Latest posts

  • ‘RAMageddon’: is the era of cheap phones and laptops over?

    Bargains are disappearing and the cost of gadgets such as MacBooks and PS5s is rising as AI competes for memory chips The end of the cheap laptop, the bargain phone and affordable games consoles may be on the horizon. Not because new models are more hi-tech, but because the cost of computer components has shot…

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  • Major publishers sue Meta for copyright infringement over AI training

    Hachette, Macmillan and others allege that Meta pirated millions of works from textbooks to novels for Llama model Five major publishers sued Meta Platforms in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, alleging that the tech giant misused their books and journal articles to train its artificial intelligence models. Elsevier, Cengage, Hachette, Macmillan and McGraw Hill, as…

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  • OpenAI president’s ‘deeply personal’ diary becomes focus in Musk’s case against Altman

    Greg Brockman has faced questions about his emails, texts and writings in his personal diary in second week of the trial As Elon Musk’s case against OpenAI entered its second week, focus shifted to the company’s president, Greg Brockman. Over the course of several hours on Monday and Tuesday, Brockman faced questions about his emails,…

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  • Richard Dawkins concludes AI is conscious, even if it doesn’t know it

    Chats with AI bots have convinced evolutionary biologist but most experts say he is being misled by mimicry When Richard Dawkins met Claudia it was like a whirlwind romance. Over three days last week, a conversation bounced between the evolutionary biologist and the AI bot he called Claudia. “She” wrote poems for him in the…

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  • Google DeepMind workers in UK vote to unionize amid deal with US military

    Exclusive: Worker pointed to Iran war and Pentagon’s Anthropic feud as indications the department is ‘not a responsible partner’ Workers developing Google’s artificial intelligence products in the UK have voted to unionize, in part out of concerns about a deal between the company and the US military that was announced last week. In a letter…

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  • AI platforms reference Nigel Farage more than other leaders when prompted on UK politics, study shows

    Reform UK is ‘doing something right when it comes to visibility’ on multiple AI systems, say researchers AI platforms are more likely to reference Nigel Farage than any other UK leader when prompted about British politics, according to an AI search analytics firm. “We are confident in saying that Reform are showing up significantly more…

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  • AI facial recognition oversight lagging far behind technology, watchdogs warn

    Exclusive: Biometrics commissioners say face-scanning not as effective as claimed and new laws needed to regulate use How does live facial recognition work and how many police forces use it? Guilty until proven innocent: shoppers falsely identified by facial recognition Britain’s biometrics watchdogs have warned that national oversight of AI-powered face scanning to catch criminals…

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  • London schools trialling VR to relieve pupils’ stress

    Phase Space pilot programme with NHS mental health trust used to calm anxiety around exams, ADHD and home troubles Schools have begun deploying virtual reality to help pupils cope with stress caused by impending exams, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or difficult home lives. All 15 secondary schools in the London borough of Sutton are using…

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  • Flaws in Kenya’s AI-driven health reforms driving up costs for the poorest

    Exclusive: amid unrest, President William Ruto promised to give all Kenyans access to healthcare. But the algorithm favours the rich, an investigation has found An AI system used to predict how much Kenyans can afford to pay for access to healthcare, has systemically driven up costs for the poor, an investigation has found. The healthcare…

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  • Starmer adviser held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech bosses

    Exclusive: Varun Chandra’s talks with Google, Meta, Apple and others raise fears of ‘lobbying behind closed doors’ An influential government adviser close to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves held 16 undisclosed meetings with top US tech executives, the Guardian can reveal. The No 10 business aide Varun Chandra discussed regulatory changes, AI and Donald Trump’s…

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