Month: June 2026

To the tablet and beyond: does Toy Story 5 go hard enough on technology?

The animated sequel sets up a tug-of-war between physical and digital play for children but is still eager not to be an anti-tech screed For more than 30 years, Pixar’s signature Toy Story series has been entertaining children while giving voice to their parents’ anxieties. This is especially pronounced in the film’s sequels, as the …

To the tablet and beyond: does Toy Story 5 go hard enough on technology? Read More »

How Europe’s EV makers shrank their product to challenge the bloated SUVs

Smaller, cheaper cars built for narrow city streets are becoming more stylish – but require careful design decisions The winding backstreets of London, Paris and Rome are a large part of their charm. But they are also a problem for electric carmakers. For a long time, squeezing big batteries into smaller, cheaper cars to fit …

How Europe’s EV makers shrank their product to challenge the bloated SUVs Read More »

Key Trump allies and Musk on leaked list for secretive Peter Thiel retreat

Figures including Jared Kushner and Scott Bessent named in directory of Dialog participants that was exposed online A website leak has exposed participants in the secretive, Peter Thiel-founded Dialog retreats which includes top politicians from across the American divide, officials from foreign countries, other titans of the tech industry world and prominent media figures. The …

Key Trump allies and Musk on leaked list for secretive Peter Thiel retreat Read More »

Lloyds Banking Group to hire 300 tech experts to work on AI

Exclusive: While recruits will increase headcount for now, broader adoption of AI could lead to jobs cuts in future Lloyds Banking Group has launched an AI recruitment drive for 300 tech experts, weeks before its chief executive, Charlie Nunn, unveils a strategic plan for the 261-year old lender. The bank said it intended the recruits …

Lloyds Banking Group to hire 300 tech experts to work on AI Read More »

As the US and China surge ahead, is Europe sleepwalking into AI disaster?

A burgeoning genre of fictional AI doomsday scenarios says lagging behind on the technology could threaten the continent’s sovereignty It’s 2031 and the US and China are about to tear Europe into pieces. The US ploughed vast sums into datacentres and the EU did not. China built robots and Europe did not. American companies “restructured” …

As the US and China surge ahead, is Europe sleepwalking into AI disaster? Read More »

Granta stops publishing short story award winners over AI controversy

Literary magazine will no longer engage in ‘external publishing partnerships’ after Commonwealth prize furore The prominent literary magazine Granta will no longer publish the winning entries of the annual Commonwealth short story prize after one of this year’s winners drew widespread accusations of AI use. The magazine said it would no longer be involved in …

Granta stops publishing short story award winners over AI controversy Read More »

Can we electrify the world? Ambition takes centre stage in pre-Cop31 climate talks

Apart from effort to electrify, there were geopolitical tensions around climate science and the 1.5C goal Electrifying the world – with electric vehicles, electric heating and cooling, and modernised heavy industry – could be the next biggest step towards phasing out fossil fuels, replacing the 80% of global energy that still comes from hydrocarbons. As …

Can we electrify the world? Ambition takes centre stage in pre-Cop31 climate talks Read More »

I dived into my digital past to revisit my most cringe teenage moments – and realised how lucky I am to not be young and online today

Twenty years ago I briefly became the victim of a viral pile-on – all because of a silly YouTube video. But I’m glad I had the chance to embarrass myself and move on. Are today’s teens so fortunate? As a teenager, I went kind of viral – and the most amazing thing about that is …

I dived into my digital past to revisit my most cringe teenage moments – and realised how lucky I am to not be young and online today Read More »

The UK’s social media ban for under-16s has just empowered big tech | Taylor Lorenz

Age verification means that the sector’s biggest players will now have access to information that will only make them richer and more powerful This week, the UK announced a wide-ranging ban on social media that will soon block users from communicating or accessing information on apps such as X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat …

The UK’s social media ban for under-16s has just empowered big tech | Taylor Lorenz Read More »