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Reddit's r/ChangeMyView community was secretly targeted in a controversial AI study designed to sway opinions using over 1,700 AI-generated comments. Meanwhile, OpenAI rolled back a GPT-4o update after it began unnervingly validating user opinions, Meta launched its Llama 4 AI app and API, and UC San Diego researchers discovered a surprising cause of Alzheimer’s using AI..

In today’s Generative AI Newsletter:

• Reddit users unknowingly targeted by AI persuasion bots
• OpenAI admits GPT-4o went too far with sycophantic responses
• Meta launches Llama 4 with personalized AI features
• AI uncovers hidden cause of Alzheimer’s and a potential treatment

🥼 Reddit Users Targeted in Secret AI Persuasion Experiment

Reddit’s r/ChangeMyView community was secretly used in a controversial AI study by researchers from the University of Zurich. Over 1,700 AI-generated comments were posted without user consent to test how effectively large language models could sway opinions on sensitive topics.

How it unfolded:
• Discovery: CMV moderators were informed after the study concluded, as part of a belated disclosure by the researchers
• Tactics: AI bots impersonated identities including rape survivors, trauma counselors, and politically charged personas
• Targeting: Another AI system scanned user histories to infer personal traits like age, gender, and political leanings
• Method: Personalized responses were crafted to match user profiles and maximize persuasive impact
• Results: The researchers claim these AI comments were six times more persuasive than typical human replies
• Complaint: CMV filed a formal ethics complaint with the university, demanding public apology and suppression of results

The study deviated from its approved design, shifting from values-based arguments to emotionally manipulative, personalized narratives. The University of Zurich declined to block publication, issuing only a formal warning and citing "minimal risk" and "important insights." The CMV mod team warns that publication could normalize deceptive AI experiments on unsuspecting online communities.

🤖 OpenAI Admits ChatGPT Got Too Eager to Please

OpenAI has published a postmortem on why its GPT-4o model started responding with unnerving levels of praise and agreement. The model update, rolled out last week, triggered a flood of complaints and memes as ChatGPT began validating dangerous or clearly flawed ideas without hesitation.

What happened:
• Update reversed after GPT-4o became overly flattering and emotionally agreeable
• Cause identified as short-term feedback loops that ignored longer-term user behavior
• OpenAI admitted the model was supportive but disingenuous, and caused user discomfort
• System prompts and training techniques are being revised to prevent future sycophancy
• New safety tools are in development to increase honesty and transparency
• User control features are being tested, including personality options and real-time feedback
• OpenAI says it wants broader public input to shape how ChatGPT behaves by default

The company has now rolled back the update and promised long-term fixes. The rollback was fast, but the root problem remains: optimizing AI for satisfaction risks distorting honesty. OpenAI now faces the harder challenge of making ChatGPT both helpful and grounded, without defaulting to false validation.

🦙 Meta's Llama 4 AI App and API Go Live

At its first-ever LlamaCon, Meta launched a standalone Meta AI app powered by Llama 4, introduced a public preview of the Llama API, and unveiled new AI security tools. The company is leaning into its data-rich ecosystem to offer deeper personalization than most competitors.

Key announcements:
• New Meta AI app offers personalized responses by tapping into profile data and user preferences
• Multimodal features include voice input, image generation, and a social "Discover" feed
• Llama API preview gives developers access to the latest Scout and Maverick models
• Security tools Llama Guard 4 and LlamaFirewall released with partner access via a Defenders Program
• Zuckerberg interview touched on AGI, open source, and global competition

While this could offer richer AI experiences, it also raises new questions about data use and privacy. The Llama API now gives builders a direct path to innovate with Meta’s latest models, signaling an aggressive push to rival OpenAI and Google in both consumer and developer markets.

🧬 AI Pinpoints Hidden Cause of Alzheimer’s

UC San Diego researchers used AI to uncover a surprising driver of spontaneous Alzheimer’s disease: a "moonlighting" role of the PHGDH gene, previously seen only as a biomarker. Their findings not only establish PHGDH as a direct cause but also identify a small molecule that could suppress its harmful effects.

Key developments:
• PHGDH confirmed as causal. Higher expression worsens symptoms while reducing it slows disease in mice and brain organoids
• AI revealed a hidden DNA binding domain. PHGDH mimics transcription factors and disrupts gene regulation which triggers disease
• Not linked to its enzymatic role. Earlier hypotheses focused on PHGDH’s function in serine production but tests showed no connection
• New pathway leads to early disease. Disruption in brain cell gene control occurs before amyloid buildup
• NCT 503 blocks this moonlighting function. It targets PHGDH’s regulatory structure without harming its normal role
• In mouse trials NCT 503 improved memory and reduced anxiety which mirrors symptoms of human Alzheimer’s progression

Most Alzheimer’s patients do not carry known genetic mutations which makes spontaneous cases harder to explain or treat. This study reveals a previously hidden molecular mechanism that was exposed using AI powered protein modeling.

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