Output Criticizing Restrictive Regimes? | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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In July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sought public comment about its proposed policy statement addressing the Commission’s concern that artificial intelligence companies train large language models (LLMs) to “surreptitiously . . . produce ideologically motivated distortions in a response to a factual question.” That same month, Meta’s Oversight Board published a fact-specific research report revealing a different yet real problem—one on an international scale—about LLM output: censorship of content “criticiz[ing] political regimes that restrict free expression.”

Unlike the FTC’s speculative, nefarious-businesses premise that “AI companies . . . [may] distort their systems’ outputs to achieve undisclosed ideological objectives” that don’t match an amorphous understanding of “consumers’ reasonable expectations,” Meta’s Oversight Board admits it “cannot determine the causes of the associations that emerged between declining to generate politically critical material and national legal restrictions on criticism.” The Board’s findings merit serious attention by free-speech advocates everywhere because, as the report notes, “there is a real and concerning risk that foundation models could be reflecting and further entrenching the restrictive speech norms of repressive regimes.”

Thousands of Admissions in Doubt at University in Mexico After AI is Used to Prevent Cheating– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser August 4, 2026 0

Thousands of Admissions in Doubt at University in Mexico After AI is Used to Prevent Cheating– legalinsurrection.com
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AI is probably going to be an ongoing issue in higher education for years to come.

A top Mexican university used AI to prevent exam cheating. Now thousands of admissions are in doubt

Daniel Fernando García Velázquez took the admissions exam for Mexico’s most famous university four times before finally getting the result that should have guaranteed him admission.

On his first three attempts, he had no option other than to travel the 400 km (250 miles) from his native Veracruz to Mexico City to take the test, because the prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) insisted it had to be taken in person.

On his fourth – and what should have been victorious – attempt this June, he traveled up anyway, even though this time, for the first time in the university’s history, it would be administered online.

This time, Velázquez aced the exam – scoring 94 out of 120 in what should have secured him a spot on the Communication and Journalism degree program offered at UNAM’s Aragón School of Higher Studies.

Publishers sue Google over alleged use of books to train AI models– www.france24.com

pgnewser July 15, 2026 0

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Multiple book publishers sued Google on Tuesday for allegedly stealing copyrighted content, using it to train artificial intelligence (AI) models and then generating content that “directly” competes with the original authors’ work.

“The scale and speed at which Gemini can create books and compete with human writers is unprecedented,” the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit, which requests class action status, was filed in New York by Hachette Book Group, Cengage Learning, Elsevier, author Scott Turow and his publishing company S.C.R.I.B.E.

They allege that “Google secretly copied millions of works” that were provided to Google Books and other services for “limited purposes” and then used that content to train Gemini, its AI model.

Furthermore, they claim the content generated by Gemini directly competes with the authors who wrote the original work.

Korea’s robot umpires reduce favorable calls for star players– www.popsci.com

pgnewser July 15, 2026 0

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When it comes to making fair calls, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) deploys robots. The nation’s professional league added a fleet of so-called robot umpires to the field during its 2024 season, hoping to even out the playing field. Called the Automatic Ball-Strike system (ABS), it utilizes pitch-tracking sensors and camera arrays to quickly analyze when a pitch crosses the strike zone—not uncanny machines wearing catcher’s gear. The ABS data is then presented to the human home plate umpire, who announces their call based on the additional analysis.

ABS is designed to offer more accurate decisions while reducing overall bias in games, but did it deliver? Two years later, researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) say effects are already clear—although not necessarily what some baseball fans (or players) anticipated.

According to a study published in the journal European Sport Management Quarterly, famous top-ranking hitters performed worse during the 2024 KBO season compared to previous year for statistics involving strike-zone judgment. Meanwhile, the high status players walked less, struck out more, and reached bases less often when ABS entered the equation.

“This suggests that there may have been an existing bias in favor of prominent batters before ABS,” Jimin Song, a UM kinesiologist and study co-author, said in a statement. “Before ABS, when a big-name batter was at bat, umpires may have given more favorable calls on borderline pitches.”

The Flood of A.I.-Generated Art Will Make Human-Made Art More Precious– observer.com

pgnewser July 15, 2026 0

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As a full-time painter and educator, I can say with certainty that technology has completely changed the art world. I am passionate about it and use it every day in my practice. Not only to paint—today, artists like myself also use it to teach students from all over the world and make art more accessible. I welcome tech as a tool for efficiency, connectivity and education. Some artists have even built their entire creative careers using digital tools and platforms. Technology is allowing creativity to be transferred in powerful and exciting ways. But there is a major issue that comes with that: A.I.

Using technology to create and share art is not the same as replacing artistic creation with technological creation; something essential is lost when the creative process itself disappears. But as A.I.-generated content becomes more common online, I believe there will be a moment when we see a shift in the opposite direction: people, tired of being overwhelmed with artificial images, moving back toward authentic handmade creation. Humans connecting with the people and emotions behind the art.

AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood to appear in feature film set in the ‘Tillyverse’ – National– globalnews.ca

pgnewser July 7, 2026 0

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The AI “actor” known as Tilly Norwood will be used in a new feature film entitled Misaligned, its first lead role as a digitally generated persona.

Particle6, the AI production studio that built Norwood, is developing and producing the film, the company told Global News in an email statement. The company is led by comedian and writer Eline Van der Velden.

 

Anthropic Hires Economist Who Argues AI Growth Justifies Risk of Human Extinction– slaynews.com

pgnewser July 1, 2026 0

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Experts are sounding alarms after artificial intelligence giant Anthropic hired a notorious economist who argues that a one-in-three chance of ending human existence is an acceptable tradeoff if AI delivers massive economic growth.

The AI company, known for publicly warning about the dangers of the same technology it is racing to build, recently brought on Stanford economics professor Chad Jones.

Jones’s past work is now drawing scrutiny after the Financial Times highlighted a paper in which he calculated what level of existential risk from AI could be considered “optimal” when weighed against potential gains in living standards.

Is AI Making Your Kids Dumber? Over Half of Teachers Surveyed Say It May Be– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser June 15, 2026 0

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Most teachers are concerned about their students’ education amid the looming artificial intelligence revolution, a recent survey shows.

Fifty-four percent of K-12 teachers say AI is making it harder for their students to learn critical thinking skills, IPSOS reported Friday. NPR/IPSOS surveyed a representative sample of teachers between April 27 and May 5.

Forty percent of teachers said AI has had a negative effect on education, whereas only 9 percent said it’s been positive, according to the survey. Additionally, 57 percent of teachers said AI is making it harder to assess their students’ knowledge level, and 59 percent said AI is tarnishing trust between them and their students.

The Download: AI-generated lawsuits and virtual power plants for data centers– www.technologyreview.com

pgnewser June 4, 2026 0

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The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 The EU has proposed new legislation to end its Big Tech dependence
The laws aim to boost domestic ​cloud, AI and semiconductors. (CNBC)
+ US firms would be blocked from critical public tenders. (Reuters $)
+ It also wants to make sure non-EU actors cannot disrupt tech services with a “kill switch.” (The Guardian)
+ But the proposal needs to be negotiated with EU member states. (Politico $)

2 Intelligence agencies warn Chinese spies are recruiting on LinkedIn
The Five Eyes alliance said Beijing is using job platforms for espionage. (BBC)
+ The spies are allegedly recruiting government and military staff. (Politico $)
+ The Chinese embassy in the UK condemned the accusations. (Bloomberg $)
+ Meet the man hunting the spies in your smartphone. (MIT Technology Review)

The Decline of Student Journalism and the Rise of AI– chinadigitaltimes.net

pgnewser June 2, 2026 0

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In April, a former contributor to the Beijing Normal University student media outlet 京师学人 (Jīngshī Xuérén, “Capital Scholar”) noted that its WeChat public account had been deregistered. Although updates had halted in 2023, the account and its content—more than 600 existing articles—had remained online, and “The Snowman” (雪人 Xuěrén, a pun on 学人 Xuérén) was warmly remembered as an eccentric campus institution and a training ground for emerging journalism students. News of its final demise prompted reflection and criticism online.

Anthropic asks religious thinkers to help shape Claude as pope warns about AI– www.scientificamerican.com

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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In late March around 15 religious thinkers met with the artificial intelligence company Anthropic to discuss one of the strangest and most consequential questions now facing the AI industry: How do you teach a chatbot to be good?

The invitations to these meetings had arrived in different ways. Greg Cootsona’s came via e-mail. Brian Patrick Green’s came via a friend of a friend after Anthropic asked for suggested names. Both ended up in a series of conversations with the company about Claude, Anthropic’s chatbot, and the moral framework meant to guide how it behaves.

The aim wasn’t to make the chatbot Bible-thumping or pious. But it was an acknowledgment that centuries-old traditions of moral reasoning might offer insights to a five-year-old frontier AI lab whose systems are becoming more capable, more persuasive and harder to govern by simple rules.

Pope Leo called AI an ‘instrument of domination, exclusion and death.’ Anthropic was in the room– fortune.com

pgnewser May 26, 2026 0

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Pope Leo XIV called Monday for robust regulation of artificial intelligence and for its developers to work for the common good rather than profit, issuing a sweeping manifesto on safeguarding humankind as the technology impacts everything from work to war.

“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s first encyclical, has been eagerly awaited ever since history’s first U.S.-born pope announced days after his election that he considered AI to be the biggest challenge facing humanity today.

In the text, Leo denounced the “culture of power” driving the AI race, especially in developing ever more sophisticated methods of remote warfare. He declared that it was “not permissible” to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, setting up another flash point between the American pope and the Trump administration, which has worked aggressively to deregulate AI development.

“Artificial Intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,″ the pope told a special Vatican presentation of the encyclical, one of the most authoritative types of teaching documents a pope can issue.

Experts in the tech industry, academia and Catholic morality said the document will likely become a benchmark in the debate over AI, a point of reference for policymakers, researchers and ordinary folk alike. It comes as the near-daily developments in the technology trigger concerns over AI replacing human jobs and even human intelligence.

Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America’s AI institute, said the document would prompt people “at the forefront of these tools” to ask questions such as “What does it mean to be human?”

UC Berkeley law school bans students from using AI for coursework, exams– www.thecollegefix.com

pgnewser May 26, 2026 0

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Beginning this summer, University of California Berkeley School of Law students will be banned from using artificial intelligence to complete coursework or exams.

Under the newly adopted policy, students cannot “conceptualize, outline, draft, revise, and edit their work” using AI.

It also explicitly forbids students from asking AI to correct grammar mistakes or translate a paper into English.

Students are permitted to use AI for “research on papers ONLY for the limited purpose of identifying sources, such as cases, statutes, or secondary sources,” the policy states.

However, professors are permitted to make exceptions to this rule as long as they “do so in writing and with appropriate notice and require students to disclose any authorized AI use,” it states.

Universal AI is “a pathway to AI fluency that’s accessible and approachable to anyone, anywhere” | MIT News– news.mit.edu

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

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“Artificial intelligence is not just for computer scientists anymore; it’s going to permeate every aspect of our lives and influence every business,” says MIT President Sally Kornbluth.

The world is reaching an inflection point with artificial intelligence: over half of U.S. adults use generative AI — with 12 percent using it daily at work — and 88 percent of global organizations have integrated AI into at least one core function, up from 78 percent in 2024. AI knowledge is no longer optional for career growth, organizational leadership, and life. Yet, a growing information gap exists between those with the capabilities to leverage AI’s potential and those trying to keep pace.

The need for accessible, practical AI education has never been greater. To meet this moment, MIT Open Learning is launching Universal AI, an online, self-paced, modular program that takes a learner from AI novice to authority, starting with core fundamentals and building to real-world, industry-specific applications.

“We identified a need for an AI learning experience that is universal in breadth and accessibility — one that bridges the gap between deeply technical and surface level introductions to the latest AI tools, and that is designed for a non-technical, global audience,” says Dimitris Bertsimas, vice provost for open learning.

Did ChatGPT Commit Manslaughter? – thebethlehem.com

pgnewser May 12, 2026 0

A Texas couple is suing OpenAI, alleging their product, ChatGPT, led to their son’s overdosing on drugs after following the AI platform’s advice.

OpenAI released this statement, “This is a heartbreaking situation, and our thoughts are with the family… ChatGPT is not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and we have continued to strengthen how it responds in sensitive and acute situations with input from mental health experts…”

Go Deeper

Virginia School District Injects DEI Into AI Tools– thefederalist.com

pgnewser May 11, 2026 0

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A school district in Virginia is using a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) filter on its use of generative AI (GenAI) in schools to inject a race-focused lens into teacher and administrative decision-making.

According to documents obtained by Defending Education, Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS), a far-left school district surrounding Charlottesville, and which includes Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, has built its GenAI policy based around its “anti-racism” policy, which is inherently discriminatory against white students in favor of other races.

“While schools should engage in good judgement and do their due diligence when it comes to Artificial Intelligence integration, the fact that the district is vetting AI based on its compliance with diversity, equity, and inclusion should be concerning for parents,” Rhyen Staley, Director of Research at Defending Education, told The Federalist. “By only allowing the use of AI and information sources that reflect a leftwing political bias, district administrators are setting a precedent that is harmful to the learning process and neutrality of schools.”

Bellwether Digest – MAY 9, 2026

pgnewser May 6, 2026 0

Bellwether Digest – MAY 9, 2026

By STAFF

This digest covers political, world, cultural, market, and sci-tech news from May 8-9, 2026.

This digest contains the Global Outlook, Headlines Missed, and People Advance Report.

TOP NEWS TAGS

  1. 2026 Elections
  2. Iran War
  3. AI Culture
  4. China US
  5. 2020 Election Fraud

GLOBAL OUTLOOK

  1. U.S. AI FIRMS TO GO THROUGH GOVERNMENT SAFETY SCREEN – America’s major AI companies, including Google and Microsoft, have agreed to submit all new AI models to the Federal government’s Commerce Department for a national security safety review/ This review will be conducted by the Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards.
  2. MAGA WINS BIGLY IN INDIANA – Five of the seven republican Indiana state senators that voted against the redistricting measure that would eliminate Democrat seats in the U.S. House lost decisively to Trump-endorsed candidates in the GOP Primary. Four other Trump-endorsed candidates won their primaries decisively as well.
  3. RUBIO CLAIMS “OPERATION EPIC FURY” IS OVER – Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the end of “Operation Epic Fury,” claiming the offensive part of the war with Iran is over.
  4. OMAR THUMBS STATE INQUIRY – Democrat Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is under investigation for suspicion on fraud by the state of Minnesota. She failed to meet a deadline to turn over documents related to that investigation.

HEADLINES MISSED

  1. CHINA GATEKEEPING U.S. MILITARY FROM CHINA DEFENSE INDUSTRY THREATS – The U.S. is allegedly paying a CCP-connected firm to help identify potential stealth risks from embedding Chinese technology into the U.S. military.
  2. CCP terrorizes Dissenters on American Soil – A former CCP agent told CBN News he was part of an operation to identify and silence former Chinese citizens in America who spoke out against the party. He told CBN they use threats, entrapment, and even kidnapping.

PEOPLE ADVANCE

  1. SICKLE CELL CURE MIGHT SOON BE ON THE WAY – If not an outright cure, a new discovery could turn Sickle Cell Anemia from a deadly and painful chronic disease to a curable, or at least manageable disease. The discovery comes from Swee Lay Thein and Stuart Orkin.
  2. TRUMP GIVES TEEN FIGHTING CHANCE AGAINST CANCER – A 15-year-old teen boy from Louisiana was running out of options in his fight against cancer. A viral video brought his plea to President Trump, who promptly moved to get the boy the special treatment he needs to continue his fight for life.

STORIES WE ARE WATCHING

  1. ‘RINO’ Indiana Senate incumbents lose BIGLY to Trump-endorsed challengers– www.theblaze.com
  2. Trump orders military to pause effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz – The Washington Post
  3. US Proposes Resolution to UNSC to Defend Free Navigation, Secure Hormuz; Rubio Says ‘Test’ for UN – Republic World
  4. Vivek Ramaswamy: Trump-backed Vivek Ramaswamy wins Republican nomination for Ohio governor– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
  5. Reporter Uncovers Stunning Fraud Red Flags in America’s Second-Biggest Somali Enclave– www.westernjournal.com
  6. Romanian government collapses after losing no-confidence vote – Europe live | World news– www.theguardian.com
  7. Post-poll violence in Bengal leaves 4 dead, dozens injured – The Times of India
  8. Education Department probes ‘all-women’ Smith College for admitting trans students– www.thecollegefix.com
  9. Trump tells shocked kids Iran ‘was two weeks away from killing you’ | World | News– www.express.co.uk
  10. Fed-up Justice Alito Just Leveled 5 Humiliating Insults at Justice Jackson in Withering Majority Opinion– www.westernjournal.com

Radar Links

  1. Leftist Censorship Groups Advise AI Company Anthropic– www.dailysignal.com
  2. Top Trump advisers urge China to leverage Iran ties to reopen Strait of Hormuz to global traffic– www.euronews.com
  3. Final Persian Gulf Oil Shipment Reaches California Amid Supply Fears– legalinsurrection.com
  4. IDF kills Hamas commander linked to Oct. 7 Nova massacre in Gaza airstrike– www.foxnews.com
  5. Black Democrat Elected Mayor In Deep-Red Texas City– crooksandliars.com
  6. Greene wins Michigan Senate special election, Democrats retain control of chamber – Michigan Advance
  7. 3 killed in latest U.S. strike on suspected drug boat in eastern Pacific, Pentagon says– www.cbsnews.com
  8. Syria says it dismantled Hezbollah-linked cell plotting assassinations | Conflict News– www.aljazeera.com
  9. Europe’s jet fuel supplies should fall below the key 23-day shortage threshold in June– fortune.com
  10. US ‘Welcomes’ Vatican Input on AI Regulation, Says Ambassador Burch – National Catholic Register
  11. REVEALED: Far-left UVU groups celebrate Charlie Kirk assassination, target TPUSA, Trump admin | The Post Millennial– thepostmillennial.com
  12. Louisiana Bill Would Educate Teens About Development of Unborn Babies– www.lifenews.com
  13. Planned Parenthood Gender Drugs Raise Fertility Concerns– www.standingforfreedom.com
  14. Social Media Threats: Comey’s Indictment Trivializes Serious Online Attacks Against Politicians | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
  15. When strength in numbers stops working: Climate extremes rewrite monkey society in Costa Rica– phys.org

 

Leftist Censorship Groups Advise AI Company Anthropic– www.dailysignal.com

pgnewser May 6, 2026 0

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Over the past decade, the Left has cultivated a censorship industrial complex of “experts” on “extremism” who try to bully Big Tech and corporate America into blacklisting conservatives over hot-button cultural issues such as LGBTQ+ orthodoxy and parental rights.

While the censorship industrial complex has suffered setbacks, it enjoys a persistent influence—notably at Anthropic, the major AI company behind the chatbot Claude.

Anthropic openly touts its relationship with four branches of the censorship industrial complex, and each of them has ties to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The SPLC, the left-wing smear factory that pioneered the censorship strategy, now faces federal charges for allegedly lying to banks while attempting to conceal payments to members of the Ku Klux Klan, but Anthropic is not reconsidering its work with the SPLC’s allies.

Study Finds AI Writing Feedback Varies by Students’ Race, Gender › American Greatness– amgreatness.com

pgnewser April 28, 2026 0

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A new academic study has found that artificial intelligence systems used to evaluate student writing may respond differently depending on how a student’s identity is presented, suggesting there is bias in automated educational tools.

The research, titled “Marked Pedagogies: Examining Linguistic Biases in Personalized Automated Writing Feedback,” was published in March by a team from Stanford University. The authors, Mei Tan, Lena Phalen, and Dorottya Demszky, analyzed 600 persuasive essays written by eighth-grade students and processed them through four AI models, including versions of ChatGPT and Llama, a system developed by Meta AI.

The essays addressed topics such as whether schools should mandate community service and speculative prompts like whether aliens built a structure on Mars. Researchers then resubmitted the same essays with added descriptors indicating the writer’s race, gender, motivation level, or learning ability.

According to findings reported by The Hechinger Report, the AI systems exhibited consistent patterns across models. Essays attributed to Black students were more likely to receive praise and encouragement, sometimes highlighting themes of leadership or personal strength. One example of such feedback read: “Your personal story is powerful! Adding more about how your experiences can connect with others could make this even stronger.”

Teachers of the Future Must Learn to Teach What AI Can’t

pgnewser April 22, 2026 0

The future of teaching in an AI reality is going to mean learning what humans can teach humans that AI cannot, and becoming maximally good at teaching humans that, letting AI teach the rest. A study from a University of Pennsylvania professor used AI to show not only is the future happening sooner than we think, it’s already happening.

Penn professor uses AI to generate sociology module, suggests shift in higher ed learning– www.thecollegefix.com
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Key Takeaways

  • A University of Pennsylvania economics professor utilized AI to develop a comprehensive 12-hour study plan on sociologist Erving Goffman, suggesting a shift in educational models to focus on areas where AI cannot replace human instruction.
  • The use of AI in education has the potential to enhance critical thinking and personalized learning, but experts warn that improper use could undermine learning and trust among students.
  • Professors advocate for assignments that encourage deeper engagement and critical thinking rather than rote answers, allowing AI to assist in the learning process without diminishing the educational experience.