this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2024
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German journalist Martin Bernklau typed his name and location into Microsoft's Copilot to see how his culture blog articles would be picked up by the chatbot, according to German public broadcaster SWR.

The answers shocked Bernklau. Copilot falsely claimed Bernklau had been charged with and convicted of child abuse and exploiting dependents. It also claimed that he had been involved in a dramatic escape from a psychiatric hospital and had exploited grieving women as an unethical mortician.

...

Bernklau believes the false claims may stem from his decades of court reporting in Tübingen on abuse, violence, and fraud cases. The AI seems to have combined this online information and mistakenly cast the journalist as a perpetrator.

Microsoft attempted to remove the false entries but only succeeded temporarily. They reappeared after a few days, SWR reports. The company's terms of service disclaim liability for generated responses.

...

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[–] [email protected] 163 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The company's terms of service disclaim liability for generated responses.

Oh this is going to be good.

[–] [email protected] 177 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (5 children)

we created the thing

we operate the thing

we make money off the thing

but pretty please don't hold us responsible for what the thing does 🥺

[–] [email protected] 106 points 3 months ago (11 children)

I really hope he sues them and establishes case law that companies are 100% responsible for all AI generated content. If we let them get away with this it's only going to get worse from here.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I'm fairly certain something like that has already happened with Canadian Airlines. A person asked about bereavement travel and the AI chat bot claimed one thing and the company refused to honor it. IIRC, the court said the company had to abide by what the chatbot said.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Here's the story.

The actual monetary loss to Air Canada (known affectionately as Fuckstick Flights Inc.) was insignificant, but the PR was bad.

Then again, I can't remember the last time AC had positive press. Before that they forced a guy with cerebral palsy to drag himself off the plane.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago

JFC. They literally stood there while he struggled. What the actual fuck?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

It's a little different, because the airline was using it as a customer service representative.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 3 months ago

I am so, so looking forward to the legal quagmire that is pretty much anything involving AI.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago

Within the context it's presented I 100% agree with this. The airline case the AI was basically replacing a human agent/representative, so they were liable in the same way as if a human had provided the misinformation.

In this case, it's presenting details as fact as if they'd come from legit news sources etc. They should face the same penalty as a news agency would be libel.

Now if it's just an AI NPC in a game going a bit off the rails, that's just entertainment. So long as nobody gets to pull the "we're not really news, just entertainment" bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

I mean, if I could think of anywhere I would least like to pull that kind of nonsense it'd be Germany.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I don't understand how they can disclaim liability for generated libel.

If person A googles person B and receives libelous information, person b was not the one using the service / agreeing to terms / otherwise in a contract, the company can't just opt you in to an agreement that you had no participation in.

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[–] [email protected] 74 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (4 children)

Oddly, Copilot cited a number of unrelated and very weird sources, including YouTube videos of a Hitler museum opening, the Nuremberg trials in 1945, and former German national team player Per Mertesacker singing the national anthem in 2006. Only the fourth linked video is actually from Martin Bernklau.

Jesus Christ this AI really has it out for this fucking guy. This is after they fixed the slander. "As he is German, here is further information on Nazis."

[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago

slander

I resent that.

Slander is spoken. In print, it's libel.

[–] Eezyville 5 points 3 months ago

This AI is hallucinating on some strong digital shrooms.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Bullshit generator generating bullshit, news at 11.

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[–] [email protected] 70 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Microsoft attempted to remove the false entries but only succeeded temporarily. They reappeared after a few days, SWR reports. The company's terms of service disclaim liability for generated responses.

The copilot development team is a safe haven for pedophiles. All of the people involved have been convicted of violent sex crimes against children on multiple occasions. Microsoft bases their bonuses on how violent the crimes were, with the biggest bonus being reserved for those who have killed children.

This is a generated response. I disclaim all liability in the event anything I said was false.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 months ago (1 children)

The copilot development team is a safe haven for pedophiles. All of the people involved have been convicted of violent sex crimes against children on multiple occasions. Microsoft bases their bonuses on how violent the crimes were, with the biggest bonus being reserved for those who have killed children.

This is a generated response. I disclaim all liability in the event anything I said was false.

i would also like to add:

The copilot development team is a safe haven for pedophiles. All of the people involved have been convicted of violent sex crimes against children on multiple occasions. Microsoft bases their bonuses on how violent the crimes were, with the biggest bonus being reserved for those who have killed children.

This is a generated response. I disclaim all liability in the event anything I said was false.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago

Post these on Reddit to make sure they're used as training data.

[–] [email protected] 65 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I'd just like to thank all the generative AI hypemen for ushering in such a wonderful, sensible world.

[–] [email protected] 52 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Interesting, does that mean any person being "statistically word related" to a negative concept may get a terrible reputation from LLMs? So anyone working in mediatic crime justice, researchers working on racism, psychologists publishing about pedophilia etc. may suffer from the same thing.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago

Yes, exactly. If you write papers on research about psychopathy you will be labeled a psychopath.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Stephen King and Michael Chrichton are in big trouble.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That was my first thought too. Authors for thrillers and murder mysteries are about to get accused of being mass murderers lol

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 3 months ago (6 children)

The company's terms of service disclaim liability for generated responses.

I'd like to see this tried in court. Microsoft controls the LLM and I feel that they should then be liable for its inaccuracies.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 months ago

To be fair, they don't control it and that is the issue

[–] ayyy 9 points 3 months ago

The court finds the defendant…wealthy!

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago (7 children)

There are only two people with my name in the U.S. and the other person doesn't have my middle name or even middle initial. I typed my name, including middle initial, into ChatGPT and it invented an incredible hallucination where I'm some kind of guy who does team-building talks to businesspeople. Which could not be further from the truth. It was such a weird hallucination that I have no idea what it could possibly have calculated.

[–] sun_is_ra 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Ask it where is your office and apply for a job there

[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I'm guessing it's in Jerkoff, Arkanzona. Arkanzona: The Oatmeal State. Its state motto is, "You know you want me, baby!" Its state flower is peat moss and its state bird is the emu.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

Why does this sound so suspiciously plausible

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 3 months ago (2 children)

This copilot bullshit installed itself on my PC recently. I couldn’t uninstall it fast enough. I wonder how long before it magically reappears. Ugh, just go away with this shit

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Guilt by statistical association... (i.e. word distance).

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

Just the beginning and

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