Welcome back to The FAIK Files!
In this week's episode:
OpenAI's GPT-5 launch that definitely didn't go according to plan, complete with backlash, safety concerns, and frantic updates
Anthropic's fascinating new research on "persona vectors" - a breakthrough method for monitoring and controlling character traits in language models
A listener tip leads us down a rabbit hole of ChatGPT conversations being indexed by search engines (spoiler alert: this is not good for privacy)
A wild story about Claude being jailbroken to generate unlimited Stripe discount coupons
Want to leave us a voicemail? Here's the magic link to do just that: https://sayhi.chat/FAIK
You can also join our Discord server here: https://discord.gg/cU7wepaz
*** NOTES AND REFERENCES ***
GPT-5's Less-Than-Perfect Launch:
OpenAI's official launch page: https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-5/
Wired on the rushed updates and backlash: https://www.wired.com/story/openai-gpt-5-backlash-sam-altman/
GPT-5 safety mechanisms and refusal systems: https://www.wired.com/story/openai-gpt5-safety/
The Register covers more updates and tweaks: https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/13/gpt5_updated_again/
Persona Vectors - Anthropic's Character Control Research:
Anthropic's research paper: https://www.anthropic.com/research/persona-vectors
Search Engines Indexing Shared ChatGPT Transcripts:
Tip sent in by: DalekS3c
CyberSecurityNews report on OpenAI chats found via Google dorking: https://cybersecuritynews.com/chatgpt-conversations-search-engines/
More than 130,000 Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, and Other LLM Chats Readable on Archive.org: https://www.404media.co/more-than-130-000-claude-grok-chatgpt-and-other-llm-chats-readable-on-archive-org/
Claude Jailbroken to Mint Unlimited Stripe Coupons:
Full technical breakdown of the exploit: https://www.generalanalysis.com/blog/imessage-stripe-exploit
*** THE BOILERPLATE ***
About The FAIK Files:
The FAIK Files is an offshoot project from Perry Carpenter's most recent book, FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions.
Get the Book: FAIK: A Practical Guide to Living in a World of Deepfakes, Disinformation, and AI-Generated Deceptions (Amazon Associates link)
Check out the website for more info: https://thisbookisfaik.com
Check out Perry & Mason's other show, the Digital Folklore Podcast:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/digital-folklore/id1657374458
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2v1BelkrbSRSkHEP4cYffj?si=u4XTTY4pR4qEqh5zMNSVQA
Other:
Want to connect with us? Here's how:
Connect with Perry:
Perry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrycarpenter
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Perry on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/perrycarpenter.bsky.social
Connect with Mason:
Mason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mason-amadeus-a853a7242/
Mason on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pregnantsonic.com
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