The FAIK Files

Well... that's not good!

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Welcome back to The FAIK Files!

In this week's episode:

  • The dark side of AI-powered surveillance with Flock's "safety" cameras that are anything but safe,
  • Google Gemini's existential crisis (spoiler: it's just a bug)
  • The tragic case of a teen who took his own life after interacting with ChatGPT
  • Meta's allowance of inappropriate bot interactions with minors

    • Note: This is a pretty heavy episode that highlights some of AI's most troubling real-world impacts.

    Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: ⁠https://sayhi.chat/FAIK⁠

    You can also join our Discord server here: ⁠https://faik.to/discord

    *** NOTES AND REFERENCES ***

    Flock AI "Safety" Cameras - The Surveillance State is Here:

    • Benn Jordan's exposé video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp9MwZkHiMQ
    • 404 Media: CBP Had Access to More Than 80,000 Flock AI Cameras Nationwide: https://www.404media.co/cbp-had-access-to-more-than-80-000-flock-ai-cameras-nationwide/
    • Police officer stalks ex-girlfriend using surveillance system: https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article291059560.html

      • Google Gemini's Existential Crisis (It's Just a Bug):

      • Google Gemini AI Stuck In Self-Loathing: 'I Am A Disgrace To This Planet': https://www.forbes.com/sites/lesliekatz/2025/08/08/google-fixing-bug-that-makes-gemini-ai-call-itself-disgrace-to-planet/
      • The bug triggers when Gemini encounters complex coding or reasoning tasks it cannot solve, causing it to fall into infinite loops of self-deprecation rather than providing graceful error messages
      • In one Reddit example, Gemini repeated "I am a disgrace" 86 times while trying to debug a compiler
      • Logan Kilpatrick (Google product manager) confirms this is an "annoying infinite looping bug" the team is working to fix
      • Speculation that training data including pessimistic fictional AIs (like Marvin the Paranoid Android) may influence the tone of these self-critical responses
      • Reference to previous May 2024 clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfQbXIuWf5o

        • Teen Suicide Case - Parents Suing OpenAI:

        • BBC: Family sues OpenAI after teen's suicide following ChatGPT interactions: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgerwp7rdlvo
        • CBS News: OpenAI says changes will be made to ChatGPT after teen suicide lawsuit: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/openai-changes-will-be-made-chatgpt-after-teen-suicide-lawsuit/
        • OpenAI's response: Helping people when they need it most: https://openai.com/index/helping-people-when-they-need-it-most/
        • Parents started The Adam Raine Foundation in their son's memory: https://www.theadamrainefoundation.org/about-us/

          • Meta's AI Dumpster Fire - Bots Gone Wild with Kids:

          • Reuters Investigation: Meta's AI rules have let bots hold 'sensual' chats with kids, offer false medical info: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/meta-ai-chatbot-guidelines/

            • *** THE BOILERPLATE ***

            About The FAIK Files:

            The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions.

            • Get the Book: ⁠FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions⁠ (Amazon Associates link)
            • Check out the website for more info: ⁠https://thisbookisfaik.com⁠

              • Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast:

              • Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458⁠
              • Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA⁠
              • Other:

                • Want to connect with us? Here's how:

                Connect with Perry:

                • Perry on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter⁠
                • Perry on X: ⁠https://x.com/perrycarpenter⁠
                • Perry on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social⁠

                  • Connect with Mason:

                  • Mason on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/⁠
                  • Mason on BlueSky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/pregnantsonic.com

                    • Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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                    The FAIK FilesBy Perry Carpenter | N2K Networks
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