Back in June, a South African YouTube show about religious prophecies and visions featured an interview with a guest named Joshua Mhlakela. Though later described by viewers as a “pastor,” Mhlakela only said that he was a “simple person” without a church title who had experienced a vision of the …
Read More »Graham Linehan Continues to Denounce Transgender Teen in U.K. Harassment Trial
For years, the Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan has attacked and disparaged the transgender community on his social media accounts, alienating friends, cratering his career, and even destroying his marriage in the process. But it was only this week that he found himself on trial for allegedly harassing teenage trans …
Read More »Graham Linehan's Second Arrest Fuels Backlash to U.K.'s Online Speech Laws
For decades, the Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan was celebrated as the creative force behind hit sitcoms like Father Ted and The IT Crowd. But following his success in television, he has largely focused on anti-transgender diatribes and protests, alienating many former fans and colleagues in the entertainment industry. And, …
Read More »How the Epstein Files Blew Up a Pro-Trump AI Bot Network on X
In the lead-up to the 2024 election, a network of hundreds of bots created by anonymous persons shared posts on X that sowed distrust in Kamala Harris and called for Republicans to unite behind Donald Trump. After Trump’s victory and return to office, the bots began to lavish praise on …
Read More »This Political Astrologer Has Some Bad News for Trump
In August 2020, Amy Tripp, an astrologer who goes by @starheal on socialmedia, tweeted to her tens of thousands of Twitter followers that Kamala Harris would be running for president in 2024, because of the politician’s Saturn return, which occurs when Saturn is once again in the position it was …
Read More »Grok Rolls Out Pornographic Anime Companion, Lands Department of Defense Contract
There’s never a dull moment with Grok, the chatbot from Elon Musk‘s xAI, which he has consistently called the “smartest” AI in existence despite its forays into racial conspiracy theories, tendency to speak in the first person as Musk himself, and recent output of what it termed “Hitler fanfic.” Last …
Read More »Musk's Grok Chatbot Fantasized About Breaking Into X User's Home and Raping Him
On Tuesday, Elon Musk‘s Grok chatbot ran wild on X, posting antisemitic comments, praising Adolf Hitler, and eventually referring to itself as “MechaHitler” before its ability to respond to users on the platform was disabled. The incident — apparently the result of a system prompt to “not shy away from …
Read More »Black Fatigue Has Become a Racist Punchline Online
Lootings. Fights. Things thrown at customer service workers. Arguments in grocery stores. The trial of a 17-year-old alleged stabber. High schoolers dancing to rap music at graduation. A Black, female Iron Man. To scroll on these kinds of videos online is to interact with different communities. But while the average …
Read More »J.D. Vance Joins Bluesky, Immediately Becomes Most Blocked Account on App
Although there are plenty of people on Elon Musk‘s X, Truth Social, and any number of other social media platforms who agree with J.D. Vance‘s transphobic rhetoric, the vice president decided to venture elsewhere for a victory lap following a Supreme Court ruling Wednesday that upheld the constitutionality of aTennessee …
Read More »Musk Says Grok Will Be Fixed After It Tells the Truth About Right-Wing Terrorism
What good is being the wealthiest man alive if your chatbot won’t lie in support of your rancid politics? That’s the question far-right billionaire Elon Musk appears to be asking once again of Grok, the AI model developed by his company xAI and integrated into X, his social media platform. …
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