Technology

Teen killed himself after ‘months of encouragement from ChatGPT’, lawsuit claims
Posted on Wednesday August 27, 2025

Open AI to change way it responds to users in mental distress as parents of Adam Raine allege bot not safeThe makers of ChatGPT are changing the way it responds to users who show mental and emotional distress after legal action from the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who killed himself after months of conversations with the chatbot.Open AI admitted its systems could “fall short” and said it would install “stronger guardrails around sensitive content and risky behaviors” for users under 18. Continue reading...

Nvidia sets fresh sales record amid fears of an AI bubble and Trump’s trade wars
Posted on Thursday August 28, 2025

Despite surpassing Wall Street expectations for its AI chips, company shares drop 2.3% in after hours tradingChipmaker Nvidia set a fresh sales record in the second quarter, surpassing Wall Street expectations for its artificial intelligence chips. But shares of the chip giant still dropped 2.3% in after hours trading, in a sign that investors’ worries of an AI bubble and the repercussions of Donald Trump’s trade wars are not quelled.Nvidia’s financial report was the first test of investor appetite since last week’s mass AI-stock selloff, when several tech stocks saw shares tumble last week amid growing questions over whether AI-driven companies are being overvalued. Continue reading...

TikTok owner set to launch share buyback valuing company at $330bn
Posted on Wednesday August 27, 2025

ByteDance plans to offer employees $200.41 per share, up 5.5% from $189.9 six months ago, as revenue growsByteDance, the owner of the short-video app TikTok, is set to launch a new employee share buyback that will value the Chinese technology giant at more than $330bn, driven by continued revenue growth, said three people with knowledge of the matter.The company plans to offer current employees $200.41 per share in the repurchase program, the people said, up 5.5% from $189.90 each it offered them about six months ago which valued ByteDance at roughly $315bn. Continue reading...

‘AI psychosis’: could chatbots fuel delusional thinking? – podcast
Posted on Thursday August 28, 2025

There are increasing reports of people experiencing delusions after intensive use of AI chatbots. The phenomenon, dubbed ‘AI psychosis’, has raised concerns that features built into large language models may contribute to some users losing touch with reality. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Hamilton Morrin, a psychiatrist and researcher at King’s College London, about his recent preprint exploring who is at risk and how models could be made saferClips: CBS, BBC, NBC Continue reading...

Half of UK adults worry that AI will take or alter their job, poll finds
Posted on Wednesday August 27, 2025

The TUC calls for a new approach to technology and greater input from workers on how it is deployedHalf of adults in the UK are concerned about the impact of artificial intelligence on their job, according to a poll, as union leaders call for a “step change” in the country’s approach to new technologies.Job losses or changes to terms and conditions were the biggest worries for the 51% of 2,600 adults surveyed for the Trades Union Congress who said they were concerned about the technology. Continue reading...

Starships are meant to fly: SpaceX’s rocket finally launches after setbacks
Posted on Wednesday August 27, 2025

Test flight comes after explosive failures raised doubts over founder Elon Musk’s goals to reach Mars and moonThird time was the charm on Tuesday for the launch of SpaceX’s Starship megarocket after the launch had been scrubbed two times in as many days. The success of this 10th flight proved the spacecraft had overcome its past failures key to the Mars rocket’s reusable design.The stainless steel behemoth, 403ft (123 meters) tall, lifted off from the company’s Starbase in southern Texas at 6.30pm local time (2330 GMT), to loud cheers from engineering teams, a webcast showed. This mission was to be a test of the ship’s new heat shield tiles and satellite deployment abilities, among hundreds of other upgrades from past iterations. Continue reading...

ChatGPT has its uses, but I still hate it – and I’ll tell you why | Imogen West-Knights
Posted on Wednesday August 27, 2025

It’s bad for the planet and could make many jobs – including mine – obsolete. But my loathing runs deeper than thatIt’s one of those topics that comes up over drinks or dinner at the moment: whether or not you think AI is going to steal your job. So far, I’ve felt relatively confident that while AI could no doubt have a fair crack at writing a newspaper opinion column, there is something I do as part of my work that AI cannot: reporting.Except now, it seems, AI is claiming to be doing that as well. Last week, it was revealed that at least six reputable publications have had to take down published articles because it turned out that they were probably pieces of fiction written by AI and then passed off by somebody as works of journalism under the name of Margaux Blanchard. One of these was a piece for Wired titled They Fell in Love Playing Minecraft. Then the Game Became Their Wedding Venue, which quoted a “digital celebrant” called Jessica Hu, who does not seem to actually exist. Another publication, called Dispatch, received a pitch from “Blanchard” about an ex-mining town called Gravemont that had been repurposed as a training ground for death investigation. Gravemont doesn’t exist either.Imogen West-Knights is a writer and journalist Continue reading...

The best hair dryers for smooth, speedy styling at home – whatever your hair type
Posted on Tuesday August 26, 2025

Want every day to be a good hair day? We tested 18 hair dryers to find the best, from gentle diffusers to high-speed and travel-ready models• The best hot brushes, tried and tested by our expertIn my years of reviewing beauty tech, it was upgrading my hair dryer that made the biggest difference to my beauty routine. I used to dread hair-wash days: the chore of shampooing, conditioning and rinsing my hair, plus the time – and aching arms – spent getting it dry again.My clunky, bargain-bucket hair dryer of seven years was weighty, deafeningly loud, and took a painstaking 20 minutes to dry my hair completely. So happier days really did arrive when I switched it up for a new model.Best hair dryer overall:Hershesons the GreatBest budget hair dryer:BaByliss Hydro-Fusion Continue reading...