The Guardian

The country is positioning itself as Latin America’s next technology hub, but communities are pushing back The Andes mountains frame what was once a wetland – now a stretch of dry, yellowed grass. Rodrigo Vallejos, a final-year law student, noticed the change five years ago while observing the Quilicura wetland, on the northern outskirts of Santiago. One of Chile ’s largest swamps, spanning 468.4…

As SpaceX and OpenAI race toward IPOs, a tiny circle of tech leaders tightens its grip on AI’s future Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, US tech editor at the Guardian. Let’s recap a whirlwind five days that may determine the future of AI. SpaceX reveals plan for $1.75tn stock market debut that could make Musk a trillionaire Mars colony and Grok warnings: five stran…

Critics of platform’s proposed new feature say it could accelerate the spread of machine-generated music Spotify’s chief executive has defended the company’s move into AI-generated music, claiming it offers users and creators a better alternative to piracy and unregulated AI slop. Last week, the platform announced a new feature in which premium users will be allowed to create their own, AI-genera…

PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5; IO Interactive The stealth masters behind Hitman go loud for this game about Bond’s brilliant beginnings Given that we’ve not had a great James Bond video game in decades – or any Bond film at all in five years – there’s a lot of pressure on 007 First Light to reinvigorate a British cinematic hero. But developer IO Interactive has been auditioning for this role for some t…

The content creators behind channels like Chloe VS History are using AI tools to ‘bring history to life in a really visceral way’ “I have just arrived in Tudor London, 1536,” a young woman in a green puffer jacket tells the camera. “I’m going to check in at my room in the inn, get into the market. Then, later I am meeting the actual king – yep, Henry VIII – in person.” On YouTube and other social…

Ellen Roome, whose son, Jools Sweeney, was 14 when he died, wants a ban put in place for under-16s The mother of a teenager who believes he died in a TikTok challenge gone wrong has said Downing Street has been too slow to move towards a social media ban for under-16s, and accused the government of “kicking it down the road”. Ellen Roome, the mother of Jools Sweeney, 14, is among the families who…

Jay Morris denies experts’ claims that he violated ethics rules over land deals near the site of Meta’s Hyperion datacenter This story is from Floodlight , a non-profit newsroom that investigates the powers stalling climate action For more than two years, John “Jay” Morris, a Louisiana state senator, helped pave the way for Meta to build one of the world’s largest datacenters, called Hyperion, in…

Recent college grads are not very fond of commencement speakers hyping up a technology they see as a threat to their career prospects When Jacob Pagel graduated from Middle Tennessee State University this spring, predictions about artificial intelligence already had him questioning the value of his degree. Then a music executive started preaching about AI’s transformative power during a commencem…

Campaigners, teenagers, legislators and experts give their opinions on the government’s social media consultation Change is coming for social media platforms. The UK government’s consultation on improving online safety for children will result in some form of action being taken against big tech. Even before the deadline for submissions has passed, ministers have pledged to introduce an Australia-…

Like so many Britons, I usually consult a weather app before venturing out of the house – and often cancel plans if I don’t like what I see. Here’s what happened when I went cold turkey for a week When I heard on the radio that more than half of British people would consider cancelling an outing if they saw a 40% chance of rain all day on their weather app, I felt seen. I, too, am a slave to my a…

Exclusive: Chancellor pushes for procurement of ships, steel, energy and AI to prioritise Britishness as well as cost Rachel Reeves has instructed cabinet colleagues to award government contracts in four critical industries directly to British companies, making clear her irritation that ministers have been sending too much government business abroad. In a letter seen by the Guardian, the chancell…

A region known for its lack of walkability now has more obstacles for pedestrians to contend with Robots have taken over Los Angeles. It’s not just the AI-generated videos that have caused angst in Hollywood. Our streets are full of driverless Waymo vehicles, covered in more sensors and gadgets than the Batmobile. And our walkways are home to fleets of boxes on wheels, hurrying past pedestrians a…

Pontiff calls for ‘most rigorous’ ethical constraints on tech and apologises for church’s delay in condemning slavery Pope Leo has denounced the “culture of power” driving the rapid rise of artificial intelligence while warning that the technology must be subject to the “most rigorous” ethical constraints as it infiltrates everything from work to war. In his encyclical – the first major text on s…

Definition of green facilities made in 2022, before release of ChatGPT, says Action to Protect Rural Scotland A Scottish government policy designed to encourage datacentres to build in Scotland could lead to a massive volume of carbon emissions being ignored, according to an analysis by a Scottish charity. “Green datacentres” are at the heart of Scotland’s ambitions to develop economically. Enshr…

PR executives say UK companies are forcing them to present ordinary automation as artificial intelligence UK companies are performing “yoga-level” stretches to describe themselves as AI specialists in an attempt to capitalise on the buzz around the technology, public relations firms have said. Weary communications executives tasked with securing media coverage for brands have complained that boss…