Month: January 2026

Exclusive: Smartwatches, Oura rings, smart home devices and Fitbits being weaponised, says Refuge Domestic abusers are increasingly using AI, smartwatches and other technology to attack and control their victims, a domestic abuse charity says. Record numbers of women who were abused and controlled through technology were referred to Refuge’s specialist services during the last three …

Abusers using AI and digital tech to attack and control women, charity warns Read More »

At a family gathering over Christmas, I took on my 76-year-old mother once again at virtual bowling. Could I finally best her? My mother bore me. My mother nurtured me. My mother educated me. She has a resilience unmatched, a love all-forgiving. She is the glue that holds our family together. But right now, I …

There’s a reason that Wii Bowling remains my mum’s favourite game | Dominik Diamond Read More »

The Institute for Public Policy Research also argues that tech companies must pay publishers for content they use AI-generated news should carry “nutrition” labels and tech companies must pay publishers for the content they use, according to a left-of-centre thinktank, amid rising use of the technology as a source for current affairs. The Institute for …

AI-generated news should carry ‘nutrition’ labels, thinktank says Read More »

Meta wowed Wall Street with improvements in ad targeting fueled by AI alongside huge investment. Microsoft had less to show for its billions spent Big tech earnings so far this week have sent a clear warning: investors are willing to overlook soaring spending on artificial intelligence if it fuels strong growth, but are quick to …

Big tech results show investor demand for payoffs from heavy AI spending Read More »

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox; The Game BakersA punishing, beautiful survival game that turns mountaineering into an intimate test of endurance, fixation and emotional resolve – you’ll be in tears by the end Mountaineers and climbers, especially the free-solo kind, are humanity’s most fascinating maniacs: single-minded, daring souls who throw themselves into profoundly optional life-endangering feats. …

Cairn review – obsession, suffering and awe in a climbing game that hits exhausting new heights Read More »

Analysis finds at least 150 channels on messaging app that are distributing AI-generated images and video Millions of people around the world are creating and sharing deepfake nudes on the secure messaging app Telegram, a Guardian analysis has shown, as the spread of advanced AI tools industrialises the online abuse of women. The Guardian has …

Millions creating deepfake nudes on Telegram as AI tools drive global wave of digital abuse Read More »

Under Donald Trump, the White House has filled its social media with memes, wishcasting, nostalgia and deepfakes. Here’s what you need to know to navigate the trolling It started with an image of Trump as a king mocked up on a fake Time magazine cover. Since then it’s developed into a full-blown phenomenon, one academics …

The slopaganda era: 10 AI images posted by the White House – and what they teach us Read More »

Lord Stockwood says people in government ‘definitely’ talking about idea as technology disrupts industries • Business live – latest updates The UK could introduce a universal basic income to protect workers in industries that are being disrupted by AI, the investment minister Jason Stockwood has said. “Bumpy” changes to society caused by the introduction of …

Universal basic income could be used to soften hit from AI job losses in UK, minister says Read More »

Parents, teachers and young people share their views on whether social media restrictions would work in the UK Pressure is mounting on the UK government to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s, after a decisive vote in House of Lords in favour of Australian-style restrictions. Peers backed a Tory-led amendment to the children’s …

‘This can’t be left to individual families’: how social media ban could affect under-16s Read More »

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 effort Summer after summer, I used to descend into a creek that had carved a deep bed shaded by trees and lined with blackberry …

What technology takes from us – and how to take it back Read More »