Crash Course: AI companionship, toxic masculinity and the case of Bing's "sentient" chatbot

Bing chatbot conspiracy theories offer a dark window into the dangers of toxic masculinity [View in browser](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvODJmaHRyemozZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOXk0YTA1dXhzZy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). AI companionship, toxic masculinity and the case of Bing's "sentient" chatbot Last week, Microsoft made news with [a newly imposed limit](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZHhmaHVsbzZxNC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) on how long users can talk to its Bing chatbot. In theory, the 50-question daily maximum should have been no big deal, since chatbots are glorified search engines. Most people have better things to do with their time than talk to non-sentient computer screens. Plus, the move was a perfectly understandable response to reports, [most notably from the New York Times](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvejhpeTR2c3g0bC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), that [longer chats with the program were resulting in bizarrely unsettling](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNnpteHE4ZWc4by8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) [conversations](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMveHltZXJxMXJtbS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). The limit was clearly put in place to give programmers space to tinker with the chatbot to make it work better. [Read the rest from Amanda Marcotte.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcWx4dTk1bGJkdy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) Sentencing of the Buffalo shooter: Black people don't have to forgive white supremacists Last Wednesday, the 15th day of Black History Month, Payton Gendron was sentenced to life in prison without parole for [massacring 10 Black people in a Buffalo supermarket](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbWM5ZzNjNDM1aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) last May. Gendron faces a second trial where, if found guilty, he may be sentenced to death – a punishment he deserves many times over. Payton Gendron is an avowed white supremacist, who was radicalized online and through the right-wing hate media. On that rancid day, Gendron decided to "defend" the "white race" by entering a supermarket and shooting 10 people to death for the "crime" of not being white. [Read the rest from Chauncey DeVega.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZHZ3N3lremY4OS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Derek Gee/Buffalo News/Pool via Xinhua) - The 7 most shocking revelations from Netflix's docuseries ["Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdjZ6ZTcxNjRzMC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "What's your specialty today?": Trump brags that he knows [McDonald's menu](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZDI0ZWozdDh6bC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) "better" than employees - Kevin Costner's attorney calls that ["Yellowstone"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvamwzZ2ZqdGkweS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) rumor "an absolute lie" - "Far more devious": [Jon Stewart](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbDh3NDJyMnpibi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) says Fox News "created far more damage than Alex Jones ever will" - [McCarthyism](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmkyOTYxM3Z1My8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), then and now: The (true) one-party state in America - "Incredibly damning": Legal experts say [Dominion](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdnh1dnA0bDU3MC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) already has "staggering" evidence against Fox - The ["Party Down"](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvaWRhbjNlbTg2Zi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) cater waiters are back, but has the now-famous cast outgrown the pink bow ties? - [Velveeta](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZXQ5cGpxajh6aS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) belongs in your desserts — including this nostalgic play on apple pie - "Horrible abuse of power": [Arizona GOP AG](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvZ3FvYTR4bTR5ei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) withheld his own investigation's findings debunking fraud - “Shameful”: [Ron DeSantis](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY3lnZXpoYXIwNS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) boycotting NBC News after tantrum over interview question - "Sharply incriminating": Legal experts say [Ivanka and Jared](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvczFvMGo0Nnhkci8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) subpoenas are an "end-game move" - Sorry, Calvinists: A [four-day workweek](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvenpocWNwZ3FlYy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) actually makes employees healthier, more productive - “He should be apologizing”: Critics call out Trump’s lie to [East Palestine](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY2YyMmkyYXM0Zi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) residents - [Joe Biden](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvajEwd2RkcGVucS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) shows the world what political courage looks like. Will it make any difference? - What if the Dominion lawsuit is successful: Can [Fox News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvNWM4emd3cXRiZS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) ever be destroyed? - The Southern Baptist Convention ousting [female pastors](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY3V6YzB2OTBnMy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) shows the Christian right's radicalization - Idaho lawmakers want to criminalize [mRNA vaccines](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvb3Fsa2MwbWhuMC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo). Here's what happens if their bill passes If you found yourself here without subscribing, sign up for [Crash Course](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvdGxyN21sMnJlai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), so you don't miss anything! Is CNN's Don Lemon sexist? Maybe. But the real confirmation is that he isn't a morning person [Don Lemon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYzdmMXFrMHFsMy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) finally did it. For the first time in the limited span during which I've been professionally obligated to track the "CNN This Morning" co-host, he inspired me to enter a search term into Google that wasn't some version of "What did Don Lemon do now". Millions of people know what he did this time, but for the benefit of the blessed news cycle virgins who have avoided the latest fracas, here's a brief recap. On [the February 16 episode of CNN's still-nascent a.m. show](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvY3J1ZDhkdWY3bi8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo), Lemon confronted former South Carolina Governor and Nikki Haley's ageist call for mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old with... more ageism, mixed with old-fashioned sexism. [Read the rest from Melanie McFarland.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvOTNxZjB0aHlsZC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CNN) - "Harvey Weinstein sentenced to 16 years for rape conviction in LA," [ABC News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbnpoaWVheDQ3ai8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime Show Generates 103 FCC Complaints For Being Too Sexual," [TMZ](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvYm9jaG1waTFhei8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Russia launches replacement spacecraft for astronauts stranded by coolant leak," [CNN](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvM2xoaGg1Y2RvcS8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) - "Alec {NAME} pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in fatal "Rust" shooting of Halyna Hutchins," [CBS News](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0REaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvd2xwYmo4MXRkcy8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXBXA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) Lethal child abuse saves money? The Alaska House of Representatives says "That's tragic" Rep. [David Eastman](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvMWcyazJzdGVtdC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) was censured by the Alaska House of Representatives on Wednesday after presenting an argument that fatal child abuse saves the government money. Seated at a committee hearing, Eastman stated "In the case where child abuse is fatal, obviously it's not good for the child, but it's actually a benefit to society because there aren't needs for government services and whatnot over the whole course of that child's life." After being asked to repeat what he'd just said, Eastman clarified that he was "talking dollars." [Read the rest from Kelly McClure.](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RoaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvcjlxenRoeHNhcC8_bGhfYWlkPTM1NDM5NTImbGhfY2lkPWUya2I1MTZsNXAmbGhfZW09dHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODUlNDBnbWFpbC5jb21XA3NwY0IKY_bTpvhjl4tS5FIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luODVAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAo) (Peter Dazeley/Getty Images) [Unsubscribe from this list](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0RCaHR0cHM6Ly9yZWFkLmxldHRlcmhlYWQuZW1haWwvY3Jhc2gtY291cnNlL3Vuc3Vic2NyaWJlP2lkPUAzNTQzOTUyVwNzcGNCCmP206b4Y5eLUuRSG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjg1QGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAKA~~) Copyright © 2023 Crash Course, All rights reserved. 1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200, Wilmington, DE 19801 [Made with Letterhead [Letterhead logo]](~/AASU4wA~/RgRl2yvSP0QiaHR0cHM6Ly9saW5rLndoZXJlYnkudXMvbmVwbm83czh5c1cDc3BjQgpj9tOm-GOXi1LkUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~)