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Toronto Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
AM I HOT OR NOT? People are asking ChatGPT for the harsh truth
The advice feels more palatable coming from ChatGPT than real people in your life Published May 26, 2025 • 6 minute read Photo by Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Ania Rucinski was feeling down on herself. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. 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Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account She's fine-looking, she says, but friends are quick to imply that she doesn't measure up to her boyfriend – a 'godlike' hottie. Those same people would never tell her what she could do to look more attractive, she adds. So Rucinski, 32, turned to a unconventional source for the cold, hard truth: ChatGPT. She typed in the bot's prompt field, telling it she's tired of feeling like the less desirable one and asking what she could do to look better. It said her face would benefit from curtain bangs. 'People filter things through their biases and bring their own subjectivity into these sorts of loaded questions,' said Rucisnki, who lives in Sydney. 'ChatGPT brings a level of objectivity you can't get in real life.' Since its launch in late 2022, OpenAI's ChatGPT has been used by hundreds of millions of people around the world to draft emails, do research and brainstorm ideas. But in a novel use case, people are uploading their own photos, asking it for unsparing assessments of their looks and sharing the results on social media. Many also ask the bot to formulate a plan for them to 'glow up,' or improve their appearance. Users say the bot, in turn, has recommended specific products from hair dye to Botox. Some people say they have spent thousands of dollars following the artificial intelligence's suggestions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The trend highlights people's willingness to rely on chatbots not just for information and facts, but for opinions on highly subjective topics such as beauty. Some users view AI's responses as more impartial, but experts say these tools come with hidden biases that reflect their training data or their maker's financial incentives. When a chatbot talks, it's pulling from vast troves of internet content ranging from peer-reviewed research to misogynistic web forums. Tech and beauty critics say it's risky to turn to AI tools for feedback on our looks. As AI companies begin to offer shopping and product recommendations, chatbots might also push consumers to spend more, according to analysts. AI 'just echoes what it's seen online, and much of that has been designed to make people feel bad about themselves and buy more products,' Forrester commerce analyst Emily Pfeiffer said. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Still, many consumers say they value critiques from the chatbot, which offers a different perspective than their friends and family. Kayla Drew, 32, said she turns to ChatGPT for advice on 'everything,' from how to decorate her home to what to buy at the grocery store. Recently, she asked the bot for honest feedback on how she could look more attractive. It came back with suggestions for her skin, hair, brows, lashes, makeup and clothes – all of which Drew followed, she said. So far, she's spent around $200. If the real people in her life gave her point-blank feedback on her appearance, it would probably hurt her feelings, Drew said. But coming from ChatGPT, which Drew refers to with 'she' pronouns, the whole thing feels more palatable. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Today I asked about whitening my teeth, and she was like, 'Make sure your dental hygiene is good,' and I was like, 'Damn, girl,'' Drew said. 'Nobody else would come up to me and say that. It was pretty cool because I guess I needed to hear it.' Users see ChatGPT as a more objective measure of beauty because, unlike friends and family, it doesn't factor in qualities like kindness or humor, said Jessica DeFino, a beauty critic who writes the Review of Beauty newsletter. Internet-era beauty standards turn the self into an object, she said, and what better way to evaluate an object than by asking another (AI-powered) object? 'If we're trying to optimize ourselves as beautiful objects, we can't consider the input of a human who is, say, in love with us,' DeFino said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. – – – When bots give advice, who's really talking? OpenAI said this month that it's updating ChatGPT to show products – including images, details and links – when users appear to be shopping. Some tech and beauty experts caution that the bot's suggestions serve its maker's goals, not the user's. AI companies need new streams of revenue – some are spending billions to build and host AI tools. Having chatbots surface sponsored products and ads is one potential path forward: Already, Perplexity AI has incorporated a shopping feature inside its chatbot's interface, and beauty is the third-most-searched category, a spokesman said. As shopping features roll out, consumers might start seeing product recommendations without knowing why the bot is choosing those products, says Forrester's Pfeiffer. The bot could, for example, pull ideas from a knowledgeable YouTube makeup influencer or a mean-spirited Reddit thread. It could invent a fake product or make false claims about a real one, she said. Its training data is so vast and opaque, the bot becomes vulnerable to bias and mistakes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But that same training data could also give chatbots an edge as shopping and beauty assistants compared with traditional search engines, said Perplexity spokesman Jesse Dwyer. Rather than sifting through dozens of Reddit threads or YouTube videos for the perfect antiaging product, a shopper could explain to the bot that she's tired of the dark circles under her eyes and wants something that helps. Ideally, it would understand her meaning and save her time shopping, Dwyer said. One TikTok video asking ChatGPT for glow-up recommendations drew more than 220,000 views and a slew of positive comments. A commenter said the bot rated their attractiveness on a 10-point scale. 'It told me I am mid and could go from a five to a seven with the help of makeup and fillers,' they said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While ChatGPT maker OpenAI doesn't publicly share what data its AI systems are trained on, the training data probably includes online forums where people rank other people's attractiveness (largely men rating women), such as the subreddit r/RateMe or the website Hot or Not, said Alex Hanna, director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute. While the training data contains diverse ideas, chatbots tend to veer toward the most common threads – such as the conviction that women need to constantly improve their looks, Hanna said. 'We're automating the male gaze,' added Emily Bender, a computational linguist who specializes in generative AI and co-author alongside Hanna of the book 'The AI Con.' OpenAI spokeswoman Leah Seay Anise said the company has teams working to reduce bias in its models. She declined to say whether ChatGPT's technology was trained on content that ranks attractiveness. Shopping features are new and still being refined, she said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Still, the potential for bias hasn't stopped many people from turning to bots rather than humans for sensitive conversations. Already, some users rely on chatbots for companionship, including discussions in the style of mental health therapy. Sometimes, all people want is a sounding board that doesn't come with its own share of human messiness. Users who asked ChatGPT for feedback on their looks said they were happy with the results, even when the bot pointed out perceived imperfections. Michaela Lassig, a 39-year-old in Washington state, asked ChatGPT to help her glow up before her wedding. In her prompt, she told the bot her goals (flawless, youthful skin), her budget ($2,500) and her timeline. 'Ideally, you will give me a list of procedures or services and tell me when to do them for the best skin and face I can have by July 16,' she prompted the bot. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It spat out a detailed list of the signs of aging on her face. But in the end, she welcomed the recommendations – it even correctly estimated the units of Botox her injector would suggest. Lassig said she was careful in wording her prompt to focus on her personal skin goals rather than some universal standard. Haley Andrews, 31, wanted the unfiltered truth about her looks and 'wasn't looking for nice.' She always appreciated how her older sister gave criticism without sugarcoating, so she went to the bot with a special request. 'I told it, 'Please speak like an older sister who tells the truth because she loves you and wants the absolute best for you, even though it's a little harsh,' Andrews said. It told her that her eyebrows were thinning and her complexion fell flat without blush. 'It was so spot-on,' she said. Ontario Sunshine Girls World Canada Opinion
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Sean Dovin, who wants to work for FBI after going to Iowa, piles up kills for Providence. ‘On an amazing tear.'
Eventually, the FBI could be calling the name of Providence's Sean Dovin. The senior outside hitter was at a crossroads, weighing volleyball versus his future career plans. But he's choosing to go to Iowa to play club while working on an accounting degree. He also has some lofty plans for after college. 'I want to be in the FBI,' he said. 'I'm not exactly sure what I want to do for them, but that's the end goal. I wanted to go to a bigger school, and I know a lot of kids gong to Iowa and a cousin who could help me out there.' His parents, Mark Dovin and Carmel Finnegan, were Cook County probation officers. Sean is interested in federal government law enforcement. On the volleyball court, the 6-foot-3 Dovin has been an enforcer lately. He stayed hot with 10 kills, four blocks and four aces Wednesday night to lead the Celtics to a 25-12, 25-23 nonconference win over host Evergreen Park. 'Sadly enough, this was a down night for him,' Providence coach Lee Rucinski said of Dovin. 'He's been playing some of the best volleyball I've seen him play the past couple of weeks. 'He went back-to-back nights with 17 kills and had 14 and 12. This was a great match, but compared to what he's been doing … he's on an amazing tear.' Barton recruit Jackson Fowler added six kills for Providence (14-18), while Andrew Lubinski had four kills and 19 assists. Omar Torreblanca finished with five aces, including three straight in the first game. Rahsaan Davis and Connor Gallagher totaled four kills apiece for Evergreen Park (11-21), which is in its first season of playing varsity boys volleyball. Dovin, meanwhile, is hoping Providence can continue a strong close to the season. At one point, the Celtics were 7-18, but they have won seven straight and are 5-0 in the Catholic League White. 'Obviously, we started a little rough,' Dovin said of the Celtics, who have league matches remaining against Montini (7-14, 2-3) and St. Laurence (14-14, 3-3). 'I think now we're playing super consistent and playing more as a team than as individuals. 'If we can get it super together at the end of the season, we can be strong in the playoffs.' Providence drew the 22nd seed in the 31-team Hinsdale South Sectional, but despite the tough start to the season, Rucinski is fired up about how his players have responded with a big push. And Dovin, who opened Wednesday's match with three kills and two aces to set the tone and give the Celtics a 5-1 lead, has played a big part. He also had four kills in a row in the second game. 'When he plays like this, it really opens up our entire offense,' Rucinski said. 'Everyone knows the lefty (Fowler) is there, but you can't forget about Dovin because he just comes in and has all the shots. The blocker can't take one away because he has all of it.' Torreblanca, a sophomore outside hitter, related how much he admires Dovin. 'He brings energy and is very consistent,' Torreblanca said. 'I think he brings the team together. 'I look up to him and I hope to be like him.' Dovin, who has been involved in volleyball for nine years, is happy that he will be able to play on the club level in college so he's not giving up being on the court entirely. 'I feel like it's one of the most team-oriented sports,' he said. 'It says a lot about your personality on the court. You have to work as a team. You can have the best talent, but if you don't work as a team, you are never going to win.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former town of Bergen clerk pleads not guilty to taking over $200,000 from town & charity
WAUSAU − A former Marathon County town of Bergen clerk pleaded not guilty May 12 to embezzling more than $200,000 from the town and a local charity. Gloriann Doyle, 65, of Mosinee, pleaded not guilty to a charge of theft of more than $100,000, eight counts of forgery, one count of misconduct in office and one count of theft of more than $10,000 in a business setting. Doyle continues to be held in the Marathon County Jail pending a $50,000 cash bail previously set. Doyle's next court date is scheduled for May 21. According to the criminal complaint, in January, Bergen Chairman Edwin Rucinski contacted the Marathon County Sheriff's Office and reported finding suspicious activity in the town's accounts and that he suspected Doyle was stealing from the town. The Bergen Town Board had appointed Doyle town clerk on July 1. Her salary was $6,000 a year. Rucinksi said Doyle's husband notified him that Doyle had written an unauthorized check for $1,000, according to the complaint. The town has a policy that any check for more than $500 had to be authorized by the board. Doyle admitted to writing the check, which she said was for a computer repair. More local news: 16-year-old boy drowns Sunday in Wisconsin River near downtown Wausau Be Wisconsin: The Delta Diner, a Northwoods foodie destination, is for sale Rucinski said he found an unauthorized $10,000 check written to the Wisconsin Valley Art Association, according to the complaint. In all, officials alleged in the complaint they found 10 unauthorized checks, all written to Doyle. Most of the checks bore Rucinski's signature, but he told an investigator he didn't sign any of them. Rucinski believed the town was missing a total of $114,675.94. An investigator interviewed Doyle and asked her what she did with the money. Doyle said it went to pay personal bills, according to the complaint. She said, at one point, she was months behind on her mortgage Doyle said she also had taken about $11,000 from the Wisconsin Valley Art Association, a nonprofit organization that brings arts to the central Wisconsin area, including Art in the Park in Wausau each year. Doyle said the Bergen checks she wrote to the Wisconsin Valley Art association were meant to cover the money she took, according to the complaint. The investigator contacted Wisconsin Valley Art Association and asked them to do an audit. The total amount missing from the organization was $103,505.44, according to the complaint. Contact Karen Madden at kmadden@ Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at This article originally appeared on Wausau Daily Herald: Former Town of Bergen clerk pleads not guilty to embezzlement
