Month: June 2026

In today’s newsletter: Its software is used from health services to militaries. But controversies and criticism of the $375bn company are leading some to ask if Palantir is too powerful Good morning. The Peter Mandelson story keeps unfolding. Peter Walker explains here what is in the latest release of documents, and Henry Dyer takes a …

Tuesday briefing: Palantir’s rise – and why so many oppose its role in the British state Read More »

Breach confirmed by Meta raises concerns about how safe it is to rely on AI for key security measures such as passwords Hackers used Meta’s AI-powered support chatbot to infiltrate high-profile Instagram accounts, the company confirmed on Monday, saying it had resolved the problem after researchers exposed it. The targets ranged from Barack Obama’s White …

Hackers trick Meta AI support bot to infiltrate Obama White House Instagram account Read More »

Financial stakes of AI race rise as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic are slated to go public this year Anthropic has filed confidentially for an initial public offering on the US stock market, the company announced Monday. The AI firm makes the Claude chatbot, popular with software engineers and other business clients, and has …

Anthropic confidentially files for initial public offering on US stock market Read More »

Launching in the UK this month, this new pint-sized console revives the motion-controlled video game boom of the 00s – with better, safer tech For a wonderful moment in the noughties, video games became a truly universal pursuit. As I witnessed my controller-phobic aunt swing a Wii remote and nail a tennis serve, while my …

Nex Playground: the family game-night gadget that revives the spirit of the Wii Read More »

From Google co-founder Brin spending $66m to fight a billionaire tax to Google and Meta funding a joint Super Pac, Silicon Valley is engaged in an existential fight for its political power at home Tech billionaires have shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the 2 June primary election in California, in an …

Tech billionaires are spending unprecedented sums in California races. Experts say it’s the tip of the iceberg Read More »

Record-breaking box office for Backrooms and Obsession has opened the door for twentysomething YouTube creators as the industry rethinks what audiences want At this time last year, the idea of a wide-release feature film-maker cutting their teeth on YouTube was, if not unheard of, certainly still a niche origin story. Siblings Michael and Danny Philippou …

To YouTube and beyond: how online gen Z directors stormed Hollywood Read More »

The roots of AI in rightwing ideology is examined in Valerie Veatch’s enjoyable doc, including an array of colourful, often crazed, figures Director Valerie Veatch made her name with documentaries such as Love Child (about an online gaming-addicted couple whose child died of malnutrition) and Me at the Zoo (about American vlogger Cara Cunningham), films …

Ghost in the Machine review – entertaining AI polemic dives into its dark history in race politics and eugenics Read More »

Firm says its RTX Spark PC chip for Microsoft Windows will let AI agents replace the mouse and keyboard Business live – latest updates A new front has opened up in the battle for dominance in AI chips, as Nvidia said its latest development could replace the mouse and keyboard in how people use computers. …

Nvidia launches ‘superchip’ putting AI power into laptops and PCs Read More »

Sarah Wynn-Williams did not speak during event after lawyers warned of possible sanctions from tech firm Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence on stage at an event at Hay festival, after lawyers advised her not to speak because of ongoing legal action brought by Meta. Wynn-Williams, whose bestselling memoir, Careless People, …

Meta legal action forces Facebook whistleblower to sit in silence at Hay festival Read More »

Coalition of more than 100 organisations says move could lead to more children ending up in adult detention facilities A coalition of more than a hundred refugee children’s organisations has said controversial plans to use AI to assess the age of young asylum seekers could lead to more children wrongly ending up in adult prisons …

Charities decry UK plan to use AI to assess age of young asylum seekers Read More »