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4 stories found

An older sesame farmer holds a glowing AI advice screen beside a field divided between healthy green seedlings and rows killed after chemical spraying.

A farmer trusted AI advice. By the next day, nearly 25 acres of sesame were dying

A 67-year-old farmer in Chuzhou, China, reportedly lost almost 25 acres of sesame seedlings after following a chemical treatment plan produced by an unnamed AI tool. According to the report, he had used the app for about a year and grew to trust it after receiving useful answers. When he asked for weed-and-pest guidance, the system recommended a mixture that included an herbicide used against broadleaf weeds in soybean fields. Sesame is also a broadleaf plant, and the chemical was reportedly intended for targeted application rather than broadcast spraying. The weeds and crop began dying by the next day. The interface displayed a general warning that AI output might be incorrect and should be verified, but the answer did not surface a task-specific warning before the irreversible action. The report is based on Chinese-language coverage and does not identify the AI provider, quantify the financial loss, or establish whether the product was marketed for agronomic advice.

Aug 12, 20265 min

A student's polished take-home assignment sits between an artificial intelligence screen and a sealed supervised examination desk in a New South Wales classroom.

Cognition & learningAustralia+3 clusters02

New South Wales may pause take-home assessments as AI puts authentic student work in doubt

The New South Wales government has ordered an urgent review of AI's effects on student learning and the Higher School Certificate. As an immediate step, the minister asked the education standards authority to consider a moratorium on unsupervised take-home assessment tasks while the broader review proceeds. This is a proposed safeguard, not a ban already in force. Major art, design, and technology projects may be exempt, and any interim changes would be subject to advice before possible implementation at the start of Term 4. The policy shift matters because half of an HSC result comes from school-based assessment, some completed outside class. NSW is moving the test from whether an AI detector can catch a submission to whether the assessment design can still demonstrate knowledge, judgment, creativity, and independent work.

Aug 11, 20264 min

A teen silhouette faces an AI chat window while a human support pathway and a caution signal remain visible beside it.

Social good & healthUnited States+4 clusters03

Teen AI use is common—and emotional reliance tracks higher risk

Preliminary research from The Jed Foundation surveyed more than 5,500 middle- and high-school students across 21 U.S. schools and districts between October 2025 and April 2026. Four in five had used AI; more than half used it for academics, nearly one third for relationship or problem-solving advice, more than one in ten for companionship, and nearly three in five when sad, stressed, or lonely. Students who turned to AI for emotional support, advice, difficult emotions, or companionship were also more likely to report poorer mental health, loneliness, and a history of suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

Jul 24, 20263 min

Cognition & learningGlobal+2 clusters04

Bodner et al., “Barriers to understanding how many people use AI for mental health support”

Harvard/Beth Israel-led authors estimate that roughly 27% of AI users may already use AI for mental-health support, while stressing that the true range is hard to pin down because surveys use inconsistent definitions and mixed data sources. The paper moves beyond anecdotal harm cases and shows it moves the discussion beyond anecdotal harm cases and shows that even basic prevalence measurement is unstable.

Jul 3, 20262 min