The Guardian

Ministers warn platform could be blocked after Grok AI used to create sexual images without consent Elon Musk has accused the UK government of wanting to suppress free speech after ministers threatened fines and a possible ban for his social media site X after its AI tool, Grok, was used to make sexual images of women and children without their consent. The billionaire claimed Grok was the most d…

Nick and Brooke Shirley have for years published conspiracy-minded takes on hot-button rightwing issues YouTube influencer Nick Shirley, whose viral video alleging fraud by daycare centers servicing Minneapolis’s Somali American community came days ahead of the Trump administration’s declaration of a national funding freeze , has for years published conspiracy-minded takes on hot-button rightwing…

From the greatest cartoon racing game in history to a remastered version of an Alien-inspired sci-fi shooter, here are the Switch’s must-play games • The 15 best games to play on the Nintendo Switch in 2025 Although the Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for several months, not everyone has made the leap to the new machine and there is still much to enjoy on the original console in 2026 (and beyond).…

They may be small, but toothbrushes can create mountains of waste. Experts reveal how to clean and care for them and extend their life • The best electric toothbrushes, tested If toothbrushes were sentient, they’d complain about their lot in life. Their thankless existence involves repeatedly cleaning one of the grimmest parts of the body, then being thrown out once their bristles are insufficien…

Some experts have voiced fears a tech meltdown could hit our savings and pensions – here’s how to protect yourself The new year has started as 2025 ended – with share prices booming amid warnings from some that the growth is being driven by overvalued technology stocks. Fears of an “AI bubble” have been voiced by people from the governor of the Bank of England to the head of Google’s parent compa…

Elon Musk’s reckless and degrading AI could be built differently. But Americans will have to speak up Over the past year, Elon Musk has made a series of protocol changes to Grok, the proprietary AI chatbot of his company xAI, which runs prominently on his social media site X, formerly Twitter. Many of these changes have been geared to make the bot more amenable to producing pornography. In August…

As screen fatigue grows, a new trend is swapping smartphones for crosswords and sketchbooks – turning the humble bag into a tool for offline living There’s a new “it” bag – but this time it is not about a designer label or splashy logo. Instead, it’s what is inside that counts. So-called analogue bags, filled with activities such as crosswords, knitting, novels and journals, have become the unexp…

Robot vacuums that can climb stairs and device for BlackBerry lovers also on display at annual Las Vegas tech show This year will be filled with robots that can fold your laundry, pick up objects and climb stairs, fridges that you can command to open by voice, laptops with screens that can follow you around the room on motorised hinges and the reimagining of the BlackBerry phone. Those are the pr…

Our fitness expert clocked up his indoor miles to put the best exercise bikes, including simple spin machines and gym-quality models, to the test • The best treadmills for your home, tested Cycling has the potential to benefit your health in myriad ways, whether it’s the mood-boosting properties of inhaling fresh air, the social element of riding with friends or the simple act of improving cardio…

From cosy museums and tropical islands to nightmarishly difficult adventures – and revamps of favourites including Mario Kart and Pokémon – there’s something for everyone Nintendo’s newest console has been out for a less than a year but it already boasts an impressive catalogue of excellent new games, as well as a variety of enhanced Switch greats. Here’s our selection of the 15 best titles curre…

Judge says there is plenty of evidence to suggest OpenAI’s leaders made assurances nonprofit structure would be kept Business live – latest updates Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI is to go to trial after a US judge said there is plenty of evidence to support the billionaire’s case. The world’s richest man, who co-founded OpenAI, is suing the ChatGPT developer and its chief executive, Sam Altma…

Research finds growing trend of employers letting employees work remotely to free up more holiday time Katherine first caught the bug when she visited Australia a couple of years ago. The flights were expensive, and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so she asked her manager if she could extend the trip by two weeks, and work remotely from her friend’s house. That was her first taste of a “…

State residents worth more than $1bn could face one-off, 5% tax to help fund education, food assistance and healthcare A battle is brewing in California over a plan to tax billionaires – with tech titans divided over whether they should pay up, or flee the state. Under a tax proposal that could be put to voters this November, any California resident worth more than $1bn would have to pay a one-of…

PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch/Switch 2, Xbox, PC; Square-Enix This landmark role-playing game remains a revolutionary tour de force At first glance, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, first released in 1997 and now available in newly remastered guise, does little to separate itself from other boilerplate fantasy fiction. There is a hero, Ramza – an idealistic nobleman with luscious…

In this week’s newsletter: Stranger Things’ climactic showdown is the latest pop culture spectacle to feel like its been ported straight from a console. The industries’ reciprocally influential relationship can be to everyone’s gain • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here It had begun to feel like an endurance test by the end, but nonetheless, like the sucker I am, I wat…