Zelda Williams, daughter of the late comedian Robin Williams, publicly criticized AI-generated videos circulating on social media that falsely depict her father discussing conspiracy theories. One 13-second clip, falsely labeled as a 2013 private recording, was shared thousands of times on X and garnered over 11,000 likes despite a community note flagging it as fake. Williams called out the creators and sharers of the content, saying they were manipulating the public using her deceased father's likeness.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-22
San Francisco filed a state lawsuit against Trump Media & Technology Group, alleging its Truth API service — which charges customers $100,000 a month for early access to posts from Trump and other officials on Truth Social — violates California's Unfair Competition Law and federal anti-corruption statutes. The suit cites instances, including an August 21st post about ground beef tariffs that moved cattle futures, as evidence that early access to presidential posts can be financially valuable.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-22
404 Media reports that contractors hired to review and critique real ChatGPT conversations to improve OpenAI's models have been terminated for secretly using AI tools to generate their feedback instead of doing it themselves. Multiple contractors told the outlet this is a widespread and frequently punished practice among the thousands of workers doing this human-review work.
404media.co
· 2026-09-22
The guide explains how to repurpose an old computer as a home media server by adding storage (ideally with redundancy like RAID) and installing server software such as Plex or Jellyfin to stream content across devices. It compares the two platforms, noting Plex's simplicity but paid features versus Jellyfin's free, more customizable but technical setup, particularly around GPU-based media transcoding.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-22
404 Media is asking residents nationwide to submit public records showing how local police departments use Axon's automatic license plate reader cameras, which many cities are adopting after backlash over Flock's role in ICE lookups and a Texas officer's search related to a self-managed abortion. The outlet has already gathered Axon 'activity reports' from six police agencies detailing which officers searched plate data, their badge numbers, and stated justifications, but wants more submissions to map usage nationwide.
404media.co
· 2026-09-21
California and other states that had sued to block Paramount Skydance's $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery reached a settlement allowing the deal to proceed, according to multiple reports. The agreement reportedly relies on behavioral commitments from the companies rather than blocking the merger outright, and comes after four states that initially resisted California's proposed terms dropped their objections over the weekend.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-21
An investigation by Futurism found that Space Daily, a decades-old space news site now owned by Brown Brothers Media, published articles under invented bylines like 'Dr. Katherine Chen' and 'Dr. James Whitfield,' who were falsely credited with careers at NASA's JPL and the European Space Agency. Neither agency has any record of these people existing, and after being contacted by reporters, Brown Brothers Media began deleting large numbers of articles and the fake author profiles themselves.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-21
A podcast network operator built an AI pipeline linking Claude Code and NotebookLM to automate social media production for over 25 shows, turning a full day of manual work into a background process. Rather than reducing overall workload, the time saved has been redirected into taking on additional projects and responsibilities.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-20
Meta's Threads platform has been flooded with posts using nearly identical wording, in which users claim they and their spouses work at major companies like PepsiCo, JPMorgan, Fidelity, or IBM before pivoting to promote investment advice or opportunities. The repetitive phrasing across accounts suggests coordinated or automated activity rather than genuine personal testimonials.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-18
The European Commission unveiled the EU Kids Act, a proposal that would ban social media accounts for children under 13, mandate age verification, and force companies like Meta, Google, YouTube and Roblox to prove their platforms are safely designed. President Ursula von der Leyen said the law shifts the burden of proof onto platforms and gives parents more control over children's online experiences. The measure still needs to go through debate and a vote before becoming law.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-18
A Futurism investigation identified Brown Brothers Media (BBM), a company founded by three brothers, as the owner of a growing collection of websites converted into AI-generated content operations. The network reportedly began with a handful of brands created by the founders and has expanded through acquisitions of struggling publications, including established outlets like Silicon Canals and niche blogs alike. The report alleges the sites use fabricated bylines and invented first-person accounts alongside AI-produced articles.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-18
The European Commission unveiled the EU Kids Act, a proposal that would bar children under 13 from social media entirely, require parental-managed sub-accounts with restrictions for 13- and 14-year-olds, and only allow independent accounts at 15. The plan also mandates platforms remove addictive design features like infinite scroll, nighttime notifications, and unsolicited contact from strangers, while requiring AI chatbots be disabled by default for minors.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-17
GoKawiil