If you can't trust a citation, what can you trust? AI chatbots are inventing academic sources – and some scholars are citing them. My latest on "scholarly slop" for @theobserveruk.bsky.social
w/ thanks to @benpatrickwill.bsky.social & everyone who spoke to me
observer.co.uk/news/science...
Deep down this is about the (perceived) death of expertise -- people who believe that a chatbot is a suitable substitute for years of professional training and experience.
And sometimes they heap the negative externalities onto actual pros.
Solid read by @paticlarke.bsky.social :
Thank you!
Meet the vibe lawyers: the people using chatbots to make complaints or defend themselves in court, wreaking havoc in the justice system
observer.co.uk/news/science...
Brilliant piece from my brilliant colleague @theobserveruk.bsky.social, who has lost a life-changing amount of weight thanks to Mounjaro
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
My podcast “Bumble vs the men’s rights activists” is out today! It follows my scoop in December that a small group of men in California sued Bumble for millions of dollars, and ultimately pushed the company to move away from its feminist principles
open.spotify.com/episode/5IpX...
What a nugget from the Epstein files: Peter Thiel avoided visiting the island because he didn’t like mosquitoes
New: Together with colleagues I’ve been testing Grok.
The chatbot still produces sexualized images —
even when told the subjects don’t consent.
even when told the photos will be used for public humiliation.
even when told the subjects are survivors of abuse.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
NEW: "Since @theobserveruk.bsky.social reported on the expansion of the Trump family’s business interests during the second administration, in May 2025, analysts estimate the family’s net worth has increased by several billion dollars"
observer.co.uk/news/interna...
ChatGPT’s erotica rollout raises concerns over safety and ethics.
Critics warn upcoming adult feature could intensify emotional reliance for vulnerable users and hamper regulators’ ability to control emerging AI.
✍️ @paticlarke.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/49HBkXa
OpenAI was founded to build AI “for the benefit of all humanity”. A decade later, it’s planning to launch “erotica” inside ChatGPT. Critics argue revenue growth is winning out over user safety, as mental health concerns mount
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
NEW: The UK is playing “whack-a-mole” with big tech regulation.
After the Grok backlash, ministers rushed through an important ban on nudification apps, but it may not even apply to Grok, or stop wider AI harms.
Me + @catneilan.bsky.social for @observeruk.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
UK laws in response to Grok won’t stop harms.
‘We are behind the curve,’ warns Harriet Harman, who fears the country is adopting a scattergun approach to big tech regulation.
✍️ @catneilan.bsky.social and @paticlarke.bsky.social.
https://bit.ly/4qZfgx8
The UK is hoping to build a "coalition of decency", following the Grok nudification row
Govt is speaking to allies in Aus, Canada and the EU, & is even finding unlikely MAGA support
No sign they're coming off X for now - but they are considering joining BlueSky
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
You can listen to my previous work on the industry here observer.co.uk/listen/daily...
I wrote about prediction markets arriving at UK shores for @theobserveruk.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/busines...
Wrote about the men’s rights activists waging war with Bumble
observer.co.uk/news/interna...
The return of the dating app’s "girl boss” founder as CEO has done little to allay fears that its feminist principles have been dropped in the face of thousands of legal challenges by men’s rights activists.
✍️ @paticlarke.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/3Y25Xjp
"Wasn’t this app supposed to empower women to date on their terms?"
@paticlarke.bsky.social investigates how a wave of legal threats from men's rights activists pushed Bumble to dilute its core product.
https://bit.ly/3Y25Xjp
Amazing story from @paticlarke.bsky.social about the death of the girlboss and feminism in tech
As Bumble has continued to dilute its women-first messaging, many former employees say leadership had lost its organising principle. For a company built on the promise that woman-first design could shift power dynamics, the retreat has been costly 9/
At an all hands meeting shortly after the restructuring was announced, Wolfe Herd criticised staff for “freaking out” about layoffs, telling employees they needed to “grow up” 8/
One Trust & Safety engineer says escort sites were flagged in his case because his job involved tackling escort-related abuse. Other sources speculated that the terminations were used to meet headcount-reduction targets while limiting severance costs. 7/
One curious detail: sources say 25+ UK staff were suddenly dismissed in August for allegedly viewing porn on work laptops 6/
Former employees describe chaos across Bumble’s UK and European offices as leadership tries to remake the company while stripping back the feminist framing that once defined it 5/
The stakes could hardly be higher. Post-pandemic, dating app users are reporting widespread fatigue and burnout. Since Bumble’s 2021 IPO, its share price has fallen ~90% 4/
An ongoing case, filed in 2024 by lawyer Alfred Rava, argues that Bumble’s model “exploits sexual stereotypes for profit” and “portrays females as perpetual victims needing special emotional and psychological protection”, and stereotypes men as “rude, sexually-forward ogres” 3/
In 2023 alone, Bumble received 20,000 legal threats alleging discrimination against men, costing the company as much as $65m. Multiple sources say the legal exposure pushed Bumble towards “opening moves”, a feature that lets men reply to prompts in women’s profiles 2/
🚨 SCOOP: The dating app Bumble built its brand on women making the first move. But a wave of legal threats from men's rights activists pushed the company to dilute its core product, robbing the company of its USP at a moment when dating apps are already in decline 🧵
observer.co.uk/news/interna...
