This is no scoffing matter. The accelerating proliferation of advanced nuclear weapons is bringing ‘end times’ closer by the dayHumankind has fearfully and sometimes joyfully anticipated the end of the world ever since it began. The Bible’s Book of Revelation speaks of “end times”, a period of tribulation, war, famine, plague, floods and environmental catastrophe that may seem a less absurd prospect today than perhaps it once did. Islam, too, posits a fateful day of judgment or day of reckoning. Christian evangelicals believe that, in the final rapture, a chosen few – the righteous or the “elect” – will be saved while sinners burn. It’s a minority view. Matthew’s gospel predicts most people will defy, ignore or ridicule warnings of imminent Armageddon. Peter, another of Jesus’s disciples, agreed: “In the last days, scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” Yet such worldly scepticism does not mean a universal cataclysm is less likely. It may make it more probable.Donald Trump’s blanket denials of the dangers ostensibly posed by artificial intelligence, whose uncontrolled development is seen by some as the latest harbinger of apocalypse, could be interpreted as fulfilling Peter’s prophecy. This US president, the nearest thing the world has to a one-man doomsday machine, is a great one for scoffing and evil desires. In Robert Harris’s 2019 novel, The Second Sleep, a worried scientist lists half a dozen ways the world might end. They include devastating climate change, pandemic disease, a giant asteroid collision with Earth, or some other overwhelming calamity. Few heed the fictional scientist’s fears. In the event, what destroys him and almost everybody else is a disturbingly plausible cyber crash – a global digital and internet meltdown.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator Continue reading...
Newly established commission identifies 17 catastrophic threats to human health but says ‘realistic route to act’ on each existsHumans could become extinct by the year 2100 due to malicious use of AI or nuclear conflict, according to a new global risk assessment.They top a list of 17 major threats to human health over the next 75 years, which also includes cuts to aid spending by wealthy countries, the climate crisis and childhood malnutrition. Continue reading...
George Williamson says ‘national resilience’ is key focus of ATI amid US and China’s runaway leadership in fieldThe UK must not become dependent on foreign AI systems that can be switched off at short notice and must develop its own versions of the technology, according to the head of the Alan Turing Institute.The country needs a stronger domestic position in AI in response to the US and China’s runaway leadership in the field, with “national resilience” a key focus for ATI said George Williamson. Continue reading...
Tom Watson, of Worcester, alleged to be behind Big Time Charlie X account that created so-called TraitorbaseThe owner of a recruitment firm has been accused of being at the centre of a so-called “doxxing” campaign against the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), anti-racism activists and business executives who recruit black, Asian and minority ethnic workers.Tom Watson, from Worcester, is alleged to be behind an X account calling itself “Big Time Charlie”, which was deactivated shortly after he was named by the campaign group Hope Not Hate. Continue reading...
Zohar Pinhasi stands accused of duping distressed ransomware victims by offering fake cyber services that he could not provide.
The NCSC's joint advisory names perennial offender Integrity Technology, accusing it of facilitating cyber attacks on behalf of Flax Typhoon, a Chinese state threat actor.
How optical company Zeiss built a real-time data integration system using SAP Hana Cloud and Datasphere, solving data access problems across operations and saving €2m annually
An OpenAI bot overloaded Wikimedia, attacked a system at the foundation and attempted to change entries
Questions raised over AI growth as ChatGPT maker forecasts this year’s revenue at $50bn, way below the $70bn signalled beforeBusiness live – latest updatesOpenAI has revealed that it is making about $20bn less in projected revenue than it had recently indicated to investors, raising questions about the break-neck growth rate in demand for AI.The ChatGPT-maker company has told investors that its revenues for this year would reach $50bn (£37bn), a projection based on sales up to the end of September. Continue reading...
Former Labour deputy leader says tech firm would work with a Reform UK government on immigration crackdownsTom Watson, the former Labour deputy leader who recently joined Palantir, has warned against “mob rule” when it comes to awarding public contracts.Lord Watson, now a senior vice-president at the US tech corporation, said UK ministers could get themselves “in a lot of trouble” as he was questioned about concerns raised about the government working with his new employer. Continue reading...
The half-yearly update to the Windows operating system gets a host of features for running AI models locally and securely
Payment card provider will enable offline payments to be accepted in Europe in the event of power and network outages
The US media company is looking to AI and agentic tools to improve its IT service desk and employee experience
Large language models must have lawful basis for processing personal data – ‘benefiting humanity’ is not enough, says Information Commissioner’s Office
A spokesperson for the tech company did not specify what kind of behavior would be considered abusiveAnthropic has barred users from exhibiting “sustained and needless abusive or cruel behavior” toward its models, as the company’s leaders continue to ponder machine consciousness.The Verge first reported the change in policy. Continue reading...
Vice-president also says Adobe is barred from visa program that allows high-skilled workers to apply for US residencyMicrosoft is suspended from applying for permanent residency for workers employed through a US visa program for high-skilled workers, JD Vance announced on Thursday.The US vice-president accused the tech company of abusing the H-1B system, which allows those on the visa to work while they apply for and are in the process of obtaining a green card. Continue reading...