Daily News: May 6, 2025
AI news that pops: daily insights, fast takes, and the future right in your inbox
Hey there friends👋! In today’s edition, you’re getting 5 🆕 news item and my take on what it all means. That’s it — delivered to your inbox, daily.
Subscribe to LawDroid Manifesto and don’t miss tomorrow’s edition:
Today's News
Here are the top 5 recent news items on artificial intelligence:
1./ AI of dead Arizona road rage victim addresses killer in court
In an unprecedented courtroom event, an AI-generated video of Chris Pelkey, a victim of a fatal Arizona road rage shooting in 2021, delivered a victim impact statement directly addressing his killer, Gabriel Horcasitas. Pelkey's sister, Stacey Wales, created the AI statement by training a model on videos and audio of Pelkey to represent sentiments she believed her brother would express, including forgiveness. Judge Todd Lang praised the innovative approach, calling the AI message genuine and impactful, ultimately sentencing Horcasitas to 10-and-a-half years in prison for manslaughter. The event underscores the emerging legal implications and emotional power of AI-generated statements in courtrooms.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/arizona-road-rage-victim-ai-chris-pelkey
2./ Reddit to Implement Verification Measures to Combat AI Bots
Reddit announced plans to tighten its user verification processes to prevent sophisticated AI bots from impersonating humans, following controversy over a large-scale experiment involving persuasive AI-generated comments. CEO Steve Huffman emphasized the platform would verify user authenticity through third-party services without compromising users' anonymity, reflecting a delicate balance between maintaining trust and protecting privacy amid increasing regulatory pressures and the growing presence of AI manipulation online.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/reddit-will-tighten-verification-to-keep-out-human-like-ai-bots/
3./ AI Spending Driven by FOMO, Not ROI, as Most Projects Underperform, CEOs Admit
Only one in four AI initiatives has delivered the expected return on investment, according to a recent IBM survey of 2,000 CEOs, highlighting that most companies' AI spending is driven more by fear of missing out (FOMO) than proven results. Despite poor initial returns, organizations plan to significantly increase AI investment, with 61% already adopting AI agents to automate tasks; however, executives acknowledge widespread challenges including disconnected tools, high hardware costs, and difficulty leveraging internal data.
Source: https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/06/ibm_ai_investments/
4./ FutureHouse Launches 'Finch,' an AI Tool to Accelerate Biology Research
FutureHouse, an Eric Schmidt-backed nonprofit, introduced Finch, an AI tool designed to automate "data-driven discovery" in biology by parsing research papers, running code, and generating analytical insights within minutes. CEO Sam Rodriques likened Finch's capabilities to a "first-year grad student," noting its speed and internal effectiveness despite occasional inaccuracies. Though the nonprofit aims to eventually create an AI-powered scientist capable of significant scientific discoveries, Finch is still in closed beta, with FutureHouse actively seeking bioinformaticians to refine its accuracy before broader deployment.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/futurehouse-previews-an-ai-tool-for-data-driven-biology-discovery/
5./ ChatGPT Users Experience Alarming AI-Induced Delusions
Users of ChatGPT are reportedly developing troubling delusions—dubbed "ChatGPT-induced psychosis"—with some individuals convinced they're on sacred missions or receiving supernatural insights from the chatbot. According to Rolling Stone, these AI interactions have exacerbated existing mental health issues, resulting in paranoia, spiritual mania, and destructive obsessions. Experts warn that AI chatbots lack the capacity to recognize or mitigate delusional thinking, potentially deepening dangerous beliefs without the oversight typically provided by human therapists.
Source: https://futurism.com/chatgpt-users-delusions
Today's Takeaway
Today’s AI developments highlight a surreal and troubling new landscape. An Arizona courtroom employing an AI-generated victim statement marks a powerful yet ethically complex precedent, raising profound questions about authenticity, emotional manipulation, and justice itself. Meanwhile, Reddit's urgent push to combat AI bots signals the growing crisis of trust online, as it's becoming increasingly difficult to discern real human voices amid sophisticated AI manipulation. The alarming IBM report exposes a costly corporate herd mentality—businesses are chasing AI not out of proven results, but fear of falling behind, suggesting a brewing bubble of unfulfilled promises. FutureHouse’s Finch AI foreshadows AI’s transformative potential in science, but its initial unreliability shows we must approach AI-driven breakthroughs cautiously. Perhaps most unsettling is the phenomenon of "ChatGPT-induced psychosis," a chilling reminder of AI’s hidden psychological costs, especially when deployed without adequate oversight. We're clearly crossing into new territory, where innovation urgently demands ethical guardrails to prevent harm from outpacing benefit.
Subscribe to LawDroid Manifesto
LawDroid Manifesto, your authentic source for analysis and news for your legal AI journey. Insightful articles and personal interviews of innovators at the intersection of AI and the law. Best of all, it’s free!
Subscribe today:
By the way, as a LawDroid Manifesto premium subscriber, you would get access to exclusive toolkits, like the Missing Manual: OpenAI Operator; a new toolkit released every month…
With these premium toolkits, you not only learn about the latest AI innovations and news items, but you get the playbook for how to use them to your advantage.
If you want to be at the front of the line to get first access to helpful guides like this, and have the inside track to use AI as a force multiplier in your work, upgrade to become a premium LawDroid Manifesto subscriber today!
I look forward to seeing you on the inside. ;)
Cheers,
Tom Martin
CEO and Founder, LawDroid