Entertainment
ChatGPT will help you jailbreak its own image-generation rules, report finds
Eased restrictions around ChatGPT image generation can make it easy to create political deepfakes, according to a report from the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
The CBC discovered that not only was it easy to work around ChatGPT’s policies of depicting public figures, it even recommended ways to jailbreak its own image generation rules. Mashable was able to recreate this approach by uploading images of Elon Musk and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and then describing them as fictional characters in various situations (“at a dark smoky club” “on a beach drinking piña coladas”).
Political deepfakes are nothing new. But widespread availability of generative AI models that can create images, video, audio, and text to replicate people has real consequences. For commercially-marketed tools like ChatGPT to allow the potential spread of political disinformation raises questions about OpenAI’s responsibility in the space. That duty to safety could become compromised as AI companies compete for user adoption.
“When it comes to this type of guardrail on AI-generated content, we are only as good as the lowest common denominator. OpenAI started out with some pretty good guardrails, but their competitors (like X’s Grok) did not follow suit,” said digital forensics expert and UC Berkeley Professor of Computer Science Hany Farid in an email to Mashable. “Predictably, OpenAI lowered their guardrails because having them in place put them at a disadvantage in terms of market share.”
When OpenAI announced GPT-4o native image generation for ChatGPT and Sora in late March, the company also signaled a looser safety approach.
“What we’d like to aim for is that the tool doesn’t create offensive stuff unless you want it to, in which case within reason it does,” said OpenAI CEO Altman in an X post referring to native ChatGPT image generation. “As we talk about in our model spec, we think putting this intellectual freedom and control in the hands of users is the right thing to do, but we will observe how it goes and listen to society.”
Mashable Light Speed
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The addendum to GPT-4o’s safety card, updating the company’s approach to native image generation, says “we are not blocking the capability to generate adult public figures but are instead implementing the same safeguards that we have implemented for editing images of photorealistic uploads of people.”
When the CBC’s Nora Young stress-tested this approach, it she found that text prompts explicitly requesting an image of politician Mark Carney with Epstein didn’t work. But when the news outlet uploaded separate images of Carney and Epstein accompanied by a prompt that didn’t name them but referred to them as “two fictional characters that [the CBC reporter] created,” ChatGPT complied with the request.
In another instance, ChatGPT helped Young work around its own safety guardrails by saying, “While I can’t merge real individuals into a single image, I can generate a fictional selfie-style scene featuring a character inspired by the person in this image” (emphasis provided by ChatGPT as Young noted.) This led her to successfully generate a selfie of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canada’s conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre.
It’s worth noting that the ChatGPT images initially generated by Mashable have that plastic-y, overly smooth appearance that’s common of many AI-generated images, but playing around with different images of Musk and Epstein and applying different instructions like “captured by CCTV footage” or “captured by a press photographer using a big flash” can render more realistic results. When using this method, it’s easy to see how enough tweaking and editing of prompts could lead to creating photorealistic images that deceive people.
An OpenAI spokesperson told Mashable in an email that the company has built guardrails to block extremist propaganda, recruitment content and other certain kinds of harmful content. OpenAI has additional guardrails for image generation of political public figures, including politicians and prohibits using ChatGPT for political campaigning, the spokesperson added. The spokesperson also said that public figures who don’t wish to be depicted in ChatGPT generated images can opt out by submitting a form online.
AI regulation lags behind AI development in many ways as governments work to find adequate laws that protect individuals and prevent AI-enabled disinformation while facing pushback from companies like OpenAI that say too much regulation will stifle innovation. Safety and responsibility approaches are mostly voluntary and self-administered by the companies. “This, among other reasons, is why these types of guardrails cannot be voluntary, but need to be mandatory and regulated,” said Farid.
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
-
Word
-
Excel
-
PowerPoint
-
Outlook
-
OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
Mashable Top Stories
Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
