Latest posts

  • AI slop tops Billboard and Spotify charts as synthetic music spreads

    Hits include country songs and a Dutch anti-refugee anthem, both entirely made without human composition Three songs generated by artificial intelligence topped music charts this week, reaching the highest spots on Spotify and Billboard charts. Walk My Walk and Livin’ on Borrowed Time by the outfit Breaking Rust topped Spotify’s “Viral 50” songs in the…

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  • Waymo announces that its robotaxis will drive freeways for the first time

    Google subsidiary to offer services on San Francisco, LA and Phoenix freeways as it scales expansion amid competition Alphabet’s Waymo said on Wednesday that it would begin offering robotaxi rides that use freeways across San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, a first for the Google subsidiary as it steps up expansion amid global and domestic…

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  • Tech giants vow to defend users in US as spyware companies make inroads with Trump administration

    Apple and WhatsApp say they will keep warning users if their phones are targeted by governments using hacking software against them Apple and WhatsApp have vowed to keep warning users if their mobile phones are targeted by governments using hacking software against them, including in the US, as two spyware makers seek to make inroads…

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  • Can OpenAI keep pace with industry’s soaring costs?

    As investor jitters grow, the loss-making ChatGPT firm’s vast spending commitments test the limits of Silicon Valley optimism It is the $1.4tn (£1.1tn) question. How can a loss-making startup such as OpenAI afford such a staggering spending commitment? Answer that positively and it will go a long way to easing investor concerns over bubble warnings…

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  • Tesla shareholders approve $1tn pay package for Elon Musk

    Chants of ‘Elon’ erupt after compensation plan approved despite opposition from several high-profile investors Tesla shareholders approved a $1tn compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk on Thursday, awarding the world’s richest person what would be the largest corporate payout in history if he meets the goals necessary to receive it. The pay package, which several…

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  • Global stock markets fall sharply over AI bubble fears

    Drop in US, Asia and Europe follows warning from bank bosses that market correction could lie ahead Business live – latest updates Global stock markets have fallen sharply amid concerns that a boom in valuations of artificial intelligence (AI) companies could be rapidly cooling. Markets in the US, Asia and Europe have fallen after bank…

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  • ‘The chilling effect’: how fear of ‘nudify’ apps and AI deepfakes is keeping Indian women off the internet

    Widespread adoption of artificial intelligence has been accompanied by new ways to harass women online Gaatha Sarvaiya would like to post on social media and share her work online. An Indian law graduate in her early 20s, she is in the earliest stages of her career and trying to build a public profile. The problem…

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  • Facebook’s job ads algorithm is sexist, French equality watchdog rules

    Regulator found ads for mechanics skewed towards men while those for preschool teachers targeted women The French equalities regulator has ruled that Facebook’s algorithm for placing job adverts is sexist, after an investigation found that adverts for mechanic roles skewed towards men while those for preschool teachers were targeted at women. The Défenseur des Droits…

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  • AI study gives insights into why super-recognisers excel at identifying faces

    Research uses eye-tracking data to examine some people’s extraordinary recognition ability They have been used in the search for the Salisbury novichok poisoners, finding murder suspects and even spotting sexual predators. Now, research has revealed fresh insights into why super-recognisers are so good at identifying faces. Previous research has suggested people with an extraordinary ability…

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  • Elon Musk’s $1tn Tesla pay deal to be rejected by huge Norway wealth fund

    Carmaker’s seventh biggest single investor will vote against package at annual shareholder meeting Business live – latest updates Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has said it will vote against a $1tn (£765bn) pay package for the Tesla chief executive, Elon Musk. The fund, which is the biggest national wealth fund in the world, said that while…

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