Elissa Welle, PhD

X hasn’t really stopped Grok AI from undressing women in the UK Meanwhile Elon Musk insists users are to blame for what they do with his bot.

We're now seeing headlines that claim X is blocking Grok from complying with requests to undress and sexualize women. Wrong again gang — it happily stripped me, gave me bigger breasts, and put me in pornographic poses, entirely for free. All I had to do was ask.
www.theverge.com/news/861894/...

Verge headline: Why can’t ChatGPT tell time? Illustration depicts a fragmented clock with an OpenAI logo

As a personal assistant, ChatGPT is remarkably, annoyingly bad at this one basic thing.

Read more from @elissawelle.bsky.social:
www.theverge.com/report/82913...

Verge headline: Billionaires want data centers everywhere, including space Photo illustration: the Earth in space, with a floating data center nearby

Space-based AI data centers are Big Tech’s latest fad and Silicon Valley’s newest investable venture.

Yet, scientists who study space remain skeptical of the idea.

Read more from @elissawelle.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Billionaires want data centers everywhere, including space Guess what scientists think?

Another day, another data center story, this time in 🌒 space 🚀 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Billionaires want data centers everywhere, including space Guess what scientists think?

What could go wrong www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... via @elissawelle.bsky.social

Racks of AI chips are too damn heavy Too great a weight.

Why can't we just upgrade old data centers instead of building new ones? The latest AI tech is getting too damn heavy www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Viral TikTok AI Pen Flunks The Test | TWiT.TV Dan Moren of Six Colors joins Mikah Sargent this week! Apple Wallet's mobile driver's license feature is expanding to more users. An AI-powered teddy bear was caught giving

@mikahsargent.com shares a warning about a children's AI-powered teddy bear, @dmoren.com's coverage on the latest
Apple Wallet features, Sabrina Ortiz dives into Gemini 3,
@elissawelle.bsky.social covers the viral TikTok AI Pen, plus much more, all on Tech News Weekly: twit.tv/tnw/414

This viral AI pen didn’t help me cheat Don’t fall for the YouTube videos of ‘AI smart pens’ helping students cheat on paper tests. We tried one and it sucks. by Elissa Welle Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales

the verge's reviews program has always been the heart of the site and one reason we jealously protect it and refuse to do brand deals is so we can just say the products are bad www.theverge.com/report/82215...

Send me an email!

Tech companies don’t care that students use their AI agents to cheat Ready, set, cheat.

Cheating just got a lot easier with AI agents -- and tech companies don't seem to care, often just blaming the students they’ve empowered with a seemingly unstoppable cheating machine. Teachers and students are stuck with the repercussions: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Character.AI is banning minors from AI character chats Teens are no longer welcome to talk to Character.AI’s chatbots.

Two pieces of news re: teens and AI chatbots. Character.AI is gradually limiting, and then banning, teens from its AI chatbots www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... And two senators proposed an industry-wide ban of under-18s accessing AI companions www.theverge.com/news/808589/...

Major federation of unions calls for ‘worker-centered AI’ future Collective bargaining and state-level regulations can protect the US workers from AI, the AFL-CIO says.

3) The country’s largest group of labor unions is calling on employers and legislators to join in on a “workers first initiative on AI.” @theverge.com @elissawelle.bsky.social @aflcio.org

www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Facebook’s new button lets its AI look at photos you haven’t uploaded yet Like we always say, read the terms and conditions, folks.

Take a close look at Facebook' latest blog post and you'll notice that the company is rolling out a feature that let's Meta's AI train on your ~~unpublished photos in your camera roll~~ www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

New York bans AI-enabled rent price fixing Renters in the Big Apple could have just caught a big break today.

New Yorker renters may have caught a break with this new law banning rent-fixing algos www.theverge.com/news/801205/...

Dear LA, you deserve better than the Clippers’ carbon scandal Climate change is choking Los Angeles. The Clippers scandal deals another blow.

If you've been following the Clippers drama (Pablo Torre, Aspiration, Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard) read Justine Calma's latest. It's the context you need on LA's climate woes interwoven with the personal anecdotes from someone who grew up near Leonard's hometown www.theverge.com/science/7860...

What happens when an AI-generated artist gets a record deal? A copyright mess ‘Why am I paying you for this, if you have no claim in the copyright?’

The only human-made element behind Xania Monet’s act appear to be the lyrics. So, what happens when an AI-generated artist gets a record deal? A copyright mess. My latest for @theverge.com www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Columbia tries using AI to cool off student tensions Sources say it’s part of a concerning pattern at the university.

great story from my new colleague (i'm the new one to the @theverge.com) @haydenfield.bsky.social about columbia university's latest attempt to smooth over student tensions using AI software www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Fashion’s Big Bet on Textile Recycling, Explained The nascent textile recycling industry has been positioned as a holy grail solution to fashion’s environmental challenges. The reality is more complicated.

I didn't appreciate the fact that polyester in clothing is the same plastic as water bottles until I started reporting on textile recycling for @businessoffashion.com.web.brid.gy. Read about the technology to make new clothes from old clothes here: www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sus...

What if the Forests Could Move? - Ambrook Research As the world heats up, forests are shrinking away from hot, dry land—but can’t travel to cool, wet areas on their own. Do they need “a little push” from us?

Forests are suffering in the face of rapidly climbing temperatures. Researchers are now experimenting with "assisted migrations," moving trees to climates more suitable for longevity.

@elissawelle.bsky.social looks into it:
ambrook.com/research/lan...

The Growing Allure of Insect Poop - Ambrook Research Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say.

Mealworm poop has shown off-the-charts results as a natural fertilizer, far outperforming its traditional counterparts. So why aren't we using it more?

@elissawelle.bsky.social looks into it:
ambrook.com/research/stu...

$20 Dinner Map We are a subscriber-funded, worker-owned news outlet about New York City, named for the city's sturdiest (and handsomest) bridge over its most treacherous currents.

NYC $20 meal map you didn't know you needed 🙏@hellgatenyc.com hellgatenyc.com/20-dinner-map/

👀👀

The Growing Allure of Insect Poop - Ambrook Research Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say.

Here's the scoop on poop - that is, insect poop. Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say. ambrook.com/research/stu...

Trump’s Tariffs: Are the Trade Groups Happy? - Ambrook Research Trump’s executive orders on global trade are getting very mixed reactions — depending on what’s being farmed.

We talked to the major farm trade groups (soy, dairy, fertilizer, etc) to find out what they think of Trump's tariffs. Reactions were extremely mixed!

From @elissawelle.bsky.social:
ambrook.com/research/leg...

Funder Axes Queens College Diversity Initiative Amid Trump DEI Purge The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is terminating a $505,000 STEM grant that was supposed to support an ‘Inclusive Excellence initiative’running through 2028.

DEI cuts are not just for federal funding. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the country’s largest private funder of biomedical research, pulled the plug on a $505,000 STEM DEI grant at CUNY's Queens College
www.thecity.nyc/2025/03/18/f... reported by @haidee.bsky.social for @thecity.nyc

Nassau enters controversial ‘task force’ agreement with ICE The Long Island county’s police department is working with federal immigration officials under a type of agreement that was banned during the Obama administration.

Nassau County's police and sheriff’s departments signed agreements w/ ICE. Deputized police officers now can question residents’ citizenship status and make arrests without a judicial warrant www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2025/... by @rebeccaclewis.bsky.social for @cityandstateny.bsky.social.

Trump’s Tariffs: Are the Trade Groups Happy? - Ambrook Research Trump’s executive orders on global trade are getting very mixed reactions — depending on what’s being farmed.

Trump's tariffs are getting very different reactions from major agricultural trade organizations — depending on what’s being farmed. It's complicated but @jessehirsch.bsky.social and I break it down over here at Ambrook Research ambrook.com/research/leg...

Couldn't help myself 👩‍🌾

My second story for Hell Gate — ICE made an arrest in Schenectady without a warrant or order from a judge. Two state lawmakers are asking why courts are not being protected

Companies have a couple years before it’s mandatory so plenty of time for things to play out