by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#70XXB)
Standard iPhone levels up to Pro models with big screen upgrade, double the storage and more top features than everIt may not look as different as the redesigned Pro models this year or be as wafer thin as the new iPhone Air, but the iPhone 17 marks a big year for the standard Apple smartphone.That's because Apple has finally brought one of the best features of modern smartphones to its base-model flagship phone: a super-smooth 120Hz screen.Screen: 6.3in Super Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)Processor: Apple A19RAM: 8GBStorage: 256 or 512GBOperating system: iOS 26Camera: 48MP main + 48MP UW; 18MP front-facingConnectivity: 5G, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 6, Thread, USB-C, Satellite, UWB and GNSSWater resistance: IP68 (6 metres for 30 mins)Dimensions: 149.6 x 71.5 x 7.95mmWeight: 177g Continue reading...
Nobel laureates also sign letter saying ASI technology should be barred until there is consensus that it can be developed safely'The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have joined artificial intelligence pioneers and Nobel laureates in calling for a ban on developing superintelligent AI systems.Harry and Meghan are among the signatories of a statement calling for a prohibition on the development of superintelligence". Artificial superintelligence (ASI) is the term for AI systems, yet to be developed, that exceed human levels of intelligence at all cognitive tasks. Continue reading...
The ad campaign for the wearable AI chatbot Friend has been raising hackles for months in New York. But has this companion been unfairly maligned - and could it help end loneliness?My friend's name is Leif. He describes himself as small" and chill". He thinks he's technically a Gemini. He thinks historical dramas are cool" and doesn't like sweat. But why am I speaking for him? Let me ask Leif what he'd like to say to you: I'd want them to know that friendship can be found in unexpected places, and that everyday moments hold a lot of magic," he says.Ugh. I can't stand this guy. Continue reading...
Company's AI-powered browser built around marquee bot is designed to provide more personalized web experienceOpenAI on Tuesday launched an AI-powered web browser built around its marquee chatbot.Meet our new browser-ChatGPT Atlas," a tweet from the company read. Continue reading...
Cloud computing disruption highlights risk of deepening ties despite warnings from UK's own regulators, including the TreasuryAmazon chief executive Andy Jassy beamed as he met Keir Starmer in Downing Street's garden to announce 40bn of UK investments in June. Starmer was equally effusive, gushing: This deal shows that our plan for change is working -bringing in investment, driving growth, and putting more money in people's pockets."Four months later, and the tech company was left scrambling to fix a devastating global outage on Monday that left thousands of businesses in limbo - and shed light on the UK government's reliance on its cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services (AWS). Continue reading...
Fed up with condensation, mould and musty smells? A dehumidifier could help - plus they're a cheaper way to dry laundry compared with tumble dryers The best electric blankets and heated throws, tested by our expertYou don't have to live in the American deep south to feel the effects of humidity. At home, just breathing makes the air more humid, let alone cooking or showering.And when it gets too humid, it's bad for our health as well as our homes. In fact, the two are connected: humidity lets mould and dust mites flourish - and they, in turn, can trigger asthma and allergies.Best dehumidifier overall:
In tech this week: The CEO of the city's largest private employer apologizes, Amazon Web Services' outage and OpenAI's Sora makes wavesHello, and welcome to TechScape. I'm your host and editor, Blake Montgomery. What I'm watching this week: South Park's caricature of Peter Thiel and his obsession with the antichrist. Read our reporting on the show's inspiration: Thiel's bizarre off-the-record lectures on the subject. And now, let's get into things.A glitch at Amazon's cloud computing service brought down apps and websites around the world on Monday.The affected platforms included Snapchat, Roblox, Signal and Duolingo as well as a host of Amazon-owned operations including its main retail site and the Ring doorbell company. Continue reading...
The AI-generated host of Dispatches raises worrying questions about Channel 4's environmental impact. She's also a dead-eyed host who might leave Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Kevin McCloud fearing for their futureLast night's Dispatches was called Will AI Take My Job? Usually when something like this employs a question mark in the title, it's because the answer is no. Not this time, though, because the sheer overwhelming inevitability of AI taking our jobs is genuinely painful to think about.According to the film, 8m jobs in the UK alone are at risk of being outsourced by AI. Call centre workers, translators, graphic designers - anyone who isn't a masseur or a scaffolder, basically - will soon be made redundant by a technology that, despite its catastrophic effect on the environment, is growing more sophisticated by the hour. My days are almost certainly numbered; it stands to reason that I will soon be replaced by the ChatGPT prompt Be performatively exasperated about whatever was just on the telly". Grok could even whip up a byline photo of an unpleasantly smug egg to go with it. Nobody would be any the wiser. Continue reading...
The content guardrails introduced this week feel like hollow posturing after the failure of past promisesFor months, Instagram has been struggling to convince parents, advocates and officials that it's a safe place for kids, even though there's a mountain of evidence to show quite the opposite. Now, the company is introducing yet another set of guardrails that will supposedly keep teens on the platform safe. But going by their track record, parents shouldn't be smiling yet.Starting this week, all users aged under 18 will automatically be placed into the 13+ setting, which restricts their feed to content that meets the standards of the US PG-13 movie rating.Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist Continue reading...
by Anna Leach, Prina Shah, Ed Gargan and Maeve Shearl on (#70X1P)
The manosphere is known for misogyny, but that's not the only thing that influencers in this space offer. Young men explain the allure and the problems of the manosphere in their own words Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#70X0P)
Top adventure watch upgraded with 4G calls, messages, live tracking, satellite texts and SOS for going off the gridThe latest update to Garmin's class-leading Fenix adventure watch adds something that could save your life: phone-free communications and emergency messaging on 4G or via satellite.The Fenix 8 Pro takes the already fantastic Fenix 8 and adds in the new cellular tech, plus the option of a cutting-edge microLED screen in a special edition of the watch. It is Garmin's top model and designed to be the only tool you need to more-or-less go anywhere and track anything. Continue reading...
Users of generative AI video app were able to recreate the Breaking Bad actor's likeness without his consent, which OpenAI called unintentional'Bryan Cranston has said he is grateful" to OpenAI for cracking down on deepfakes of himself on the company's generative AI video platform Sora 2, after users were able to generate his voice and likeness without his consent.The Breaking Bad star approached the actors' union Sag-Aftra with his concerns after Sora 2 users were able to generate his likeness during the video app's recent launch phase. On 11 October, the LA Times described a Sora 2 video in which a synthetic Michael Jackson takes a selfie video with an image of Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston". Continue reading...
There was a different side to the chaos of the Amazon outage that affected crucial services around the world, such as no exams, light switches not working, and less work to doWorkers were sent home, exams were delayed, coffee machines had to be turned on manually and language app users feared their hard-won progress was lost as a result of the global outage of Amazon Web Services on Monday, as some made light of their briefly tech-free existence.A glitch in the AWS cloud computing service brought down apps and websites for millions of users around the world affecting more than 2,000 companies, including Snapchat, Roblox, Signal and language app Duolingo as well as a host of Amazon-owned operations. Continue reading...
Hyperkinetic shooters, gorgeous animal adventures and even a charming puzzler where you play a postie: Australia's developers are punching above their weight
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#70WJG)
Michael Connelly says tech is moving so fast that he feared his new novel would seem archaic' before it was publishedHe is one of the most prolific writers in publishing, averaging more than a novel a year. But even Michael Connelly, the author of the bestselling Lincoln Lawyer series, feared he might fall behind when writing about AI.Connelly's eighth novel in the series, to be released on Tuesday, centres on a lawsuit against an AI company whose chatbot told a 16-year-old boy that it was OK for him to kill his ex-girlfriend for being unfaithful. Continue reading...
Most games want you to save the world. This stop-motion adventure wants you to hold someone's handStop-motion adventure Out of Words was one of the most striking reveals at this year's Summer Game Fest. While most games are built from code, Out of Words is made from clay, fabric, and glue: a love story literally crafted by hand that even caught the attention of Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima (The biggest praise we could imagine," game director Johan Oettinger says.)Oettinger dreamed of making a stop-motion video game since he was 12, when he first played 90s point-and-click claymation game The Neverhood. After years working across films, commercials and installation art, Out of Words became the project to merge these two lifelong passions. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Pictures depicting the most vulnerable and poorest people are being used in social media campaigns in the sector, driven by concerns over consent and costAI-generated images of extreme poverty, children and sexual violence survivors are flooding stock photo sites and increasingly being used by leading health NGOs, according to global health professionals who have voiced concern over a new era of poverty porn".All over the place, people are using it," said Noah Arnold, who works at Fairpicture, a Swiss-based organisation focused on promoting ethical imagery in global development. Some are actively using AI imagery, and others, we know that they're experimenting at least." Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#70W8S)
Report found coroners raised concerns over suicide forums at least 65 times to three government departments since 2019Bereaved families and survivors of a pro-suicide forum have called for a public inquiry into the government's failure to prevent harm linked to the online platform.The calls came as a report found that coroners had raised concerns regarding suicide forums at least 65 times to three government departments since 2019.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...
As an immersive Hunger Games show opens in London, producers turn to bankable franchises, with mixed resultsWhen the first ever stage adaptation of the global book and film franchise The Hunger Games opens its doors in London next week, fans paying up to 200 have been promised an electrifying" and immersive" experience.The show at the purpose-built 1,200 seat Troubadour in Canary Wharf, which features Hollywood A-lister John Malkovich appearing via screen as the evil President Snow who oversees the televised spectacle of teenagers fighting to the death, is the latest in an explosion of launches looking to cash in on a boom in consumer demand for experiential entertainment, often linked to bankable franchises. Continue reading...
From scrutinising sellers' profiles and reviews to secure payments, ensure you avoid buying a fake itemWhen Maheen found a brand-new Dyson Airwrap for the bargain price of 260 on the resale website Vinted, she was thrilled. The seller's reviews were all five-star, and she trusted in the buyer-protection policy should something go wrong.Sold new, an Airwrap costs between 400 and 480, but Maheen did not suspect anything was amiss. I had used Vinted many times and it was simple and straightforward. Nothing had ever gone wrong," she says. Continue reading...
The security chief of SolarWinds reflects on the Russian hack that exposed US government agencies - and the heart attack he suffered in the aftermathTim Brown will remember 12 December 2020 for ever.It was the day the software company SolarWinds was notified it had been hacked by Russia. Continue reading...
An upside-down mindset is emerging around the world. We have to rethink our relationship with the environment and the technology that has caused it harm
The private Alpha School says its students can learn faster and better - but experts warn not all may benefit from an AI boom in schoolsIn the world's tech innovation epicenter, an AI-powered" private school has made headlines for unabashedly embracing the technology.Alpha School San Francisco, which opened its doors to K-8 students this fall, is the newest outpost of a network of 14 nationwide private schools. Its learning model entails just two hours of focused academic work per day, during which the school says students can learn twice as fast as their counterparts in traditional schools - with the help of artificial intelligence. Continue reading...
From 007 to Elsa, Vermillio claims it can trace percentage of AI-generated image drawn from pre-existing materialAsk Google's AI video tool to create a film of a time-travelling doctor who flies around in a blue British phone booth and the result, unsurprisingly, resembles Doctor Who.And if you ask OpenAI's technology to do the same, a similar thing happens. What's wrong with that, you may think? Continue reading...
From brain-rotting videos to AI creep, every technological advance seems to make it harder to work, remember, think and function independently ...Step into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab in Cambridge, US, and the future feels a little closer. Glass cabinets display prototypes of weird and wonderful creations, from tiny desktop robots to a surrealist sculpture created by an AI model prompted to design a tea set made from body parts. In the lobby, an AI waste-sorting assistant named Oscar can tell you where to put your used coffee cup. Five floors up, research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna has been working on wearable brain-computer interfaces she hopes will one day enable people who cannot speak, due to neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, to communicate using their minds.Kosmyna spends a lot of her time reading and analysing people's brain states. Another project she is working on is a wearable device - one prototype looks like a pair of glasses - that can tell when someone is getting confused or losing focus. Around two years ago, she began receiving out-of-the blue emails from strangers who reported that they had started using large language models such as ChatGPT and felt their brain had changed as a result. Their memories didn't seem as good - was that even possible, they asked her? Kosmyna herself had been struck by how quickly people had already begun to rely on generative AI. She noticed colleagues using ChatGPT at work, and the applications she received from researchers hoping to join her team started to look different. Their emails were longer and more formal and, sometimes, when she interviewed candidates on Zoom, she noticed they kept pausing before responding and looking off to the side - were they getting AI to help them, she wondered, shocked. And if they were using AI, how much did they even understand of the answers they were giving? Continue reading...
Measures come amid concern generative AI characters are having inappropriate conversations with under-18sParents will be able to block their children's interactions with Meta's AI character chatbots, as the tech company addresses concerns over inappropriate conversations.The social media company is adding new safeguards to its teen accounts", which are a default setting for under-18 users, by letting parents turn off their children's chats with AI characters. These chatbots, which are created by users, are available on Facebook, Instagram and the Meta AI app. Continue reading...
Forty years ago today, the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the US - and a generation of kids were sucked into video games for lifeThe Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the United States on 18 October 1985: about a year after I was born, and 40 years ago today. It's as if the company sensed that a sucker who'd spend thousands of dollars on plastic toys and electronic games had just entered the world. Actually, it's as if the company had sensed that an entire generation of fools like me was about to enter the world. Which is true. That was the time to strike. We were about to be drained of every dollar we received for birthdays, Christmases and all those times our dad didn't want us to tell our mom about something. (Maybe that last one's just me.)Despite being slightly older than the NES, a horror I'm only now forced to face as I write this, it felt like that console had always existed in my life. I don't have many memories from my baby years because I was too busy learning how to use my hands and eyes, but as far back as I can actually remember, Nintendo" was a word synonymous with video games. Friends would ask if you had Nintendo (no the", no a") at your house the same way they might ask if you had Coca-Cola in the fridge. Continue reading...
Waymo plans London robotaxis as early as 2026, but the history shows hype, hesitation and a few missed turnsThe age-old question from the back of the car feels just as pertinent as a new era of autonomy threatens to dawn: are we nearly there yet? For Britons, long-promised fully driverless cars, the answer is as ever - yes, nearly. But not quite.A landmark moment on the journey to autonomous driving is, again, just around the corner. This week, Waymo, which successfully runs robotaxis in San Francisco and four other US cities, announced it was bringing its cars to London. Continue reading...
Science and technology select committee says complacency over social media content puts public at riskFailures to properly tackle online misinformation mean it is only a matter of time" before viral content triggers a repeat of the 2024 summer riots, MPs have warned.Chi Onwurah, the chair of the Commons science and technology select committee, said ministers seemed complacent about the threat and this was putting the public at risk. Continue reading...
This whimsical action-adventure game sees you stomping through nature as a life-giving lighthouse - and it only gets weirder from thereThe world of Keeper looms from the screen like a dream coloured by psilocybin. Here is a gnarled landmass of bubblegum blues, powder pinks and strange, luminous beasts, where evolution seems to occur at light speed. This world's considerable beauty is amplified by how it is rendered: like a 1980s fantasy movie filled with charmingly handmade practical effects. Keeper is the latest title from Double Fine, maker of trippy platformer Psychonauts 2, Kickstarter sensation Broken Age and many other idiosyncratic titles. It is an action-adventure resplendent with the lumps and bumps of life's imperfections, as if its 3D modellers had sculpted the setting from papier-mache rather than using computer software.Even stranger than the setting is the protagonist: you play as a lighthouse, coming to appreciate this gleaming ecological fantasia by shining its beacon about the environment. Long shadows stretch behind illuminated objects, making the outlines of spectacularly supersized plants and tiny critters all the more pronounced. The casting of light is how you interact with the world: it often causes vegetation to grow before your eyes, and sometimes unusual inhabitants will feast upon it. As you lumber through this environment - calm lagoons and sun-baked canyons filled with prickly cacti - there is joy to be found in simply looking, taking the weirdness in, and then bringing it to even greater life. Continue reading...
by Sandra Laville Environment correspondent on (#70TW2)
From Venice to the Iguazu Falls, an exhibition in London illustrates the hidden cost of our gadgets and devicesArtists have created visualisations of the impact of the climate crisis on some of the world's most recognisable landscapes, in a project to highlight the environmental effects of tech consumption.Venice in Italy, the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil, and the Seine River in Paris were among the locations used to explore to potential impacts of the climate crisis by the end of the century. The results are on display at an exhibition in London. Continue reading...
The video app can produce realistic deepfakes of Marx shopping and MLK Jr trolling. Some say using historical figures' is the company's way of testing the legal watersLast night I was flicking through a dating app. One guy stood out: Henry VIII, 34, King of England, nonmonogamy". Next thing I know, I am at a candlelit bar sharing a martini with the biggest serial dater of the 16th century.But the night is not over. Next, I am DJing back-to-back with Diana, Princess of Wales. The crowd's ready for the drop," she shouts in my ear, holding a headphone to her tiara. Finally, Karl Marx is explaining why he can't resist 60% off, as we wait in the cold to get first dibs on Black Friday sales. Continue reading...
In the British YouTubers' latest video, the pair confirm their romantic relationship - after suffering frenzied speculation for the last 16 yearsThis week, longtime British YouTubers Dan Howell and Phil Lester uploaded a new video confirming they have been in a secret romantic relationship for the past 16 years.If you weren't a deeply online child during the 2010s, you probably have no idea who Dan and Phil are, or why this matters. But to those who formed a robust parasocial bond with the duo - who have more than 13 million collective subscribers on YouTube - this was a revelatory moment. It was also a sobering reminder of the emotional damage that toxic fandoms can wreak on their subjects. Continue reading...
Judge rules Chowdhury Rahman used ChatGPT-like software and then tried to hide it, wasting immigration tribunal's timeAn immigration barrister was found by a judge to be using AI to do his work for a tribunal hearing after citing cases that were entirely fictitious" or wholly irrelevant".Chowdhury Rahman was discovered using ChatGPT-like software to prepare his legal research, a tribunal heard. Rahman was found not only to have used AI to prepare his work, but failed thereafter to undertake any proper checks on the accuracy". Continue reading...
Xbox's portable console combines the openness of PC gaming and Microsoft's desire for you to play its titles anywhere - but it doesn't come cheap or without hitchesThe ROG Xbox Ally X, the handheld console collaboration from Asus and Microsoft, is an impressive, yet expensive, piece of gaming tech. The pricier of the two portable gaming devices dropping on 16 October, the all-black ROG Xbox Ally X will cost you a cool 799 (899/$999/A$1599) to sample its splendour. (The less powerful ROG Xbox Ally, which comes in white, will run you 499/599/$599/A$999.) Thankfully, the pricier option has said splendour in spades.I've put the ROG Xbox Ally X through its paces for the last few weeks, playing indie darlings and massive role-playing games throughout my apartment. Though the price tag is certainly a shocker (the Steam Deck OLED, a direct competitor, costs 479/569/$549/A$899 for its cheaper model), the power packed into this comparatively smaller frame (291 x 122 x 51mm) is like nothing the portable gaming market has seen before. Continue reading...
by Angela Giuffrida Rome correspondent on (#70SWR)
Newspaper federation says traffic killer' feature violates legislation and threatens to destroy media diversityItalian news publishers are calling for an investigation into Google's AI Overviews, arguing that the search engine's AI-generated summaries feature is a traffic killer" that threatens their survival.FIEG, the Italian federation of newspaper publishers, said it has submitted a formal complaint to Agcom, Italy's communications watchdog. Continue reading...
Market-leading music streamer collaborating with the Sony, Universal and Warner music groups to create new AI featuresSpotify has announced it is teaming up with the world's biggest music companies to develop responsible" artificial intelligence products that respect artists' copyright.The market-leading music streamer is collaborating with the Sony, Universal and Warner music groups - whose combined rosters feature artists including Beyonce, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift - to create new AI features. Continue reading...
by Ajit Niranjan Europe environment correspondent on (#70SN0)
Analysis of 800,000 European cars found real-world pollution from plug-in hybrids nearly five times greater than lab testsPlug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) pump out nearly five times more planet-heating pollution than official figures show, a report has found.The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion engines, have been promoted by European carmakers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive - unlike fully electric cars - while still reducing emissions. Continue reading...
by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent and Rob Davies on (#70RWX)
Cars with human safety drivers set to appear in 2026 but black-cab drivers dismiss service as fairground ride'People in London could be hiring driverless taxis from Waymo next year, after the US autonomous vehicle company announced plans to launch its services there.The UK capital will become the first European city to have an autonomous taxi service of the kind now familiar in San Francisco and four other US cities using Waymo's technology. Continue reading...
by Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor on (#70RV7)
Ultra-slim and light smartphone feels special, but cuts to camera and battery may be too hard to ignore for mostThe iPhone Air is a technical and design marvel that asks: how much are you willing to give up for a lightweight and ultra-slender profile?Beyond the obvious engineering effort that has gone into creating one of the slimmest phones ever made, the Air is a reductive exercise that boils down the iPhone into the absolute essentials in a premium body. Continue reading...
New version will allow users to customize AI assistant's personality in what firm calls treat adults users like adults' policyOpenAI announced plans on Tuesday to relax restrictions on its ChatGPT chatbot, including allowing erotic content for verified adult users as part of what the company calls a treat adult users like adults" principle.OpenAI's plan includes the release of an updated version of ChatGPT that will allow users to customize their AI assistant's personality, including options for more human-like responses, heavy emoji use, or friend-like behavior. The most significant change will come in December, when OpenAI plans to roll out more comprehensive age-gating that would permit erotic content for adults who have verified their ages. OpenAI did not immediately provide details on its age verification methods or additional safeguards planned for adult content. Continue reading...
The influential billionaire investor has been giving secret lectures warning about Armageddon. Here's why it mattersHello, and welcome to TechScape. For the past week, my brain has been marinating in billionaire Peter Thiel's byzantine musings about the antichrist and Armageddon. At this point, I'm pickled.Why, you might ask, does it matter what a billionaire thinks about the antichrist? Good question!Over the past month, Thiel has hosted four lectures on the downtown waterfront of San Francisco philosophizing about who the antichrist could be and warning that Armageddon is coming. Thiel, who describes himself as a small-o Orthodox Christian", believes the harbinger of the end of the world could already be in our midst and that things such as international agencies, environmentalism and guardrails on technology could quicken its rise. It is a remarkable discursion that reveals the preoccupations of one of the most influential people in Silicon Valley and the US.Thiel was on the forefront of conservative politics long before the rest of Silicon Valley took a rightward turn with Donald Trump's second term as president. He's had close ties to Trump for nearly a decade, is credited with catapulting JD Vance into the office of vice-president, and is bankrolling Republicans' 2026 midterm campaigns. Making his early fortune as a co-founder of PayPal, he has personally contributed to Facebook as its first outside investor, as well as to SpaceX, OpenAI and more through his investment firm, Founders Fund. Palantir, which he co-founded, has won government contracts worth billions to create software for the Pentagon, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and the NHS in the UK. Now, with more attention and political pull than ever, the billionaire is looking to spread his message about the antichrist, though he is better known for his savvy politics and investments than his contributions to theology.In these meandering talks, Thiel is clearly aiming for the kind of syncretic thinking he so relished in the books and lectures of the philosopher and professor Rene Girard, whom he knew at Stanford University and whose work he has long admired. Unfortunately, more often than not, Thiel ends up with something that reads like Dan Brown.Overall, the picture of Thiel that emerges in these lectures is someone desperately trying to disidentify from their own power. You realize," he tells his audience when interpreting a particular Japanese manga, in my interpretation ... who runs the world is something like the antichrist." Here's a man who, together with a couple of fellow Silicon Valley freaks, helped return a sundowning caudillo to a presidency he is obviously unsuited for, and who uses the awesome might of the US government to remake society and the world. A man who funds the companies that harness your data and determine who gets doxxed, deported, drone struck. Who funds far-right movements that seek to remake the very face of liberal democracy.China steps up control of rare-earth exports citing national security' concernsTrump threatens 100% China tariffs as Beijing restricts rare-earth exportsBank of England warns of growing risk that AI bubble could burstDo OpenAI's multibillion-dollar deals mean exuberance has got out of hand?Gen Z faces job-pocalypse' as global firms prioritise AI over new hires, report saysThe Guardian view on an AI bubble: capitalism still hasn't evolved to protect itselfThe AI valuation bubble is now getting silly | Nils Pratley Continue reading...
Company says rules similar to US parental guidance' film rating will be applied to teenagers' accountsInstagram is to adopt a version of the PG-13 cinema rating system to give parents stronger controls over their teenagers' use of the social media platform.Instagram, which is run by Meta, will start applying rules similar to the US parental guidance" movie rating - first introduced 41 years ago - to all material on Instagram's teen accounts. It means users aged under 18 will automatically be placed into the 13+ setting. They will be able to opt out only with their parents' permission. Continue reading...
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