Month: July 2025

Defense department also inked contracts with other leading AI firms including Google, Anthropic and OpenAI The week after its Grok chatbot identified itself as “MechaHitler” and generated antisemitic posts, Elon Musk’s xAI firm announced a contract with the US Department of Defense worth nearly $200m. The deal is for developing and implementing artificial intelligence tools …

xAI announces $200m US military deal after Grok chatbot had Nazi meltdown Read More »

Tasting the good and the bad for the Filter; summer spritzes for aperitivo hour; and the perfect fans for keeping cool • Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here My favourite scene in the film Ratatouille is when Remy the rat tastes strawberries and cheese. Closing his eyes, he takes a …

Tangy kimchi, bad ice-cream and good eggs: my tests for the food filter have changed how I shop Read More »

Politics of carmaker’s owner has soured sentiments in Grünheide, south-west of Berlin, where the factory promised jobs and revitalisation When Elon Musk advised Germans to vote for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in elections last year, Manu Hoyer – who lives in the small town where the billionaire had built Tesla’s European production hub …

Musk’s giant Tesla factory casts shadow on lives in a quiet corner of Germany Read More »

Minecraft and other creative games are becoming recognised as powerful means of self-expression and mental health support, including for traumatised Ukrainian refugees Oleksii Sukhorukov’s son was 12 when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. For months, the family existed in a state of trauma and disarray: Sukhorukov was forced to give up his work in …

The way a child plays is the way they live’: how therapists are using video games to help vulnerable children Read More »

Research papers found carrying hidden white text giving instructions not to highlight negatives as concern grows over use of large language models for peer review Academics are reportedly hiding prompts in preprint papers for artificial intelligence tools, encouraging them to give positive reviews. Nikkei reported on 1 July it had reviewed research papers from 14 …

Scientists reportedly hiding AI text prompts in academic papers to receive positive peer reviews Read More »

The Velvet Sundown released two albums before admitting their music, images and backstory were created by AI They went viral, amassing more than 1m streams on Spotify in a matter of weeks, but it later emerged that hot new band the Velvet Sundown were AI-generated – right down to their music, promotional images and backstory. …

An AI-generated band got 1m plays on Spotify. Now music insiders say listeners should be warned Read More »

Melanie Dawes says rules will protect children from harmful content but campaigners are unconvinced The UK’s chief media regulator has promised age verification checks will prove a “really big moment” in the battle to keep children safe online, even as campaigners warn she needs to take tougher action against big technology companies. Melanie Dawes, the …

Ofcom head says age checks are ‘really big moment’ for children’s online safety Read More »

Brenda Allen from Cheshire amasses more than 2m views for videos featuring her quirky Jellycat figures The anger and polarisation often on display on social media have made it a stressful place to venture for many people, wary of its unpredictable pile-ons and bile-filled responses. Yet a 95-year-old Cheshire woman and her soft toy collection …

Brenda, 95, and her soft toys become unlikely stars on TikTok Read More »

Why does the online world seem so toxic compared with normal life? Our research shows that a small number of divisive accounts could be responsible – and offers a way out When I scroll through social media, I often leave demoralized, with the sense that the entire world is on fire and people are inflamed …

Are a few people ruining the internet for the rest of us? Read More »

Recruitment is powered increasingly by artificial intelligence but employers still want big (human) brains Recruiter moves to in-person assessments as candidates apply using AI Graduates share their job-hunting woes amid the AI fallout ChatGPT can certainly write your university essay – but will it take your job soon after? Rapid advances in artificial intelligence have …

‘Workforce crisis’: key takeaways for graduates battling AI in the jobs market Read More »