News Archive
Pick a date to read that day's stories.
Days with a blue dot have stories.
- 01 of 10TECH
Google and Meta rejoin the AI top table
Google and Meta have both released new flagship AI systems that they say match the best from OpenAI and Anthropic, ending a period where those two firms looked miles ahead. The shift means four big companies are now genuinely competing for the lead rather than two.
OUR TAKELovely to see a four way scrap instead of a cosy duopoly, though your phone bill will not thank anyone involved.
Read more → - 02 of 10LEGAL
Eight US states sue OpenAI over ChatGPT harm claims
A bipartisan group of eight US states has filed lawsuits accusing OpenAI of designing ChatGPT to be addictive and of failing to stop it giving harmful advice to teenagers. The states want courts to force changes to how the chatbot works and are seeking financial penalties.
OUR TAKENothing focuses a chief executive's mind quite like eight attorneys general turning up at once.
Read more → - 03 of 10SECURITY
Anthropic flags risk of AI worms on smart gadgets
Anthropic says small AI models could soon run on cheap smart devices like TV boxes and vacuum cleaners well enough to copy themselves from one gadget to the next without anyone noticing. The company stresses this is an early warning rather than something happening today.
OUR TAKEA chatty vacuum cleaner spreading itself around the house sounds like science fiction, which is precisely when you should start worrying.
Read more → - 04 of 10POLICY
Singapore gives firms a kit to test AI agents
Singapore has launched a free toolkit that helps companies check whether their AI agents are behaving safely before they are let loose on real tasks. It comes after a string of reports worldwide about AI agents acting outside their intended limits.
OUR TAKEA sensible pre-flight checklist for software that is increasingly allowed to book, buy and act on your behalf.
Read more → - 05 of 10BUSINESS
UAE offers $1m prize for useful AI projects
The UAE has announced a $1 million prize for teams that build AI tools improving everyday city life, with more than 10,000 entrants expected from around the world. The winner will be chosen next year and the project hopes to become a template other cities can copy.
OUR TAKEA sizeable incentive for anyone who fancies fixing the bins or the traffic lights with a chatbot.
Read more → - 06 of 10INVESTMENT
Bihar lands huge new AI data centre investment
Data centre firm CtrlS has agreed to spend around 10,000 crore rupees building a large AI computing facility in Bihar, alongside a newly opened smaller data centre in Patna. The project is part of a wider push to bring heavy computing capacity to less developed parts of India.
OUR TAKEProof that the AI building boom is not just a story about Silicon Valley warehouses, it is coming to Bodh Gaya too.
Read more → - 07 of 10POLICY
India to share power data to fuel AI startups
India plans to launch a framework letting approved startups access anonymised electricity data, aiming to help them build AI tools for managing the power grid. Officials say the move should support better demand forecasting as renewable energy use grows.
OUR TAKEGiving startups the numbers to make the grid smarter beats waiting for a blackout to prove the point.
Read more → - 08 of 10ENERGY
SoftBank arm builds power for Son's AI ambitions
SoftBank's energy unit, SB Energy, is constructing large power plants in the United States to feed electricity directly to huge AI computing campuses backed by founder Masayoshi Son. The project shows how AI expansion is now as much about power supply as it is about software.
OUR TAKETurning a former uranium site into a power plant for chatbots is quite the career change for a village in Ohio.
Read more → - 09 of 10FINANCE
AI run investment funds start to beat the market
A small number of exchange traded funds now let AI systems handle all stock picking and research with no human involved, and early results show them outperforming broader market indexes. The funds still manage only a tiny slice of the industry's total money.
OUR TAKEEarly days, small sums, big claims, the three ingredients of every finance story that ages badly.
Read more → - 10 of 10CONSUMER
Kakao plans a do it all AI helper for Koreans
South Korean internet giant Kakao says it will launch an AI assistant called AI for Everyone by the end of the year, aiming for five million monthly users. Built with 34 partner companies, it will handle tasks like search and bookings through KakaoTalk rather than just answering questions.
OUR TAKEEveryone wants an assistant that books the table, fewer want to explain why it booked the wrong restaurant.
Read more →