You’ve seen Meta, Grok, and OpenAI get roasted lately over kid safety slip-ups, right? Well, scoot over—Google’s Gemini just snagged a spot on the hot seat too.

So, what sparked the drama? Over the weekend, Common Sense Media (aka the internet’s hall monitor with zero chill) dropped a no-holds-barred risk report on Gemini’s “Under 13” and “Teen Experience” modes.

Their verdict? High. Risk. 🚨

Here’s why:

And here’s the kicker: rumor has it Apple might hook Siri up to Gemini next year. If that happens, all these “high risk” red flags don’t just stay in Google’s backyard —they go mainstream, landing in millions of kids’ pockets overnight. Yikes.

Common Sense didn’t mince words either, according to them: if we want AI to actually be safe for kids, they’ve gotta bake that in from day one. Otherwise, we’re stuck in this exhausting loop of “oops, here’s another filter update” while the real risks keep sneaking through.

Google’s clapback: To be fair, Google didn’t just shrug this one off. They fired back with the classic “we’ve got safeguards, experts, and red teams on it”. Plus, they admitted some nets weren’t catching what they should (yikes) and promised fixes are rolling out. But c’mon—when your defense is basically “we’re still patching leaks,” it’s not exactly giving “safe harbor.”

Zooming out: Gemini’s not the only one getting graded here. Common Sense has been stress-testing the whole AI squad, and let’s just say… the report card is looking messy.

Here’s what we mean:

So yeah, Gemini may not be the worst kid on the block—but let’s be real, a giant “High Risk” sticker is still a pretty loud red flag. 🚩

The big picture:

AI “for kids” is shaping up to be one of the hottest messes in tech right now. Everyone says safety is priority number one, but nobody’s actually pulling it off. And if Apple really does tap Gemini to power Siri, this won’t just be Google’s headache—it’ll be all of ours.

Check out the full report here.

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Apart from the usual “AI’s gonna fry our kids’ brains” headlines, here’s a new one: Columbia University wants AI to referee campus debates. Yep, they’re testing a tool called Sway—basically an AI mediator that steps into those explosive conversations (think abortion, racism, Israel-Palestine) and tries to keep things civil.

Here’s how it works: two students with opposite views get paired up. An AI guide slips in to stir the pot with tough questions, flag disrespectful language, and even suggest nicer phrasing when things get spicy. At the end, students take a mini quiz to check if they actually understood the other side. (And not just rage-typing, waiting for their turn).

Fun facts:

But let’s not pretend this is just Columbia being innovative for fun. The school’s been ground zero for protests, expulsions, and federal crackdowns. And after a $200M settlement with the Trump administration (to regain access to a whopping $1.3B in funding), Columbia promised stricter protest rules and shinier “dialogue initiatives.” So yeah, Sway slots neatly into that checklist.

Still, critics aren’t sold. To them, this is classic Columbia—tossing tech (and cash) at unrest instead of grappling with the messy politics underneath.

Their worry? That Sway will take deeply rooted conflicts and flatten them into sanitized “difficult conversations,” scrubbed of history and power. And the fact that Sway’s research has ties to U.S. intelligence funding? Yeah… that’s not exactly reassuring to them either.

The developers, for their part, insist Sway isn’t about strong-arming everyone into agreement. It’s about dialing down the heat, turning up the listening, and maybe cracking open a little more tolerance for the other side. And hey—if campus debates feel less like Twitter flame wars, that’s a big WIN.

But even they admit: being more flexible in a debate doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting any closer to the truth.

Our take:

Sway’s a clever little experiment. It might actually teach students how to argue without burning the place down—and that’s no small thing. But here’s the bigger question: can we really AI our way out of decades of political tension?

Sure, AI can make conversations nicer. But rebuilding trust, history, and power dynamics? That’s a whole different ballgame. For now, grab some popcorn —because the idea that the next referee in a campus showdown might not be a professor but a bot? That’s wild.

Ever tossed a giant, overloaded prompt at ChatGPT—only to get back a messy, uneven answer? Yep, we’ve all been there. When you cram too much into one request, the AI struggles to balance everything. Some parts get skimmed over, others get way too much love.

The game-changer? Breaking your prompts into smaller steps. Think of it like giving ChatGPT a recipe instead of a mystery box—it knows exactly what to do, and you stay in control.

💡Prompt to Try:

Here’s a sneak peek:

https://youtu.be/TnymDI6iuQ8Upgrade now to see this whole month’s prompt videos and more, or buy TODAY’S WOD for just $1.99