The 404 Media Podcast 404 Media

Here's a fun one: Emanuel made his own ChatGPT-powered news site that ripped off our work and that of WIRED, The Verge, and others to show just how easy spinning up one of these AI click farms really is. After the break, we listen to some of the AI-generated music that has major record labels suing some startups. In the subscribers-only section, Sam tells us all about how a bunch of chatbots suddenly changed personality overnight.

I Paid $365.63 to Replace 404 Media With AI

Listen to the AI-Generated Ripoff Songs That Got Udio and Suno Sued


‘No Bot is Themselves Anymore:’ Character.ai Users Report Sudden Personality Changes to Chatbots


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Joseph is out this week, so the leftover crew considers what it means for Google image search to be taken over by AI images, talks about #finance, and discusses how an already sensationalist NY Times article about internet in the Amazon rainforest got further sensationalized.

Articles discussed:

AI Images in Google Search Results Have Opened a Portal to Hell
You Probably Unwittingly Voted to Give Elon Musk a Huge Raise
First Google Search Result for Tiananmen Square “Tank Man” Is AI Generated Selfie
‘Remote’ Amazonian Tribes Have Been Using the Internet for a Long Time
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It feels way longer than a week since our last episode, weird. Anyway this week we start with a wild story with Emanuel, about how people in the US are paying a company, which in turn hires people in the Philippines to then call around U.S. pharmacies to check whether certain drugs are in stock. It shows just how bad the Adderall shortage in the U.S. has gotten. After the break, Sam tells us about a particularly alarming AirTags stalking case, and how the FBI flipped the script on the suspect. In the subscribers-only section, Jason breaks down a bunch of new information regarding the (alleged?) bankruptcy of media organization the Gateway Pundit.

Americans Are Hiring People in the Philippines to Help Them Find Adderall

A Suspected Human Smuggler Used AirTags to Track and Control The Woman He Brought Into the U.S.

Gateway Pundit Bankruptcy Is a 'Delay Tactic,' Election Workers Suing the Company Say

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A something extra for our listeners this week. Joseph went on an episode of Whale Hunting to talk about his new book DARK WIRE, in which the FBI secretly ran its own encrypted messaging app to wiretap the world. Whale Hunting is a great podcast that has journalists go behind-the-scenes on their own stories. It is absolutely worth listening to if you don't already!

Whale Hunting Podcast

DARK WIRE


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We start this week with a massive leak from inside Google. We obtained a copy of an internal Google database the company uses to track potential privacy and security issues. It's incredibly rare to get this sort of insight into a big tech company, and we explain what's inside the data itself. After the break, Sam tells us who deepfake legislation may leave behind. In the subscribers-only section, Jason explains how he tracked down the earliest known source of the All Eyes on Rafah image: a Facebook group dedicated to the AI industry.

Inside the Biggest FBI Sting Operation in History

Google Leak Reveals Thousands of Privacy Incidents

Google Contractor Used Admin Access to Leak Info From Private Nintendo YouTube Video

Laws About Deepfakes Can’t Leave Sex Workers Behind

Viral ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ Image Came From Facebook Group to Make ‘AI Industry Prosper’


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We revisit our Why Google Is Shit Now episode with something of an update: Google got worse! Of course we're talking about the embarrassing rollout of Google's AI-powered answers. Jason explains the supply chain of data, and especially how it comes from Reddit posts. After the break, Emanuel continues the Google theme with a Google researcher written study which shows that AI is now a leading disinformation vector. In the subscribers-only section, we talk about Sam's and Emaunel's piece on AI-generated CSAM not being a victimless crime.

Google Is Paying Reddit $60 Million for Fucksmith to Tell Its Users to Eat Glue

Google Researchers Say AI Now Leading Disinformation Vector (and Are Severely Undercounting the Problem)

AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material Is Not a ‘Victimless Crime’

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