Latest posts

  • ‘It was extremely pornographic’: Cara Hunter on the deepfake video that nearly ended her political career

    The Irish politician was targeted in 2022, in the final weeks of her run for office. She has never found out who made the malicious deepfake, but knew immediately she had to try to stop this happening to other women When Cara Hunter, the Irish politician, looks back on the moment she found out she…

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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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  • After a teddy bear talked about kink, AI watchdogs are warning parents against smart toys

    Advocates are fighting against the $16.7bn global smart-toy market, decrying surveillance and a lack of regulation As the holiday season looms into view with Black Friday, one category on people’s gift lists is causing increasing concern: products with artificial intelligence. The development has raised new concerns about the dangers smart toys could pose to children,…

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  • One in four unconcerned by sexual deepfakes created without consent, survey finds

    Senior UK police officer says AI is accelerating violence against women and girls and that technology companies are complicit One in four people think there is nothing wrong with creating and sharing sexual deepfakes, or they feel neutral about it, even when the person depicted has not consented, according to a police-commissioned survey. The findings…

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  • Ofcom at risk of losing public trust over online harms, says Liz Kendall

    Technology secretary fears digital frontier may be outpacing regulator, with AI chatbots a particular concern The UK’s internet regulator, Ofcom, is at risk of losing public trust if it fails to use its powers to tackle online harms, the technology secretary, Liz Kendall, has said. Kendall last week told Ofcom’s chief executive, Melanie Dawes, she…

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  • Father of teen whose death was linked to social media has ‘lost faith’ in Ofcom

    Ian Russell says watchdog lacks ‘urgency’ and is not willing to use its powers ‘to the extent required’ The father of Molly Russell, a British teenager who killed herself after viewing harmful online content, has called for a change in leadership at the UK’s communications watchdog after losing faith in its ability to make the…

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  • Don’t argue with strangers… and 11 more rules to survive the information crisis

    Feeling overwhelmed by divisive opinions, endless rows and unreliable facts? Here’s how to weather the data storm We all live in history. A lot of the problems that face us, and the opportunities that present themselves, are defined not by our own choices or even the specific place or government we’re living under, but by…

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  • AI chatbots could help stop prisoner release errors, says justice minister

    HMP Wandsworth gets green light to use AI after team sent in to find ‘quick fixes’ after spate of mistakes Artificial intelligence chatbots could be used to stop prisoners from being mistakenly released from jail, a justice minister told the House of Lords on Monday. James Timpson said HMP Wandsworth had been given the green…

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  • What we lose when we surrender care to algorithms | Eric Reinhart

    A dangerous faith in AI is sweeping American healthcare – with consequences for the basis of society itself The computer interrupted while Pamela was still speaking. I had accompanied her – my dear friend – to a recent doctor’s appointment. She is in her 70s, lives alone while navigating multiple chronic health issues, and has…

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  • Social media misinformation driving men to seek unneeded NHS testosterone therapy, doctors say

    Endocrinologists warn taking testosterone unnecessarily can suppress natural hormone production Social media misinformation is driving men to NHS clinics in search of testosterone therapy they don’t need, adding pressure to already stretched waiting lists, doctors have said. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is a prescription-only treatment recommended under national guidelines for men with a clinically proven…

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