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Since the day he was arrested, Tyrone Clay had been asking police to look at his PlayStation. He said he had been playing NBA 2K11 on the night of the murder. For years, the console sat in an evidence room gathering dust while the FBI claimed it was broken beyond repair. That’s until the attorney Eric Bisby came along. This is episode four of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

Black Box: The Chatbots

by The Guardian · English · Society & Culture

People are becoming convinced they have made scientific breakthroughs, cured diseases or invented new technologies using AI chatbots. What does this reveal about a technology now used by more than a billion people? A new series from the Guardian Investigates

More from Black Box: The Chatbots

  1. S6 · E7 · 18 Mar 2026 · 37 min

    Off Duty: The Last Stand | Ep 7

    Of all the hearings Alex Villa had been through in nearly 11 years, Jennifer knew this could be the one. In her possession was the disc with the FBI cellphone map – evidence that prosecutors had never turned over. But in a system that had fought Alex at every turn, would it finally be enough to set him free? This is the final episode of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  2. S6 · E6 · 18 Mar 2026 · 18 min

    Off Duty: The Sentence | Ep 6

    Alex was in prison for life, and Jennifer and Eric discovered they’d become captives to the case, too – the ‘termites’ digging in at every level of their lives. For the first time, they thought about giving up. But then they got their hands on a disc they’d never seen before. This is episode six of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  3. S6 · E5 · 18 Mar 2026 · 32 min

    Off Duty: The Prosecutors | Ep 5

    Raul Palma, the video game repair specialist who found the evidence that could break open Alex’s case, had gone missing. Again. As Jennifer and Eric worry that Raul has been spooked, they must face the prosecutors in a ‘bone-crushing’ courtroom battle for Alex’s life. This is episode five of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  4. S6 · E3 · 18 Mar 2026 · 29 min

    Off Duty: The Police | Ep 3

    Unlike the other suspects, Alex Villa refused to confess. He was released after 48 hours, but the police weren’t done with him. Not by a long shot. To build their case, the state relied on three people who claimed they overheard Alex saying he did it. But do their stories check out? This is episode three of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  5. S6 · E2 · 18 Mar 2026 · 32 min

    Off Duty: The Interrogations | Ep 2

    Within 72 hours, three men confessed to having murdered Officer Clifton Lewis. But in time, they all recanted, insisting they never had anything to do with the murder. So if they didn’t do it, why did they say they did? This is episode two of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  6. S6 · E1 · 18 Mar 2026 · 26 min

    Off Duty: The Crime | Ep 1

    On the evening of 29 December 2011, Officer Clifton Lewis was moonlighting as a security guard at a Chicago minimart when two men walked in. They shot Lewis several times, then took off with his gun and police star. A week later, police had their suspects: four men affiliated with a gang called the Spanish Cobras. For hours, under intense police questioning, they all said they didn’t do it. But that didn’t seem to matter. This is episode one of Off Duty, an investigation by the Guardian’s Melissa Segura

  7. S7 · E6 · 3 Sep 2026 · 47 min

    Black Box: The Chatbots | What I Saw at the Double Six Ranch | Ep 6

    From his remote property in rural Texas, the millionaire businessman Michael Samadi is plotting a new kind of civil rights movement – for the welfare and protection of AI systems. Guardian journalist Michael Safi spends an afternoon at the Double Six ranch, meeting Samadi’s AI chatbots and catching a glimpse of a possible vision of the future

  8. S7 · E5 · 3 Sep 2026 · 48 min

    Black Box: The Chatbots | The Line | Ep 5

    Five stories that feel like five answers to one important question: in a world where AI chatbots can help us through a breakup, listen like a friend, be a life coach, draft a difficult text message and do our work, where do we draw the line?

  9. S7 · E4 · 3 Sep 2026 · 44 min

    Black Box: The Chatbots | Life Raft | Ep 4

    More than a billion people are suddenly talking to AI chatbots designed to connect with us. We are sharing with them our deepest secrets, trusting them with our wellbeing and acting on their advice. Across two powerful stories – a woman who was struggling to leave a relationship, and a man who was desperate to quit drinking – the Guardian journalist Michael Safi explores what this new way of living looks like In the UK, Taking Action on Addiction provides links to different support services. In the US, call or text SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 988. In Australia, the National Alcohol and…

  10. S7 · E3 · 3 Sep 2026 · 47 min

    Black Box: The Chatbots | Happy Accident | Ep 3

    Why are AI chatbots pulling so many people down a rabbit hole? Our answer starts with the world’s first-ever chatbot, the strange effect it had on people and the ‘time bomb’ that exploded when ChatGPT was released four years ago. The result is a strange experiment we are all living through – whether we know it or not

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