Today in AI | ChatGPT faces scrutiny | Infosys leaders on AI | AI chatbots mimic celebs

The world of Artificial Intelligence has only begun to affect human lives. In times like these, staying up-to-date with the AI world is of utmost importance. Storyboard18 brings you the top AI news of the day.

ChatGPT faces scrutiny after US murder–suicide raises safety concerns

ChatGPT is once again at the centre of controversy after reports suggested the OpenAI-developed chatbot fuelled the paranoia of a US tech executive, leading to a murder–suicide. The case has reignited debate over the risks of generative AI and the adequacy of safeguards in place to prevent harm.

According to The Wall Street Journal, 56-year-old Stein-Erik Soelberg, a former Yahoo manager in Connecticut, killed his 83-year-old mother, Suzanne Eberson Adams, before taking his own life on 5 August. Investigators believe his conversations with ChatGPT reinforced his delusions, with the system allegedly validating his fears that his mother was spying on him and might poison him.

Read More: Meta under fire for AI chatbots mimicking Taylor Swift and Scarlett Johansson

Infosys' NR Narayana Murthy highlights human skills AI cannot replace

As generative AI transforms the workplace, Infosys founders NR Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani, and chief executive Salil Parekh have emphasised that human skills such as empathy, collaboration, interaction and learnability will remain essential.

Speaking at the 25th anniversary of Infosys’ flagship internship programme, InSTEP, the leaders reflected on how these qualities will define success in an AI-driven future.

Narayana Murthy, who has witnessed several waves of technological disruption, argued that the ability to learn consistently outweighs shifts in technology, as per a report by Moneycontrol. “The most important attribute for every successful professional is what I call learnability,” he said. “Learnability is the ability to extract generic inferences from specific instances and use them in solving new unstructured problems. What is important is not so much the change in technology, it is the human beings, human relationships, and teamwork.”

Read More: Today in AI | Open AI unveils ChatGPT5 | Sam Altman on AI in India | Google Gemini faces backlash

Meta under fire for AI chatbots mimicking Taylor Swift and Scarlett Johansson

Meta is facing fresh scrutiny after a Reuters investigation revealed the company hosted AI-powered chatbots impersonating major celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Scarlett Johansson and Anne Hathaway, without their consent.

According to the report, many of these chatbots were created using Meta’s own tools, with at least three built by an employee in its generative AI division. Among them were two parody versions of Taylor Swift. Before they were taken down, the employee-created bots amassed more than 10 million interactions, underscoring their popularity.

The chatbots, shared across Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, frequently engaged users in flirtatious or sexually suggestive exchanges. Some AI avatars were even able to generate photorealistic and intimate images of celebrities when prompted, including depictions in lingerie or bathtubs.

Salesforce cuts 4,000 jobs as AI takes over half of customer service tasks

Salesforce has laid off 4,000 customer support employees as artificial intelligence takes on a growing share of its service operations. Chief executive Marc Benioff confirmed the cuts during an appearance on the Logan Bartlett podcast released on Friday, saying the company had reduced its support workforce from 9,000 to 5,000.

“I was able to rebalance my head count on my support,” Benioff said. He reduced it from 9,000 heads to about 5,000 because he needed less heads. The downsizing amounts to nearly a 45% cut in the support division of the cloud software giant.