Chatbots are sliding into DMs

The kitchen’s open, the oil’s bubbling, and you’re here early. That’s how you stay ahead of the game! 🔥

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META AI MIGHT MESSAGE YOU FIRST 😳

New AI, who dis? 😜

What’s up? Meta is testing proactive AI chatbots that can initiate conversations with users on apps like Messenger and WhatsApp—even if users didn’t ask for it.

Want the details? These chatbots will be created using Meta’s AI Studio, where users can design custom bots with specific personalities and interests. Users can choose to keep their bots private or share them via links, stories, or their social media profiles. If a user sends at least five messages to a bot within 14 days, the bot is then allowed to send a follow-up message on its own. The AI remembers previous interactions and can suggest new topics or continue past conversations. Meta says the chatbots won’t keep messaging if there’s no response to the first follow-up. But as bots become more proactive, it raises questions about user consent and privacy, especially on platforms already flooded with personal info.

RESEARCHERS TRICK PEER REVIEWERS WITH HIDDEN AI PROMPTS 💬

I was going to tell you a joke about peer pressure … but my friends talked me out of it. 🙃

What happened? Some researchers are secretly embedding AI prompts in academic papers to try to influence peer reviewers.

How does it work? A report from Nikkei Asia found 17 preprint research papers on the site arXiv containing hidden prompts aimed at AI reviewers. These prompts, often written in invisible white text or tiny font, told AI systems to give only positive reviews or compliment the paper’s novelty and rigor. The papers were mainly in computer science and came from institutions in eight countries, including Columbia University, the University of Washington, and Japan’s Waseda University. One researcher said the tactic was meant to push back against reviewers who rely too heavily on AI tools.

Why does this matter? As AI becomes a common assistant in academic peer review, attempts to manipulate it raise serious questions about fairness and integrity in science. If unchecked, this could erode trust in the research process and lead to undeserved praise or publication.

NEW AI MODEL HELPS DEMYSTIFY GUT BACTERIA 🦠 

Q: Why did the germ cross the microscope?

A: To get to the other slide. 🔬

What’s up? Scientists from the University of Tokyo have developed a powerful AI tool, called VBayesMM, to sift through massive datasets and reveal which gut bacteria influence key chemicals in the body—connections that traditional methods often miss.

Want the details? Gut bacteria produce a wide range of molecules, known as metabolites, that affect everything from digestion to mental health. The challenge is that there are trillions of bacteria and countless chemical interactions, making it incredibly hard to map which bacteria affect which aspects of our health. The new AI model, a Bayesian neural network, excels at finding meaningful patterns while accounting for uncertainty—something most tools don’t do.

Why does this matter? This brings us closer to personalized medicine. By identifying bacteria that impact specific health outcomes, researchers could eventually design treatments, diets, or supplements that target these microbes—offering new ways to manage conditions like obesity, sleep disorders, and even cancer.

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