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The problem with doorbell cams: Nancy Guthrie case and Ring Super Bowl ad reawaken surveillance fears
Many people bought the devices thinking they would do little more than protect their delivery packages What happens to the data that smart home cameras collect? Can law enforcement access this information – even when users aren’t aware officers may be viewing their footage? Two recent events have put these concerns in the spotlight. A…
Anthropic raises $30bn in latest round, valuing Claude bot maker at $380bn
Maker of chatbot with coding ability says annualised revenue grew tenfold in each of past three years, to $14bn Anthropic, the US AI startup behind the Claude chatbot, has raised $30bn (£22bn) in a funding round that more than doubled its valuation to $380bn. The company’s previous funding round in September achieved a value of…
Files cast light on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to cryptocurrency
Newly released documents detail convicted sex offender’s early backing of bitcoin and Coinbase Millions of files related to Jeffrey Epstein have brought to light his ties to the highest echelons of the cryptocurrency industry. Documents published last week by the US Department of Justice reveal Epstein bankrolled the “principal home and funding source” for bitcoin,…
Battle of the chatbots: Anthropic and OpenAI go head-to-head over ads in their AI products
New Anthropic campaign suggests other AI platforms will incorporate targeted ads in their chatbot conversations The Seahawks and the Patriots aren’t the only ones gearing up for a fight. AI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI have launched a war of ads trying to court corporate America during one of the biggest entertainment nights of the year.…
Hail our new robot overlords! Amazon warehouse tour offers glimpse of future
At its new Stone Mountain, Georgia, facility, Roomba-like robots shuffle between stacks, another adds shipping labels while another arranges packages in pallets One of the reasons Amazon is spending billions on robots? They don’t need bathroom breaks. Arriving a few minutes early to the public tour of Amazon’s hi-tech Stone Mountain, Georgia, warehouse, my request…
Uber found liable for sexual assault by driver and ordered to pay victim $8.5m
Verdict could influence more than 3,000 similar cases against ride-hailing company A federal jury in Phoenix ordered Uber on Thursday to pay $8.5m after finding the company liable in a lawsuit brought by a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a driver. The verdict could influence thousands of similar cases against the ride-hailing…
Google parent earnings beat projections amid plans to invest deeply in AI
Alphabet reports $34.5bn profit and revenue soars 48% in recent quarter as it plans a sharp increase in AI spending Google’s parent company, Alphabet, beat Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, and is planning a sharp increase in capital spending in 2026 as it continues to invest deeply in AI infrastructure. Alphabet on Wednesday reported profit…
Elon Musk merges SpaceX with xAI at $1.25tn valuation
Aerospace business and artificial intelligence firm to unite for IPO as world’s most valuable private company Business live – latest updates Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence business xAI, in a $1.25tn (£910bn) merger that consolidates part of Musk’s empire as SpaceX prepares to go public later this year. The two…
‘Deepfakes spreading and more AI companions’: seven takeaways from the latest artificial intelligence safety report
Annual review highlights growing capabilities of AI models, while examining issues from cyber-attacks to job disruption The International AI Safety report is an annual survey of technological progress and the risks it is creating across multiple areas, from deepfakes to the jobs market. Commissioned at the 2023 global AI safety summit, it is chaired by…