Odyssey director addresses industry fears over artificial intelligence and says rightwing criticism of Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy is irrelevant'The Oscar-winning director Christopher Nolan believes the kind of movies he makes - big-budget action films shot mostly on location - would survive the spread of artificial intelligence, a technology he says many people disdain".The Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight director is promoting his latest blockbuster, an adaptation of the Greek epic The Odyssey, which will be released in cinemas this week. Continue reading...
The Guardian's global tech reporting team are investigating the impact of the vast datacentres being built to power the AI revolution. We spoke to them about how their beat has become increasingly offlineJournalists often use the term shoe-leather reporting" to refer to the on-the-ground legwork that goes into covering certain stories. As the tech industry's focus has shifted from screen-based realities to the physical world of colossal AI datacentres and social media harms, comfortable footwear has become more essential to a tech reporter's job.Earlier this week, we published the Guardian's latest investigation into the datacentres and energy infrastructures that underpin AI - revealing that an 8.2bn AI complex in rural Scotland has misrepresented its plans to be powered entirely by on-site renewables. Our reporting is showing that you can't simply wave a magic wand and have a datacentre appear," says Aisha Down, who covers AI for the Guardian and went to Scotland to investigate the story. There are a lot of huge physical constraints and reality checks. These physical, tangible things are what makes or sinks the AI boom." Continue reading...
With five light modes targeting everything from fine lines to blemishes and pigmentation, CurrentBody's latest mask promises a lot - and so does its price tag The best LED face masksI've been testing LED masks for a couple of years now, and the CurrentBody Series 2 red-light face mask has long been my favourite option for anti-ageing. It's comfortable, offers excellent coverage and powerful deep near-infrared treatments. Sadly, it doesn't work for other skin concerns. It's a one-trick pony.So, when I heard that CurrentBody had launched its Multi Light Therapy mask with five different modes, I was interested to see how it would stand up to the stellar performance of its predecessor. As someone with hormonal acne, I was especially keen to try the mask's clearing" mode, but it also offers a calming restoring" mode, a pigmentation-reducing brightening" mode, and a distinctive complete" mode, as well as the anti-ageing" mode. Continue reading...
When Mark Lanier and his young client Kaley faced the tech giants in an LA courtroom earlier this year, it seemed a bigger battle than David v Goliath. But they scored a landmark victory, proving that the social media giants had created addiction machines' that harmed mental health. How did they pull it off?When Mark Zuckerberg walked into a Los Angeles courtroom on 18 February flanked by an entourage bedecked in Meta Ray-Bans, some people laughed. If this was an attempt at product placement for the company's newest range of smart glasses, it was jarringly ill-judged: Zuckerberg was about to testify before a jury in a landmark lawsuit that sought to prove that Instagram and YouTube are addictive by design, and he had passed a throng of bereaved parents on his way into the courthouse. But the prosecution team, led by Mark Lanier, were not laughing.This was a serious trial. For the first time, the most powerful names in social media were being held to account for the inherent design of their platforms, rather than the content hosted on them. They were accused of deliberately and maliciously building products that keep children hooked, with disastrous consequences for the mental wellbeing of young people.It was a landmark case - a big tobacco moment for big tech. Continue reading...
Software engineering was one of the best-paying professions in the US in 2022, but the advent of AI has disrupted it, leading to several layoffs and underemploymentEvery weekday, Matt, a software engineer, looks forward to his four-hour train commute to Pawling, New York. It's time he uses to work on his own project: a browser-based video game for which he writes every line of code himself.I am actively trying to keep my axe sharp," said Matt, who did not want to use his actual name, to protect his employment. In the last six months, Matt's job has increasingly shifted away from coding, problem solving and software architecture towards reviewing code generated by artificial intelligence. Convinced that the shift will weaken his skills, he's doing what he can to keep them intact. I am trying not to leverage AI where I can." Continue reading...
Fraudsters create false articles that appear to be from publishers such as the Guardian to share on social mediaThe Guardian article looks interesting. It says the billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has stormed out of a BBC interview after presenter Laura Kuenssberg revealed details of his personal financial affairs - and now the episode has been removed from iPlayer.Among the detail in the piece is that Ratcliffe has been using an online investment platform to make money. The report says although the site has been kept secret, other people have used it too, and they have made a fortune. There is a link to the site where you can trade cryptocurrency, stocks and shares. Continue reading...
Anthony Albanese will deliver a landmark speech on AI this week as MPs are torn between attracting datacentre investment and protecting the rights of creatives
Microsoft, Amazon and Google say they still aim to achieve net zero output despite construction boomMicrosoft, Amazon and Google's collective carbon emissions have increased by nearly a fifth in the past year, driven largely by datacentre construction.In the financial year ending March 2026, the three tech companies emitted 119m mTCOe (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), or about a third of those of France. Continue reading...
Experts say there will still be opportunities ahead in everything from teaching to hotels and the lawEntering the world of work often brings some uncertainty, but now there is another question: how can I AI-proof my career?We asked people from across various industries what they think the impact of AI will be on careers, and which jobs may be less affected. While it is still early days for the tech, many had ideas abouthow you can best prepare yourself for a successful career in this new world. Continue reading...
Meta was criticised for feature launched on Tuesday that automatically lets users generate images using content from public Instagram accountsMeta has said it is discontinuing an AI feature launched this week that allowed users to generate images using public Instagram accounts, after drawing widespread criticism over privacy concerns, including from a Hollywood union.Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way," Meta said in a statement. Continue reading...
Suit claims OpenAI poached Apple workers, coaxing them to share confidential material in bid to create hardwareApple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday alleging the artificial intelligence firm stole company trade secrets in a move to create its own hardware device.The suit claims OpenAI poached Apple employees, coaxing them to hand over confidential material, product designs and other tightly held information. Continue reading...
Sony Pictures and Paramount are said to also be among potential buyers for the film-focused social platformLetterboxd is reportedly in talks with potential buyers.The owners of the popular social platform for movies are discussing a sale with companies including Netflix, Sony Pictures and Paramount, according to the industry newsletter Puck. Continue reading...
Direct oversight of critical third parties' such as Oracle and Microsoft given to ensure resilient cyber-defences and help safeguard UK economyThe Bank of England has been handed powers to regulate important tech firms including Amazon and Google from next week, amid fears that system failures could threaten financial stability and harm consumers.From Monday, the Bank and fellow City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will be in charge of ensuring that four large-scale providers of cloud and tech services to banks are resilient and actively reducing the risk of cyber-attacks and major outages that could disrupt services for millions of people and businesses across the UK. Continue reading...
Regulators say Facebook and Instagram features such as autoplay and infinite scroll contribute to compulsive use'EU regulators have accused Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, of failing to tackle the risks of its addictive design" on the physical and mental health of users.In an official charge sheet against Meta released on Friday, the European Commission said features such as video autoplay and infinite scroll, which provides an endless stream of content, shift the brain into autopilot mode, contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use". Continue reading...
Pokemon Go celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Times Square takeover in New York featuring a special event to defeat the Pokemon species Mewtwo. Nearly 2,000 people played the game together simultaneously in what organisers called one of the largest in-person Pokemon battles in history Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent on (#76X4F)
Civil liberties groups say Facewatch system in stores such as Sainsbury's and B&M is dangerous escalation'Facial recognition technology in shops will soon alert police in real time to the presence of serious offenders, with civil liberties groups warning of a dangerous escalation" towards surveillance and criminalisation in the retail sector.Facewatch, a facial recognition system used by more than 100 businesses including Sainsbury's, B&M and Spar to monitor thieves, said it was launching a UK-first feature to alert police instantly when the most serious offenders trigger a live facial recognition match". Continue reading...
Exclusive: Senator Ed Markey on why he has proposed legislation aimed at curbing datacenters, automated hiring systems and harm to childrenUS senator Ed Markey is worried about the perils of unregulated artificial intelligence.What part? All of it: the costs associated with thirsty, energy-guzzling datacenters, intrusive workplace surveillance, bias in discriminatory algorithms, AI overriding workers' judgments, and deepening economic inequality - as those who profit most from AI rake in extraordinary windfalls. Continue reading...
SK hynix, a supplier of advanced memory chips, has seen profits skyrocket thanks to the global race to build AI datacentresSouth Korean chip maker SK hynix set pricing for its mega US listing on Friday, aiming to raise $26.5bn as it takes advantage of the AI boom in what will be one of the world's biggest ever stock sales.The Asian semiconductor giant plans to issue the equivalent of about 18m shares on Wall Street's tech-heavy Nasdaq index later in the day. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#76WSH)
Exclusive: Plan to improve skills of thousands of financial sector workers to keep pace with tech revolutionChancellor Rachel Reeves is to announce a new City skills compact" that will commit firms such as Barclays and Lloyds to retraining thousands of financial sector workers for the AI revolution.The financial services skills compact will be launched on Tuesday, during what is likely to be Reeves's final Mansion House speech to City bosses before Andy Burnham's expected takeover of No 10. The government-backed initiative will commit employers to improving workers' skills and helping them keep pace" with significant technological changes that have prompted fears of mass redundancies. Continue reading...
Returning from annual leave, Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady has faced a barrage of questions for the first time since the company's nationwide outage on Wednesday affected train services, payment systems and triple zero calls. Brady says the failure was not the result of job restructuring, insisting that 'people and processes worked as they should have'. She said Telstra would conduct a thorough investigation into the software glitch behind the outage.An earlier headline on this video incorrectly said Telstra was reviewing executive bonuses in light of the incident
Returning from annual leave, Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady has faced a barrage of questions for the first time since the company's nationwide outage on Wednesday affected train services, payment systems and triple zero calls. Brady says the failure was not the result of job restructuring, insisting that 'people and processes worked as they should have'. She said Telstra would conduct a thorough investigation into the software glitch behind the outage.An earlier headline on this video incorrectly said Telstra was reviewing executive bonuses in light of the incident
Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country's south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollutionPeople living near the site of New Zealand's first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre's huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them.Singapore-based company Datagrid has secured approval to build a NZ$3.5bn (US$2bn) AI datacentre on a 49-hectare site in Makarewa, just north of New Zealand's southern-most city, Invercargill. Construction is due to begin this year, with the centre becoming operational by 2028. Continue reading...
Instagram users should check privacy settings after rollout of new Meta AI image generator, advocates warnMeta has sparked blowback from privacy advocates for allowing its new AI image maker to generate photos of users with public profiles by default.Users of Meta's Muse Image AI tool, released Tuesday, can tag public Instagram profiles and generate pictures that pull from faces of people featured in these social media posts. Instagram users are not notified when their posts are integrated into what the company describes as its most advanced image generation model yet". Continue reading...
Staggered release of ChatGPT 5.6 follows similar restrictions on rival firm Anthropic's latest AI modelsOpenAI released its latest advanced AI model, called ChatGPT 5.6, on Thursday after earlier delaying the public rollout over US government concerns about cybersecurity. The Trump administration had requested last month that OpenAI limit the release to a small group of government-approved users.OpenAI complied with the White House's request last month. The company stated in a blogpost that it had briefed government officials on ChatGPT 5.6's capabilities and restricted the model to trusted partners at their behest. The product's wider release came after additional testing by the government's Center for AI Standards and Innovation agency, according to Axios. Continue reading...
Low-emissivity windows also keep houses warm in winter, but use on bowed glass can have magnifying-glass effectLow-emissivity or low-E window glass is a useful green technology for keeping buildings warm in winter and cool in summer ... but a rare side-effect can set the neighbours' property on fire.The glass is coated with a thin layer of metal or metal oxide which lets visible light through but acts like a mirror in the infrared. Heat from the interior is reflected back in, retaining warmth in winter, while unwanted solar radiation is repelled in summer. Continue reading...
Meta said it was working with officials to be a good neighbor' and drinking water supplies were not affectedOfficials in Wyoming said a contractor for Mark Zuckerberg's tech company, Meta, flushed bacteria-contaminated water into public sewers during construction of a controversial new AI datacenter.The incident prompted water authorities in Cheyenne to implement strict safety regulations on how wastewater from such projects is disposed of, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, which first reported the incident. Continue reading...
Political campaigns are increasingly deploying AI and deepfakes to further their messaging, and the scale of spread has experts concernedFrom the comfort of his bed, Jonathan Rinaldi, a political candidate for a city council seat in Queens, New York, tinkered away on his iPhone, prompting an artificial intelligence chatbot to mock up fake news hits and endorsements he had never received.During the campaign last October, Rinaldi shared one of those stories, made to appear real with a CNN logo, on his Facebook and Instagram. It stated that Lynn Schulman, his opponent and an incumbent Democrat, had been forced to drop out of the race due to a series of critical mistakes". But Schulman had not quit her campaign, and in November, won by a landslide. Continue reading...
July update projects GDP growth of 1% this year, making UK the third fastest-growing economy in the G7The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has upgraded its growth forecast for the UK, while leaving those for other G7 countries weaker or unchanged, amid hopes the economic impact of the Iran war may be less severe than feared.In a July update of its World Economic Outlook, which was finalised before the latest outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East, the Washington-based organisation projected UK gross domestic product to grow by 1% this year - up 0.2 percentage points from its April forecast. Continue reading...
Report finds widespread overbidding as rapid AI growth generates increased wealth in city where housing is scarceSan Francisco's AI boom has buyers spending unprecedented amounts of money on homes - much more than sellers are asking for.A new analysis from real-estate brokerage Compass, found that in the first half of 2026, more than 140 homes in the city sold for at least $1m above their asking price, 44 of them in June alone. Continue reading...
Experts say cuts have hindered the response to DRC's Ebola outbreak and resulted in significant numbers' of deathsElon Musk has an Ebola problem. SpaceX stock dropped precipitously after its initial public offering, and Tesla faces a wave of lawsuits. But instead of focusing on his companies, Musk has posted frequently on X about the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which he helped dismantle - or, in his words, feed into the woodchipper - last year.Elon's USAID crash-out over the past week has been a thing to behold," said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former top USAID official who oversaw the agency's Ebola response in 2014-2015 and the president of Refugees International. In a way, it's helpful that Elon is doing this, because it's putting attention back on the issue of what he did last year." Continue reading...
The massively multiplayer online role-playing game has grown into a virtual social space and part of daily life for thousands of playersIn a small stone chapel, on the edgelands of a medieval wilderness, two women are getting married. The attenders are draped in rainbow capes, glowing armour and top hats. A scantily clad, muscular man with angel wings officiates the ceremony. Over the heads of the two brides hover the words I do" in bright yellow text. This is RuneScape, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (or MMO) set in the Tolkienesque realm of Gielinor. Turning 25 this year, it has, over its lifetime, become a crucial virtual social space and part of daily life for thousands of players.Lancashire-born Amelia, one of the pixelated newlyweds, met her wife on a dating app but first bonded through their love of the game. Our first and second date was pretty much exclusively talking about RuneScape," she recalls. Four years later they were married, shortly followed by their in-game ceremony. Morgan - a 26-year-old from the Midlands - is one of Amelia's closest friends. They met through the game and run UWU Girls together, a RuneScape clan that Morgan founded in a bid to cater to players across the gender spectrum. We do IRL meetups, and for a lot of these women, it's been their first meetings with strangers online - and that's the same for me." Continue reading...
Large-scale datacentre projects around the world are being challenged or cancelled, as infrastructure's energy demands ramp upDatacentre planning proposals face all kinds of hurdles, from securing energy supply to high construction costs. But the 2,000 acre Prince William Digital Gateway site in the US state of Virginia had another problem: its proximity to a Civil War battlefield.If the development is allowed to proceed, the solemn nature of this historic site would become marred by sitting in the shadow of the monstrous datacentres, along with their associated electrical infrastructure," said one legal brief against the plans. Continue reading...
With three ways to cool down and a cold plate that can lower skin temperature by up to 9C, Shark's latest fan is a standout if you can justify the cost The best handheld fans, testedWhen I first wrote my guide to the best handheld fans in 2025, familiar electronics brands in the space were hard to come by. But, like buses, two have arrived at once this summer. The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool provided plenty of power, but missed the mark on the hush" part of its branding, and now it's time for Shark's debut mini fan: the ChillPill.In words that I never expected to write, Dyson's product is the cheaper option - although everything is relative. While the HushJet Mini Cool is a penny below three figures, the Shark ChillPill blasts through that ceiling, coming in at 129.99. Continue reading...
A Financial Times journalist ponders the future of labour in world increasingly dominated by AI and automationIt's never been easy to land and keep a decent job. But it feels like it's getting harder. In June, the number of job vacancies in the UK fell to a five-year low; headlines warn of a looming AI-employment shock. What might the future of work look like - and who or what will shape its terms? In her new book, Sarah O'Connor goes looking for answers in the modern collision of artificial intelligence, automation, and human labour.This clash between human and machine - and the fight to secure decent working conditions even as the pressure to maximise production mounts - is nothing new. Neither are concerns about the health risks of repetitive factory work or the loss of creative craftsmanship and independent judgment in the wake of mechanisation. O'Connor has been a reporter at the Financial Times for nearly two decades, and although We Are Not Machines looks to the future, many of the threats AI poses to workers' dignity and safety look a lot like reconfigurations of old battles. The book takes its title from the signs striking Swedish miners carried in 1969 as they protested their employers' new methods of monitoring their output. Vi ar ej maskiner", their signs read: We are not machines." Continue reading...
Scottish government to consider SNP national council motion for moratorium on all new datacentresThe Scottish government is about to consider a sweeping moratorium on building new datacentres, putting a key plank of the UK's AI strategy at risk.Last Sunday the Scottish National party (SNP)'s national council passed a motion to freeze all new datacentres in Scotland. That motion has been sent to the Scottish government to consider. Continue reading...
Thousands of gaming jobs will be shed over the coming fiscal year as Microsoft continues to invest heavily in AIMicrosoft said on Monday it was eliminating about 4,800 jobs - roughly 2% of its global workforce - in a cost-cutting move that will deliver a sweeping restructuring of its struggling Xbox gaming division.The cuts include the deepest overhaul in Xbox's history, with approximately 3,200 gaming jobs to be shed over the coming fiscal year, four game studios being spun off or sold, and a fifth entering a review process that could lead to closure, the company said. Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#76SN0)
FCA's review into how tech will reshape financial services warns about amplified risks of cyber-crime and fraudMinisters have been urged to toughen the City regulator's powers to protect consumers against the potential risks of AI, according to a landmark review.The Mills review by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which looked at how AI will reshape financial services from 2030 onward, found that companies are already starting to shift from human-led activities towards AI-enabled services for everyday consumers. Continue reading...
Researchers say small changes in drafting could spread rapidly and create long-term shifts in public opinionAI tools are twisting online messages on sensitive political topics about everything from abortion to climate change in ways that could snowball to reshape long-term public opinion, experts have said.As tech companies push AI tools as convenient ways to redraft and summarise the massive influx of daily messages, many inject their own political biases - some leaning distinctly rightwing, others more liberal, according to a study from Oxford and Potsdam universities. Continue reading...
I used to think my phone helped me to relax. But setting strict limits on my usage has improved my mood and my relationshipsI am a psychotherapist who works with frazzled, snappy parents, and spend my days writing about why we struggle to find calm. I also used to pick up my phone hundreds of times a day, failing to realise that it was making me a snappier, more irritable, less present mother.My phone was my office, my income, my means of communication. Every time I checked it, there was something to action, a notification of something new, something that told me I was useful and productive, giving me dopamine hits that motherhood didn't offer. It had become my coping mechanism. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#76SKH)
Elbit Systems supplied Tzayad digital army programme to map people, vehicles and other objects in real timeIsrael identified about 1,000 potential targets a day during the first two years of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon with its command and control system, according to a presentation by the country's largest arms supplier, Elbit Systems.A total of 850,000 targets were detected in real time by the Israeli Tzayad digital army programme across all the military's theatres of war between 7 October and the end of 2025, the company said at a military conference in London. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#76T1Y)
Premium Bluetooth noise-cancelling cans combine comfort with extensive connectivity and a user-replaceable batterySennheiser's latest Momentum Bluetooth headphones build on the German audio specialist's renowned sound quality with improved noise cancelling, exceptional comfort and a user-replaceable battery to keep pace with rivals.The Momentum 5s cost 330 (400/$400/A$749) and directly replace their three-year-old predecessors, facing strong competition from Bose, Sony and Sonos. Continue reading...
Cooling down has become political amid record highs, as experts say row is distracting from work of protecting livesAs the afternoon heat rose to a dizzying 41.7C (107F) in eastern Brandenburg on Sunday, taking German temperatures to unprecedented highs, Mario, 65, took precautions but did not panic. Two years ago, a fierce heatwave had prompted him to buy a powerful device that few Germans own: an air conditioning unit.The summers are slowly getting warmer," says the retired handyman in Neuzelle on the German-Polish border, whose bungalow is now among the 6% of German homes with fixed air-conditioning. And as you get older, the heat gets harder to endure." Continue reading...
Update in England expected to reach about 200,000 patients over the next year as part of 10bn package to overhaul NHS systemsThe NHS will begin using AI on its app to direct patients to the appropriate services, it has been announced.The tool will be used to triage patients and to ascertain if they should be allocated a GP appointment. Some may be advised to attend a pharmacy or their local A&E department instead, depending on the severity of their condition. Continue reading...
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