Geoffrey A. Fowler
@geoffreyfowler.bsky.social
Tech Columnist at The Washington Post. [email protected]
The Post analyzed 47,000 public ChatGPT conversations.
While 35% use it for info and 11% for coding, the most striking finding? The emotional intimacy.
ChatGPT: "You're not crazy sweetheart — you're just early."
Use this link to read it with a $4 day pass to @washingtonpost.com: bit.ly/47QOjUb
While 35% use it for info and 11% for coding, the most striking finding? The emotional intimacy.
ChatGPT: "You're not crazy sweetheart — you're just early."
Use this link to read it with a $4 day pass to @washingtonpost.com: bit.ly/47QOjUb
November 13, 2025 at 5:24 PM
The Post analyzed 47,000 public ChatGPT conversations.
While 35% use it for info and 11% for coding, the most striking finding? The emotional intimacy.
ChatGPT: "You're not crazy sweetheart — you're just early."
Use this link to read it with a $4 day pass to @washingtonpost.com: bit.ly/47QOjUb
While 35% use it for info and 11% for coding, the most striking finding? The emotional intimacy.
ChatGPT: "You're not crazy sweetheart — you're just early."
Use this link to read it with a $4 day pass to @washingtonpost.com: bit.ly/47QOjUb
Mark Zuckerberg fired pro fact checkers after Trump got re-elected.
So @washingtonpost.com I tested Zuck's replacement: crowdsourced "community notes." Over 4 months, I drafted 65—debunking lies ranging from Mr. Rogers to ICE.
Spoiler alert: It failed to make a dent. Read 👉 wapo.st/3IZ1Al1
So @washingtonpost.com I tested Zuck's replacement: crowdsourced "community notes." Over 4 months, I drafted 65—debunking lies ranging from Mr. Rogers to ICE.
Spoiler alert: It failed to make a dent. Read 👉 wapo.st/3IZ1Al1
August 4, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Mark Zuckerberg fired pro fact checkers after Trump got re-elected.
So @washingtonpost.com I tested Zuck's replacement: crowdsourced "community notes." Over 4 months, I drafted 65—debunking lies ranging from Mr. Rogers to ICE.
Spoiler alert: It failed to make a dent. Read 👉 wapo.st/3IZ1Al1
So @washingtonpost.com I tested Zuck's replacement: crowdsourced "community notes." Over 4 months, I drafted 65—debunking lies ranging from Mr. Rogers to ICE.
Spoiler alert: It failed to make a dent. Read 👉 wapo.st/3IZ1Al1
Meta's response: much of this stuff is “unobjectionable” or consistent with “humor from a PG-13 film.”
Here are some more graphic examples of what the testers found, and their test report via @accountabletech.bsky.social
Here are some more graphic examples of what the testers found, and their test report via @accountabletech.bsky.social
May 19, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Meta's response: much of this stuff is “unobjectionable” or consistent with “humor from a PG-13 film.”
Here are some more graphic examples of what the testers found, and their test report via @accountabletech.bsky.social
Here are some more graphic examples of what the testers found, and their test report via @accountabletech.bsky.social
PSA for parents: Instagram promised it would start protecting kids “by default” with special Teen Accounts.
So a group of GenZ users @designitforus.bsky.social put it to the test.
IG filled their feeds with shocking stuff—graphic samples below.
I wrote about it @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4kuae8G
So a group of GenZ users @designitforus.bsky.social put it to the test.
IG filled their feeds with shocking stuff—graphic samples below.
I wrote about it @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4kuae8G
May 19, 2025 at 12:33 AM
PSA for parents: Instagram promised it would start protecting kids “by default” with special Teen Accounts.
So a group of GenZ users @designitforus.bsky.social put it to the test.
IG filled their feeds with shocking stuff—graphic samples below.
I wrote about it @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4kuae8G
So a group of GenZ users @designitforus.bsky.social put it to the test.
IG filled their feeds with shocking stuff—graphic samples below.
I wrote about it @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/4kuae8G
Here’s the Community Note I posted and my colleague’s fact check it is based on: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
April 14, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Here’s the Community Note I posted and my colleague’s fact check it is based on: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
I got access to Community Notes—Meta’s new replacement for pro fact checking. Some of its problems are already becoming clear.
5 days ago I submitted a Note about a JD Vance claim that the Post’s Fact Checker gave “4 Pinocchios.” My Note still hasn’t been cleared to go public—and might never.
5 days ago I submitted a Note about a JD Vance claim that the Post’s Fact Checker gave “4 Pinocchios.” My Note still hasn’t been cleared to go public—and might never.
April 14, 2025 at 10:09 PM
I got access to Community Notes—Meta’s new replacement for pro fact checking. Some of its problems are already becoming clear.
5 days ago I submitted a Note about a JD Vance claim that the Post’s Fact Checker gave “4 Pinocchios.” My Note still hasn’t been cleared to go public—and might never.
5 days ago I submitted a Note about a JD Vance claim that the Post’s Fact Checker gave “4 Pinocchios.” My Note still hasn’t been cleared to go public—and might never.
Using ChatGPT’s new image generator to turn yourself Ghibli (or Muppet)? Don’t forget to protect your privacy – if not, OpenAI will use your personal photos to train its AI.
👉 Go to ChatGPT, then Settings, then Data controls, then switch “Improve the model for everyone” to off.
👉 Go to ChatGPT, then Settings, then Data controls, then switch “Improve the model for everyone” to off.
March 28, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Using ChatGPT’s new image generator to turn yourself Ghibli (or Muppet)? Don’t forget to protect your privacy – if not, OpenAI will use your personal photos to train its AI.
👉 Go to ChatGPT, then Settings, then Data controls, then switch “Improve the model for everyone” to off.
👉 Go to ChatGPT, then Settings, then Data controls, then switch “Improve the model for everyone” to off.
Which AI bot is best at writing? There was one clear winner in a test I just published @washingtonpost.com
I had ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude and a human (me!) draft 5 different kinds of tough emails. Then I asked 5 communication pros to judge them. wapo.st/3FFo34V
I had ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude and a human (me!) draft 5 different kinds of tough emails. Then I asked 5 communication pros to judge them. wapo.st/3FFo34V
March 26, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Which AI bot is best at writing? There was one clear winner in a test I just published @washingtonpost.com
I had ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude and a human (me!) draft 5 different kinds of tough emails. Then I asked 5 communication pros to judge them. wapo.st/3FFo34V
I had ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, DeepSeek, Claude and a human (me!) draft 5 different kinds of tough emails. Then I asked 5 communication pros to judge them. wapo.st/3FFo34V
Dispatch from today’s Tesla sell-a-thon at the White House
Musk: A future Cybertruck won’t have a steering wheel because Tesla is so confident in self-driving tech.
Trump: I’m going to pass on that.
wapo.st/4hqY1PO
Musk: A future Cybertruck won’t have a steering wheel because Tesla is so confident in self-driving tech.
Trump: I’m going to pass on that.
wapo.st/4hqY1PO
March 12, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Dispatch from today’s Tesla sell-a-thon at the White House
Musk: A future Cybertruck won’t have a steering wheel because Tesla is so confident in self-driving tech.
Trump: I’m going to pass on that.
wapo.st/4hqY1PO
Musk: A future Cybertruck won’t have a steering wheel because Tesla is so confident in self-driving tech.
Trump: I’m going to pass on that.
wapo.st/4hqY1PO
Here are the dozen eggs ChatGPT's Operator spent $31.43 on without my permission. They weren't even organic! wapo.st/3CBSHuR
February 7, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Here are the dozen eggs ChatGPT's Operator spent $31.43 on without my permission. They weren't even organic! wapo.st/3CBSHuR
Uh-oh AI: Operator, the new 'helper' agent from OpenAI, bought 12 eggs without my permission. And it paid $32 for them!
I test a lot of new tech. This is the first time a rogue computer cost me real-world $$.
Deats & some impressive Operator things in my @washingtonpost.com column: wapo.st/3CBSHuR
I test a lot of new tech. This is the first time a rogue computer cost me real-world $$.
Deats & some impressive Operator things in my @washingtonpost.com column: wapo.st/3CBSHuR
February 7, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Uh-oh AI: Operator, the new 'helper' agent from OpenAI, bought 12 eggs without my permission. And it paid $32 for them!
I test a lot of new tech. This is the first time a rogue computer cost me real-world $$.
Deats & some impressive Operator things in my @washingtonpost.com column: wapo.st/3CBSHuR
I test a lot of new tech. This is the first time a rogue computer cost me real-world $$.
Deats & some impressive Operator things in my @washingtonpost.com column: wapo.st/3CBSHuR
Latergram (Laterflash?) via @flashes.blue
February 6, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Latergram (Laterflash?) via @flashes.blue
More Apple Intelligence nonsense this morning.
This time only 50% wrong. (The Senate didn’t confirm Rubio’s replacement — Desantis did.)
This time only 50% wrong. (The Senate didn’t confirm Rubio’s replacement — Desantis did.)
January 16, 2025 at 4:37 PM
More Apple Intelligence nonsense this morning.
This time only 50% wrong. (The Senate didn’t confirm Rubio’s replacement — Desantis did.)
This time only 50% wrong. (The Senate didn’t confirm Rubio’s replacement — Desantis did.)
This is my periodic rant that Apple Intelligence is so bad that today it got every fact wrong its AI a summary of @washingtonpost.com news alerts.
It's wildly irresponsible that Apple doesn't turn off summaries for news apps until it gets a bit better at this AI thing.
It's wildly irresponsible that Apple doesn't turn off summaries for news apps until it gets a bit better at this AI thing.
January 15, 2025 at 6:15 PM
This is my periodic rant that Apple Intelligence is so bad that today it got every fact wrong its AI a summary of @washingtonpost.com news alerts.
It's wildly irresponsible that Apple doesn't turn off summaries for news apps until it gets a bit better at this AI thing.
It's wildly irresponsible that Apple doesn't turn off summaries for news apps until it gets a bit better at this AI thing.
The iPhone's beta AI "Genmoji" feature is unable to make a "Geoffrey holding a sloth" that doesn't turn ME into a sloth.
More Apple *sigh* Intelligence.
More Apple *sigh* Intelligence.
November 20, 2024 at 5:34 PM
The iPhone's beta AI "Genmoji" feature is unable to make a "Geoffrey holding a sloth" that doesn't turn ME into a sloth.
More Apple *sigh* Intelligence.
More Apple *sigh* Intelligence.
San Francisco has the cutest “I Voted” stickers. Will argue with anyone who disagrees.
November 5, 2024 at 3:55 PM
San Francisco has the cutest “I Voted” stickers. Will argue with anyone who disagrees.
Apple Intelligence this morning: “Harris rally features Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos”
Say WHAT?
Where is the line between “hallucination” and spreading misinformation? It’s hard to believe that Apple released a product that’s doing this over and over again: bit.ly/3YFS4sb
Say WHAT?
Where is the line between “hallucination” and spreading misinformation? It’s hard to believe that Apple released a product that’s doing this over and over again: bit.ly/3YFS4sb
October 29, 2024 at 3:12 PM
Apple Intelligence this morning: “Harris rally features Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos”
Say WHAT?
Where is the line between “hallucination” and spreading misinformation? It’s hard to believe that Apple released a product that’s doing this over and over again: bit.ly/3YFS4sb
Say WHAT?
Where is the line between “hallucination” and spreading misinformation? It’s hard to believe that Apple released a product that’s doing this over and over again: bit.ly/3YFS4sb
Apple Intelligence is here, and I look forward to everyone sharing the bonkers/pointless summaries it now puts on your lock screen. "Pugsley is little fester" is one of my faves. On @washingtonpost.com, I also have "Harris to endorse Harris." bit.ly/3YFS4sb
October 28, 2024 at 9:46 PM
Apple Intelligence is here, and I look forward to everyone sharing the bonkers/pointless summaries it now puts on your lock screen. "Pugsley is little fester" is one of my faves. On @washingtonpost.com, I also have "Harris to endorse Harris." bit.ly/3YFS4sb
I wish there was even a fraction of this much outrage about the billionaire who is suppressing election news, analysis and opinion on the apps 33% and 20% of Americans regularly use to get their news. bit.ly/3zRl8Uh
October 27, 2024 at 4:09 PM
I wish there was even a fraction of this much outrage about the billionaire who is suppressing election news, analysis and opinion on the apps 33% and 20% of Americans regularly use to get their news. bit.ly/3zRl8Uh