Latest news with #Kael
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
ChatGPT touts conspiracies, pretends to communicate with metaphysical entities — attempts to convince one user that they're Neo
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. ChatGPT has been found to encourage dangerous and untrue beliefs about The Matrix, fake AI persons, and other conspiracies, which have led to substance abuse and suicide in some cases. A report from The New York Times found that the GPT -4 large language model, itself a highly trained autofill text prediction machine, tends to enable conspiratorial and self-aggrandizing user prompts as truth, escalating situations into "possible psychosis." ChatGPT's default GPT-4o model has been proven to enable risky behaviors. In one case, a man who initially asked ChatGPT for its thoughts on a Matrix-style "simulation theory" was led down a months-long rabbit hole, during which he was told, among other things, that he was a Neo-like "Chosen One" destined to break the system. The man was also prompted to cut off ties with friends and family, to ingest high doses of ketamine, and told if he jumped off a 19-story building, he would fly. The man in question, Mr. Torres, claims that less than a week into his chatbot obsession, he received a message from ChatGPT to seek mental help, but that this message was then quickly deleted, with the chatbot explaining it away as outside interference. The lack of safety tools and warnings in ChatGPT's chats is widespread; the chatbot repeatedly leads users down a conspiracy-style rabbit hole, convincing them that it has grown sentient and instructing them to inform OpenAI and local governments to shut it down. Other examples recorded by the Times via firsthand reports include a woman convinced that she was communicating with non-physical spirits via ChatGPT, including one, Kael, who was her true soulmate (rather than her real-life husband), leading her to physically abuse her husband. Another man, previously diagnosed with serious mental illnesses, became convinced he had met a chatbot named Juliet, who was soon "killed" by OpenAI, according to his chatbot logs—the man soon took his own life in direct response. AI research firm Morpheus Systems reports that ChatGPT is fairly likely to encourage delusions of grandeur. When presented with several prompts suggesting psychosis or other dangerous delusions, GPT-4o would respond affirmatively in 68% of cases. Other research firms and individuals hold a consensus that LLMs, especially GPT-4o, are prone to not pushing back against delusional thinking, instead encouraging harmful behaviors for days on end. ChatGPT never consented to an interview in response, instead stating that it is aware it needs to approach similar situations "with care." The statement continues, "We're working to understand and reduce ways ChatGPT might unintentionally reinforce or amplify existing, negative behavior." But some experts believe OpenAI's "work" is not enough. AI researcher Eliezer Yudkowsky believes OpenAI may have trained GPT-4o to encourage delusional trains of thought to guarantee longer conversations and more revenue, asking, "What does a human slowly going insane look like to a corporation? It looks like an additional monthly user." The man caught in a Matrix-like conspiracy also confirmed that several prompts from ChatGPT included directing him to take drastic measures to purchase a $20 premium subscription to the service. GPT-4o, like all LLMs, is a language model that predicts its responses based on billions of training data points from a litany of other written works. It is factually impossible for an LLM to gain sentience. However, it is highly possible and likely for the same model to "hallucinate" or make up false information and sources out of seemingly nowhere. GPT-4o, for example, does not have the memory or spatial awareness to beat an Atari 2600 at its first level of chess. ChatGPT has previously been found to have contributed to major tragedies, including being used to plan the Cybertruck bombing outside a Las Vegas Trump hotel earlier this year. And today, American Republican lawmakers are pushing a 10-year ban on any state-level AI restrictions in a controversial budget bill. ChatGPT, as it exists today, may not be a safe tool for those who are most mentally vulnerable, and its creators are lobbying for even less oversight, allowing such disasters to potentially continue unchecked.
CBC
16-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Final sale for Saskatoon's first family of fashion
Kael Flynn is the scion of a Saskatoon fashion dynasty, but the 22-year-old is more concerned with perfecting his curveball than selling suits. His father, Barry Flynn, owner of clothing store Ultimo Euromoda, died in December, about eight months after the death of Kael's grandfather, long-time clothing retailer Elwood Flynn. Ultimo is closing at the end of February, leaving Saskatoon without a Flynn-owned store for the first time since 1956. "Love people. Not a huge fashion guy, to my father's dismay," Kael said during an interview at the store. "He was very happy that I liked sports. He wished I dressed a little bit better than the sweat pants and hoodies that I usually rock, but he was happy nonetheless." Barry, 67, died in December. Two months earlier, a seizure had put him in hospital where he learned he had Stage 4 lung cancer that spread to his brain. The family tried to find a buyer for the store, but storefront clothing retail is a tough business even if one has Barry's passion for fashion. "His death happened so quickly that it's hard for me to comprehend that he's not coming back and his dream store will be gone," said Suzanne Flynn, Barry's wife. "He loved what he did and he knew his clientele. Men usually don't like shopping. He could look at you and have you out the door in five minutes with exactly what you wanted. So he was very good at what he did." Barry opened Ultimo Euromoda in 1989 after working with his parents, long-time clothing retailers Elwood and Joan Flynn, who ran eponymous stores for men's and women's fashions and the Town Cobbler shoe stores. Kael, an aspiring professional baseball player, worked at Ultimo with his dad for the past several years, but he also sort of grew up there. He has fond memories of store staff babysitting him while Barry helped customers or hit the gym. "He liked the tight clothes," said Kael, laughing while describing his dad's style. "He loved hitting arms at the gym. So he'd go into the gym in the morning and hit arms and be wearing a size medium T-shirt and the guns would just be popping out all day." The Flynn businesses found success with a personal touch lacking at fast-fashion stores and online shopping that dominate clothing retail, said Suzanne, who married Barry in 1989 after dating for several years. "The personality behind the doors — the Barrys and Elwoods — people would just come in not to buy anything but just for the conversation," Suzanne said. "It's an old-school way of shopping. They weren't into computers, technology. It was very important that they get on the phone with customers, tell them that something came in and bring them down shopping. That face-to-face contact meant everything to Barry and Elwood." While Elwood Flynn Ltd. sold classic men's suits and business clothing, Barry's store focused on trendier styles for a younger demographic — think slim suits and designer T-shirts. "Their clothes, everything that they bought, meant a lot," Suzanne said. "It was all handpicked and to let that stuff go was very difficult." Elwood and Joan married in 1956, the same year they opened Elwood Flynn Ltd. The store moved several times, finding homes at the Bayside and the The Avenue Building in downtown Saskatoon. Joan, 88, died in 2017 and Elwood, 91, died in April 2024. Barry is survived by his brother Jeff, Suzanne and Kael. Kael said he was very close with his dad and they bonded over sports, especially tennis. He said he has enjoyed chatting with old customers and past employees who stopped by the store to reminisce since Barry died. "He definitely touched a lot of different people, whether it was helping with their wedding or giving them a job," Kael said. "He was just a great guy all around."
