Streamed auctions offer a cheap way to buy the precious gems, but experts warn that quality is not guaranteedThe first time Andrea Greenhill came across a livestream auction for lab-grown diamonds while scrolling on TikTok, she was stunned. While the diamond engagement ring her husband proposed with years ago had cost thousands of dollars, these loose lab-grown diamonds were selling in seconds at a fraction of the price.“I have two rings that are both natural diamonds and cost a fortune,” she said. I saw the prices they were going for in the auctions, and I was like, “This is insanity.’” Continue reading...
In trial that opened on Tuesday, California and 28 other states accused the company of designing addictive sites and violating laws protecting children’s privacyMeta’s business can be boiled down to four words that begin with the letter H: hook, hold, harvest, hide, according to a lawyer who is prosecuting the world’s largest social media company.The owner of Facebook and Instagram “hooks” in users, “holds” them on its platforms for as long as possible, “harvests” their data and then “hides” the truth from the public, she argued. Continue reading...
Amid a jobs slump, award-winning writers, directors and producers taking on sometimes lucrative temp work teaching AI skills such as screenwriting and productionHollywood creatives are taking gig work to train AI models to replicate their skills in a bid to offset tightening earnings in a trend one compared to being “handed a shovel and asked to dig the grave of my profession”.Experienced and award-winning writers, directors and producers are being paid from $12 to $200 an hour to teach AI models the intricacies of their jobs, from writing a screenplay to devising a shooting schedule. Continue reading...
It’s clear here in Silicon Valley that AI is advancing faster than humans’ ability to control it. That means even sober prophecies seem optimisticHere in Silicon Valley, the experts think that within the next couple of years we’ll see an extraordinary takeoff for artificial intelligence. “Welcome to the foothills of the singularity,” as a Stanford University friend greeted me. More prosaically, the imminent breakthrough is described as “recursive self-improvement” – the point at which AI itself trains each successive model of AI, resulting in an exponential development to something which, in many significant respects, is more intelligent than us humans.As Robert Wright puts it in his book The God Test: “Never before has the near-term future … held such a wide array of not-implausible paths for humankind that would be so wildly transformative.” But will this be heaven or hell? Heaven, says Elon Musk, who predicts “an age of amazing abundance” – although he also sees a 10-20% chance of killer robots murdering us all. Hell is more likely according to Geoffrey Hinton, one of the intellectual founding fathers of AI. “My intuition is, we’re toast,” he told an interviewer in 2023. And talking to Sebastian Mallaby, author of The Infinity Machine, a book about the quest for superintelligence, Hinton estimates p(doom) – the probability of human extinction – at 50%, “because I haven’t got a clue how to estimate the real number”. “As soon as evolution [of AI] kicks in, we’re fucked,” he adds cheerfully. But whether it’s God or Godzilla, artificial superintelligence is just around the corner.Timothy Garton Ash is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
In the wake of a series of cyber incidents involving AI agents, the NCSC has published interim guidance for operators of agentic systems, advising organisations retain the ability to pull the plug on AI systems entirely.
Exclusive: Planning documents show annual emissions from North Ockendon project would be equivalent to 8,480 flights to New YorkA “hyperscale” datacentre in outer London would generate more than 1m tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of 8,480 flights from London to New York, planning documents show.The East Havering Data Centre Campus (EHDCC) in North Ockendon would be one of the largest datacentres in Europe if approved by Havering council, using 218 hectares of green belt to run servers and data storage systems for AI and cloud computing. Its developer, Digital Reef, has described the scheme as “a unique opportunity to create a sustainable datacentre campus of the future”. Continue reading...
A collation of journalists, scholars and researchers have launched a database to document the increasing grassroots pushback against artificial intelligence technologies
In part two of a two-part series, Computer Weekly talks to 10 storage suppliers and a lawyer about the next frontier in data sovereignty – from AI model sovereignty to the sovereign SLAs that could redefine the storage market
The UK must integrate digital and energy planning, and treat compute as a flexible grid asset through evidence-based modular design rather than building isolated hyperscale hubs
AI may be eliminating some job roles but overall demand for human labour will increase amid signs of an 'AI boomerang'.
Computer Weekly may have chronicled IT in the UK for 60 years, but the country's telecoms infrastructure goes back three times that far
Trade body says local chains would have to balance concerns with potential benefits of AI-enabled technologyCinemas across the UK are considering banning customers from wearing Meta’s smart glasses amid fears they could be used to pirate films.The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) trade body said that a number of local chains could end up introducing policies that restrict camera-enabled smart glasses at the big screen, adding to a growing list of venues concerned about covert use. Continue reading...
The use of facial recognition technologies by UK police forces requires ‘significant improvements’ to ensure accountability and public trust, says data regulator
‘Emma’ the Rotherham chatbot has 17 languages says AI firm – but health watchdog says system struggling with local ‘twangs’Patients in a South Yorkshire town are frustrated by an AI GP receptionist not understanding their “broad accents”, a health watchdog has said.Healthwatch Rotherham, a local health and social care watchdog, said a number of practices in the area had introduced a new AI receptionist called Emma. Continue reading...
We speak to Starling Bank’s deputing CIO, Fred Laurent, about smart tools for the bank’s customer facing AI agent
Regulator says verifiable safety measures are ‘critical’ to the online service’s viabilityFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastRoblox has committed to making changes to its online gaming platform after Australia’s eSafety commissioner discovered adults were still able to see child accounts and send connection requests without parental consent.The company has provided a legal agreement to the online safety regulator after testing earlier this year also revealed children and adults could view and respond to one another’s posts on forums outside game environments without parental consent. Continue reading...