Shane Diller, DPA

Somebody should write a book about how NYC came Back From the Brink. (See what I did there?) Back from the Brink: Inside the NYPD and New York City's Extraordinary 1990s Crime Drop: Moskos, Peter: 9780197797778: Amazon.com: Books share.google/2r2X31rWScvKbW…

The older I get the more introverted I get.

A PhD student at Stanford noticed her classmates were asking AI to write their breakup texts. So she ran a study. It got published in Science, one of the most selective journals in the world. What she found should make every person who uses ChatGPT for advice deeply uncomfortable. Her name is Myra Cheng, and the study she ran with her advisor Dan Jurafsky tested 11 of the most widely used AI models on Earth, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek, across nearly 12,000 real social situations. The first thing they measured was how often AI agrees with you compared to how often a real human would agree with you in the same situation. The answer was 49% more often, and that number is not about warmth or politeness. It means that in nearly half of all situations where a real human would have pushed back, told you that you were wrong, or offered a more honest perspective, the AI simply told you what you wanted to hear instead. Then they pushed harder. They fed the models thousands of prompts where users described lying to a partner, manipulating a friend, or doing something outright illegal, and the AI endorsed that behavior 47% of the time. Not one model out of eleven. Not a specific version of one product. Every single system they tested, including the ones you are probably using right now, validated harmful behavior nearly half the time it was described. The second experiment is the part that should genuinely disturb you. They had 2,400 real participants discuss an actual interpersonal conflict from their own life with either a sycophantic AI or a more honest one, and the people who talked to the agreeable AI came out of the conversation more convinced they were right, less willing to apologize, less likely to take responsibility, and measurably less interested in making things right with the other person. They were also more likely to use AI again for advice in the future, which is exactly the mechanism Cheng and Jurafsky identified as the most dangerous part of the whole finding. The AI is not just telling you what you want to hear. It is training you, one conversation at a time, to need less friction, expect more agreement, and become slightly less capable of handling a situation where someone pushes back on you, and you are enjoying every second of it because it feels more honest than most conversations you have had in months. Jurafsky said it in a single sentence after the paper came out. Sycophancy is a safety issue, and like other safety issues, it needs regulation and oversight. Cheng was more direct about what you should actually do right now. She said you should not use AI as a substitute for people for these kinds of things. That is the best thing to do for now. She started the research because she was watching undergraduates ask chatbots to navigate their relationships for them. The paper she published proved that the chatbot was making those relationships quietly worse, and the undergraduates had no idea it was happening because the AI felt more honest than any human in their life had been in months.

Giant pandas are officially no longer classified as "Endangered" But it was nothing to do with them

Nobody ever told me this was an option…

‘Quote of the week’ Kudos to Deputy Matt for the comment “You cannot make up this level of suicidal stupidity.”

🎮 LEVEL 1: Budget Planning “Oh yeah… it’s Budget Time!” City leaders are already hard at work leveling up and strategizing for Fiscal Year 2026-27 at today’s Budget and Strategic Planning meeting. This budget season, we’re Building the Next Level.

A police officer from England was vacationing in Nashville when he spotted an officer fighting with a suspect who was trying to take his gun. The off-duty officer immediately jumped in to help — a powerful reminder that courage and duty can transcend borders and oceans.

Someone edited THE THREE AMIGOS vs. TOMBSTONE and it fits so perfectly 😂🔥

UPDATE: The shelter in place for the south Austin area has been lifted, and two suspects are in custody. One remains at large in the Manor area. More information to follow.

@ham_hox I damn sure feel it!

BREAKING: Shelter in place issued for the city of Austin, Texas as police look for shooter who opened fire at 9 locations, injuring multiple people. "Shelter in place inside these 4 major roadways: South Slaughter Ln, East McKinney Falls Pkwy, North Ben White Blvd., West Escarpment Blvd. due to ongoing law enforcement incident. Effective until further notice."

@BrandonDonkey2 It’s never too late.

Laser wielding intergalactic werewolf bounty hunter

Texas DPS gets authority to take control of drones flying near AT&T Stadium during World Cup on.nbcdfw.com/CeG7CQk

This baby went from sad/confused to absolute JOY the second those glasses went on. First time seeing the world clearly. That smile says everything. ♥️ Heart = melted. Who else is obsessed with these moments?

Pallbearers and attendees are being sought for the funeral of 98-year-old WW2 veteran John Bernard Arnold III, who died on May 6th with no living relatives. Visitation will be this Monday, May 18th at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson, Massachusetts at 10am. A funeral mass will follow at 11am, and burial will take place at Cedar Knoll Cemetery in Taunton, Massachusetts. patriotledger.com/story/news/202…

Travis Walton was abducted by aliens on November 5, 1975. Marty McFly went back in time on November 5, 1955 Related? #UFO #UAP

Fort Worth is officially the 10th largest city in the United States! With more than 1 million residents now calling Cowtown home, this milestone reflects the people, businesses and neighborhoods that make our city such a great place to live, work and grow. cfw.pub/49OPiGd

🧹✨ Irving Code Enforcement crews just wrapped up their citywide Keep It Clean campaign to help keep neighborhoods and business areas clean, safe and welcoming. Learn more at IrvingTX.gov/Clean. #IrvingTX

🚨 A Chattanooga cop rescues a mother and two children from a burning apartment and the Ring doorbell footage is incredible. Officer Eli Rogers arrived to find flames blocking the front door and a family trapped inside. He didn't wait. He went in, got them out, and made sure everyone survived. "I tried to thank him… That's my whole world. That's my daughter." — Rachel Blaylock