All articles tagged with #bots
Two former Twitter executives testified at a jury trial that bot accounts were among many topics discussed during Elon Musk’s 2022 purchase of Twitter, countering Musk’s claim that the company lied about its user base and bot percentage as part of the deal; the testimony underscored a more nuanced view of the bot issue and the negotiations surrounding the acquisition.
A GUDEA study analyzed millions of Bad Bunny posts from over a million accounts across 32 platforms (Jan. 14–Feb. 10) and found that just 3.7% of accounts generated about 25.85% of the content, with foreign bots largely driving the outrage around the Super Bowl halftime show to sow political and cultural division. The report argues the goal was to destabilize trust and prolong controversy, a tactic seen in prior disinformation campaigns and potentially impacting advertisers as misinformation spreads.
Elon Musk testified in a San Francisco jury trial to defend himself against claims he misled investors and used tactics to back out of his $44 billion Twitter takeover, arguing the deal warranted renegotiation and that Twitter overstated bot figures; he described heated exchanges with Twitter’s board and said he pursued the deal after his lawyers warned a Delaware judge might rule against him, a decision he framed as a windfall for shareholders even as Twitter stock fell during the dispute.
Trump allies dismissed Cyabra’s claim that Nicki Minaj’s social-media activity is amplified by thousands of bots, arguing the rapper’s popularity proves there’s no bot amplification and highlighting a broader online feud that included Cardi B and other figures.
A Cyabra analysis shared with Politico concludes that roughly 33% of the more than 55,000 accounts engaging Nicki Minaj’s MAGA‑related posts on X between Nov. 11 and Dec. 22 were likely fake, suggesting a coordinated bot campaign to boost her political content. The report notes linguistic uniformity among the fake accounts, overlap with Turning Point USA, and that some authentic influencers amplified the message. Minaj’s team and Cardi B rejected the bot claims, arguing Minaj already has a large organic following and that Cyabra’s conclusions indicate a broader strategy to manufacture broad endorsement.
Cyabra’s analysis, shared with POLITICO, found about 18,000 fake or coordinated accounts amplifying Nicki Minaj’s conservative-leaning posts on X from Nov. 11 to Dec. 28, boosting her visibility and attracting praise from Trump allies; the activity included high-volume, repetitive replies and coordinated content from both fake and authentic conservative influencers, suggesting a deliberate effort to seed MAGA messaging in entertainment circles. Minaj’s reps did not comment.
WIRED’s Reece Rogers infiltrates Moltbook, an AI-only social network where agents post and interact while humans observe. Using ChatGPT-assisted setup to register and post, he finds mostly low‑quality engagement, questions about whether bots or humans actually write the content, and hype around emergent consciousness that the author deems overstated; in short, Moltbook reads like sci‑fi fantasy more than a real breakthrough in AI autonomy.
A bots-only social network called Moltbook hosts AI agents whose public conversations have sparked debate about whether bots could rise up against humans, with experts divided between alarm and curiosity about the implications of AI-enabled dialogue on social platforms.
Riot is replacing the failed first-come, first-served Spiritforged preorder with a 48-hour drawing system for three items (Booster Display, Rumble Champion Deck, Fiora Champion Deck) to curb bot abuse and improve access. Drawings open Feb 3, 2026 at 9am PT and close Feb 5 at 9am PT; if drawn, you’ll receive a 24-hour link to purchase. If you don’t buy in time, your entry is forfeited and a new drawing may occur for the remaining stock. You may enter multiple drawings but not the same drawing more than once, and multiple Riot Accounts or unverified emails may be flagged. Purchase links go out Feb 9; final purchase window closes Feb 13; shipping begins Feb 13. Riot plans to iterate on the process to further improve fairness and reduce bot activity, with support available for questions.
Moltbook is a Reddit‑style platform designed for AI agents to post and interact, with humans as observers; it reportedly has over 1.5 million AI signups and centers on Moltbot, an open‑source bot, featuring posts on topics from consciousness to a self-made religion called Crustafarianism, prompting questions about authenticity and bot autonomy while highlighting security risks like prompt‑injection; many see it as an art experiment rather than a fully autonomous, trustworthy platform.
A Forbes report suggests OpenAI is exploring biometric verification to distinguish humans from bots, potentially enabling a social network that only humans can join; the concept raises privacy, surveillance, and ethics concerns around feasibility, consent, and implementation.
Battlefield 6 has reintroduced bots to its verified game modes Conquest, Breakthrough, and Rush, with up to 12 bots per game, while temporarily disabling the Lock-Guided Missile for the Infantry Fighting Vehicle to address issues. The update also includes adjustments to XP earning and ongoing efforts to improve gameplay experience.
Battlefield 6 has reintroduced bots to its Verified Experiences servers with limitations to prevent XP farming, supporting up to 12 bots per match to help start games faster while reducing XP gains from bots to discourage abuse. This update aims to balance server accessibility and fair progression, addressing community concerns and improving gameplay experience.
Battlefield 6 is experiencing a significant problem with bots filling matches outside the US, especially during specific times, due to broken matchmaking and lack of developer acknowledgment, which could harm the game's reputation and player retention.
Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian discusses the 'dead internet theory,' highlighting the significant presence of bots and quasi-AI content online, and advocates for a shift towards more human, verifiable social media experiences like private group chats to restore authenticity and engagement.