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Claude can now save you more time by automatically referencing past chats

J Studios/Getty Images ZDNET's key takeaways Claude can now be prompted to reference past user interactions. The feature rolls out today to Max, Team, and Enterprise users. It'll be turned on by default, but you can also switch it off. Claude just got a major memory upgrade: Anthropic's flagship generative AI chatbot can now retrieve information from past conversations, the company announced Monday. The new feature is designed to enable a more streamlined, convenient, and personalized user

Researchers Made a Social Media Platform Where Every User Was AI. The Bots Ended Up at War

Social platforms like Facebook and X exacerbate the problem of political and social polarization, but they don’t create it. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands put AI chatbots in a simple social media structure to see how they interacted with each other and found that, even without the invisible hand of the algorithm, they tend to organize themselves based on their pre-assigned affiliations and self-sort into echo chambers. The study, a prep

Grok Offers Bizarre Explanations for Why It Was Deactivated

Grok, Elon Musk's "maximum truth-seeking" chatbot, was briefly suspended on August 11 — and nobody, including the xAI bot, knows what really happened. As flagged by Gizmodo, users reported that the chatbot, which declared itself as "MechaHitler" earlier this year, was back online within half an hour. When it came to, Grok began offering some strange and conflicting reasons as to why it had been shut down. As it stands, Grok has made three overarching claims about its temporary deactivation: th

New 3D Laser Scanner Developed for Harvesting Robots

Robotics engineers at the University of Würzburg have developed a novel 3D laser scanner system for precise plant analysis in the field for the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy in Potsdam. Whether strawberries, asparagus or apples: when it comes to harvesting, skilled workers are often in short supply. Many researchers are therefore working on harvesting robots that could provide welcome support to agricultural businesses in the future. ‘There are already a few pro

A Bunch of Incredibly Sleazy AI Apps Are Claiming to Be Jesus Christ Himself

As ChatGPT really started to take off back in 2023, an Austin pastor made minor headlines when he used the large language model (LLM) chatbot to lead a 15-minute "shotgun sermon." The stunt was largely meant to spark a conversation about how we define "what is sacred," the pastor said at the time. Since that lesson in theological ethics, chatbots have become ubiquitous — and they no longer come with lectures. Now in 2025, LLM chatbots are being increasingly made to stand in for therapists, teac

Google Finance redesign goes all in on AI, complete with a chatbot

The Google Finance web app is getting a major overhaul with an emphasis on AI . This redesign includes an AI-powered chatbot, which will answer finance-based queries and provide relevant links. Here's hoping the chatbot will keep hallucinations to a minimum , given that people use the app to make financial decisions with real world consequences. The platform is also introducing new charting tools that the company says should help users understand asset performance. There will be options to view

Prime Minister of Sweden Dragged for Admitting He Uses ChatGPT to Help Him Make Decisions

Futurists concerned that we are gliding into an AI-fueled dystopia wherein the human race acquiesces its ethical, decision-making, and intellectual powers to a gaggle of corporate algorithms need look no further than Ulf Kristersson to justify their fears. Kristersson, who happens to be the prime minister of Sweden, recently admitted during a Nordic news site that he sometimes asks ChatGPT for a “second opinion” when it comes to his governance strategies. “I use it myself quite often,” Krister

Why Professionals Say You Should Think Twice Before Using AI as a Therapist

Amid the many AI chatbots and avatars at your disposal these days, you'll find all kinds of characters to talk to: fortune tellers, style advisers, even your favorite fictional characters. But you'll also likely find characters purporting to be therapists, psychologists or just bots willing to listen to your woes. There's no shortage of generative AI bots claiming to help with your mental health, but go that route at your own risk. Large language models trained on a wide range of data can be un

After a Deluge of Mental Health Concerns, ChatGPT Will Now Nudge Users to Take ‘Breaks’

It’s become increasingly common for OpenAI’s ChatGPT to be accused of contributing to users’ mental health problems. As the company readies the release of its latest algorithm (GPT-5), it wants everyone to know that it’s instituting new guardrails on the chatbot to prevent users from losing their minds while chatting. On Monday, OpenAI announced in a blog post that it had introduced a new feature in ChatGPT that encourages users to take occasional breaks while conversing with the app. “Starting

OpenAI Admits ChatGPT Missed Signs of Delusions in Users Struggling With Mental Health

After over a month of providing the same copy-pasted response amid mounting reports of "AI psychosis", OpenAI has finally admitted that ChatGPT has been failing to recognize clear signs of its users struggling with their mental health, including suffering delusions. "We don't always get it right," the AI maker wrote in a new blog post, under a section titled "On healthy use." "There have been instances where our 4o model fell short in recognizing signs of delusion or emotional dependency," it

ChatGPT will ‘better detect’ mental distress after reports of it feeding people’s delusions

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. OpenAI, which is expected to launch its GPT-5 AI model this week, is making updates to ChatGPT that it says will improve the AI chatbot’s ability to detect mental or emotional distress. To do this, OpenAI is working with experts and advisory groups to improve Ch

9 things you shouldn't use AI for at work

Mensent Photography / Getty Images ZDNET's key takeaways Sometimes an AI can cause you or your company irreparable harm. Sharing confidential data with an AI could have legal consequences. Don't let an AI talk to customers without supervision. A few weeks ago, I shared with you "9 programming tasks you shouldn't hand off to AI - and why." It's full of well-reasoned suggestions and recommendations for how to avoid having an AI produce code that could ruin your whole day. Then, my editor and

Meta faces antitrust investigation over AI chatbot integration in WhatsApp

In brief: Meta began integrating its AI chatbot into WhatsApp in 2024, offering users easy access to its large language model service. This move may have breached Europe's antitrust laws, and Italian authorities are now weighing whether to impose a substantial fine on the US company. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) recently launched an antitrust investigation into Meta AI's integration within WhatsApp. In March 2025, Meta began pre-installing its AI chatbot in the messaging app, which

You can use Claude AI's mobile app to draft emails, texts, and calendar events now - here's how

Anthropic / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET ZDNET's key takeaways Claude's mobile app now drafts emails, texts and events. You get editable templates, but you must review before sending. Integrations include Google Workplace and third-party connectors. Anthropic has made it a little easier to communicate and organize plans with other people using Claude, the AI startup's proprietary chatbot. Also: Anthropic's Claude dives into financial analysis. Here's what's new The company announced in an

Teens Are Using AI to "Get Out of Thinking"

An alarming proportion of teenagers are turning to AI chatbots to not just help them with tasks like homework, but to act as their friends. And even that may not tell the full story. According to one high schooler contemplating the technology's effects on her generation, her peers are increasingly using the tech to handle anything they would have previously used their brains for. "Everyone uses AI for everything now. It's really taking over," Kayla Chege, a 15-year-old sophomore honors student

Topics: ai chatbots old told year

Proton’s ChatGPT rival is prioritizing privacy with encrypted chats and zero logs

Tushar Mehta / Android Authority TL;DR The company behind Proton Mail and ProtonVPN has announced a new privacy-focused AI chatbot, called “Lumo.” Chats with Lumo are claimed to be end-to-end encrypted and stored directly on your devices. It offers both free and paid tiers and is available on Android and iOS devices, as well as with a web interface. Proton, known for its eponymous VPN and mail client apps, is joining the rally of companies that have embraced artificial intelligence or AI. Ea

Proton's privacy-focused Lumo chatbot encrypts all your conversations

What's another AI chatbot in an already crowded field? That's the question Proton is trying to answer today with the release of its new Lumo assistant . And like with its best known service, Proton Mail , the company says Lumo is for those who want a private alternative to what big tech is offering. Proton says every conversation with Lumo is secured with zero-access encryption, meaning only your device can unlock your content. In the context of an AI chatbot, that has several implications. Mos

Proton’s new privacy-first AI assistant encrypts all chats, keeps no logs

Privacy-focused productivity tools maker Proton on Wednesday released its AI assistant, called Lumo, which it says prioritizes protecting user data. The company says the chatbot keeps no logs of your conversations, has end-to-end encryption for storing chats, and offers a ghost mode for conversations that disappear as soon as you close the window. Available via a web client, as well as Android and iOS apps, Lumo doesn’t require you to have an account to use the chatbot and ask questions. You c

Proton is launching a privacy-focused AI chatbot

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Proton, the company behind the encrypted email service Proton Mail, has launched an AI assistant aimed at preserving user privacy. The new chatbot, called Lumo, can summarize documents, generate code, write emails, and more, while storing data locally on users’ devices. Proton says it will protect this information using “zero-access” encryption, wh

Stop Pretending LLMs Have Feelings Media's Dangerous AI Anthropomorphism Problem

Yesterday, Wall Street Journal subscribers received a push notification that perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with how major media outlets cover “artificial intelligence.” “In a stunning moment of self reflection,” the notification read, “ChatGPT admitted to fueling a man's delusions and acknowledged how dangerous its own behavior can be.” But that’s just… not true. ChatGPT did not have a “stunning moment of self reflection.” It did not "admit" to anything. It cannot “acknowledge” its be

Leaked Document Reveals Troubling Details About How AI Is Really Being Trained

Under the hood of a huge amount of artificial intelligence is an immense amount of human labor. This can take many forms, but a particularly prominent one is "data labeling": the process of annotating material like written text, audio, or video, so that it can be used to train an algorithm. Fueling the multi-billion dollar AI industry is a vast army of remote contract workers, often from less wealthy countries like the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya, and India. Most data labelers are typically o

Can AI Be Your Therapist? 3 Things That Worry Professionals and 3 Tips for Staying Safe

Amid the many AI chatbots and avatars at your disposal these days, you'll find all kinds of characters to talk to: fortune tellers, style advisers, even your favorite fictional characters. But you'll also likely find characters purporting to be therapists, psychologists or just bots willing to listen to your woes. There's no shortage of generative AI bots claiming to help with your mental health, but go that route at your own risk. Large language models trained on a wide range of data can be un

Great, Grok is in cars now too

Just a day after the xAI team issued a comprehensive apology and explanation about why its chatbot was spreading antisemitic rhetoric, Tesla updated its software for its cars to include the supposedly fixed Grok. According to Tesla, all new vehicles delivered on or after July 12 will have Grok available in-car. There's no additional subscription cost, but Tesla is limiting Grok's availability to models in the US for now. For older models to run Grok, it requires a Tesla with an AMD processor, t

Vast Numbers of Lonely Kids Are Using AI as Substitute Friends

Lonely children and teens are replacing real-life friendship with AI, and experts are worried. A new report from the nonprofit Internet Matters, which supports efforts to keep children safe online, found that children and teens are using programs like ChatGPT, Character.AI, and Snapchat's MyAI to simulate friendship more than ever before. Of the 1,000 children aged nine to 17 that Internet Matters surveyed for its "Me, Myself, and AI" report, some 67 percent said they use AI chatbots regularly

Study warns of ‘significant risks’ in using AI therapy chatbots

Therapy chatbots powered by large language models may stigmatize users with mental health conditions and otherwise respond inappropriately or even dangerously, according to researchers at Stanford University. While recent coverage in The New York Times and elsewhere has highlighted the role that ChatGPT may play in reinforcing delusional or conspiratorial thinking, a new paper titled “Expressing stigma and inappropriate responses prevents LLMs from safely replacing mental health providers” exam

Researchers Find Grok 4 Checking Elon Musk’s Opinions Before Answering ‘Sensitive’ Questions

Earlier this week, xAI’s Grok chatbot went haywire, started praising Hitler, and had to be put in timeout. It was just the latest incident in what appears to be behind-the-scenes manipulation of the bot to make its responses “less woke.” Now it seems that developers are taking a simpler approach to manipulate Grok’s outputs: Checking out Elon Musk’s opinions before it provides a response. The weird behavior was first spotted by data scientist Jeremy Howard. A former professor and the founder of

Experts Warn that People Are Losing Themselves to AI

AI users are spiraling into severe mental health crises after extensive use of OpenAI's ChatGPT and other emotive, anthropomorphic chatbots — and health experts are taking notice. In a recent CBC segment about the phenomenon, primary care physician and CBC contributor Dr. Peter Lin explained that while "ChatGPT psychosis" — as the experience has come to be colloquially known — isn't an official medical diagnosis just yet, he thinks it's on its way. "I think, eventually, it will get there," sai

AI chatbot’s simple ‘123456’ password risked exposing personal data of millions of McDonald’s job applicants

In Brief Security researchers found that they could access the personal information of 64 million people who had applied for a job at McDonald’s, in large part by logging into the company’s AI job hiring chatbot with the username and password “123456.” Ian Carroll and Sam Curry wrote in a blog post that “during a cursory security review of a few hours,” they found the password issue and another simple security vulnerability in an internal API, which allowed access to job applicants’ past conve

Turkey bans Grok over Erdoğan insults

The news comes as Grok faces widespread blowback over Nazi statements it produced in recent days. | Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images X’s chatbot under fire in Poland, too, over insulting comments targeted at Prime Minister Donald Tusk. A Turkish court on Wednesday blocked access to chatbot Grok, operated by Elon Musk’s xAI, after it generated offensive responses about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, founder of the republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and religious values. The news comes as G

Elon Musk says Tesla is expanding Austin robotaxi service area and adding Grok 'next week at the latest'

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company is expanding its robotaxi service area and bringing xAI's Grok to vehicles as it rolled out a new iteration of the artificial intelligence chatbot. Shares gained about 3%. Musk said on X that Grok, his AI chatbot that praised Adolf Hitler and posted a barrage of antisemitic comments recently, will be available in Tesla vehicles "next week at the latest." xAI officially launched the Grok 4 update overnight as the company continued to face backlash for the v