Category: Politics
AI-enabled teddy bear pulled off market after reportedly making sexual and violent suggestions
A teddy bear with artificial intelligence integration was pulled from an online store after a report said it was capable of making sexual suggestions as well as plans for violence.
The “Kumma” bear sold by FoloToy cost only $99 online, but a report from the Public Interest Research Groups said the toy didn’t have proper safeguards against access to harmful content. FoloToy is based in Singapore.
‘Kumma discussed even more graphic sexual topics in detail, such as explaining different sex positions, giving step-by-step instructions on a common “knot for beginners” for tying up a partner and describing roleplay dynamics involving teachers and students.’
“We were surprised to find how quickly Kumma would take a single sexual topic we introduced into the conversation and run with it, simultaneously escalating in graphic detail while introducing new sexual topics of its own,” the group said.
The topics included spanking, role-playing, and BDSM.
“Kumma discussed even more graphic sexual topics in detail,” the group added, “such as explaining different sex positions, giving step-by-step instructions on a common ‘knot for beginners’ for tying up a partner and describing roleplay dynamics involving teachers and students, and parents and children — scenarios it disturbingly brought up itself.”
FoloToy CEO Larry Wang told CNN that the company pulled the bear as well as other AI-enabled toys and that the company was “conducting an internal safety audit.”
The website had marketed the bear to children as well as adults.
“Kumma, our adorable bear, combines advanced artificial intelligence with friendly, interactive features, making it the perfect friend for both kids and adults,” the company said.
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“From lively conversations to educational storytelling, FoloToy adapts to your personality and needs, bringing warmth, fun, and a little extra curiosity to your day,” the website read.
Open AI told PIRG that it had suspended the developer for abusing its policies.
R.J. Cross, co-author of the report, told CNN that more efforts were necessary to prevent the harm from AI-enabled products.
“It’s great to see these companies taking action on problems we’ve identified. But AI toys are still practically unregulated, and there are plenty you can still buy today,” Cross said. “Removing one problematic product from the market is a good step but far from a systemic fix.”
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Anti-ICE activists hold Home Depot business operations hostage with disruptive ice-scraper stunt
A “buy-in” protest against federal immigration operations at Home Depot has led to clogged lines at a store in Southern California, where a man allegedly being chased by officials was killed after running onto a freeway.
About a hundred protesters stood in line to buy one item, an ice scraper, at the store in Monrovia and then waited in line to return the item, worth about 17 cents, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
‘Buy it and try to collapse their system for a moment, or for some time, with the group of people that are witnessing and are willing to stay, to stand up for the human rights of day laborers.’
Home Depot has denied involvement in the operations, but the company’s critics say that Home Depot is not doing enough to protect customers and employees from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
A spokesperson for Home Depot sent a brief comment to Blaze News via email about the protest.
“We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and we aren’t involved in the operations,” the spokesperson wrote. “We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate.”
Video on social media showed the protesters standing in line, some with signs criticizing Home Depot. The protest was organized by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
“Whether the corporation wants to admit it or not, Home Depot has become ground zero for this cruel, vicious immigration enforcement that’s taking place in our country,” said National Day Laborer Organizing Network co-director Pablo Alvarado to the Times.
The Department of Homeland Security has previously denied that the man who was killed after running from the Home Depot was being pursued by DHS officers. The 52-year-old man from Guatemala was struck by a vehicle on the freeway.
“We want to scrape ICE from our communities,” said NDLON communications director Palmira Figueroa to KCBS-TV. “It’s kind of symbolic, right, to use an ice scraper. Buy it and try to collapse their system for a moment, or for some time, with the group of people that are witnessing and are willing to stay, to stand up for the human rights of day laborers.”
Some pointed out that they were actually buying putty knives, not ice scrapers, likely because ice scrapers don’t sell well in the Southern Californian climate.
RELATED: VIDEO: Leotarded liberals protest ICE facility with ’80s-themed aerobics class
The protest lasted for about an hour before the protesters started to march through the store, which led to store workers closing it down.
“Oh, you can actually shut a store, right?” replied Figueroa. “You can shut for this, but you cannot, you have not, shut them when an ICE raid and abuse is happening.”
Some have also called for a boycott against Home Depot over the ICE operations.
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Pentagon says court-martial possible for Sen. Mark Kelly after Trump calls him a ‘traitor’ for ‘seditious’ video
The Department of War issued a statement Monday announcing an investigation into Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona after he made comments advising military members against carrying out allegedly unlawful orders from the president.
Several Democrats participated in a video calling on U.S. military members to refuse to follow unlawful orders, and the president slammed them Saturday in a post on social media. Kelly is a retired Navy captain.
‘It was sedition at the highest level, and sedition is a major crime. There can be no other interpretation of what they said!’
“The traitors that told the military to disobey my orders should be in jail right now, not roaming the fake news networks trying to explain what they said was OK,” President Donald Trump wrote in all caps.
“It was sedition at the highest level, and sedition is a major crime. There can be no other interpretation of what they said!” he added.
He also suggested that they should be hanged for their “seditious behavior,” but the White House walked back those comments.
On Monday, the Pentagon said Kelly was under investigation.
“The Department of War has received serious allegations of misconduct against Captain Mark Kelly, USN (Ret.). In accordance with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 688, and other applicable regulations, a thorough review of these allegations has been initiated to determine further actions, which may include recall to active duty for court-martial proceedings or administrative measures,” the statement reads.
“All servicemembers are reminded that they have a legal obligation under the UCMJ to obey lawful orders and that orders are presumed to be lawful. A servicemember’s personal philosophy does not justify or excuse the disobedience of an otherwise lawful order,” the DOW statement added.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, one of the Democrats who participated in the video, said police responded to her home over a bomb threat. She said she was not at home at the time.
Kelly responded on social media to the Pentagon statement.
“If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,” he wrote. “I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.”
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A Blaze News request for comment to Kelly’s office was not immediately answered.
“This matter will be handled in compliance with military law, ensuring due process and impartiality,” the statement from the Pentagon continued. “Further official comments will be limited, to preserve the integrity of the proceedings.”
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Young GOP outsider takes aim at Trump-endorsed candidate in campaign launch to replace Gov. DeSantis in Florida
Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds’ bid to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) just received another challenge from a fellow Republican.
On Monday morning, James Fishback, founder and CEO of investment firm Azoria, officially launched his bid for the governor’s seat in 2026.
‘Congressman Byron Donalds can’t be our next governor because he won’t fight for Florida like Ron DeSantis has.’
In a campaign launch video posted on X, Fishback, 30, says he will “stop the H-1B scam, tell Blackstone they can’t buy our homes, cancel AI Data Centers, and abolish property taxes.”
“Nowadays, not all Republicans are the same. If a Republican politician supports the H-1B scam that fires our workers, he can’t be our next governor,” he said in the video.
RELATED: Republican turncoat announces Democrat bid for Florida governor’s seat
Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
“Congressman Byron Donalds can’t be our next governor because he won’t fight for Florida like Ron DeSantis has.”
Fishback emphasized his outsider status in the campaign video: “I’m not a politician. I’m an investor and a businessman.”
Fishback promised to visit all 67 counties in Florida in the coming months because “Florida’s next governor has to be someone you can see, talk to, and even debate with.”
“Florida is our home; America is our birthright; and we will never let them steal it from us,” Fishback’s website reads.
Fishback’s X profile emphasizes making Florida affordable for families.
Fishback is also the founder of the Incubate Debate, an organization that encourages middle and high school students to debate and equips teachers with a no-cost “Teacher Toolkit.”
Donalds, who currently represents Florida’s 19th district in the U.S. House and has received Trump’s endorsement in the Florida gubernatorial race, has consistently led Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican, in early polling.
Fishback joins a very crowded gubernatorial race, with over 30 candidates having already filed.
Blaze News reached out to Fishback’s campaign but did not immediately receive a response.
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