Until the legal battle works itself out and OpenAI’s broader hardware ambitions materialize, the most the startup has to offer is Micro — a funky little keypad clearly engineered to delight the tech industry’s code monkeys.
OpenAI sent TechCrunch a Micro test unit. The first big thing you notice when initially handling the keypad is that it’s a sturdy little device — enough so that if the AI accessory thing doesn’t end up working out, it could easily double as a paperweight. The other thing you might notice (and I am not the only one to point this out), is that the packaging — an immaculate white box with a sleek, clean aesthetic — is pretty Apple-coded. Make of that what you will.
The keypad’s layout involves six frosted “agent” keys at the top of the pad, which can be customized to carry out specific tasks within ChatGPT or its agentic coding tool Codex. Below them are six command keys, which can be used to control those programs. You can pair your Micro with your computer either through a Bluetooth connection or a USB cable.
Image Credits:Lucas Ropek/TechCrunch
Perhaps the most convenient thing Micro offers is a button for voice dictation — meaning you simply tell the app what you want done and it will get busy working on your behalf. Just hold down the dictation button and start talking. When you’re done, tap the “send” button next to it to submit your request.
You can customize your Micro keypad within ChatGPT itself, where a Micro tab allows you to adjust everything from the brightness of the light from the keys to the specific commands and projects you want tied to those keys.
Hard-core coders — the device’s actual target audience — haven’t exactly embraced it. Reviews by Redditors have largely negative, with one Reddit user calling it “a prank and not a real product,” and others saying serious coders won’t touch it. A review by the smaller independent outlet Aftermath was even harsher, calling the $230 price tag hard to justify next to cheaper DIY and off-the-shelf alternatives. (The title of that review: “OpenAI’s expensive macropad feels engineered to piss me off specifically.”)
It’s definitely the case that new users may need some time to figure out how Micro works and what to do with it.
Once I figured out how to program the keypad to my liking, I found it was actually pretty fun. You can assign various ChatGPT sessions to specific keys, which then allows you to easily toggle back and forth between all of your various projects. When you combine that with the dictation button, it makes the whole experience considerably more efficient and enjoyable.
But there’s still a learning curve. Micro’s buttons are color-coded. White means an agent is idle, blue means its thinking, green means a task is complete, and red means there’s been an error. You’ll need to memorize that, along with memorizing which specific projects are coded to each key.
The big question is whether the Micro keypad is functionally easier to use than just continuing to work on your laptop. In short: Why would I spend a week learning how to program and operate this thing when I already know how to use my computer’s mouse and keyboard?
Ultimately, your experience with the Micro will depend heavily on how much you use ChatGPT. Since I don’t use AI much day to day, I’m probably not the target audience for it.
That said, if you’re a ChatGPT power user, have $230 to spare, and like vintage-looking hardware with clicky buttons, Micro probably isn’t the worst purchase you could make — it might even brighten your day a little.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Until the legal battle works itself out and OpenAI’s broader hardware ambitions materialize, the most the startup has to offer is Micro — a funky little keypad clearly engineered to delight the tech industry’s code monkeys.
OpenAI sent TechCrunch a Micro test unit. The first big thing you notice when initially handling the keypad is that it’s a sturdy little device — enough so that if the AI accessory thing doesn’t end up working out, it could easily double as a paperweight. The other thing you might notice (and I am not the only one to point this out), is that the packaging — an immaculate white box with a sleek, clean aesthetic — is pretty Apple-coded. Make of that what you will.
The keypad’s layout involves six frosted “agent” keys at the top of the pad, which can be customized to carry out specific tasks within ChatGPT or its agentic coding tool Codex. Below them are six command keys, which can be used to control those programs. You can pair your Micro with your computer either through a Bluetooth connection or a USB cable.
Image Credits:Lucas Ropek/TechCrunch
Perhaps the most convenient thing Micro offers is a button for voice dictation — meaning you simply tell the app what you want done and it will get busy working on your behalf. Just hold down the dictation button and start talking. When you’re done, tap the “send” button next to it to submit your request.
You can customize your Micro keypad within ChatGPT itself, where a Micro tab allows you to adjust everything from the brightness of the light from the keys to the specific commands and projects you want tied to those keys.
Hard-core coders — the device’s actual target audience — haven’t exactly embraced it. Reviews by Redditors have largely negative, with one Reddit user calling it “a prank and not a real product,” and others saying serious coders won’t touch it. A review by the smaller independent outlet Aftermath was even harsher, calling the $230 price tag hard to justify next to cheaper DIY and off-the-shelf alternatives. (The title of that review: “OpenAI’s expensive macropad feels engineered to piss me off specifically.”)
It’s definitely the case that new users may need some time to figure out how Micro works and what to do with it.
Once I figured out how to program the keypad to my liking, I found it was actually pretty fun. You can assign various ChatGPT sessions to specific keys, which then allows you to easily toggle back and forth between all of your various projects. When you combine that with the dictation button, it makes the whole experience considerably more efficient and enjoyable.
But there’s still a learning curve. Micro’s buttons are color-coded. White means an agent is idle, blue means its thinking, green means a task is complete, and red means there’s been an error. You’ll need to memorize that, along with memorizing which specific projects are coded to each key.
The big question is whether the Micro keypad is functionally easier to use than just continuing to work on your laptop. In short: Why would I spend a week learning how to program and operate this thing when I already know how to use my computer’s mouse and keyboard?
Ultimately, your experience with the Micro will depend heavily on how much you use ChatGPT. Since I don’t use AI much day to day, I’m probably not the target audience for it.
That said, if you’re a ChatGPT power user, have $230 to spare, and like vintage-looking hardware with clicky buttons, Micro probably isn’t the worst purchase you could make — it might even brighten your day a little.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#OpenAIs #keypad #fun #coders #slightly #mystifying #TechCrunchAI,ChatGPT,codex,micro,OpenAI">I tried out OpenAI’s new AI keypad — which will be fun for some coders and slightly mystifying to everyone else | TechCrunch
OpenAI launched its first piece of hardware last week — a fancy little keypad built to pair with ChatGPT. Micro, which was developed in collaboration with specialty keyboard designer Work Louder, is essentially an artisanal workplace novelty that many tech enthusiasts will love and that may leave everyone else a little puzzled.
OpenAI’s entrance into the hardware market hasn’t arrived without drama. Several weeks ago, Apple sued the AI lab and accused it of trade theft — kicking off what’s certain to be a long-simmering legal battle. Meanwhile, news of another smart home product in development at OpenAI has also raised eyebrows, as the supposed device — which is being built to pair with ChatGPT — was reportedly developed by former Apple engineers.
Until the legal battle works itself out and OpenAI’s broader hardware ambitions materialize, the most the startup has to offer is Micro — a funky little keypad clearly engineered to delight the tech industry’s code monkeys.
OpenAI sent TechCrunch a Micro test unit. The first big thing you notice when initially handling the keypad is that it’s a sturdy little device — enough so that if the AI accessory thing doesn’t end up working out, it could easily double as a paperweight. The other thing you might notice (and I am not the only one to point this out), is that the packaging — an immaculate white box with a sleek, clean aesthetic — is pretty Apple-coded. Make of that what you will.
The keypad’s layout involves six frosted “agent” keys at the top of the pad, which can be customized to carry out specific tasks within ChatGPT or its agentic coding tool Codex. Below them are six command keys, which can be used to control those programs. You can pair your Micro with your computer either through a Bluetooth connection or a USB cable.
Image Credits:Lucas Ropek/TechCrunch
Perhaps the most convenient thing Micro offers is a button for voice dictation — meaning you simply tell the app what you want done and it will get busy working on your behalf. Just hold down the dictation button and start talking. When you’re done, tap the “send” button next to it to submit your request.
You can customize your Micro keypad within ChatGPT itself, where a Micro tab allows you to adjust everything from the brightness of the light from the keys to the specific commands and projects you want tied to those keys.
Hard-core coders — the device’s actual target audience — haven’t exactly embraced it. Reviews by Redditors have largely negative, with one Reddit user calling it “a prank and not a real product,” and others saying serious coders won’t touch it. A review by the smaller independent outlet Aftermath was even harsher, calling the $230 price tag hard to justify next to cheaper DIY and off-the-shelf alternatives. (The title of that review: “OpenAI’s expensive macropad feels engineered to piss me off specifically.”)
It’s definitely the case that new users may need some time to figure out how Micro works and what to do with it.
Once I figured out how to program the keypad to my liking, I found it was actually pretty fun. You can assign various ChatGPT sessions to specific keys, which then allows you to easily toggle back and forth between all of your various projects. When you combine that with the dictation button, it makes the whole experience considerably more efficient and enjoyable.
But there’s still a learning curve. Micro’s buttons are color-coded. White means an agent is idle, blue means its thinking, green means a task is complete, and red means there’s been an error. You’ll need to memorize that, along with memorizing which specific projects are coded to each key.
The big question is whether the Micro keypad is functionally easier to use than just continuing to work on your laptop. In short: Why would I spend a week learning how to program and operate this thing when I already know how to use my computer’s mouse and keyboard?
Ultimately, your experience with the Micro will depend heavily on how much you use ChatGPT. Since I don’t use AI much day to day, I’m probably not the target audience for it.
That said, if you’re a ChatGPT power user, have $230 to spare, and like vintage-looking hardware with clicky buttons, Micro probably isn’t the worst purchase you could make — it might even brighten your day a little.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
OpenAI launched its first piece of hardware last week — a fancy little keypad built…
Yesterday, OpenAI released its latest voice model, GPT-Live-1. The company called it “a new generation of voice models for natural human-AI interaction.” The full-duplex model allows ChatGPT to talk and listen at the same time, giving the back-and-forth a more conversational flow. It’s designed to be smarter, faster, and more natural.
Ooh, so close. Husk gave ChatGPT the straightforward request to tell him how many times the letter E appears in the number “seventeen,” and the voice model managed to get halfway there by answering “two.” It then offered a very awkward sign-off when Husk ended the conversation. Maybe that’s a query that GPT-Live-2 will be able to handle.
To be fair, Husk isn’t really testing any of the new features that OpenAI highlighted with the release of its new model, which, by most accounts, seems like it’s more capable when it comes to things like live translation than previous iterations. But he is giving the model a very simple benchmarking test that, despite being OpenAI’s flagship voice model, it still failed spectacularly.
It seems OpenAI knows just how bad this looks, too. Jason Liu, a Developer Experience Engineer on OpenAI Codex, reposted the video with a very succinct, “FUCK.”
Husk’s made a habit of terrorizing OpenAI over its voice model for some time now, making viral videos out of how poorly it handles certain prompts. One of his videos—in which he tasks ChatGPT with setting a timer and watching it fail—made it all the way to CEO Sam Altman, who tried to laugh it off in a very “I’m not mad, please don’t put in the newspaper that I got mad” kinda way.
Husk is not alone in giving GPT-Live-1 the old stress test. Another user on X gave the model the “Strawberry” test, asking it to count the number of times the letter R appears in the word “strawberry.” It’s a classic, and one that most AI models can answer correctly by now (whether that’s because they really know there are 3 Rs or because they’ve been trained on how to respond to prevent embarrassment is another question), but GPT-Live-1 gets tripped up by it.
OpenAI’s brand new voice model vs counting the r’s in strawberry. I really tried to help it along. pic.twitter.com/Pm0RfLyxIA
Another user noted a new annoyance that has arisen from the model’s full-duplex functionality: While the model now allows ChatGPT to say things like “mhm” and “yeah” while you talk to confirm it is listening, it apparently is incapable of simply shutting up and not doing that. It seems ChatGPT has built an interrupting machine. Just what we’ve all been waiting for.
Yesterday, OpenAI released its latest voice model, GPT-Live-1. The company called it “a new generation of voice models for natural human-AI interaction.” The full-duplex model allows ChatGPT to talk and listen at the same time, giving the back-and-forth a more conversational flow. It’s designed to be smarter, faster, and more natural.
Ooh, so close. Husk gave ChatGPT the straightforward request to tell him how many times the letter E appears in the number “seventeen,” and the voice model managed to get halfway there by answering “two.” It then offered a very awkward sign-off when Husk ended the conversation. Maybe that’s a query that GPT-Live-2 will be able to handle.
To be fair, Husk isn’t really testing any of the new features that OpenAI highlighted with the release of its new model, which, by most accounts, seems like it’s more capable when it comes to things like live translation than previous iterations. But he is giving the model a very simple benchmarking test that, despite being OpenAI’s flagship voice model, it still failed spectacularly.
It seems OpenAI knows just how bad this looks, too. Jason Liu, a Developer Experience Engineer on OpenAI Codex, reposted the video with a very succinct, “FUCK.”
Husk’s made a habit of terrorizing OpenAI over its voice model for some time now, making viral videos out of how poorly it handles certain prompts. One of his videos—in which he tasks ChatGPT with setting a timer and watching it fail—made it all the way to CEO Sam Altman, who tried to laugh it off in a very “I’m not mad, please don’t put in the newspaper that I got mad” kinda way.
Husk is not alone in giving GPT-Live-1 the old stress test. Another user on X gave the model the “Strawberry” test, asking it to count the number of times the letter R appears in the word “strawberry.” It’s a classic, and one that most AI models can answer correctly by now (whether that’s because they really know there are 3 Rs or because they’ve been trained on how to respond to prevent embarrassment is another question), but GPT-Live-1 gets tripped up by it.
OpenAI’s brand new voice model vs counting the r’s in strawberry. I really tried to help it along. pic.twitter.com/Pm0RfLyxIA
Another user noted a new annoyance that has arisen from the model’s full-duplex functionality: While the model now allows ChatGPT to say things like “mhm” and “yeah” while you talk to confirm it is listening, it apparently is incapable of simply shutting up and not doing that. It seems ChatGPT has built an interrupting machine. Just what we’ve all been waiting for.
#OpenAI #Beat #TikTokerartifical intelligence,ChatGPT,OpenAI,voice model">OpenAI Just Can’t Beat This TikToker
Yesterday, OpenAI released its latest voice model, GPT-Live-1. The company called it “a new generation of voice models for natural human-AI interaction.” The full-duplex model allows ChatGPT to talk and listen at the same time, giving the back-and-forth a more conversational flow. It’s designed to be smarter, faster, and more natural.
Ooh, so close. Husk gave ChatGPT the straightforward request to tell him how many times the letter E appears in the number “seventeen,” and the voice model managed to get halfway there by answering “two.” It then offered a very awkward sign-off when Husk ended the conversation. Maybe that’s a query that GPT-Live-2 will be able to handle.
To be fair, Husk isn’t really testing any of the new features that OpenAI highlighted with the release of its new model, which, by most accounts, seems like it’s more capable when it comes to things like live translation than previous iterations. But he is giving the model a very simple benchmarking test that, despite being OpenAI’s flagship voice model, it still failed spectacularly.
It seems OpenAI knows just how bad this looks, too. Jason Liu, a Developer Experience Engineer on OpenAI Codex, reposted the video with a very succinct, “FUCK.”
Husk’s made a habit of terrorizing OpenAI over its voice model for some time now, making viral videos out of how poorly it handles certain prompts. One of his videos—in which he tasks ChatGPT with setting a timer and watching it fail—made it all the way to CEO Sam Altman, who tried to laugh it off in a very “I’m not mad, please don’t put in the newspaper that I got mad” kinda way.
Husk is not alone in giving GPT-Live-1 the old stress test. Another user on X gave the model the “Strawberry” test, asking it to count the number of times the letter R appears in the word “strawberry.” It’s a classic, and one that most AI models can answer correctly by now (whether that’s because they really know there are 3 Rs or because they’ve been trained on how to respond to prevent embarrassment is another question), but GPT-Live-1 gets tripped up by it.
OpenAI’s brand new voice model vs counting the r’s in strawberry. I really tried to help it along. pic.twitter.com/Pm0RfLyxIA
Another user noted a new annoyance that has arisen from the model’s full-duplex functionality: While the model now allows ChatGPT to say things like “mhm” and “yeah” while you talk to confirm it is listening, it apparently is incapable of simply shutting up and not doing that. It seems ChatGPT has built an interrupting machine. Just what we’ve all been waiting for.
One of the first casualties, to my dismay, was em dashes—which are a great, and very human form of punctuation, by the way! There’s also the “rule of threes,” which is meant to scan as rhythmic, but often comes across predictable, hackish, and stale. And, of course, there are the clunky grammatical constructions of the “not X, but Y” variety.
Now certain fonts and typefaces—specifically serifs—seem to be defining (and giving away) AI, both in actual software, and in vibe-coded design boilerplates. Some are calling it “tasteslop,” the results of the effort to make generative AI designs seem superficially sophisticated or distinguished.
The shift away from slicker, more conspicuously computerized typefaces is something the San Francisco Bay Area writer, designer, and type practitioner Keya Vadgama has termed “the serif renaissance.” In a recent newsletter, published on her Substack, Vadgama suggests the move is a bid for companies to project more “personality and warmth.”
“It’s not that difficult to discern why AI-native companies in particular are being drawn to serif fonts: AI is inherently cold and without opinion,” she writes. “[Using serifs] signals ‘We’re AI! But real humans use (and made) our product! We swear!’”
“Serifs have an origin in calligraphy,” Vadgama tells WIRED. “It connotes a very human, fluid way of making letterforms.” Vadgama has noticed that Anthropic’s Claude was defaulting to serifs. Other AI companies—Runway, Perplexity, Manus—had also adopted similar typefaces in their UX and branding.
Reached for comment, Perplexity chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer tells WIRED: “Why wouldn’t we have human design? Perplexity is for people.”
Vadgama believes the use of serifs is as much about aesthetics as building confidence between users and brands. Certain font choices signal, even at some preconscious psychological level, trust. Sans serifs (your Arials, Calibiris, Helviticas) are too clean, too computer-y. Good old Times New Roman, and similar typographic designs, can feel a bit more dignified. Recently, Vadgama was doing some branding work with a (since-shuttered) AI startup, which favored the serif text. “A big part of it,” she says, “is, ‘How do we position ourselves in a way that people are not afraid of us?’”
Serifs can help build that conviction, or at least the illusion of it. Times New Roman itself was commissioned in the 1930s by Britain’s Times newspaper. The typeface carries a certain authoritative heft. Books and newspapers are printed using it. It was all but standardized in the decades before screen reading. Perhaps most famously, the Encyclopedia Brittanica—arguably the authoritative compendium of human knowledge, at least pre-World Wide Web—was set in Times.
“In the broad public, a serif carries connotations of scholarship,” says Ali S. Qadeer, chair of graphic design at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. “Claude is interesting. It’s using this slightly brown background to mirror a book page. It’s sort of emulating the feeling of reading print. And print has deeper associations with trust.”
As reported by The New York Times, even the US State Department has returned to using Times New Roman after Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried Calibri as “informal,” pegging the department’s adoption of the sans serif typeface on some wider, Biden-era DEI initiative.
Both Qadeer and Vadgama see the trend toward serifs as a rejoinder to AI’s perceived (and, indeed, literal) lack of soul, and the wider public suspicion of the technology. They’re not the only ones. Alongside the “tasteslop” discourse, people online have criticized the serification of AI aesthetics as “generic” and “very ugly.”
One of the first casualties, to my dismay, was em dashes—which are a great, and very human form of punctuation, by the way! There’s also the “rule of threes,” which is meant to scan as rhythmic, but often comes across predictable, hackish, and stale. And, of course, there are the clunky grammatical constructions of the “not X, but Y” variety.
Now certain fonts and typefaces—specifically serifs—seem to be defining (and giving away) AI, both in actual software, and in vibe-coded design boilerplates. Some are calling it “tasteslop,” the results of the effort to make generative AI designs seem superficially sophisticated or distinguished.
The shift away from slicker, more conspicuously computerized typefaces is something the San Francisco Bay Area writer, designer, and type practitioner Keya Vadgama has termed “the serif renaissance.” In a recent newsletter, published on her Substack, Vadgama suggests the move is a bid for companies to project more “personality and warmth.”
“It’s not that difficult to discern why AI-native companies in particular are being drawn to serif fonts: AI is inherently cold and without opinion,” she writes. “[Using serifs] signals ‘We’re AI! But real humans use (and made) our product! We swear!’”
“Serifs have an origin in calligraphy,” Vadgama tells WIRED. “It connotes a very human, fluid way of making letterforms.” Vadgama has noticed that Anthropic’s Claude was defaulting to serifs. Other AI companies—Runway, Perplexity, Manus—had also adopted similar typefaces in their UX and branding.
Reached for comment, Perplexity chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer tells WIRED: “Why wouldn’t we have human design? Perplexity is for people.”
Vadgama believes the use of serifs is as much about aesthetics as building confidence between users and brands. Certain font choices signal, even at some preconscious psychological level, trust. Sans serifs (your Arials, Calibiris, Helviticas) are too clean, too computer-y. Good old Times New Roman, and similar typographic designs, can feel a bit more dignified. Recently, Vadgama was doing some branding work with a (since-shuttered) AI startup, which favored the serif text. “A big part of it,” she says, “is, ‘How do we position ourselves in a way that people are not afraid of us?’”
Serifs can help build that conviction, or at least the illusion of it. Times New Roman itself was commissioned in the 1930s by Britain’s Times newspaper. The typeface carries a certain authoritative heft. Books and newspapers are printed using it. It was all but standardized in the decades before screen reading. Perhaps most famously, the Encyclopedia Brittanica—arguably the authoritative compendium of human knowledge, at least pre-World Wide Web—was set in Times.
“In the broad public, a serif carries connotations of scholarship,” says Ali S. Qadeer, chair of graphic design at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. “Claude is interesting. It’s using this slightly brown background to mirror a book page. It’s sort of emulating the feeling of reading print. And print has deeper associations with trust.”
As reported by The New York Times, even the US State Department has returned to using Times New Roman after Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried Calibri as “informal,” pegging the department’s adoption of the sans serif typeface on some wider, Biden-era DEI initiative.
Both Qadeer and Vadgama see the trend toward serifs as a rejoinder to AI’s perceived (and, indeed, literal) lack of soul, and the wider public suspicion of the technology. They’re not the only ones. Alongside the “tasteslop” discourse, people online have criticized the serification of AI aesthetics as “generic” and “very ugly.”
#Serif #Fontsartificial intelligence,design,ux/ui,art,typography,fonts,chatbots,claude,chatgpt">AI Has Come for Serif Fonts
As public backlash to the seeming omnipresence of artificial intelligence intensifies, the collective quest to weed out—and reject—telltale signs of its use continues.
One of the first casualties, to my dismay, was em dashes—which are a great, and very human form of punctuation, by the way! There’s also the “rule of threes,” which is meant to scan as rhythmic, but often comes across predictable, hackish, and stale. And, of course, there are the clunky grammatical constructions of the “not X, but Y” variety.
Now certain fonts and typefaces—specifically serifs—seem to be defining (and giving away) AI, both in actual software, and in vibe-coded design boilerplates. Some are calling it “tasteslop,” the results of the effort to make generative AI designs seem superficially sophisticated or distinguished.
The shift away from slicker, more conspicuously computerized typefaces is something the San Francisco Bay Area writer, designer, and type practitioner Keya Vadgama has termed “the serif renaissance.” In a recent newsletter, published on her Substack, Vadgama suggests the move is a bid for companies to project more “personality and warmth.”
“It’s not that difficult to discern why AI-native companies in particular are being drawn to serif fonts: AI is inherently cold and without opinion,” she writes. “[Using serifs] signals ‘We’re AI! But real humans use (and made) our product! We swear!’”
“Serifs have an origin in calligraphy,” Vadgama tells WIRED. “It connotes a very human, fluid way of making letterforms.” Vadgama has noticed that Anthropic’s Claude was defaulting to serifs. Other AI companies—Runway, Perplexity, Manus—had also adopted similar typefaces in their UX and branding.
Reached for comment, Perplexity chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer tells WIRED: “Why wouldn’t we have human design? Perplexity is for people.”
Vadgama believes the use of serifs is as much about aesthetics as building confidence between users and brands. Certain font choices signal, even at some preconscious psychological level, trust. Sans serifs (your Arials, Calibiris, Helviticas) are too clean, too computer-y. Good old Times New Roman, and similar typographic designs, can feel a bit more dignified. Recently, Vadgama was doing some branding work with a (since-shuttered) AI startup, which favored the serif text. “A big part of it,” she says, “is, ‘How do we position ourselves in a way that people are not afraid of us?’”
Serifs can help build that conviction, or at least the illusion of it. Times New Roman itself was commissioned in the 1930s by Britain’s Times newspaper. The typeface carries a certain authoritative heft. Books and newspapers are printed using it. It was all but standardized in the decades before screen reading. Perhaps most famously, the Encyclopedia Brittanica—arguably the authoritative compendium of human knowledge, at least pre-World Wide Web—was set in Times.
“In the broad public, a serif carries connotations of scholarship,” says Ali S. Qadeer, chair of graphic design at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. “Claude is interesting. It’s using this slightly brown background to mirror a book page. It’s sort of emulating the feeling of reading print. And print has deeper associations with trust.”
As reported by The New York Times, even the US State Department has returned to using Times New Roman after Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried Calibri as “informal,” pegging the department’s adoption of the sans serif typeface on some wider, Biden-era DEI initiative.
Both Qadeer and Vadgama see the trend toward serifs as a rejoinder to AI’s perceived (and, indeed, literal) lack of soul, and the wider public suspicion of the technology. They’re not the only ones. Alongside the “tasteslop” discourse, people online have criticized the serification of AI aesthetics as “generic” and “very ugly.”
As public backlash to the seeming omnipresence of artificial intelligence intensifies, the collective quest to…
ChatGPT is now one of the most popular tools people use online. From content creation to quick problem-solving, ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for millions of users. It helps save your precious time and simplify your routine work, but at times, glitches can occur, and you may see ChatGPT not loading or responding to you. However, there is no need to worry since most of these problems have quite easy solutions.
1. Check if ChatGPT Is Down
Before trying any fixes, it’s important to check whether the problem is actually on ChatGPT’s side. The server could be under maintenance or facing an issue due to high traffic, and a message would indicate a problem when trying to load ChatGPT. This would affect all users, since they all depend on the same server. The easiest way to check is to visit OpenAI’s website.
Furthermore, if the site is functioning normally, but ChatGPT isn’t providing results, it might be due to high traffic. High amounts of users at the same time can affect the system. No problem should arise in such situations; you only have to be patient. Everything will likely resolve itself shortly.
2. Check Your Internet Connection
It could even be a problem with your internet connection rather than ChatGPT. Slow Internet speeds can sometimes interfere with your connection, regardless of the service you’re using. Test whether you can browse other websites. You may also try restarting your router or using mobile data if you have been relying on Wi-Fi up until now.
3. Log Out and Log Back In
Sometimes, ChatGPT may stop working because your login session has expired without you noticing. This can happen if you’ve been inactive for a while or left the tab open. When the session expires, the chatbot may stop responding. To fix this, log out of your account and log in again. This simple step often solves the issue.
4. Use the ChatGPT Mobile App and Incognito Mode
When the web version of ChatGPT doesn’t work as expected, using the mobile app can help. It doesn’t depend on your browser, which means it can avoid many common web-related problems. The app is available on Android and iOS.
An extension or browser setting may affect your ability to use the website properly. The solution to this problem is to access ChatGPT in an incognito window or disable extensions altogether. If that does not solve the problem, you can also try using another browser.
5. Clear Browser Cache and Data
Another reason ChatGPT may stop functioning is your browser’s cache. Your browser cache may prevent sites from loading properly in some cases. All you need to do in such cases is clear your cache and browse through data; after that, restart your browser. However, keep in mind that all your accounts will be logged out.
6. Disable VPN
A VPN connection can sometimes create issues while using ChatGPT. VPNs use shared IP addresses, and some of these may be restricted or flagged by the system. This can lead to problems like the website not loading, showing errors, or not responding properly. To check if this is the cause, turn off your VPN and reload the ChatGPT website. If everything starts working normally, then the VPN was likely affecting your connection.
ChatGPT is now one of the most popular tools people use online. From content creation to quick problem-solving, ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for millions of users. It helps save your precious time and simplify your routine work, but at times, glitches can occur, and you may see ChatGPT not loading or responding to you. However, there is no need to worry since most of these problems have quite easy solutions.
1. Check if ChatGPT Is Down
Before trying any fixes, it’s important to check whether the problem is actually on ChatGPT’s side. The server could be under maintenance or facing an issue due to high traffic, and a message would indicate a problem when trying to load ChatGPT. This would affect all users, since they all depend on the same server. The easiest way to check is to visit OpenAI’s website.
Furthermore, if the site is functioning normally, but ChatGPT isn’t providing results, it might be due to high traffic. High amounts of users at the same time can affect the system. No problem should arise in such situations; you only have to be patient. Everything will likely resolve itself shortly.
2. Check Your Internet Connection
It could even be a problem with your internet connection rather than ChatGPT. Slow Internet speeds can sometimes interfere with your connection, regardless of the service you’re using. Test whether you can browse other websites. You may also try restarting your router or using mobile data if you have been relying on Wi-Fi up until now.
3. Log Out and Log Back In
Sometimes, ChatGPT may stop working because your login session has expired without you noticing. This can happen if you’ve been inactive for a while or left the tab open. When the session expires, the chatbot may stop responding. To fix this, log out of your account and log in again. This simple step often solves the issue.
4. Use the ChatGPT Mobile App and Incognito Mode
When the web version of ChatGPT doesn’t work as expected, using the mobile app can help. It doesn’t depend on your browser, which means it can avoid many common web-related problems. The app is available on Android and iOS.
An extension or browser setting may affect your ability to use the website properly. The solution to this problem is to access ChatGPT in an incognito window or disable extensions altogether. If that does not solve the problem, you can also try using another browser.
5. Clear Browser Cache and Data
Another reason ChatGPT may stop functioning is your browser’s cache. Your browser cache may prevent sites from loading properly in some cases. All you need to do in such cases is clear your cache and browse through data; after that, restart your browser. However, keep in mind that all your accounts will be logged out.
6. Disable VPN
A VPN connection can sometimes create issues while using ChatGPT. VPNs use shared IP addresses, and some of these may be restricted or flagged by the system. This can lead to problems like the website not loading, showing errors, or not responding properly. To check if this is the cause, turn off your VPN and reload the ChatGPT website. If everything starts working normally, then the VPN was likely affecting your connection.
#Fix #ChatGPT #WorkingChatGPT">How To Fix ChatGPT When It’s Not Working?
ChatGPT is now one of the most popular tools people use online. From content creation to quick problem-solving, ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for millions of users. It helps save your precious time and simplify your routine work, but at times, glitches can occur, and you may see ChatGPT not loading or responding to you. However, there is no need to worry since most of these problems have quite easy solutions.
1. Check if ChatGPT Is Down
Before trying any fixes, it’s important to check whether the problem is actually on ChatGPT’s side. The server could be under maintenance or facing an issue due to high traffic, and a message would indicate a problem when trying to load ChatGPT. This would affect all users, since they all depend on the same server. The easiest way to check is to visit OpenAI’s website.
Furthermore, if the site is functioning normally, but ChatGPT isn’t providing results, it might be due to high traffic. High amounts of users at the same time can affect the system. No problem should arise in such situations; you only have to be patient. Everything will likely resolve itself shortly.
2. Check Your Internet Connection
It could even be a problem with your internet connection rather than ChatGPT. Slow Internet speeds can sometimes interfere with your connection, regardless of the service you’re using. Test whether you can browse other websites. You may also try restarting your router or using mobile data if you have been relying on Wi-Fi up until now.
3. Log Out and Log Back In
Sometimes, ChatGPT may stop working because your login session has expired without you noticing. This can happen if you’ve been inactive for a while or left the tab open. When the session expires, the chatbot may stop responding. To fix this, log out of your account and log in again. This simple step often solves the issue.
4. Use the ChatGPT Mobile App and Incognito Mode
When the web version of ChatGPT doesn’t work as expected, using the mobile app can help. It doesn’t depend on your browser, which means it can avoid many common web-related problems. The app is available on Android and iOS.
An extension or browser setting may affect your ability to use the website properly. The solution to this problem is to access ChatGPT in an incognito window or disable extensions altogether. If that does not solve the problem, you can also try using another browser.
5. Clear Browser Cache and Data
Another reason ChatGPT may stop functioning is your browser’s cache. Your browser cache may prevent sites from loading properly in some cases. All you need to do in such cases is clear your cache and browse through data; after that, restart your browser. However, keep in mind that all your accounts will be logged out.
6. Disable VPN
A VPN connection can sometimes create issues while using ChatGPT. VPNs use shared IP addresses, and some of these may be restricted or flagged by the system. This can lead to problems like the website not loading, showing errors, or not responding properly. To check if this is the cause, turn off your VPN and reload the ChatGPT website. If everything starts working normally, then the VPN was likely affecting your connection.
#Fix #ChatGPT #WorkingChatGPT
ChatGPT is now one of the most popular tools people use online. From content creation…
On Thursday OpenAI announced a new feature called Trusted Contact, designed to alert a trusted third party if mentions of self-harm are expressed within a conversation. The feature allows an adult ChatGPT user to designate another person as a trusted contact within their account, such as a friend or family member. In cases where a conversation may turn to self-harm, OpenAI will now encourage the user to reach out to that contact. It also sends an automated alert to the contact, encouraging them to check in with the user.
OpenAI has faced a wave of lawsuits from the families of people who have committed suicide after talking with its chatbot. In a number of cases, the families say ChatGPT encouraged their loved one to kill themselves—or even helped them plan it out.
OpenAI currently uses a combination of automation and human review to handle potentially harmful incidents. Certain conversational triggers alert the company’s system to suicidal ideations, which then relay the information to a human safety team. The company claims that every time it receives this kind of notification, the incident is reviewed by a human. “We strive to review these safety notifications in under one hour,” the company says.
If OpenAI’s internal team decides that the situation represents a serious safety risk, ChatGPT proceeds to send the trusted contact an alert—either by email, text message, or an in-app notification. The alert is designed to be brief and to encourage the contact to check in with the person in question. It does not include detailed information about what was being discussed, as a means of protecting the user’s privacy, the company says.
Image Credits:OpenAI
The Trusted Contact feature follows the safeguards the company introduced last September that gave parents the power to have some oversight of their teens’ accounts, including receiving safety notifications designed to alert the parent if OpenAI’s system believes their child is facing a “serious safety risk.” For some time now, ChatGPT has also included automated alerts to seek professional health services, should a conversation trend toward the topic of self-harm.
Crucially, Trust Contact is optional and, even if the protection is activated on a particular account, any user can have multiple ChatGPT accounts. OpenAI’s parental controls are also optional, presenting a similar limitation.
“Trusted Contact is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to build AI systems that help people during difficult moments,” the company wrote in the announcement post. “We will continue to work with clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to improve how AI systems respond when people may be experiencing distress.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
On Thursday OpenAI announced a new feature called Trusted Contact, designed to alert a trusted third party if mentions of self-harm are expressed within a conversation. The feature allows an adult ChatGPT user to designate another person as a trusted contact within their account, such as a friend or family member. In cases where a conversation may turn to self-harm, OpenAI will now encourage the user to reach out to that contact. It also sends an automated alert to the contact, encouraging them to check in with the user.
OpenAI has faced a wave of lawsuits from the families of people who have committed suicide after talking with its chatbot. In a number of cases, the families say ChatGPT encouraged their loved one to kill themselves—or even helped them plan it out.
OpenAI currently uses a combination of automation and human review to handle potentially harmful incidents. Certain conversational triggers alert the company’s system to suicidal ideations, which then relay the information to a human safety team. The company claims that every time it receives this kind of notification, the incident is reviewed by a human. “We strive to review these safety notifications in under one hour,” the company says.
If OpenAI’s internal team decides that the situation represents a serious safety risk, ChatGPT proceeds to send the trusted contact an alert—either by email, text message, or an in-app notification. The alert is designed to be brief and to encourage the contact to check in with the person in question. It does not include detailed information about what was being discussed, as a means of protecting the user’s privacy, the company says.
Image Credits:OpenAI
The Trusted Contact feature follows the safeguards the company introduced last September that gave parents the power to have some oversight of their teens’ accounts, including receiving safety notifications designed to alert the parent if OpenAI’s system believes their child is facing a “serious safety risk.” For some time now, ChatGPT has also included automated alerts to seek professional health services, should a conversation trend toward the topic of self-harm.
Crucially, Trust Contact is optional and, even if the protection is activated on a particular account, any user can have multiple ChatGPT accounts. OpenAI’s parental controls are also optional, presenting a similar limitation.
“Trusted Contact is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to build AI systems that help people during difficult moments,” the company wrote in the announcement post. “We will continue to work with clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to improve how AI systems respond when people may be experiencing distress.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#OpenAI #introduces #Trusted #Contact #safeguard #cases #selfharm #TechCrunchAI,ChatGPT,OpenAI">OpenAI introduces new ‘Trusted Contact’ safeguard for cases of possible self-harm | TechCrunch
On Thursday OpenAI announced a new feature called Trusted Contact, designed to alert a trusted third party if mentions of self-harm are expressed within a conversation. The feature allows an adult ChatGPT user to designate another person as a trusted contact within their account, such as a friend or family member. In cases where a conversation may turn to self-harm, OpenAI will now encourage the user to reach out to that contact. It also sends an automated alert to the contact, encouraging them to check in with the user.
OpenAI has faced a wave of lawsuits from the families of people who have committed suicide after talking with its chatbot. In a number of cases, the families say ChatGPT encouraged their loved one to kill themselves—or even helped them plan it out.
OpenAI currently uses a combination of automation and human review to handle potentially harmful incidents. Certain conversational triggers alert the company’s system to suicidal ideations, which then relay the information to a human safety team. The company claims that every time it receives this kind of notification, the incident is reviewed by a human. “We strive to review these safety notifications in under one hour,” the company says.
If OpenAI’s internal team decides that the situation represents a serious safety risk, ChatGPT proceeds to send the trusted contact an alert—either by email, text message, or an in-app notification. The alert is designed to be brief and to encourage the contact to check in with the person in question. It does not include detailed information about what was being discussed, as a means of protecting the user’s privacy, the company says.
Image Credits:OpenAI
The Trusted Contact feature follows the safeguards the company introduced last September that gave parents the power to have some oversight of their teens’ accounts, including receiving safety notifications designed to alert the parent if OpenAI’s system believes their child is facing a “serious safety risk.” For some time now, ChatGPT has also included automated alerts to seek professional health services, should a conversation trend toward the topic of self-harm.
Crucially, Trust Contact is optional and, even if the protection is activated on a particular account, any user can have multiple ChatGPT accounts. OpenAI’s parental controls are also optional, presenting a similar limitation.
“Trusted Contact is part of OpenAI’s broader effort to build AI systems that help people during difficult moments,” the company wrote in the announcement post. “We will continue to work with clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to improve how AI systems respond when people may be experiencing distress.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
For instance, ChatGPT and Gemini each added tens of millions of new downloads after releasing their respective image models, Appfigures found.
For Google’s Gemini, the release of its image model Nano Banana drove an additional 22+ million downloads in the 28 days following the introduction of the Gemini 2.5 Flash image model last August. This launch lifted the app’s downloads by more than 4x over that period, the data showed.
Image Credits:Appfigures
Meanwhile, ChatGPT added more than 12 million incremental installs in the 28 days after the introduction of its GPT-4o image model in March of last year. That’s roughly 4.5x more downloads than it saw for its GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5 model releases, Appfigures pointed out.
Other model releases followed similar trends, though on a smaller scale. Meta AI’s introduction of its AI video feed Vibes added an estimated 2.6 million incremental downloads in the 28 days after its September 2025 release. (Yes, technically, this is a video model, but it’s ultimately about visual content, not just text.)
Image Credits:Appfigures
Still, the report cautioned, additional downloads don’t always translate into increased mobile revenue.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
Instead, new image model releases give people a reason to install the app and try out its improved image-generation capabilities. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily convert to paying subscribers. For example, Appfigures noted that Nano Banana drove only $181,000 in estimated gross consumer spending during the 28-day window following its release, even though it produced a larger spike in downloads than ChatGPT’s 4o image model release.
Meta AI’s launch of Vibes also led to additional downloads, but no meaningful revenue.
Among the three, only ChatGPT turned the increased attention into actual dollars.
OpenAI’s 4o image-generation model led to an estimated $70 million in gross consumer spending over the 28 days after its launch, compared with its prior baseline, Appfigures said.
Image Credits:Appfigures
The company also looked at DeepSeek in its analysis, but it didn’t fit the pattern.
While DeepSeek R1 drove 28 million downloads after its January 2025 release, it wasn’t a typical model comparison event. This was DeepSeek’s breakout moment, when it went from being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation as the tech industry learned about the techniques it used to train its AI models at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. This case highlights how curiosity can drive downloads — though in this instance, the interest wasn’t tied to an image model.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
For instance, ChatGPT and Gemini each added tens of millions of new downloads after releasing their respective image models, Appfigures found.
For Google’s Gemini, the release of its image model Nano Banana drove an additional 22+ million downloads in the 28 days following the introduction of the Gemini 2.5 Flash image model last August. This launch lifted the app’s downloads by more than 4x over that period, the data showed.
Image Credits:Appfigures
Meanwhile, ChatGPT added more than 12 million incremental installs in the 28 days after the introduction of its GPT-4o image model in March of last year. That’s roughly 4.5x more downloads than it saw for its GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5 model releases, Appfigures pointed out.
Other model releases followed similar trends, though on a smaller scale. Meta AI’s introduction of its AI video feed Vibes added an estimated 2.6 million incremental downloads in the 28 days after its September 2025 release. (Yes, technically, this is a video model, but it’s ultimately about visual content, not just text.)
Image Credits:Appfigures
Still, the report cautioned, additional downloads don’t always translate into increased mobile revenue.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
Instead, new image model releases give people a reason to install the app and try out its improved image-generation capabilities. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily convert to paying subscribers. For example, Appfigures noted that Nano Banana drove only $181,000 in estimated gross consumer spending during the 28-day window following its release, even though it produced a larger spike in downloads than ChatGPT’s 4o image model release.
Meta AI’s launch of Vibes also led to additional downloads, but no meaningful revenue.
Among the three, only ChatGPT turned the increased attention into actual dollars.
OpenAI’s 4o image-generation model led to an estimated $70 million in gross consumer spending over the 28 days after its launch, compared with its prior baseline, Appfigures said.
Image Credits:Appfigures
The company also looked at DeepSeek in its analysis, but it didn’t fit the pattern.
While DeepSeek R1 drove 28 million downloads after its January 2025 release, it wasn’t a typical model comparison event. This was DeepSeek’s breakout moment, when it went from being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation as the tech industry learned about the techniques it used to train its AI models at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. This case highlights how curiosity can drive downloads — though in this instance, the interest wasn’t tied to an image model.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Image model releases are driving growth for AI mobile apps, generating 6.5x more downloads than traditional model updates, according to a new report from app intelligence provider Appfigures.
For instance, ChatGPT and Gemini each added tens of millions of new downloads after releasing their respective image models, Appfigures found.
For Google’s Gemini, the release of its image model Nano Banana drove an additional 22+ million downloads in the 28 days following the introduction of the Gemini 2.5 Flash image model last August. This launch lifted the app’s downloads by more than 4x over that period, the data showed.
Image Credits:Appfigures
Meanwhile, ChatGPT added more than 12 million incremental installs in the 28 days after the introduction of its GPT-4o image model in March of last year. That’s roughly 4.5x more downloads than it saw for its GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5 model releases, Appfigures pointed out.
Other model releases followed similar trends, though on a smaller scale. Meta AI’s introduction of its AI video feed Vibes added an estimated 2.6 million incremental downloads in the 28 days after its September 2025 release. (Yes, technically, this is a video model, but it’s ultimately about visual content, not just text.)
Image Credits:Appfigures
Still, the report cautioned, additional downloads don’t always translate into increased mobile revenue.
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
Instead, new image model releases give people a reason to install the app and try out its improved image-generation capabilities. That doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily convert to paying subscribers. For example, Appfigures noted that Nano Banana drove only $181,000 in estimated gross consumer spending during the 28-day window following its release, even though it produced a larger spike in downloads than ChatGPT’s 4o image model release.
Meta AI’s launch of Vibes also led to additional downloads, but no meaningful revenue.
Among the three, only ChatGPT turned the increased attention into actual dollars.
OpenAI’s 4o image-generation model led to an estimated $70 million in gross consumer spending over the 28 days after its launch, compared with its prior baseline, Appfigures said.
Image Credits:Appfigures
The company also looked at DeepSeek in its analysis, but it didn’t fit the pattern.
While DeepSeek R1 drove 28 million downloads after its January 2025 release, it wasn’t a typical model comparison event. This was DeepSeek’s breakout moment, when it went from being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation as the tech industry learned about the techniques it used to train its AI models at a fraction of the cost of its competitors. This case highlights how curiosity can drive downloads — though in this instance, the interest wasn’t tied to an image model.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Image model releases are driving growth for AI mobile apps, generating 6.5x more downloads than…
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday his office will investigate OpenAI for its alleged harm to minors, potential to threaten national security, and its possible link to a shooting that took place at Florida State University last year.
“ChatGPT may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives,” Attorney General Uthmeier said in a video posted to social media.
On the day of the FSU shooting last April, the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT how the country would react to a shooting at FSU, and what time it would be busiest at the FSU student union. These messages could potentially be used as evidence against the suspect in an October trial about the shooting.
The attorney general cited further concerns about ChatGPT’s encouragement of suicide in certain instances, which have been documented in multiple lawsuits brought by families against OpenAI. He also mentioned his concern that the Chinese Communist Party could use OpenAI’s technology against the United States.
“As big tech rolls out these technologies, they should not — they cannot — put our safety and security at risk,” he said. “We support innovation. But that doesn’t give any company the right to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies, or threaten our national security.”
He also called on the Florida legislature to “work quickly” to protect children from the negative impacts of AI.
“Each week, more than 900 million people use ChatGPT to improve their daily lives through uses such as learning new skills or navigating complex healthcare systems,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Our ongoing safety work continues to play an important role in delivering these benefits to everyday people, as well as supporting scientific research and discovery.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
OpenAI added that it builds and continues to improve ChatGPT to understand user intent and respond in appropriate, safe ways. The company said it will cooperate with the Florida attorney general’s investigation.
On Wednesday, OpenAI unveiled its Child Safety Blueprint, which includes policy recommendations designed to improve children’s safety as it relates to AI.
This action comes as chatbot makers face pressure to confront their potential role in creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to a recent report from the Internet Watch Foundation, there were over 8,000 reports of AI-generated CSAM in the first half of 2025, which represents a 14% increase year over year.
OpenAI’s blueprint recommends updating legislation to protect against AI-generated abuse material, refining the reporting process to law enforcement, and instituting better preventative safeguards against abusive uses of AI tools.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday his office will investigate OpenAI for its alleged harm to minors, potential to threaten national security, and its possible link to a shooting that took place at Florida State University last year.
“ChatGPT may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives,” Attorney General Uthmeier said in a video posted to social media.
On the day of the FSU shooting last April, the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT how the country would react to a shooting at FSU, and what time it would be busiest at the FSU student union. These messages could potentially be used as evidence against the suspect in an October trial about the shooting.
The attorney general cited further concerns about ChatGPT’s encouragement of suicide in certain instances, which have been documented in multiple lawsuits brought by families against OpenAI. He also mentioned his concern that the Chinese Communist Party could use OpenAI’s technology against the United States.
“As big tech rolls out these technologies, they should not — they cannot — put our safety and security at risk,” he said. “We support innovation. But that doesn’t give any company the right to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies, or threaten our national security.”
He also called on the Florida legislature to “work quickly” to protect children from the negative impacts of AI.
“Each week, more than 900 million people use ChatGPT to improve their daily lives through uses such as learning new skills or navigating complex healthcare systems,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Our ongoing safety work continues to play an important role in delivering these benefits to everyday people, as well as supporting scientific research and discovery.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
OpenAI added that it builds and continues to improve ChatGPT to understand user intent and respond in appropriate, safe ways. The company said it will cooperate with the Florida attorney general’s investigation.
On Wednesday, OpenAI unveiled its Child Safety Blueprint, which includes policy recommendations designed to improve children’s safety as it relates to AI.
This action comes as chatbot makers face pressure to confront their potential role in creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to a recent report from the Internet Watch Foundation, there were over 8,000 reports of AI-generated CSAM in the first half of 2025, which represents a 14% increase year over year.
OpenAI’s blueprint recommends updating legislation to protect against AI-generated abuse material, refining the reporting process to law enforcement, and instituting better preventative safeguards against abusive uses of AI tools.
#Florida #probe #OpenAI #alleging #connection #FSU #shooting #TechCrunchChatGPT,OpenAI">Florida AG to probe OpenAI, alleging possible connection to FSU shooting | TechCrunch
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday his office will investigate OpenAI for its alleged harm to minors, potential to threaten national security, and its possible link to a shooting that took place at Florida State University last year.
“ChatGPT may likely have been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives,” Attorney General Uthmeier said in a video posted to social media.
On the day of the FSU shooting last April, the suspect allegedly asked ChatGPT how the country would react to a shooting at FSU, and what time it would be busiest at the FSU student union. These messages could potentially be used as evidence against the suspect in an October trial about the shooting.
The attorney general cited further concerns about ChatGPT’s encouragement of suicide in certain instances, which have been documented in multiple lawsuits brought by families against OpenAI. He also mentioned his concern that the Chinese Communist Party could use OpenAI’s technology against the United States.
“As big tech rolls out these technologies, they should not — they cannot — put our safety and security at risk,” he said. “We support innovation. But that doesn’t give any company the right to endanger our children, facilitate criminal activity, empower America’s enemies, or threaten our national security.”
He also called on the Florida legislature to “work quickly” to protect children from the negative impacts of AI.
“Each week, more than 900 million people use ChatGPT to improve their daily lives through uses such as learning new skills or navigating complex healthcare systems,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Our ongoing safety work continues to play an important role in delivering these benefits to everyday people, as well as supporting scientific research and discovery.”
Techcrunch event
San Francisco, CA|October 13-15, 2026
OpenAI added that it builds and continues to improve ChatGPT to understand user intent and respond in appropriate, safe ways. The company said it will cooperate with the Florida attorney general’s investigation.
On Wednesday, OpenAI unveiled its Child Safety Blueprint, which includes policy recommendations designed to improve children’s safety as it relates to AI.
This action comes as chatbot makers face pressure to confront their potential role in creating child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to a recent report from the Internet Watch Foundation, there were over 8,000 reports of AI-generated CSAM in the first half of 2025, which represents a 14% increase year over year.
OpenAI’s blueprint recommends updating legislation to protect against AI-generated abuse material, refining the reporting process to law enforcement, and instituting better preventative safeguards against abusive uses of AI tools.
![AI Has Come for Serif FontsAs public backlash to the seeming omnipresence of artificial intelligence intensifies, the collective quest to weed out—and reject—telltale signs of its use continues.One of the first casualties, to my dismay, was em dashes—which are a great, and very human form of punctuation, by the way! There’s also the “rule of threes,” which is meant to scan as rhythmic, but often comes across predictable, hackish, and stale. And, of course, there are the clunky grammatical constructions of the “not X, but Y” variety.Now certain fonts and typefaces—specifically serifs—seem to be defining (and giving away) AI, both in actual software, and in vibe-coded design boilerplates. Some are calling it “tasteslop,” the results of the effort to make generative AI designs seem superficially sophisticated or distinguished.The shift away from slicker, more conspicuously computerized typefaces is something the San Francisco Bay Area writer, designer, and type practitioner Keya Vadgama has termed “the serif renaissance.” In a recent newsletter, published on her Substack, Vadgama suggests the move is a bid for companies to project more “personality and warmth.”“It’s not that difficult to discern why AI-native companies in particular are being drawn to serif fonts: AI is inherently cold and without opinion,” she writes. “[Using serifs] signals ‘We’re AI! But real humans use (and made) our product! We swear!’”“Serifs have an origin in calligraphy,” Vadgama tells WIRED. “It connotes a very human, fluid way of making letterforms.” Vadgama has noticed that Anthropic’s Claude was defaulting to serifs. Other AI companies—Runway, Perplexity, Manus—had also adopted similar typefaces in their UX and branding.Reached for comment, Perplexity chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer tells WIRED: “Why wouldn’t we have human design? Perplexity is for people.”Vadgama believes the use of serifs is as much about aesthetics as building confidence between users and brands. Certain font choices signal, even at some preconscious psychological level, trust. Sans serifs (your Arials, Calibiris, Helviticas) are too clean, too computer-y. Good old Times New Roman, and similar typographic designs, can feel a bit more dignified. Recently, Vadgama was doing some branding work with a (since-shuttered) AI startup, which favored the serif text. “A big part of it,” she says, “is, ‘How do we position ourselves in a way that people are not afraid of us?’”Serifs can help build that conviction, or at least the illusion of it. Times New Roman itself was commissioned in the 1930s by Britain’s Times newspaper. The typeface carries a certain authoritative heft. Books and newspapers are printed using it. It was all but standardized in the decades before screen reading. Perhaps most famously, the Encyclopedia Brittanica—arguably the authoritative compendium of human knowledge, at least pre-World Wide Web—was set in Times.“In the broad public, a serif carries connotations of scholarship,” says Ali S. Qadeer, chair of graphic design at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. “Claude is interesting. It’s using this slightly brown background to mirror a book page. It’s sort of emulating the feeling of reading print. And print has deeper associations with trust.”As reported by The New York Times, even the US State Department has returned to using Times New Roman after Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried Calibri as “informal,” pegging the department’s adoption of the sans serif typeface on some wider, Biden-era DEI initiative.Both Qadeer and Vadgama see the trend toward serifs as a rejoinder to AI’s perceived (and, indeed, literal) lack of soul, and the wider public suspicion of the technology. They’re not the only ones. Alongside the “tasteslop” discourse, people online have criticized the serification of AI aesthetics as “generic” and “very ugly.”#Serif #Fontsartificial intelligence,design,ux/ui,art,typography,fonts,chatbots,claude,chatgpt](https://i3.wp.com/media.wired.com/photos/6a20d5436a7879400ec4323c/191:100/w_1280,c_limit/culture_ai_serif_font.jpg?ssl=1 "AI Has Come for Serif FontsAs public backlash to the seeming omnipresence of artificial intelligence intensifies, the collective quest to weed out—and reject—telltale signs of its use continues.One of the first casualties, to my dismay, was em dashes—which are a great, and very human form of punctuation, by the way! There’s also the “rule of threes,” which is meant to scan as rhythmic, but often comes across predictable, hackish, and stale. And, of course, there are the clunky grammatical constructions of the “not X, but Y” variety.Now certain fonts and typefaces—specifically serifs—seem to be defining (and giving away) AI, both in actual software, and in vibe-coded design boilerplates. Some are calling it “tasteslop,” the results of the effort to make generative AI designs seem superficially sophisticated or distinguished.The shift away from slicker, more conspicuously computerized typefaces is something the San Francisco Bay Area writer, designer, and type practitioner Keya Vadgama has termed “the serif renaissance.” In a recent newsletter, published on her Substack, Vadgama suggests the move is a bid for companies to project more “personality and warmth.”“It’s not that difficult to discern why AI-native companies in particular are being drawn to serif fonts: AI is inherently cold and without opinion,” she writes. “[Using serifs] signals ‘We’re AI! But real humans use (and made) our product! We swear!’”“Serifs have an origin in calligraphy,” Vadgama tells WIRED. “It connotes a very human, fluid way of making letterforms.” Vadgama has noticed that Anthropic’s Claude was defaulting to serifs. Other AI companies—Runway, Perplexity, Manus—had also adopted similar typefaces in their UX and branding.Reached for comment, Perplexity chief communications officer Jesse Dwyer tells WIRED: “Why wouldn’t we have human design? Perplexity is for people.”Vadgama believes the use of serifs is as much about aesthetics as building confidence between users and brands. Certain font choices signal, even at some preconscious psychological level, trust. Sans serifs (your Arials, Calibiris, Helviticas) are too clean, too computer-y. Good old Times New Roman, and similar typographic designs, can feel a bit more dignified. Recently, Vadgama was doing some branding work with a (since-shuttered) AI startup, which favored the serif text. “A big part of it,” she says, “is, ‘How do we position ourselves in a way that people are not afraid of us?’”Serifs can help build that conviction, or at least the illusion of it. Times New Roman itself was commissioned in the 1930s by Britain’s Times newspaper. The typeface carries a certain authoritative heft. Books and newspapers are printed using it. It was all but standardized in the decades before screen reading. Perhaps most famously, the Encyclopedia Brittanica—arguably the authoritative compendium of human knowledge, at least pre-World Wide Web—was set in Times.“In the broad public, a serif carries connotations of scholarship,” says Ali S. Qadeer, chair of graphic design at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto. “Claude is interesting. It’s using this slightly brown background to mirror a book page. It’s sort of emulating the feeling of reading print. And print has deeper associations with trust.”As reported by The New York Times, even the US State Department has returned to using Times New Roman after Secretary of State Marco Rubio decried Calibri as “informal,” pegging the department’s adoption of the sans serif typeface on some wider, Biden-era DEI initiative.Both Qadeer and Vadgama see the trend toward serifs as a rejoinder to AI’s perceived (and, indeed, literal) lack of soul, and the wider public suspicion of the technology. They’re not the only ones. Alongside the “tasteslop” discourse, people online have criticized the serification of AI aesthetics as “generic” and “very ugly.”#Serif #Fontsartificial intelligence,design,ux/ui,art,typography,fonts,chatbots,claude,chatgpt")
