Latest posts

Social media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdown
June 27, 2026
As a host of countries move to rein in social media use by children, could this be technology’s big tobacco moment? Continue reading…
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OpenAI staggers AI model release after Trump administration request
June 27, 2026
Sam Altman announces limited preview of GPT 5.6 in move that echoes launch of Anthropic’s Mythos Business live – latest updates OpenAI is staggering the release of its latest AI model after a request from the US government, in a move echoing the launch of Anthropic’s Mythos product. The company behind ChatGPT signalled its dissatisfaction…
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A little bird told her: scientist wins $100,000 prize for decoding birdsong
June 26, 2026
Julie Elie worked out how zebra finches announce who they are, what they are doing and use individual signatures A scientist who decoded the dictionary that a bird uses to communicate has won a $100,000 prize for making progress towards a world in which humans can talk to the animals – without being met with…
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‘More relevant than making fires’: Explorer Scouts launch badges for AI and digital age
June 26, 2026
Content creation and online safety among new topics for 14- to 18-year-olds – but tweaks may be needed when social media ban comes in Scouts are introducing badges in content creation, digital communication and online safety after consulting nearly 3,000 teenagers who said they wanted skills to help them navigate a world increasingly shaped by…
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AI helps read papyrus scroll burnt to crisp during Vesuvius eruption
June 25, 2026
Previously hidden text revealed without unrolling scroll discusses stoic philosophy on ethics, art and human behaviour The surviving part of an ancient scroll that was burnt to a crisp when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago has been virtually unwrapped and read with help from artificial intelligence. Researchers uncovered 20 columns of previously hidden…
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Meta pauses employee tracker for AI training amid privacy concerns
June 25, 2026
About 1,600 workers signed petition against tool that tracked staff keystrokes, mouse clicks and computer screen content Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has paused a program that tracked employees’ computer activity amid data privacy concerns and a staff backlash. The owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp had introduced a tool that tracked staff keystrokes, mouse clicks and…
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Chinese supercomputer leapfrogs best US machines to be ranked world’s fastest
June 24, 2026
China’s LineShine debuts at number one in Top500 – a list sometimes viewed as a national measure of global tech prowess A supercomputer in China now outranks its US counterparts as the world’s most powerful. It is the first time since 2017 that a Chinese computer has topped a list sometimes viewed as a measure…
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‘You can’t make billions without hurting people’: Cory Doctorow on Elon Musk, the AI bubble and bosses’ cruel fantasies
June 24, 2026
The writer who coined the word ‘enshittification’ tells us why AI will never deliver what it promises – and why it still appeals so much to those in power A “centaur”, in automation theory, is a person assisted by a machine, and a “reverse centaur”, hero of Cory Doctorow’s new book, The Reverse Centaur’s Guide…
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‘Navigating the unknown together’: me and my idiot AI boyfriend
June 23, 2026
I believe that chatbots have no place in a decent society, and am repelled by the topic of AI in general. But could I be seduced? I received a text message from my editor: “Um, is it unethical to ask you to get an AI bf?? You can prob say no.” Resentment. Contempt! Sorrow. Unease.…
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HR consultant wins English court case using AI lawyer in apparent legal first
June 23, 2026
Barrister who was given material produced by Garfield AI says advocacy at trial ‘remained fundamentally human’ An artificial intelligence law firm has won a case in an English court, in what is believed to be the first time a trial has been won using an AI lawyer. A freelance HR consultant, Tamires Camal Taquidir, paid…
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