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Daily Archives: May 30, 2024

Stanford HAI Tests Westlaw But The GenAI Results Look Worse

Artificial Lawyer: “Ok this story is getting into unusual territory now. Artificial Lawyer just got an email from the spokespeople for the Stanford University HAI team who told this site the researchers had updated their genAI study of hallucinations in case law tools to include Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw. And guess what….? Westlaw has come out even worse than the Practical Law tests (see below) according to what they have published in an updated paper. Here is the new statement to AL from HAI: ‘Letting you know that the research and blog post have been updated with new findings. The study now includes an analysis of Westlaw’s AI-Assisted Research alongside Lexis+ AI and Ask Practical Law AI.’ They have updated the HAI group’s findings here to reflect this. As you may remember, this whole thing started when a group of researchers tested whether LexisNexis’s and Thomson Reuter’s genAI tools were as good as hoped for case law research. There was plenty of confusion caused when the team tested Practical Law, rather than Westlaw for the case law questions. They have since been given access to Westlaw and hence the new results…Here is the link to the original story in Artificial Lawyer, and there are two more articles with comments that follow it that give more context – please see the AL site…”

See also Thomson Reuters: GenAI Tool Tested By Stanford DID ‘Leverage Casetext’

How to find and remove spyware from your phone

ZDNET: “iPhone and Android users alike are facing more sophisticated surveillance threats than ever before, and some may be close to home. Suspect you’re being tracked? Here’s what to do.  Spyware doesn’t just impact today’s PCs, it can end up on your mobile devices, too. Spyware designed for smartphones can disguise itself as a fake… Continue Reading

Introducing Perplexity Pages

Media Release: “Meet Perplexity Pages, your new tool for easily transforming research into visually stunning, comprehensive content. Whether you’re crafting in-depth articles, detailed reports, or informative guides, Pages streamlines the process so you can focus on what matters most: sharing your knowledge with the world. Seamless creation – Pages lets you effortlessly create, organize, and share… Continue Reading

IRS opening free online tax filing program to all states

“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Direct File will be a permanent, free tax filing option and invited all 50 states and the District of Columbia to join in Filing Season 2025. This announcement follows a successful Pilot Program that saw 140,000 taxpayers claim more than $90… Continue Reading

Network of local news sites publishing AI written articles under fake bylines

CNN: “The articles on a local news site popping up around the country appear to cover what any community outlet would focus on: crime, local politics, weather and happenings. “In-depth reporting about your home area,” the outlet’s slogan proudly declares. But a closer look at the bylines populating the local site and a national network… Continue Reading

Why Google’s AI Overviews gets things wrong

MIT Technology Review: “When Google announced it was rolling out its artificial intelligence-powered search feature earlier this month, the company promised that “Google will do the googling for you.” The new feature, called AI Overviews, provides Search users with AI-generated snapshots highlighting key information and links to help you find what you’re searching for faster… Continue Reading

Piecing Together the Secrets of the Stasi

The New Yorker [no paywall]: “After the Berlin Wall fell, agents of East Germany’s secret police frantically tore apart their records. Archivists have spent the past thirty years trying to restore them…Dictatorships depend on the willing. They can’t rule by compulsion alone. People support them to gain power or advance their careers, because they like… Continue Reading

A Devil’s Bargain With OpenAI

The Atlantic via MSN: The Atlantic’s CEO, Nicholas Thompson, announced in an internal email that the company has entered into a business partnership with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. (The news was made public via a press release shortly thereafter.) Editorial content from this publication will soon be directly referenced in response to queries in… Continue Reading