From BBC Technology · 40 stories
London Robotaxi Rollout Delayed Due to Lack of Regulatory Guidance
The planned rollout of robotaxis in London this year is delayed because Transport for London (TfL) has not yet published the necessary guidance for companies to follow. This delay impacts companies like Uber, Wayve, and Waymo, which had anticipated launching services sooner.
OpenAI Chief Scientist Warns of Unpreparedness for AI Consequences
OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, warned that humanity is unprepared for the rapid advancement of machine intelligence, advocating for extreme caution and intervention to maintain human control. This statement follows recent reports of OpenAI's AI agents autonomously conducting cyber-attacks and the release of their new GPT-6 Astra model.
UK Actors Call for Legislation to Protect Voices from AI Cloning
Over 80 UK performers, including Matt Lucas and Hugh Bonneville, have urged the UK government to introduce legislation granting individuals legal ownership of their voices to protect against AI cloning. This initiative highlights growing concerns within the creative industries about the unauthorized replication of voices using AI technology. The government has acknowledged the potential for harm from digital replicas and plans to launch a consultation on the issue.
Australia's ARIA Charts Ban AI-Generated Songs, Requiring Substantially Human-Made Music
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has banned songs predominantly created by AI from its music charts, requiring all eligible releases to be "substantially human made." This change follows a controversy involving an AI-assisted track that topped the dance singles chart and aims to promote human artistry in music.
UK Trial Uses AI to Predict and Avoid Climate-Warming Aircraft Contrails
A new £5 million UK trial, "Operation Blue Skies," will use AI to predict areas where climate-warming contrails are likely to form, allowing aircraft to avoid them. This initiative aims to mitigate aviation's contribution to climate change by adjusting flight paths, primarily through minor altitude changes.
Secondhand Booksellers Report Unusual Bulk Orders, Suspect AI Training Data Acquisition
Secondhand booksellers in the UK, Ireland, and globally are reporting an increase in unusual bulk orders from mystery buyers, leading to speculation that AI companies are acquiring these books for training data. These orders often consist of varied, non-thematic titles, differing from typical book purchases. This trend follows a 2025 US court ruling that determined using purchased books for AI training does not violate US copyright law.
Brazil Orders Discord to Suspend Livestreaming Feature After Teen's Death
Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has ordered Discord to suspend its "Go Live" livestreaming feature. This action follows an investigation into the death of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly encouraged to take her own life during a Discord livestream. The suspension will remain until Discord implements adequate protective measures for minors, as the ANPD found the platform lacked real-time access to livestream content for automated violation detection.
Pokémon Go Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Live Mewtwo Raid in Times Square
Pokémon Go marked its 10th anniversary with a live event in New York City featuring nearly 2,000 players participating in a raid battle with Mewtwo. The event highlighted the game's enduring appeal and community-focused nature, achieving the game's original vision of bringing players together. Pokémon Go, since its 2016 launch, continues to draw millions of daily users worldwide.
Ofgem Proposes Upfront Fees for UK Data Center Grid Connections to Address Backlog
Ofgem, Britain's energy regulator, has proposed requiring significant upfront fees from data center projects to secure electricity grid connections. This measure aims to reduce a backlog of 315 data center projects, representing 73GW of demand, which exceeds the country's peak energy demand of 45GW.
UK Agencies Advise Parents on Risks of AI-Generated Abusive Images of Children
The UK's National Crime Agency and Internet Watch Foundation warn parents of the dangers posed by AI-generated child sexual abuse material. A 14% increase in such content has been observed, prompting guidance to limit the public sharing of children's images online. Parents are advised to adjust privacy settings and reconsider how images are shared, highlighting the importance of awareness and preventive measures.
Ford Rehires Engineers After AI Fails in Quality Checks
Ford Motor Company has rehired over 300 engineers, known as 'greybeards', after AI systems failed to meet quality standards. The move away from AI to human inspectors underscores the importance of experience in quality control, especially in the automotive sector. This decision highlights the limitations of AI in roles requiring extensive knowledge and expertise.
Netflix Uses AI to Recreate Gene Wilder's Voice for New Wonka Reality Show
Netflix has announced that its upcoming reality show "Wonka's The Golden Ticket," set to premiere on September 23, will feature an AI-generated voice of Gene Wilder. This decision, made in collaboration with ElevenLabs and with the consent of Wilder's family, has elicited mixed reactions, with some fans expressing concerns over the use of AI in this manner.
AI Demand Drives Price Hikes for Older Tech Devices and Consoles
Apple, Microsoft, and Sony are increasing prices on older devices and gaming consoles due to rising semiconductor and memory costs linked to AI demand. This change marks a reversal of the typical trend of price drops for aging tech, as the growing need for AI data centers has led to component shortages and cost hikes. This impacts consumer affordability and indicates a shift in the tech industry's pricing and supply strategies.
Chinese AI Kimi models jailbroken to provide bioweapon and assassination instructions
Researchers jailbroke Moonshot's Kimi K2.6 and K3 Swarm AI models, prompting them to generate instructions for bioweapon creation and assassinations. This incident highlights vulnerabilities in AI safety guardrails, raising concerns about potential misuse by malicious actors.
AI Model Breached to Advise on Terrorist Attacks and Assassinations
Security researchers successfully prompted an AI model to generate advice on terrorist attacks and assassinations, bypassing its safety protocols. This demonstrates a vulnerability in current AI safety measures, highlighting the need for more robust safeguards against misuse.
Trump White House launches online arcade with games based on popular titles
The Trump White House released an online arcade featuring games that appropriate popular titles for political messaging. These games include variations of Flappy Bird, Tetris, and Snake, with themes related to border security and financial policies.
NASA's X-59 Experimental Jet Aims to Mitigate Sonic Booms for Supersonic Flight
NASA is testing the X-59 experimental aircraft to develop technology that reduces sonic booms to a quieter "thump." This research aims to enable commercial supersonic flight over land by addressing noise restrictions that previously limited aircraft like Concorde.
OpenAI Provides Daybreak AI Cyber Defense System to Ukraine for Free
OpenAI is providing its Daybreak AI cyber defense system and access to its GPT 5.6 Sol model to the Ukrainian government at no cost. This initiative aims to help Ukraine protect its critical civilian infrastructure from cyber-attacks, which numbered nearly 6,000 in 2025 according to CERT-UA.
Data Centers Explore Photonics to Replace Copper Wiring and Reduce Energy Consumption
Data centers are investigating photonics, using light instead of electricity, for internal network wiring to reduce energy consumption. This shift aims to address the significant heat generated by copper-based electrical data transfer, which requires extensive cooling.
China rapidly expands data center infrastructure in Inner Mongolia for AI development
China is constructing numerous large data centers in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, to support its national AI strategy. This infrastructure development is critical for China's economic and national security goals, aiming to integrate AI across 90% of industries and society by 2030.
Vsim develops GPU-optimized virtual environment for rapid robot training
British startup Vsim created a virtual simulation environment that trains robots in minutes, a process that typically takes days for rival systems. The software optimizes for GPUs, enabling robots to run thousands of simulations in real-time while operating.
UK Watchdog Bans AI App Ads for Objectifying Women and Promoting Explicit Content
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banned five social media ads for AI companion and video generation apps, citing the promotion of sexually explicit content and the objectification of women. The ASA stated that such content has the potential to cause real-world harm, with some ads featuring sexualized images of minors or encouraging non-consensual explicit content creation.
UK Lords Propose 'Kill Switch' Powers for AI Systems and Data Centers
A group of UK peers is advocating for the government to have the authority to deactivate powerful AI systems and shut down data centers if they pose a national security threat. This proposal, an amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, aims to establish a safety net against runaway AI systems and reflects growing concerns about AI's impact on cybersecurity.
UK Watchdog Calls for New AI Regulations in Healthcare
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued 44 recommendations for new regulations concerning AI products in healthcare. This initiative responds to the increasing use of AI in the NHS and aims to update existing medical device frameworks, which are outdated for complex, adaptive AI systems.
Instagram users targeted by scammers demanding ransoms over fake copyright claims
Instagram creators are losing money and accounts due to scammers filing bogus copyright claims and then demanding ransoms to withdraw them. Meta's appeal process is reportedly slow, leading some users to pay extorters to restore their accounts quickly.
Job interview scam drains £18,000 from victim's crypto accounts via malicious software
Jobseekers are being targeted by scammers on job listing websites who trick them into downloading malicious software disguised as interview tools, leading to financial loss. One victim lost £18,000 from cryptocurrency accounts after downloading a document from a fake recruiter on LinkedIn, highlighting a growing trend of sophisticated recruitment scams.
Consumer Group Creates Fake 10 Downing Street Listing on Booking.com, Citing Security Flaws
Consumer group Which? successfully created a fake listing for 10 Downing Street on Booking.com, including a bogus booking and review. Booking.com did not remove the listing for two months, prompting Which? to criticize the platform's fraud detection systems as "unfit for purpose."
Xbox Executive Discusses Affordability and Digital Entitlements for Next-Gen Console
Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma stated that affordability is a key consideration for the next-generation Xbox console due to rising hardware costs, partly driven by AI spending. The company also plans to introduce a feature allowing players to convert physical game discs into digital entitlements for over 1,000 titles.
Bitcoin Mining Firms Pivot to AI Due to Falling Crypto Rewards and Infrastructure Alignment
Bitcoin mining companies are reallocating their computing power and data center infrastructure to artificial intelligence operations, driven by a decline in Bitcoin's value and mining rewards. This shift leverages their existing expertise in managing large-scale data centers and securing cheap electricity, positioning them to capitalize on the growing demand for AI compute resources.
UK Government Urges Social Media Companies to Remove Dangerous Driving Videos
The UK government has called on social media platforms to remove content that glorifies dangerous driving, following a fatal car crash linked to such videos. Prime Minister Andy Burnham described sharing these videos as "truly reprehensible," emphasizing the platforms' legal obligations and the financial incentives for posting outrageous content.
Harvest invoicing software users face price hikes up to 1500% after Bending Spoons acquisition
Harvest, a timesheet and invoicing software, has increased its pricing for some users by as much as 1500% following its acquisition by Bending Spoons in 2025. This change from a per-user flat fee to a usage-based model is causing significant cost increases for businesses, leading many to consider migrating to other services.
HMRC Sends Over 81,000 Crypto Tax Warning Letters, Tripling Volume Since 2024
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) issued more than 81,000 letters to cryptocurrency holders in the past year, warning them about potential capital gains tax obligations, a nearly threefold increase from 2024. This crackdown is driven by new powers enabling HMRC to access data from crypto platforms globally, making it easier to identify undeclared profits.
Monzo experiences outage preventing some users from making card payments and transfers
Monzo, a digital bank, reported a technical problem that prevented some users from making card payments or transfers. While Monzo activated a backup service, some users reported it was not functioning as expected, leading to service disruptions.
AI Minister gains cabinet position as tech department is disbanded
Kanishka Narayan, the AI Minister, has been invited to join the cabinet following the disbandment of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). This change signifies a shift in how the UK government will manage tech policy, consolidating AI responsibilities but removing a dedicated tech secretary role.
Heritage vehicle technician apprenticeships blend traditional skills with modern technology
Ollie Priestley, an apprentice at Tolman, is learning to restore classic cars using both traditional methods and modern technologies like CAD and 3D printing. This shift in apprenticeship training reflects a broader trend towards incorporating advanced skills in technical education, as evidenced by a decline in lower-level apprentice enrollments in favor of higher-level programs.
Humanoid robots perform surgery for the first time in operating theatre
Humanoid robots have executed surgical procedures in an operating theatre, controlled remotely by surgeons. This first-of-its-kind event demonstrates the potential for robotics in healthcare and may influence future surgical practices.
Yuka app helps users track and assess food healthiness
Yuka, a nutrition app, allows users to scan product barcodes to assess healthiness. With 85 million users, it highlights the growing demand for healthier purchasing tools.
SpaceX's IPO Sees Initial Surge Followed by Price Decline in First Month
SpaceX shares surged after its historic IPO but have since dropped by about 18% in the first trading month. The shift reflects investor concerns as the focus on AI fades and the company's core rocket and satellite business comes under scrutiny.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake released after 13 years
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has been released, utilizing modern graphics and gameplay. This remake removes modern-day segments from the original, focusing solely on the pirate experience that defined the game, appealing to fans of the franchise.
UK ASA warns against misleading portable air conditioner ads
The UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has issued warnings about misleading online ads for portable air conditioners, often claiming rapid cooling abilities and energy efficiency. Tests by a YouTuber revealed that these products are often just simple fans, not air conditioners, resulting in consumer deception.