The Scoop: Hank Green comes under fire for ‘not healthy’ AI use

Hank Green, a YouTube science educator, novelist, and comedian, is under fire for how he uses AI in videos.

Suspicion among his millions of followers was raised after he used the phrase “I appreciate the pushback” — a phrase AI commonly uses when corrected. While Green denies that AI wrote that particular phrase, he also admits he isn’t entirely sure where the AI’s work stops and his begins any more.

“You need to know that my words are mine,” he wrote in a lengthy Reddit post. “I don’t think that this hasn’t been true, but I’ve been moving so fast that my own process isn’t actually clear to me and I want to have it be a guarantee moving forward.”

He did admit to using AI primarily for research and becoming addicted to the speed LLMs offer.

“But mostly I need to come to terms with the fact that the level of dopamine I’ve been getting from interacting with LLMs…with doing more and more and more and more…is not healthy for me or good for the world. It is careless, and has disconnected me from where people are on this.”

He laid out a series of steps he’ll take moving forward, including pulling back or pausing one YouTube channel and various other initiatives.

“I’m very sorry for harming the thing this is all based on.”

Why it matters: We continue to see increasing AI backlash, especially for people who have built their reputation on science, research and creativity, as Green has.

When people saw Green relying on AI, they didn’t just feel annoyed, they felt betrayed. They’d placed trust in Green to do deep research, put in the work, wrestle with big ideas. When it seemed he was outsourcing some of that deeply human work, it changed perception.

Any organization that works in an adjacent field, from arts to science, should heed this as a cautionary tale. AI use must be transparent, readily identifiable and defensible. No longer are audiences accepting “but it’s faster!” as a good reason to outsource every task to AI. There are very specific tasks that people strongly want to see remain human. Crossing that line can be a breach of trust that can be very difficult to come back from.

What is Truth API?

Truth Social has announced a new API that will allow users early access to posts on the platform (most prominently from President Donald Trump, who is majority stakeholder in the network) — if they pay prices that reach up to $100,000 per month.

The purpose of this early access seems to be explicitly about moving markets before anyone else can. The API is “a direct, licensed, real-time feed of the platform’s most market-moving Truths”, said interim CEO Kevin McGurn in a news release. Already, Democrats and others have raised concerns this is an attempt at insider trading.

We won’t get into the move from Trump’s perspective, but we will offer a caution for those organizations considering buying into the API: it may be illegal.

“Trump is disclosing information (in this case, information about some of his future public statements as president, including statements about policy) that belongs to the US government in exchange for money. That violates his duty of trust and confidence to his employer (the govt), and is illegal,” financial journalist James Surowiecki wrote on X. “And anyone who pays for the feed is knowingly paying for misappropriated information, which is illegal as well.”

Sometimes even the appearance of impropriety can be a major issue. And while many may be tempted here, the public and legal blowback could be intense.

How are AI images impacting our brains?

The constant drumbeat of AI imagery in our news feed is making it harder to distinguish truth from reality, new research finds. That’s leading us to doubt everything, even real, verifiably truthful accounts.

The antidote, according to the New York Times, is thinking like a researcher and asking these questions:

1. Does this match the real world? Look at things like lighting, straight lines, and of course, fingers.
2. Who posted this? Take a look at what else they post and how old the account is to get a better idea of authenticity.
3. Ask yourself if it’s too good or infuriating to be true. This kind of content survives because it gets engagement. So, if it provokes an immediate emotional reaction — positive or negative — take a closer look.

This is important to apply as you’re looking through content online that relates to your brand. Is it real customer complaints and praise or bots looking to start a war?

Ariana Grande steps back from the spotlight after concerns about her health

Pop star Ariana Grande announced she will be taking a break after she wraps her current tour. The reason is “endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” according to a statement.

The attention is centered, in large part, around Grande’s body. She has appeared noticeably thin in recent weeks, including in her new music video “Petal.” The song, which is about the tribulations of fame, ends with Grande murdering studio executives with a chainsaw.

The statement says pointedly: “She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”

This moment is a fine line to walk. We wish Grande the health and happiness she claims, but without truly knowing her medical situation, it feels like a clapback to genuine health concerns. The conversation about women’s bodies is always difficult and fraught with cultural expectations. It is difficult for anyone in the public eye. But when the concerns are genuine, this statement feels more like deflection than a graceful withdrawal from the pubic eye.