A Stanford University in a federal court case in Minnesota for submitting a sworn declaration that contained made-up information has blamed an artificial intelligence chatbot. And the bot generated more errors than the one highlighted by the plaintiffs in the case, professor Jeff Hancock wrote in an apologetic court filing, saying he did not intend to mislead the court or any lawyers. “I express my sincere regret for any confusion this may have caused,” Hancock wrote. Lawyers for a YouTuber and Minnesota state legislator suing to overturn a Minnesota law said in a court filing last month that Hancock’s expert-witness declaration contained a reference to a study, by authors Huang, Zhang, Wang, that did not exist. They believed Hancock had used a chatbot in preparing the 12-page document, and called for the submission to be thrown out because it might contain more, undiscovered AI fabrications. It did: After the lawyers called out Hancock, he found two other AI “hallucinations” in his declaration, according to his filing in Minnesota District Court. The professor, founding director of the Stanford Social Media Lab, was brought into the case by Minnesota’s attorney general as an expert defense witness in a lawsuit by the state legislator and the satirist YouTuber. The lawmaker and the social-media influencer are seeking a court order declaring unconstitutional a state law criminalizing election-related, AI-generated “deepfake” photos, video and sound. Hancock’s legal imbroglio illustrates one of the most common , a technology that has since San Francisco’s OpenAI released its in November 2022. The AI chatbots and image generators often produce errors known as hallucinations, which in text can involve misinformation, and in images, absurdities like six-fingered hands. In his regretful filing with the court, Hancock — who studies AI’s effects on misinformation and trust — detailed how his use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT to produce his expert submission led to the errors. Hancock confessed that in addition to the fake study by Huang, Zhang, Wang, he had also included in his declaration “a nonexistent 2023 article by De keersmaecker & Roets,” plus four “incorrect” authors for another study. Seeking to bolster his credibility with “specifics” of his expertise, Hancock claimed in the filing that he co-wrote “the foundational piece” on communication mediated by AI. “I have published extensively on misinformation in particular, including the psychological dynamics of misinformation, its prevalence, and possible solutions and interventions,” Hancock wrote. He used ChatGPT 4.0 to help find and summarize articles for his submission, but the errors likely got in later when he was drafting the document, Hancock wrote in the filing. He had inserted the word “cite” into the text he gave the chatbot, to remind himself to add academic citations to points he was making, he wrote. “The response from GPT-4o, then, was to generate a citation, which is where I believe the hallucinated citations came from,” Hancock wrote, adding that he believed the chatbot also made up the four incorrect authors. Related Articles Hancock had declared under penalty of perjury that he “identified the academic, scientific, and other materials referenced” in his expert submission, the YouTuber and legislator said in their Nov. 16 filing. That filing also questioned Hancock’s reliability as an expert witness. Hancock, in apologizing to the court, asserted that the three errors, “do not impact any of the scientific evidence or opinions” he presented as an expert. The judge in the case has set a Dec. 17 hearing to determine whether Hancock’s expert declaration should be thrown out, and whether the Minnesota attorney general can file a corrected version of the submission. Stanford, where students can be for using a chatbot to “ ” without permission from their instructor, did not immediately respond to questions about whether Hancock would face disciplinary measures. Hancock did not immediately respond to similar questions. Hancock is not the first to submit a court filing containing AI-generated nonsense. Last year, lawyers Steven A. Schwartz and Peter LoDuca were fined $5,000 each in federal court in New York for submitting a personal-injury lawsuit filing that contained fake past court cases invented by ChatGPT to back up their arguments. “I did not comprehend that ChatGPT could fabricate cases,” Schwartz told the judge.

Thunderbird Entertainment Group Announces Completion of Annual Grant of RSUs and PSUs to Board of Directors and Executive Management and Renegotiated CEO Compensation

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are determined to not get ahead of themselves. Sunday’s 30-7 rout of the New York Giants began a six-game, regular season-ending stretch in which the Bucs (5-6) will face five opponents that currently have losing records. The victory coming out of the team’s bye week stopped a four-game skid and moved the three-time defending NFC South champions within one game of first-place Atlanta in the division. The Falcons swept the season series, so the Bucs essentially trail the Falcons by two games with six remaining. They’re in a good position to chase their fifth consecutive playoff berth, but can hardly assume they’ll benefit from having an easy remaining schedule. “We’re hoping it builds confidence. We have belief that we’re still sitting and controlling our own destiny,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said of beating the Giants. “But it’s not just going to happen,” Mayfield added. “So, we have to take it one week at a time. And you find the recipe for success within your work week. ... You try to emulate that week after week and continue to build it.” The Los Angeles Chargers, who entered Monday night’s game against Baltimore at 7-3, are the only opponent remaining on Tampa Bay’s schedule that currently has a winning record. The Bucs will face division rival Carolina (3-8) twice in the next six weeks. They’ll also host Las Vegas (2-9) and New Orleans (4-7) and play the Chargers and Dallas Cowboys (4-7) on the road. “We can’t get comfortable,” rookie running back Bucky Irving said. “We just got to keep our foot on the gas and keep running.” The offense continues to put up big numbers, finishing with 450 yards against the Giants. It’s the fifth time Tampa Bay has gained more than 400 yards this season. The Bucs have now scored 30-plus points six times, second in the NFL behind Buffalo’s eight. There wasn’t a lot to fault in the team’s performance against the Giants, although coach Todd Bowles said both the offense and defense could have been done a better job closing out the game late. “For the most part we executed on both sides of the football,” Bowles said. “Still like to have finished the game a little better, but they came back (from the bye week) mentally tougher, and they came ready to play.” Irving averaged more than 7 yards per carry in rushing for 87 yards on 12 attempts. He also had six receptions for 64 yards, finishing with a season-high 151 yards from scrimmage. Just when it looked as if the defense was beginning to trend the right way health-wise, the Bucs lost safety Jordan Whitehead (pectoral) and linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (ankle) to injuries on Sunday. Bowles said Monday he was still awaiting an update on the severity of Whitehead’s injury. Tryon-Shoyinka has an ankle sprain. LT Tristan Wirfs (knee) sat out against the Giants and his status will be evaluated as the week progresses. 11. With wide receiver Mike Evans back on the field after missing three games with a hamstring injury, Mayfield completed passes to 11 different players, tying a team record. “He obviously changed the game, even when he's not getting the ball,” Mayfield said. “It's huge that we have him in.” At Carolina, the second of three consecutive games vs. last-place teams the Bucs will face during their stretch run. They’ll also host the Panthers on Dec. 29. “It’s an NFC South battle, and all of them are going to be hard. None of them are going to be easy,” Bowles said. “I think (coach) Dave (Canales) has done an excellent job taking on that team and it’s taking over his personality right now,” Bowles added. “They’re playing pretty good football. ... It’s going to be a tough battle.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflFrom Maui to the Caribbean, Thanksgiving tournaments a beloved part of college basketball

James, Quigley and Hayes combine for 59 points as No. 20 NC State women beat Coastal Carolina 89-68Formula E racing burst upon the motorsports scene back in 2015, aimed at testing the limits of battery-electric vehicles. Now the founder of the FIA-approved series, Alejandro Agag, is giving fuel cells an opportunity to show off. His latest project, the hydrogen fuel cell-only racing series Extreme H, is on track for a 2025 launch hitting Saudi Arabia, the UK, Germany, and Italy before winding up in the US. Those of you following Agag’s ventures in all-electric motorsports will not be surprised to see fuel cells make their way to the front. Always looking to push the boundaries of energy storage, Agag was not put off by the relatively short range of EV batteries when he launched the first Formula E racing series in 2015. Instead of stopping for a recharge, each racing team fielded two identical cars — including identical tires — and swapped them out as needed. “If you’re wondering about battery range, the thinkers and doers behind Formula E wanted to make the races long enough to be interesting, which complicates things in terms of refueling,” I noted in a preview of the inaugural 2015 season. “For the first season, rather than slowing things down to a crawl by stopping for a recharge, the Formula E teams are switching entire cars.” Simply swapping out the battery was another option, but the state of battery swapping technology was not racing-ready back in 2013, when Agag first announced his vision for Formula E (the technology has improved since then — see more EV battery swapping background here ). Agag already had fuel cells on his mind back in 2014, when he made an appearance at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance Summit in New York City. “Energy storage was front and center in Agag’s discussion,” I reported for CleanTechnica from the BNEF Summit. “While much of the Formula E technology has counterparts in Formula 1, the Formula E battery is still not ready for prime time in terms of capacity.” “The name of the game is still the battery, or maybe fuel cells, or supercapacitors. We are waiting for that breakthrough in storage,” Agag emphasized. Agag gave fuel cells a trial run in the Extreme E series. The followup to Formula E, Extreme E showcases the off-road performance of battery-electric SUVs. That includes finding someplace off-grid to recharge. To get that done, Extreme E deploys a transportable off-grid charging station powered by hydrogen fuel cells, with the hydrogen sourced onsite by solar-powered electrolysis systems . That’s not quite the same as using fuel cells to run an electric racing car around a track. However, the charging station demonstration fulfilled a key goal, with Extreme E noting that it showcases “the vast potential for today’s newest clean power technologies to displace polluting diesel generators that are responsible for a large proportion of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.” As described by the Extreme E team, fuel cells will more than make up for lost time when the Extreme H series kicks off next year. Extreme E unveiled the new Extreme H racing car last summer under the name of Pioneer 25. Each team will field an almost identical version of the Pioneer 25, with just a few areas open for variation. “ One open area for teams is the ability to redesign front and rear bodywork and lights in order to replicate the look of everyday car models,” Extreme E explained. That reference to “everyday car models” may seem somewhat less than exciting in terms of motorsports. However, it evokes the off-the-shelf appeal of the US organization NASCAR (National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing), and it reaffirms Agag’s commitment to exposing the car-buying public to up-and-coming vehicle electrification technology. Spark Racing Technology is credited with engineering the new car, featuring a hydrogen Symbio fuel cell. “The Pioneer 25’s peak 400kW (550hp) output is capable of firing the 2200 kilogram, 2.4 metre-wide race car from 0-100kph in 4.5 seconds and scale gradients of up to 130 percent,” Extreme E explains. As is common in the fuel cell EV field, Pioneer 25 sports a battery pack in addition to the fuel cell. “The hydrogen fuel cell powers the battery pack that is produced and supported trackside by Fortescue ZERO,” Extreme E notes. As for why not just use fuel cells, that’s a good question. The US Department of Energy lists various reasons why batteries play a role in fuel cell EVs, such as recapturing energy from braking , providing extra power during short acceleration events, “smoothing out” power from fuel cells, and providing the option to turn the fuel cell off when the opportunity presents itself. Truck makers and other automotive stakeholders are also beginning to explore the potential for fuel cells to act as range extenders for battery EVs . Despite the shoutout to everyday cars, Extreme H is not focused on kickstarting the mass market for street-legal fuel cell cars, at least not yet. At the present time, heavy-duty trucks, construction vehicles, and similar applications are considered the low hanging fruit for fuel cells due to their larger power requirements. The hydrogen supply chain will also needs a makeover. Green hydrogen from water electrolysis is expensive, which is not an issue for niche applications like motorsports. The mass market is a different story altogether. At the present time, the primary source of inexpensive hydrogen on the global market is natural gas, with coal playing a secondary part. The green hydrogen industry would have to scale up and bring costs down in order to compete. For the most part, Extreme H aims to carve out a niche for zero emission fuel cells as the motorsports field begins transitioning into a low-carbon model. “The Pioneer 25 racing car ... is designed to demonstrate the viability and performance capabilities of hydrogen fuel cells, setting a new standard for eco-friendly motorsport,” Extreme E explains. “It’s important for every motorsport series to have a unique selling point and hydrogen is very significant,” Agag emphasizes, though he also notes that the benefits could ripple beyond motorsports. “Our evolution to Extreme H makes us the first-ever testbed of hydrogen technology in motorsport — not only in our racing cars, but also transportation, infrastructure, refuelling processes and safety regulations,” he adds for good measure. That ripple effect is already evident in various hydrogen hub projects taking shape here in the US and around the world. That includes the Kingdom of Monaco, which hosted a publicity event featuring the Pioneer 25 earlier this week. The event was timed to coincide with an annual meeting of the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance, which is on a mission to leverage the tiny country’s high profile in support of the global green hydrogen industry . Follow me via LinkTree , or @tinamcasey on Threads, LinkedIn, and Bluesky. Photo (cropped): Fuel cells provide the power for the new Pioneer 25 Extreme H race car , featured in a publicity event in Monaco earlier this week (courtesy of Extreme E). CleanTechnica's Comment Policy LinkedIn WhatsApp Facebook X Email Mastodon Reddit

NoneSocial media users are misrepresenting a Vermont Supreme Court ruling , claiming that it gives schools permission to vaccinate children even if their parents do not consent. The ruling addressed a lawsuit filed by Dario and Shujen Politella against Windham Southeast School District and state officials over the mistaken vaccination of their child against COVID-19 in 2021, when he was 6 years old. A lower court had dismissed the original complaint, as well as an amended version. An appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was filed on Nov. 19.More Latins Than Ever Know the Term ‘Latinx’ — And They Still Don’t Like ItLSU outlasts UCF 109-102 in triple-OT affair