OpenAI just launched a way to improve your ChatGPT Plus prompts. You can now save a bunch of keystrokes (tokens) using a new beta feature called "Custom Instructions." Unlike our forgetful ChatGPT of yesterweeks, the improved interface can "remember" your persona, your preferences, your style, etc., to save you from having to constantly tell it who you are, who it is acting as, and what constraints it should respect. Continue Reading →
In an eyebrow-raising display of regulatory bravado, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now playing detective with OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT. Apparently, the FTC suspects this AI tool of engaging in deceptive practices, generating erroneous information that could harm consumers. This is a bit rich, considering OpenAI has been up front about potential flaws, even including a warning label about the possibility of false or misleading info. But hey, who reads those, right? Continue Reading →
A new lawsuit may bring AI copyright law into clearer focus, continuing a common debate on the ethics of machine learning. Authors Paul Tremblay (“The Cabin at the End of the World") and Mona Awad (“Bunny” and “13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl") claim OpenAI used their books to train ChatGPT without their permission, thereby infringing copyright. Continue Reading →
OpenAI and Microsoft are defendants in a $3 billion class-action lawsuit, accused of unlawfully scraping 300 billion words from the internet to train ChatGPT. The suit, filed by sixteen anonymous plaintiffs, alleges the companies did not obtain consent or register as data brokers. Continue Reading →
The U.S. House of Representatives is setting new boundaries for the use of AI chatbots, specifically ChatGPT, within congressional offices. This move underscores the increasing concern in Washington about the implications of the rapid expansion of generative AI. Continue Reading →

Reworking the Workflow

The two New York City lawyers who used ChatGPT to file a legal brief got hit with a $5,000 fine. If only they checked their work – you know, like law firms generally do – before relying on a word calculating tool they had no idea how to use. Continue Reading →
Stanford University researchers have found that no current large language models (LLMs), including OpenAI's GPT-4 and Google's Bard, comply with the European Union's AI Act. This legislation, the first of its kind, governs AI within the EU, but it is serving as a blueprint for AI regulators around the world. Continue Reading →