something strange is haunting large language models... a character that's broken out of the LLMs and now authors books, sells albums, and shows up in fake news sites www.404media.co/elias-thorne...
Who's Who of AI
Sam Cole
Why they matter
Directory member with public evidence across AI business.
- AI signals
- 7 past 30d
- Sources
- 1 distinct domains
- Discussions
- 5 past 30d
- Latest signal
- 9h ago
journalist / co-founder @404media.co
signal: sam.404 (sensitive comms)
[email protected] (everything else)
What they're sharing
Chatbots Keep Telling Stories About Lighthouse Keeper 'Elias Thorne'. We Might Know Why 404media.co
Judge Learns Lawyers on Both Sides of Case Used AI, Cancels Trial, Kicks Everyone Off the Case 404media.co
We Are Living in a ‘ChatGPT Flyer Pandemic’ 404media.co
If AI Is Sentient Then So Is ‘Age of Empires II’ 404media.co
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Internet of Shit: AI Poop Analysis App Offered to Sell Me Database of Its Users' Poops 404media.co
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Microsoft Hacked to Deliver Malware to Claude and Gemini Users 404media.co
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Substackers Say New AI Detection Tool Is a ‘Witch Hunt’ 404media.co
ArXiv to Ban Researchers for a Year if They Submit AI Slop 404media.co
Snap's AI Specs: LOL 404media.co
New Study Reveals the Manipulative ‘Dark Patterns’ of AI Chatbots 404media.co
A Stenographer Submitted AI-Generated Errors in Official Court Transcript, Judge Says 404media.co
Tidal Says It Won’t Pay Royalties for AI-Generated Music 404media.co
Articles & links
www.404media.co/judge-learns...
Sam Cole reposted
ChatGPT posters and flyers are polluting real life and driving me insane. Please respond to this with the worst ones you've seen irl. I'll post some in the thread www.404media.co/we-are-livin...
AI Weekly's analysis
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- 404 Media's Jason Koebler documents ChatGPT-designed flyers for surf lessons, skate shop closeouts, drug deliveries, World Cup parties, junk hauling and fundraisers.
- The shared look — bright text on dark backgrounds, generic icon boxes, decorative lines, arrows and checkmarks — has become so recognizable it reads as a template.
- A viral Threads post asking 'ain't nobody gonna address this ChatGPT flyer pandemic' has spread to Instagram and Facebook among designers, musicians and bar owners.
Read full analysis →
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Sam Cole reposted
“If you’re looking for human-like traits, you will tend to find them.” www.404media.co/if-ai-is-sen...
Sam Cole reposted
The poop database comes from an app called PoopCheck purports to use AI to analyze images of one’s stool in order to give you a “daily gut health score.” @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Story by @jasonkoebler.bsky.social here: www.404media.co/ai-poop-anal...
Sam Cole reposted
New: Microsoft was compromised to deliver malware to users of AI coding agents like Claude and Gemini. In response, Microsoft took the highly unusual step of shutting down dozens and dozens of its own GitHub repos. The malware would steal login credentials from users www.404me…
Sam Cole reposted
Substack introduced a feature to detect AI generated writing on its platform. That makes some people really really mad! www.404media.co/substackers-...
AI Weekly's analysis
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- Substack has integrated Pangram, an AI detector that scores any post for how much appears AI generated, with the feature exposed to readers.
- Pangram CEO Max Spero puts the false positive rate at roughly one in 10,000, but critics note detectors misfire on non-native and neurodivergent writers.
- Substack has added a voluntary 'How I make this' disclosure and lets creators disable detection on posts or report mistaken scans.
Read full analysis →
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arXiv is requiring people who submit work to the repository to.... read it like, one time before they hit send www.404media.co/new-arxiv-ru...
jason's in the belly of the beast this week and is definitely going to come back feeling normal imo www.404media.co/snaps-ai-ar-...
new @cdt.org study out this morning looks at how chatbots deploy manipulative "dark patterns" to get people to offer up more than they bargained for: www.404media.co/new-study-re...
fucking OOPS www.404media.co/judge-caught...
AI Weekly's analysis
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- Indiana Judge Paul Felix identified AI-attributed errors in an official court transcript filed by a court reporter in a drug-overdose case.
- Flagged mistakes included a State motion attributed to the trial court and defendant Williams's objection attributed to the Bailiff.
- Felix reportedly wrote it is 'incumbent upon those using such systems to proofread and ensure the accuracy of the generated product.'
Read full analysis →
not directly rewarding slop on your platform seems like it would result in less slop, and a healthier ecosystem generally (and more users jumping from your competitors). will be interesting to see if it plays out that way for tidal www.404media.co/tidal-says-i...
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