Latest posts

  • Schools in England should be phone-free all day, education secretary says

    Bridget Phillipson says pupils should not use mobiles at any point, as Ofsted prepares to inspect compliance UK politics live – latest updates Schools should be phone-free throughout the entire day, the education secretary has told headteachers in England, stressing that pupils should not use the devices even as calculators or for research. Bridget Phillipson…

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  • Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests

    Exclusive: German research into responses to health queries raises fresh questions about summaries seen by 2bn people a month • How the ‘confident authority’ of AI Overviews is putting public health at risk Google’s search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that…

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  • UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

    Trial involving 4,000 children will explore impact on mental health, sleep and time spent with friends and family A pioneering investigation into the impact of restricting social media access for children in the UK has been announced as politicians around the world consider action on the issue. In December, Australia became the first country to…

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  • My friends in Italy are using AI therapists. But is that so bad, when a stigma surrounds mental health? | Viola Di Grado

    State provision for psychological health services is lamentable. Until things improve, let’s not judge those who turn to an app for help It’s a sunny afternoon in a Roman park and a peculiar, new-to-this-era kind of coming out is happening between me and my friend Clarissa. She has just asked me if I, like her…

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  • ‘Dangerous and alarming’: Google removes some of its AI summaries after users’ health put at risk

    Exclusive: Guardian investigation finds AI Overviews provided inaccurate and false information when queried over blood tests Google has removed some of its artificial intelligence health summaries after a Guardian investigation found people were being put at risk of harm by false and misleading information. The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI…

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  • Third of UK citizens have used AI for emotional support, research reveals

    AI Security Institute report finds most common type of AI tech used was general purpose assistants such as ChatGPT and Amazon Alexa A third of UK citizens have used artificial intelligence for emotional support, companionship or social interaction, according to the government’s AI security body. The AI Security Institute (AISI) said nearly one in 10…

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  • ‘I feel it’s a friend’: quarter of teenagers turn to AI chatbots for mental health support

    Experts warn of dangers as England and Wales study shows 13- to 17-year-olds consulting AI amid long waiting lists for services It was after one friend was shot and another stabbed, both fatally, that Shan asked ChatGPT for help. She had tried conventional mental health services but “chat”, as she came to know her AI…

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  • AI deepfakes of real doctors spreading health misinformation on social media

    Hundreds of videos on TikTok and elsewhere impersonate experts to sell supplements with unproven effects TikTok and other social media platforms are hosting AI-generated deepfake videos of doctors whose words have been manipulated to help sell supplements and spread health misinformation. The factchecking organisation Full Fact has uncovered hundreds of such videos featuring impersonated versions…

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  • ChatGPT-5 offers dangerous advice to mentally ill people, psychologists warn

    Research finds OpenAI’s free chatbot fails to identify risky behaviour or challenge delusional beliefs ChatGPT-5 is offering dangerous and unhelpful advice to people experiencing mental health crises, some of the UK’s leading psychologists have warned. Research conducted by King’s College London (KCL) and the Association of Clinical Psychologists UK (ACP) in partnership with the Guardian…

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  • New AI tool could cut wasted efforts to transplant organs by 60%

    Machine learning model predicts whether donor is likely to die within the timeframe that liver remains viable Doctors have developed an AI tool that could reduce wasted efforts to transplant organs by 60%. Thousands of patients worldwide are waiting for a potentially life-saving donor, and more candidates are stuck on waiting lists than there are…

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