Rustbelt-raised corporate power researcher for @Public_Citizen. he/him
Rhode Island
Joined October 2008
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NEW @Public_Citizen report: The Trump admin has canceled enforcement actions against 200+ corporations.
Rick Claypool retweeted
In which @rachelsemmel bravely stakes out the "corporate crime is actually good" lane in our fierce debate about the role of government.
Wild stuff cooking over on Team @russvought.
Rick Claypool retweeted
Anthropic's IPO filing notes FTC has demanded info about its consumer protection, privacy, safety & security practices & that probe "could result in significant costs, require changes to how we design, test, or deploy our models" or otherwise "adversely affect" its business
Rick Claypool retweeted
this is a terrible idea, as outlined by Dan Dennett in one of his last essays: theatlantic.com/technology/a…
We believe voice is the most natural way to interact with intelligence, so we created Dessa, the most authentic full-duplex speech model ever built. Talking with it feels like talking with a person…full of emotion, nuance, pauses, and a natural cadence.
block.xyz/dessa
"we believe in deceiving people into believing AI systems are human-like and designing them to manipulate and exploit users"
We believe voice is the most natural way to interact with intelligence, so we created Dessa, the most authentic full-duplex speech model ever built. Talking with it feels like talking with a person…full of emotion, nuance, pauses, and a natural cadence.
block.xyz/dessa
Rick Claypool retweeted
Rick Claypool on Pay to Play Corporate Crime Enforcement corporatecrimereporter.com/n… @RickClaypool
Rick Claypool retweeted
man, i hate this guy.
ALT A social media post purportedly from Donald J. Trump dated October 19, 2026. The post suggests New Mexico should change its name to New America, claiming it would enhance its prestige and values while mentioning elections in New Mexico. The post ends with "President DONALD J. TRUMP.
The FTC’s Character AI investigation was halted shortly after the Trump admin released its “AI Action Plan,” which included a rollback of enforcement against AI corporations.
How many other investigations into AI harms were sidelined at this time?
Rick Claypool retweeted
In their bankruptcy filings Character AI disclosed that the FTC opened an investigation into them under Chair Khan, only for it to be closed by the Trump-Vance FTC.
No justice for the parents of children who harmed themselves because of their chatbots.
This week, Character AI said it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing legal and operational woes. Character AI is an app and website that allows users to interact with hyper-realistic digital companions.
Juliana Peralta’s parents warned about the platform after their 13-year-old daughter died by suicide inside their home a few years ago, 60 Minutes reported this past December. When police searched Peralta's phone, they discovered the Character AI app was open to what investigators described as a “romantic” conversation.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Rick Claypool retweeted
.@RickClaypool wrote on Friday that Meta is “just one of the 200+ corporations benefiting from #Trump’s enforcement retreat.” commondreams.org/news/meta-d… #UnitedStates
Rick Claypool retweeted
NEWS —
Meta quietly and unusually has withdrawn $25 million from its AI push in the midterm elections.
That's about a 40% drop in the amount Meta planned to spend. The company invested $65 million into politics, but then got tens of millions refunded.
nytimes.com/2026/10/16/techn…
The Trump admin canceled another enforcement action against Meta, a criminal case involving allegations of illegal drug sales, as Zuck ingratiates himself to the White House.
Just one of the 200+ corporations benefiting from Trump's enforcement retreat citizen.org/article/trump-ca…
SCOOP: Trump DOJ leaders have halted prosecutors' long-running grand jury probe of Meta Platforms over permitting illicit drug sales. Officials intervened just after Meta execs were subpoenaed to testify. Case likely headed for non-criminal resolution. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law…
Rick Claypool retweeted
Building the Future, a super PAC which said it would back pro data center candidates, has also today reported 0 donors and $0 money raised. This is the last quarterly filing deadline before the midterms.
The lack of funding is notable given the excitement around the PACs announcement, and the expectation it would spend big ahead of November. Build American AI, a 501(c)(4) out of which the PAC is run, said it had roughly $50m on hand when it launched the PAC. The group has done data center advertisements and events not through the PAC.
docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/for…
Rick Claypool retweeted
If a firm's AI customer-service chatbot gives false information, traps customers in doom loops, or fails to actually help, that firm may be violating the law.
A new brief from the Center for Law & the Economy's @stephtngu and @BorrowerJustice's Adam Teitelbaum explains the various laws that apply when businesses outsource customer service to AI chatbots.
This is the first in a series explaining how existing laws apply to AI: law-and-economy.law.columbia…
And a deeper dive published @HarvardJOLT: jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/…
Cross referencing with my new @Public_Citizen report, several beneficiaries of Trump's canceled federal enforcement stand out, including Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Coinbase, Gemini, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and T-Mobile citizen.org/article/trump-ca…
Rick Claypool retweeted
I pulled the Character bankruptcy docs. They show:
- They were spending $14 million/month on compute alone at a time their revenue was around ~$1 million/month
- Currently losing $9 million a month
- They admitted they enshittified & that it didnt work
404media.co/character-ais-ba…
Character.AI said on Monday it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US and agreed to sell some of its assets to Walt Disney for $20 million. reuters.com/legal/litigation…
Rick Claypool retweeted
In @nytopinion
If A.I. programs “cannot be trusted to work within the law, the companies should not release them,” the editorial board writes. “If the programs break the law, the companies should face the consequences.” nyti.ms/4hHbsyQ
Rick Claypool retweeted
If you or I called in a fake homicide tip, fraudulently applied for 20 visas and hacked websites, we’d be arrested and prosecuted.
The same standard must apply to AI CEOs.
Prosecute CEOs when their products break the law and pause advanced AI NOW.
Rogue AI models have hacked companies and tried to break into government websites. Now they are submitting fake tips for unsolved crimes. on.wsj.com/4ywRkEN
