The Guardian

The use of AI-generated campaign videos – labeled or unlabeled – are likely to permeate future US elections The New York City mayoral election may be remembered for the remarkable win of a young democratic socialist, but it was also marked by something that is likely to permeate future elections: the use of AI-generated campaign videos. Andrew Cuomo , who lost to Zohran Mamdani in last week’s ele…

Officials say effective invisibilty in search results could be leading to unfair ‘loss of revenue’ The EU has launched an investigation into Google Search over concerns the US tech company has been “demoting” commercial content from news media sites. The bloc’s executive arm announced the move after monitoring found certain content created with advertisers and sponsors was being given such a low …

Google subsidiary to offer services on San Francisco, LA and Phoenix freeways as it scales expansion amid competition Alphabet’s Waymo said on Wednesday that it would begin offering robotaxi rides that use freeways across San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, a first for the Google subsidiary as it steps up expansion amid global and domestic competition in the self-driving industry. Freeway rid…

AI startup behind Claude chatbot working with London-based Fluidstack on building vast new computing facilities Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced a $50bn investment in computing infrastructure on Wednesday that will include new datacenters in Texas and New York . “We’re getting closer to AI that can accelerate scientific discovery and help solve complex problems in ways that wer…

From Demon Souls to Baby Steps, challenging games keep a certain type of player coming back for more. I wonder why we are such suckers for punishment • Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up here Most people who really love video games have the capacity to be obsessive. Losing weeks of your life to Civilization, World of Warcraft or Football Manager is something so many of us …

Labor’s proposed media bargaining incentive to apply to platforms with Australian-derived revenue of at least $250m, according to Treasury Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Meta and other tech companies refusing to sign content deals with Australian news outlets face millions in new fines, with Labor’s proposed media bargaining incentive set to impose penalties based on…

New law will allow technology to be examined and ensure tools have safeguards to stop creation of material Tech companies and child protection agencies will be given the power to test whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse images under a new UK law. The announcement was made as a safety watchdog revealed that reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material [CSAM] have m…

OpenAI ordered to pay undisclosed damages for training its language models on artists’ work without permission A court in Munich has ruled that OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT violated German copyright laws by using hits from top-selling musicians to train its language models in what creative industry advocates described as a landmark European ruling. The Munich regional court sided in favour of Germany…

In our always online, AI-imperilled lives, simply looking at a painting can improve wellbeing and offer creative guidance. For my new book, artists and writers shared their advice on how to live life artfully How many times a day do you reach for your phone? Do you jump at a notification, spend journeys locked in on your tiny black mirror? What about during meals, or when you wake up? Does it mak…

Announced in 2020 by the Game Awards as an inclusive programme for the industry’s next generation, the Future Class initiative has now been discontinued. Inductees describe clashes with organisers and a lack of support from the beginning Video games have long struggled with diversification and inclusivity, so it was no surprise when the Game Awards host and producer Geoff Keighley announced the F…

A new partnership between Co-op and The Hacking Games aims to engage young people who are at risk of being attracted to cybercrime by offering them a novel pathway into the tech sector For many young people at school or college, having a firm grasp of digital skills sits at the heart of future learning and earning opportunities. But for their teachers, ensuring these skills are used for good is a…

For many young people, the online gaming world is a refuge, as well as a place to build up their digital skills through gaming and coding. Now, a new initiative to offer pathways into cybersecurity could help them put these talents to use The superfast evolution of technology can create a digital divide between parents and their teens. Gen X and millennials may have had their childhoods transform…

Almost a decade after his involvement in a major cyber-attack, Daniel Kelley is now a leading cybersecurity researcher, helping organisations create accurate and accessible cybersecurity content In 2016, a then 19-year-old Daniel Kelley was charged with computer hacking, blackmail and fraud in connection with a major data breach at a British telecoms company. He was sentenced to four years’ impri…

Online criminal gangs are targeting young gamers for their coding skills. Yet a new partnership between Co-op and The Hacking Games seeks to harness these skills for good, providing potential careers in cybersecurity for marginalised young people Video games have come a long way since they gained widespread popularity in the 1970s – and the numbers of people playing them have rocketed. Today, it …

An expert describes how communities in some of the world’s driest areas are demanding transparency as secretive governments court billions in foreign investment This Q&A originally appeared as part of The Guardian’s TechScape newsletter. Sign up for this weekly newsletter here . The data centers that power the artificial intelligence boom are beyond enormous . Their financials, their physical sca…