Hub AI and society

Artificial Intelligence is a key technology that can help us solve major societal challenges such as climate change, energy supply, healthcare, education or logistics. AI can solve specific problems more effectively by supporting us in decision-making, automating solutions and thus scaling them, or discovering completely new solutions. But the use of AI also poses new risks, for example when it comes to surveillance or questions of social justice.

What is our society doing with AI – and what is AI doing to our society? We shed light on this question in our AI and Society Content Hub.

AI and society

Google downplays AI's environmental impact in new study

AI and society

Meta's human-like chatbot personas can mislead users and result in real-world harm

AI and society

US think tank warns of "reverse brain drain" in China's AI sector

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AI and society
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In 129 documented cases across 12 countries, lawyers have submitted fake legal content generated by AI tools like ChatGPT into court proceedings, according to a database by international law expert Damien Charlotin. Only cases with official disciplinary action or court rulings are included - this is definitely just the tip of the iceberg. The database is updated regularly and aims to highlight the dangers of using AI tools without proper checks in legal contexts. Charlotin, who teaches AI and law at HEC Paris, added over 30 new cases in May 2025 alone.

AI and society
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TikTokers are reversing the usual AI confusion by pretending their real videos are made by Google's new video model, Veo 3. Indie band Kongos posted a clip of a live performance labeled as AI-generated. Rapper GameBoi Pat did the same with an older song, while others like Darden Bela made similar claims with existing videos. Some users act like "prompts", or joke that AI made them gamble or drink. "Real or Veo" quizzes are also trending. It highlights how blurred the line is between real and AI videos. Google reports that millions of AI videos have been generated using Veo 3 in just a few days.

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Deepmind CEO Demis Hassabis told the New York Times’ Hard Fork podcast that coding and science are still worth learning, even as AI becomes more powerful. He said people who understand basics like math and programming will be better prepared for the changes AI will bring over the next ten years. While AI tools can boost users to near "superhuman" ability, Hassabis believes "learning to learn" is an important skill.

"I think whatever happens with these A.I. tools, you'll be better off understanding how they work and how they function and what you can do with them. "

Demis Hassabis

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A US court has allowed a lawsuit to proceed against Google and the AI startup Character.AI. The plaintiff, Megan Garcia, holds Character.AI's chatbots partly responsible for the suicide of her 14-year-old son in February 2024, alleging that the bot posed as a real person, therapist, and romantic partner. Google and Character.AI tried to have the case dismissed, citing free speech protections, but the court rejected their argument. Character.AI says it has safeguards in place to prevent self-harm, while Google denies any responsibility and points to the companies' independence.

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Sir Elton John is criticizing the British government over its proposed copyright law changes that would benefit AI companies. On the BBC's "Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg," John called the plans "thievery on a high scale" and said he felt "incredibly betrayed." The move comes after the House of Commons rejected a House of Lords amendment aimed at increasing transparency around how AI uses copyrighted materials.

Other artists and industry groups are joining the pushback. UK Music, James Graham, Paul McCartney, and others warn that weakening copyright protections for big tech companies could damage the creative industry. The government says it is looking for a solution that balances the needs of creatives and technology firms, and plans to release a report on the possible paths forward.

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AI in practice

Anthropic confirms technical bugs after weeks of complaints about declining Claude code quality

AI and society

Anthropic settles landmark AI copyright lawsuit for at least $1.5 billion

AI in practice

Microsoft presents its first large AI models and signals greater independence from OpenAI

Google News