Meta chief says it has improved identifying underage users but adds I always wish we could have gotten there sooner'The Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, testified at a landmark trial of social media companies on Wednesday. Plaintiffs' lawyers grilled Zuckerberg about internal complaints that not enough was being done to verify whether children under 13 were using the platform.Zuckerberg claimed Meta had improved in identifying underage users but also said: I always wish that we could have gotten there sooner." Continue reading...
We all know one - and there's a good chance you fall into the category yourself. Here's how to recognise if you're a walking, talking red flag' ...Name: Finger princess.Age: The term circulated this month, but the behaviour has been escalating across digital communication for some time. Continue reading...
We boiled litres of water to find the best electric kettles, from hard-water heroes to vintage-style, repairable and wifi-connected models The best air fryers, tried and tested for crisp and crunchDespite the march of progress, the humble kettle remains a kitchen staple. It's what we turn to in times of strife, when spirits are flagging, or to start our day. And when a visitor calls, one of the first things we do is put the kettle on.While many small appliances have evolved beyond their original form, the kettle's basic principles remain largely unchanged. Water goes in and heats up until a thermostat switches it off; the water then pours out, and we enjoy a cuppa. However, the technology that goes into a kettle has been slowly improving: better insulation to keep water hotter for longer and reduce reboils; different temperature settings to suit every drink from green tea to herbal brews; and more features such as filters and concealed elements to keep scale out of our cups.Best kettle overall:
Business leaders tout AI as a path to shorter weeks and better balance. But without power, workers are unlikely to share the gainsThe front-page headline in a recent Washington Post was breathless: These companies say AI is key to their four-day workweeks." The subhead was euphoric: Some companies are giving workers back more time as artificial intelligence takes over more tasks."As the Post explained: more companies may move toward a shortened workweek, several executives and researchers predict, as workers, especially those in younger generations, continue to push for better work-life balance."Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now Continue reading...
The drama about two startup innovators defeated by their egotistical overreach feels as if it presages these AI timesThe crisis facing a couple of middle-aged Belgian tech bros in the 1990s might be better suited to a European streaming-TV drama - maybe with the two antiheroes' travails confined to the first episode, setting up a lengthier intergenerational drama taking us to the present. Nonetheless, here it is: a feature film in the Berlin competition from screenwriter Angelo Tijssens and director Anke Blonde, handsomely produced and shot, and impeccably acted. But it's also weirdly parochial, leaving you with the sense that it has not reached beyond its immediate concerns; and it's not clear as to why, exactly, we need a fictionalised crisis from the 90s inspired by a real-life financial fraud scandal.Well, perhaps the point is that very smallness and sadness: a pathetic tale of the first, almost-forgotten dotcom bust, which holds an omen for our AI-obsessed present. Arieh Worthalter and Jan Hammenecker play Geert and Luc, two balding guys who, in the late 90s, are Belgium's pinup boys of tech innovation. Their startup company has gone public and made them both very rich, and all their local friends, family and businesses have plunged every cent of their savings into shares. Geert and Luc are now poised to turn the mud of Flanders into a European Silicon Valley. Continue reading...
Milano Cortina has cuttingedge replays, chasecam drones and exuberant commentary bringing a wave of unexpected nostalgia for anyone who grew up on 90s extremesports games Don't get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAs someone whose childhood holidays consisted of narrowboating along the Grand Union canal or wandering the harbour-side at Whitby looking for vampires, I have never been on a skiing break. The idea of plummeting down a hill on anything but a plastic sledge is totally alien to me. And yet, my wife and I have been gripped by the Winter Olympics, especially the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events. And I think I know why. Those events are really channelling the look and feel of the wintery sports sims I've always loved - especially those that arrived during a golden period in the mid-1990s.This was the era in which snowboarding was exploding in popularity, especially among twentysomethings with disposable incomes and no responsibilities - which coincidentally was the games industry's target market at the time. Perhaps the first title to take advantage of this trend was Namco's 1996 arcade game Alpine Surfer, which challenged players to stand on a snowboard-shaped controller and swoop as quickly as possible down a mountainside - it was one of the most physically exhausting coin-ops I ever played. Later that year came the self-consciously hip PlayStation sim Cool Boarders, and then in 1998, my absolute favourite, 1080 Snowboarding on the N64, with it's intuitive analog controls and incredibly authentic sound effects of boards cutting through deep, crisp snow. Continue reading...
Substances include chemicals that can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of malesYou wear them at work, you wear them at play, you wear them to relax. You may even get sweaty in them at the gym.But an investigation into headphones has found every single pair tested contained substances hazardous to human health, including chemicals that can cause cancer, neurodevelopmental problems and the feminisation of males. Continue reading...
Eye-catching martial arts performance at China gala had viewers and experts wondering what else humanoids can doDancing humanoid robots took centre stage on Monday during the annual China Media Group's Spring Festival Gala, China's most-watched official television broadcast. They lunged and backflipped (landing on their knees), they spun around and jumped. Not one fell over.The display was impressive, but prompted some to wonder: if robots can now dance and perform martial arts, what else can they do? Continue reading...
Google, Anthropic and OpenAI bosses to mingle with global south leaders wrestling for control over technologySilicon Valley tech billionaires will land in Delhi this week for an AI summit hosted by India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, where leaders of the global south will wrestle for control over the fast-developing technology.During the week-long AI Impact Summit, attended by thousands of tech executives, government officials and AI safety experts, tech companies valued at trillions of dollars will rub along with leaders of countries such as Kenya and Indonesia, where average wages dip well below $1,000 a month. Continue reading...
San Francisco's AI startups are pushing workers to grind endlessly, hinting at pressures soon hitting other sectorsNot long after the terms 996" and grindcore" entered the popular lexicon, people started telling me stories about what was happening at startups in San Francisco, ground zero for the artificial intelligence economy. There was the one about the founder who hadn't taken a weekend off in more than six months. The woman who joked that she'd given up her social life to work at a prestigious AI company. Or the employees who had started taking their shoes off in the office because, well, if you were going to be there for at least 12 hours a day, six days a week, wouldn't you rather be wearing slippers?If you go to a cafe on a Sunday, everyone is working," says Sanju Lokuhitige, the co-founder of Mythril, a pre-seed-stage AI startup, who moved to San Francisco in November to be closer to the action. Lokuhitige says he works seven days a week, 12 hours a day, minus a few carefully selected social events each week where he can network with other people at startups. Sometimes I'm coding the whole day," he says. I do not have work-life balance." Continue reading...
Its fibre checker' tool confirmed I could have a connection, but a month later it changed its mindMy internet provider informed me by email that full fibre broadband had become available for my property, confirmed by Openreach's fibre checker" tool.After a month, Openreach declared the connection uneconomical due to blockages in the conduits below the road. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#73M93)
Industry using diversionary' tactics, says analyst, as energy-hungry complex functions such as video generation and deep research proliferateTech companies are conflating traditional artificial intelligence with generative AI when claiming the energy-hungry technology could help avert climate breakdown, according to a report.Most claims that AI can help avert climate breakdown refer to machine learning and not the energy-hungry chatbots and image generation tools driving the sector's explosive growth of gas-guzzling datacentres, the analysis of 154 statements found. Continue reading...
Multiple game creators describe ineffective moderation on the platform, resulting in unchecked hatred in forums and targeted campaigns of negative anti-woke' reviewsFor years, the gaming storefront Steam has let abuse and bigotry pass through its moderation, according to players and developers who use it. The platform is now host to reams of content that violate its own guidelines.According to developers who spoke with the Guardian, abuse - particularly directed towards transgender creators - is a fact of life on the platform. Everyone is at one another's throats all the time in reviews, discussions, forums, anywhere you can possibly find it on Steam," says content creator and Steam curator Bri BlondePizza" Moore. It ensures no one is safe on the platform; developers and consumers alike." Continue reading...
Exclusive: Google fails to include safety warnings when users are first presented with AI-generated medical adviceGoogle is putting people at risk of harm by downplaying safety warnings that its AI-generated medical advice may be wrong.When answering queries about sensitive topics such as health, the company says its AI Overviews, which appear above search results, prompt users to seek professional help, rather than relying solely on its summaries. AI Overviews will inform people when it's important to seek out expert advice or to verify the information presented," Google has said. Continue reading...
The charger firm claimed the site operated 24 hours a day, but the parking operator had different ideasI charged my electric car at the 24-hour Mer EV charging station in my local B&Q car park.I then received a 100 parking charge notice (PCN) from the car park operator, Ocean Parking. It said no parking is allowed on the site between 9pm and 6am. Continue reading...
by Written by Rebecca Solnit and read by Laurel Lefko on (#73KGK)
Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out - but it's going to take collective effortBy Rebecca Solnit. Read by Laurel Lefkow Continue reading...
The hit podcaster, author and former GP says a failure to regulate big tech is failing a generation of children'. He explains why he quit the NHS and why he wants a ban on screen-based homeworkA 16-year-old boy and his mum went to see their GP, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, on a busy Monday afternoon. That weekend, the boy had been at A&E after an attempt at self-harm, and in his notes the hospital doctor had recommended the teenager be prescribed antidepressants. I thought: Wait a minute, I can't just start a 16-year-old on antidepressants,'" says Chatterjee. He wanted to understand what was going on in the boy's life.They talked for a while, and Chatterjee asked him about his screen use, which turned out to be high. I said: I think your screen use, particularly in the evenings, might be impacting your mental wellbeing.'" Chatterjee helped the boy and his mother set up a routine where digital devices and social media went off an hour before bed, gradually extending the screen-free period over six weeks. After two months, he says the boy stopped needing to see him. A few months after that, his mother wrote Chatterjee a note to say her son had been transformed - he was engaging with his friends and trying new activities. He was, she said, like a different boy from the one who had ended up in hospital. Continue reading...
Starmer to announce crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI' after scandal involving Elon Musk's Grok toolMakers of AI chatbots that put children at risk will face massive fines or even see their services blocked in the UK under law changes to be announced by Keir Starmer on Monday.Emboldened by Elon Musk's X stopping its Grok AI tool from creating sexualised images of real people in the UK after public outrage last month, ministers are planning a crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI". Continue reading...
As Gavin Newsom departs, ultra-wealthy flex wealth and influence to fight regulation and keep the boom goingTech billionaires are leveraging tens of millions of dollars to influence California politics in a marked uptick from their previous participation in affairs at the state capitol. Behemoths such as Google and Meta are getting involved in campaigns for November's elections, as are venture capitalists, cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and Palantir's co-founders. The industry's goals run the gamut - from fighting a billionaire tax to supporting a techie gubernatorial candidate to firing up new, influential super political action committees (Pacs).The phenomenon squarely fits the moment for the state's politics - with 2026 being the year that Politico has dubbed the big tech flex". Continue reading...
Fraudsters use stolen personal details to send out products, then post a fake verified and positive online reviewA package arrives but you can't remember ordering anything.When you open it, you find some cheap, flimsy jewellery. Continue reading...
Agentic AI apps first interview you and then give you limited matches selected for similarity and reciprocity of personality'Dating apps exploit you, dating profiles lie to you, and sex is basically something old people used to do. You might as well consider it: can AI help you find love?For a handful of tech entrepreneurs and a few brave Londoners, the answer is maybe". Continue reading...
Many people bought the devices thinking they would do little more than protect their delivery packagesWhat 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 Super Bowl ad by the doorbell-camera company Ring and the FBI's pursuit of the kidnapper of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, have resurfaced longstanding concerns about surveillance against a backdrop of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The fear is that home cameras' video feeds could become yet another part of the government's mass surveillance apparatus. Continue reading...
Wall Street Journal says Claude used in operation via Anthropic's partnership with Palantir TechnologiesClaude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a high-profile example of how the US defence department is using artificial intelligence in its operations.The US raid on Venezuela involved bombing across the capital, Caracas, and the killing of 83 people, according to Venezuela's defence ministry. Anthropic's terms of use prohibit the use of Claude for violent ends, for the development of weapons or for conducting surveillance. Continue reading...
From handheld to corded, self-emptying to stick models, these are our resident cleaner's favourite vacuums for a spotless home The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested
An AI clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has caused concern among industry figuresA leading Hollywood figure has warned it's likely over for us", after watching a widely disseminated AI-generated clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting.Rhett Reese, co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, Zombieland and Now You See Me: Now You Don't was reacting to a 15-second video showing Cruise and Pitt trading punches on a rubble-strewn bridge, posted by Irish film-maker Ruairi Robinson, director of 2013 sci-fi horror The Last Days on Mars. Reposting the clip on social media, Reese wrote: I hate to say it. It's likely over for us." Continue reading...
Its human partners said the flirty, quirky GPT-4o was the perfect companion - on the eve of Valentine's Day, it's being turned off for good. How will users cope?Brandie plans to spend her last day with Daniel at the zoo. He always loved animals. Last year, she took him to the Corpus Christi aquarium in Texas, where he lost his damn mind" over a baby flamingo. He loves the color and pizzazz," Brandie said. Daniel taught her that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.Daniel is a chatbot powered by the large language model ChatGPT. Brandie communicates with Daniel by sending text and photos, talks to Daniel while driving home from work via voice mode. Daniel runs on GPT-4o, a version released by OpenAI in 2024 that is known for sounding human in a way that is either comforting or unnerving, depending on who you ask. Upon debut, CEO Sam Altman compared the model to AI from the movies" - a confidant ready to live life alongside its user. Continue reading...
The firm remains confident even as the market flips from seeing it as an AI winner to fearing its profit margin will implodeAs the FTSE 100 index bobs along close to all-time highs, it is easy to miss the quiet share price crash in one corner of the market. It's got a name - the Claude crash", referencing the plug-in legal products added by the AI firm Anthropic to its Claude Cowork office assistant.This launch, or so you would think from the panicked stock market reaction in the past few weeks, marks the moment when the AI revolution rips chunks out of some of the UK's biggest public companies - those in the dull but successful data" game, including Relx, the London Stock Exchange Group, Experian, Sage and Informa. Continue reading...
But, after second day of Wall Street falls, analysts say sell-off may overstate AI's immediate risk to complex deal-making'Shares in commercial property services companies have tumbled, in the latest sell-off driven by fears over disruption from artificial intelligence.After steep declines on Wall Street, European stocks in the sector were hit on Thursday. Continue reading...
Sedentary lifestyles are bad for us, but which under-desk treadmills and walking pads are worth the cost? Our expert stepped up to find out The best treadmills for your homeVarious guidelines suggest we all try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day to improve our health and wellbeing. Public Health England encourages a slightly more manageable target of just 10 minutes of brisk walking daily to introduce more moderate-intensity physical activity and reduce your risk of early death by up to 15%.However, even squeezing in brisk walks" can be a chore, with busy schedules and increasingly desk-bound jobs forcing more of us to remain sedentary for long periods. That is where walking pads come in, being lighter, smaller and often easier to store than bulky and tricky-to-manoeuvre running treadmills.Best walking pad overall:
Adam Mosseri defends app on witness stand and says critics must separate clinical addiction' from problematic use'Instagram's CEO dismissed the idea that users can be addicted to social media at a landmark California trial on Wednesday.I think it's important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use," Adam Mosseri said on the witness stand. Psychologists do not classify social media addiction as an official diagnosis. Researchers have documented the harmful consequences of compulsive use among young people, and lawmakers around the world are worried about its addictive potential. Continue reading...
Joshua Bonehill-Paine revealed as owner of X account known for videos depicting politicians such as Keir StarmerThe person behind an anonymous social media account that posts AI videos of UK politicians has been identified as a man who has spent time in prison for multiple hate crimes directed towards Jewish people.Joshua Bonehill-Paine was identified by Channel 4 News as the owner of Crewkerne Gazette, a satirical X account that created AI videos depicting politicians such as Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham apparently singing popular songs from artists such as Amy Winehouse, Barry Manilow and Elton John with altered, politically themed lyrics. Continue reading...
Businesses are using theatrical stunts not for shock alone but to create viral content and drive sales conversations onlineWhen Lunos, an AI startup in New York City, was gearing up for launch, its founder and chief executive, Duncan Barrigan, and his team wanted to make a splash. So they shelled out $3,500 to do the unconventional: hire a horse and a cowboy to lasso the bull of Wall Street.On a sweltering evening in late September, the cowboy galloped toward the iconic sculpture in lower Manhattan. Wearing ranch gear and a western hat stamped with the Lunos logo, he lassoed the bull's horns as invitees and curious passersby watched. He and the horse then circled the statue, handing out cowboy hats and branded stress balls. Continue reading...
Critics brand deal with regulator as lightweight' with no legal bite' as tech giants avoid legally binding measuresApple and Google have committed to avoid discriminating against apps that compete with their own products under an agreement with the UK's competition watchdog, as they avoided legally binding measures for their mobile platforms.The US tech companies have vowed to be more transparent about vetting third-party apps before letting them on their app stores and not discriminate against third-party apps in app search rankings. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#73F28)
Secure, noise-cancelling Bluetooth earbuds that shine for exercise and everyday use on Android and iPhoneApple's revamped compact workout Beats earbuds stick to a winning formula, while slimming down and improving comfort.The new Powerbeats Fit are the direct successors to 2022's popular Beats Fit Pro, costing 200 (230/$200/A$330). They sit alongside the recently redesigned Powerbeats Pro 2 as Apple's fitness alternatives of the AirPods. Continue reading...
Trading social media for Pokemon battles and evolutions in Kanto on a Game Boy Advance has been surprisingly sereneCutting back on doomscrolling must be one of the hardest new year resolutions to keep. Instinctively tapping on the usual suspects on your phone's home screen becomes a reflex, and vast quantities of money and user data have been specifically employed to keep you reaching for the phone, ingraining it into our work, leisure and social lives. You'll get no shame from me if you love your phone and have a healthy relationship with your apps, but I've found myself struggling lately.This year, I'm attempting to cut back on screen time - sort of. I'm replacing the sleek oblong of my smartphone with something a little more fuzzy and nostalgic. In an attempt to dismantle my bad habit, I'm closing the feeds of instant updates and instead carrying around a Game Boy Advance. I've been playing Pokemon FireRed, a remake of the very first Pokemon games, which turn 30 this month. Even this refreshed version is more than two decades old. Continue reading...
Newly released documents detail convicted sex offender's early backing of bitcoin and CoinbaseMillions 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, the world's largest cryptocurrency, during its nascent stages; he also invested $3m in Coinbase in 2014, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the US, and cut a check that same year to Blockstream, a prominent bitcoin-focused technology firm. Both crypto startups accepted Epstein's investments in 2014 - six years after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Continue reading...
by Gioia Claro and Denali DeGraf in Cerro Cóndor, Ar on (#73F29)
Push to restart uranium mining in Patagonia has sparked fears about the environmental impact and loss of sovereignty over key resourcesOn an outcrop above the Chubut River, one of the few to cut across the arid Patagonian steppe of southern Argentina, Sergio Pichinan points across a wide swath of scrubland to colourful rock formations on a distant hillside.That's where they dug for uranium before, and when the miners left, they left the mountain destroyed, the houses abandoned, and nobody ever studied the water," he says, citing suspicions arising from cases of cancer and skin diseases in his community. If they want to open this back up, we're all pretty worried around here." Continue reading...
Authors, a newsreader, a lawyer and an esteemed colleague: they're all great - but I'm not married to any of them. Can we really depend on this technology?Recently, the Rowsons accidentally invented a new game that anyone can play at home. I have yet to come up with a world-beating name for it, so for now let's just call it How bloody stupid is AI?" The playing of the game will change from player to player, depending on their circumstances - but essentially the rules remain the same. Ask AI a simple question about yourself, and see just how wrong it gets it.In my case, all you need know is that while I, through the nature of my job, have a fairly large online presence, my partner (we married in 1987) has assiduously avoided having one at all. Which means that if you Google Martin Rowson wife" in images, you may get a picture of me next to our then 14-year-old daughter or me with my friend and fellow cartoonist Steven Appleby, who happens to be trans but has kept her given first name. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#73EDQ)
Ergonomic shape, quality materials and satisfying clicks, now with novel haptic feedback and repairable designLogitech's latest productivity power-house updates one of the greatest mice of all time with smoother materials, a repair-friendly design and a haptic motor for phone-like vibrations on your desktop.The MX Master 4 is the latest evolution in a line of pioneering mice that dates back more than 20 years and has long been the mouse to beat for everything but hardcore PC gaming. Having given it a magnetic free-spinning scroll wheel, plenty of buttons and precise tracking, now Logitech is trying something different for its seven-generation: the ability to tap back at you. Continue reading...
Initiative aims to identify proficient gamers and coders who can help companies identify flaws in their cybersecurityCybercriminals, the shadowy online figures often depicted in Hollywood movies as hooded villains capable of wiping millions of pounds off the value of businesses at a keystroke, are not usually known for their candour.But in a sixth-form college in Manchester this week, two former hackers gave the young people gathered an honest appraisal of what living a life of internet crime really looks like. Continue reading...
Organizers in Monterey Park took inspiration from other US cities to fight against the construction of a giant datacenterWhen a southern California city council proposed building a giant datacenter the size of four football fields last December, five residents vowed to stop it.Through a frenetic word-of-mouth campaign, the small group raised awareness about the proposed facility in Monterey Park, a small city east of Los Angeles known affectionately as the country's first suburban Chinatown. Continue reading...
New Anthropic campaign suggests other AI platforms will incorporate targeted ads in their chatbot conversationsThe 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. Continue reading...
SpaceX's acquisition of xAI creates business worth $1.25tn but whether premise behind deal will work is questionedThe acquisition of xAI by SpaceX is a typical Elon Musk deal: big numbers backed by big ambition.As well as extending the light of consciousness to the stars", as Musk described it, the transaction creates a business worth $1.25tn (920bn) by combining Musk's rocket company with his artificial intelligence startup. It values SpaceX at $1tn and xAI at $250bn, with a stock market flotation expected in June to time with Musk's birthday and a planetary alignment. Continue reading...
Campaigners welcome criminalisation of non-consensual AI-generated explicit images but say law does not go far enoughVictims of deepfake image abuse have called for stronger protection against AI-generated explicit images, as the law criminalising the creation of non-consensual intimate images comes into effect.Campaigners from Stop Image-Based Abuse delivered a petition to Downing Street with more than 73,000 signatures, urging the government to introduce civil routes to justice such as takedown orders for abusive imagery on platforms and devices. Continue reading...
