Lately: An Anonymous hacker's regret, Canada's first AI minister and ‘lootbox' gambling

Globe and Mail

16-05-2025

Welcome back to Lately, The Globe's weekly tech newsletter. If you have feedback or just want to say hello to a real-life human, send me an e-mail.
🥷 A Canadian hacker has some regrets
🥇 Canada's first AI minister
📚 The rising pile of AI-generated books
🎰 How teens are getting hooked on this gateway to gambling in online games
More than two decades ago, a loose collective called Anonymous formed on 4chan, the controversial online message board where all users were anonymous by default, hence the moniker. The anonymity emboldened users to post offensive memes, co-ordinate pranks and orchestrate disinformation campaigns. But what began as 'fun and hijinks' kicked off what Canadian hacker and former Anonymous member Aubrey Cottle says was 'a chain reaction that resulted in the alt-right online culture wars and … essentially blossomed into the rise of Trump.'
Of course, it's impossible to know how much Anonymous actually influenced the outcome of the election. But the group did end up informing the tactics of some far-right users on 4chan, such as fuelling conspiracy theories against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Last month, 4chan was hacked and taken offline, and the e-mail addresses of moderators were leaked online.
Globe reporter Alexandra Posadzki recently interviewed Cottle, who says he feels culpable for the role Anonymous played in inadvertently helping Donald Trump become president. He talked to Posadzki while out on bail for criminal charges related to allegedly hacking into and defacing the Texas Republican Party's website nearly four years ago. Read the full story.
This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his new cabinet, which includes a role that many in the tech industry have been calling for: a minister of AI. Evan Solomon, a former journalist and first-time member of Parliament, will oversee the portfolio that will likely involve increasing AI adoption, boosting the construction of Canadian-owned and operated data centres, and figuring out exactly how to regulate AI.
Canada has been at the forefront of AI research that's been critical to the development of large-language models such as ChatGPT, but some critics say the country has failed to reap the economic benefits. Many AI patents developed here are now owned by foreign corporations, and many Canadian companies rely on cloud computing that's operated by foreign multinationals. Now with a minister solely focused on AI, it suggests the industry will be a priority for the new Liberal government. Read the full story by reporter Joe Castaldo.
AI slop is coming for books. Specifically, Canadian political books. As arts reporter Josh O'Kane found, books about Canadian political leaders are the latest in the growing pile of what appear to be written using generative AI and are independently published through Amazon. These kinds of books flooded search results during this spring's federal election campaign, but more still have popped up in recent weeks, with at least one already referencing the voting results. Some have been printed on demand at an Amazon facility in Ontario. 'It's bad enough for Canadian researched non-fiction as it is. If this is the beginning of something, it's the beginning of something really bad. The potential for disinformation is off the charts,' says Mark Bourrie, the author of Ripper, a genuine biography of Pierre Poilievre.
I regret my Tesla (The Walrus)
The professors are using chatGPT, and some students aren't happy about it (The New York Times)
Airbnb is in midlife crisis mode (WIRED)
Hazaki's Gyuto knife, $175
These days, our kitchens are overflowing with tech gadgets and gizmos. Do we really need smart refrigerators that come with built-in screens to stream videos, or an $800 stand mixer that adjusts speed and torque based on the mixture inside? In fact, some interior designers are predicting that WiFi enabled, voice-activated, AI-powered-everything smart homes could be on the way out as more people embrace so-called 'dumb homes.'
When it comes to the kitchen, you really only need a few tools and perhaps just one is worth the splurge: a good chef's knife. Last week, The Globe rounded up the best ones, including the Gyuto knife by Montreal brand Hazaki. The high-carbon steel blade is imported from Japan, while the wood handle is made with Canadian wood.
Gambling in video games doesn't just mean virtual poker any more, leading some experts to raise the alarm about the negative effects on young players.
Many major video games have 'lootboxes,' (or 'gacha' in Japanese and Korean games), a system where players can spend real-world money for a mystery box that could contain a rare in-game item. Some items, such as alternate character costumes or special weapons, are highly-sought after, so they're more difficult to get. Players can either scrimp and save their in-game money, or fork over actual hard-earned cash just for the chance to potentially score big with a lootbox.
Lootboxes can be a gateway to gambling addiction among teens, say experts, who compare the system to slot machines. As Amber Ranson reports, many popular mobile games found on Apple and Google's app stores contain these types of microtransactions, games that are usually rated for players aged 12 and up. These games encourage players to gamble, to gain a competitive advantage or to collect virtual characters, which experts say can lead to issues at home. – Jordyn Streisfield