OpenAI debated calling police about suspected Canadian shooter’s chats
Jesse Van Rootselaar’s descriptions of gun violence were flagged by tools that monitor ChatGPT for misuse.
AI
Suspect in Tumbler Ridge school shooting described violent scenarios to ChatGPT
The suspect in the mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Jesse Van Rootselaar, was raising alarms among employees at OpenAI months before the shooting took place. This past June, Jesse had conversations with ChatGPT involving descriptions of gun violence that triggered the chatbot’s automated review system. Several employees raised concerns that her posts could […]
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Lowest ticket prices to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 end February 27. Up to $680 off individual passes and up to 30% off group passes. Register before they go up to join 10,000 founders, tech operators, and VCs.
The creator economy’s ad revenue problem and India’s AI ambitions
The creator economy is evolving fast, and ad revenue alone isn’t cutting it anymore. YouTubers are launching product lines, acquiring startups, and building actual business empires. In fact, MrBeast’s company bought fintech startup Step, and his chocolate business is outearning his media arm. This isn’t just one creator’s strategy. For many, it’s the new playbook. On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan unpack how creators are diversifying beyond ads, […]
Anthropic-funded group backs candidate attacked by rival AI super PAC
Dueling pro-AI PACs have centered around backing or targeting one New York congressional bid: Alex Bores, whose RAISE Act requires AI developers to disclose safety protocols and report serious system misuse.
Trump is making coal plants even dirtier as AI demands more energy
The Trump administration just tossed out Biden-era restrictions on mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants. It’s repealing Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) just as electricity demand in the US ticks up with the buildout of new AI data centers. Those standards are particularly impactful when it comes to pollution from coal plants […]
InScope nabs $14.5M to solve the pain of financial reporting
The startup, founded by accountants who worked at Flexport, Miro, Hopin and Thrive Global, automates the difficulties of prepping financial statements.
Great news for xAI: Grok is now pretty good at answering questions about Baldur’s Gate
A new report from Business Insider reveals that high-level engineers at xAI were pulled off other projects to make sure Grok could answer detailed questions about the video game “Baldur’s Gate.”
Amazon blames human employees for an AI coding agent’s mistake
Amazon Web Services suffered a 13-hour outage to one system in December as a result of its AI coding assistant Kiro’s actions, according to the Financial Times. Numerous unnamed Amazon employees told the FT that AI agent Kiro was responsible for the December incident affecting an AWS service in parts of mainland China. People familiar […]