Theguardian

<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2026/aug/23/ella-baron-on-ai-and-the-drought-cartoon">Continue reading...</a>

<p>Fears of a datacenter buildout debt crisis are exaggerated. The risks are different than in the past and they are recoverable</p><p>Some experts are warning of a looming “debt bomb” crisis because big <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/datacenters--us-">datacenter</a> builders such as <a href="https://investor.atmeta.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2025/Meta-Announces-Joint-Venture-with-Funds-Managed-by-Blue-Owl-Capital-to-Develop-Hyperion-Data-Center/default.aspx">Meta</a>,

<p>Chris Lehane tells Guardian of need to implement new safety standards as critics say AI firms acting ‘recklessly’</p><p>A senior leader at OpenAI has said people should prepare to defend against “ongoing, persistent” cyber-attacks from AIs, as cutting-edge artificial intelligence models gain advanced capabilities to plan and launch offensives.</p><p>The leading AI company this week announced a pause in development of its most advanced internal models amid rising safety fears, and Chris Lehane

<p>Amid a jobs slump, award-winning writers, directors and producers taking on sometimes lucrative temp work teaching AI skills such as screenwriting and production</p><p>Hollywood creatives are taking gig work to train AI models to replicate their skills in a bid to offset tightening earnings in a trend one compared to being “handed a shovel and asked to dig the grave of my profession”.</p><p>Experienced and award-winning writers, directors and producers are being paid from $12 to $200 an hour

<p>It’s clear here in Silicon Valley that AI is advancing faster than humans’ ability to control it. That means even sober prophecies seem optimistic</p><p>Here in Silicon Valley, the experts think that within the next couple of years we’ll see an extraordinary takeoff for artificial intelligence. “Welcome to the foothills of the singularity,” as a Stanford University friend greeted me. More prosaically, the imminent breakthrough is described as “recursive self-improvement” – the point at which

<p>Less than three months to go until the midterms, voters are thinking about grocery prices, the Iran war and… datacentres.</p><p></p><p>This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to historian Jill Lepore about how this latest AI backlash could influence those all-important elections in November. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the 'artificial state'?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2026/aug/21/jill-lepore-on-why-the-artificial-state-is-doomed-politics-weekly-america

<p>I understand the pressure on AI companies to rush forward. But employees are right to be concerned</p><p>Last month, more than a thousand employees at frontier AI companies <a href="https://www.pacingthefrontier.com/">signed a letter</a> asking the US government to find a way to “pace” AI development, citing the risk of the technology spiraling out of human control as it begins to <a href="https://www.anthropic.com/institute/recursive-self-improvement">build itself</a>.</p><p>They were right

<p>With less than three months to go until the midterms, voters are thinking about grocery prices, the Iran war – and datacentres.</p><p>This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to the historian Jill Lepore about how this latest AI backlash could influence those all-important elections in November. Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the ‘artificial state’?</p><p>Listen to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/aug/19/the-people-v-the-datacentre-the-fight-for-brick-lane-podca

<p>Trade body says local chains would have to balance concerns with potential benefits of AI-enabled technology</p><p>Cinemas across the UK are considering banning customers from wearing Meta’s smart glasses amid fears they could be used to pirate films.</p><p>The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) trade body said that a number of local chains could end up introducing policies that restrict camera-enabled smart glasses at the big screen, adding to a growing list of venues concerned about covert use.</

<p>‘Emma’ the Rotherham chatbot has 17 languages says AI firm – but health watchdog says system struggling with local ‘twangs’</p><p>Patients in a South Yorkshire town are frustrated by an AI GP receptionist not understanding their “broad accents”, a health watchdog has said.</p><p><a href="https://healthwatchrotherham.org.uk/">Healthwatch Rotherham</a>, a local health and social care watchdog, said a number of practices in the area had introduced a new AI receptionist called Emma.</p> <a href="

<p>For most of modern history, technology sought to imitate humans. Humans increasingly seek to imitate technology</p><p>Two faces that appeared on my Instagram feed in recent months gave me pause. One belonged to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WkoyUEIzvI">John Travolta at Cannes</a>. The other to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOjUQAzCPy-/">Carla Bruni on a date night</a> with her husband, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Both looked recognisably themselves, yet, the

<p>Zvezdelina Stankova says she used AI to ‘help edit’ an article about some of her students being ‘five to eight years’ behind</p><p>A math professor at the University of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/california">California</a>, Berkeley, criticizing a “severe” math deficiency among students in an <a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2026/08/15/uc-berkeley-sat-test-blind-admissions-math-scores/">op-ed for the San Francisco Standard</a>, admitted to <a href="https://www.dailyca

<p>A rise in lawsuits over AI use in employment decisions is raising questions about how companies hire and fire</p><p>For the last four years, Erin Kistler has applied for thousands of jobs at companies like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/paypal">Paypal</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/microsoft">Microsoft</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/netflix">Netflix</a>, only to find her résumé disappear into a black hole. A product manager with nearl

<p>A historian charts the emergence of a democracy-crushing dystopia that is – in some ways – already with us</p><p>Pulitzer prize-winning US historian Jill Lepore’s new book addresses the threat posed to liberal democracy by artificial intelligence. According to Lepore, the extraordinary power of private tech companies led by men whose priorities may not align with the wellbeing of the Earth or its inhabitants is set to destroy civilisation as we know it.</p><p>Lepore’s concept of the Artificia

<p>Amid race with Anthropic, firm plans to overhaul research and training and require more safety parameters after hack</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/openai">OpenAI</a> on ⁠Tuesday said it had slowed down the ⁠pace of ⁠its ​AI development while it overhauled its ⁠research and training systems.</p><p>The company’s researchers were ⁠caught unaware last month ​when an ‌AI agent ‌under testing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/22/openai-says-its-models-

<p>Machines that kill without distinction, answerable to no one, leave no one safe, writes military surgeon <strong>Dr Darren Mann</strong></p><p>Stuart Russell is right that AI’s builders fear losing control of it (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/11/openai-anthropic-google-deepmind-letter">Experts are warning: our AI arms race is putting humanity at risk, 11 August</a>). But it is not only a future superintelligence’s problem; it is already loaded into weapons, where

<p>Anthropic says it will change way chatbot makes small, random choices, to comply with EU regulation</p><p>The world is familiar by now with the usual tropes of machine-generated text: overuse of the word “delve”, an excess of em dashes, and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/15/chatgpt-stylistic-quirk-its-not-x-its-y">chirpy, relentless construction of “it’s not X but Y”</a>.</p><p>But is it about to get even worse?</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technol

<p>Supermarket chain says ‘human error’, not its Facewatch technology, to blame for ejecting a customer</p><p>Sainsbury’s has paused the use of AI face scanning in one of its stores after a customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter and ejected from the shop.</p><p>“I was embarrassed, mortified even, and felt quite humiliated and powerless,” Matt Arnold, 46, said of his ordeal.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/17/humiliated-sainsburys-store-pauses-ai-scanning-aft

<p>Hi-tech cameras orbiting Earth and on the ground, along with AI, help firefighters extinguish blazes before they spread</p><p>The fires in Spokane, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/washington-state">Washington</a>, this summer are the latest reminder that <em>when </em>a wildfire is detected can be just as important as <em>where </em>it starts. A blaze found within minutes can often be contained before it spreads. Wait too long, and a small spark can become a major disaster.</p><p

<p>Guardian investigation finds apparent discrepancy between what tech company has said about its AI capacity – and the number of advanced chips it has in operation</p><p></p><p>The chips are quite small and some can be held in the palm of a hand. They are fundamental to the development of artificial intelligence models – and the world’s biggest technology companies need vast numbers of them to keep ahead.</p><p>Microsoft is one of them. And, on paper, it seems to have a problem. A Guardian inve

<p><strong>Exclusive:</strong> Guardian analysis finds one section of report includes links to academic articles that do not exist, but authors deny the references were made up by AI</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/aug/17/australia-politics-live-labor-work-rights-visa-holders-anthony-albanese-angus-taylor-pauline-hanson-liberal-party-one-nation-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://ww

<p>Andy Burnham’s doubts about Zoom interviews apply more widely to a hiring process being transformed by AI</p><p>Almost half of UK jobseekers have found themselves pitching to an AI bot, according to recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/may/01/uk-job-hunters-frustration-ai-interviews">research</a>, leading many to give up in frustration. As one despairing applicant <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/17/ghost-jobs-robot-gatekeepers-ai-interview-jo

<p>Amid fears for jobs, some film-makers say AI could enable them to bypass studio giants and take more creative risks</p><p>Near the collonaded entrance to Sony Pictures’ historic Culver City film studio, a tech-powered rival has sprung up this summer. The artists at Promise, a new studio feeding off the potential of AI, can glimpse the lots where Singin’ in the Rain and Men in Black were shot, but no longer do they need to get beyond the studio’s high walls to make their visions come true.</p>

<p>Wynd Kaufmyn, 69, chained and locked the front doors of OpenAI’s headquarters last year with members of StopAI</p><p>An activist who blocked the entrance to one of the world’s biggest AI companies is believed to have become the first person jailed for protesting against artificial intelligence as supporters dub her the “Rosa Parks of AI risk”.</p><p>Wynd Kaufmyn, 69, surrendered herself on Friday to authorities in San Francisco. She was found guilty by a jury for her role in an action last ye

<p>Student unrest sweeps India, Portugal and Mexico as grievances and pressure for good grades in tough job market collide</p><p>Families with teenagers in education know the private, hidden pain of exam season. But this year, what might have been a summer of quiet family anxiety has erupted in several countries into public unrest.</p><p>Exam-related turmoil has led to mass student protests in Mexico after nearly 60,000 university applicants were <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a

<p>Fraudsters use pictures posted on Instagram or Facebook to create emails seeking bank account details</p><p>You are on a short break in Porto and post some pictures of your family on Instagram or Facebook. With a small section of the Douro river in the background, you think it could have been taken anywhere.</p><p>A few days later, you get a text saying that your card was compromised. “We detected unusual activity while you were travelling in Porto – please verify immediately,” says the messa

<p>Development comes after Anthropic was found to have spent millions on books to scan for ‘data acquisition’</p><p>Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a flurry of bulk orders from mystery buyers, amid speculation AI companies are acquiring the tomes for their data.</p><p>Bookshops contacted by the Guardian say they have been receiving orders from buyers in the US, Canada, continental Europe and the UK. The increase has been replicated around the world, with booksellers in

<p>‘A great deal of public opposition is likely’ to a proposed datacentre near Edinburgh, the force says</p><p>Police in Scotland have issued a stark warning about the need for “robust security measures” to stop proposed AI datacentres from being attacked by protesters.</p><p>There has been mounting opposition to AI infrastructure globally, including in the US where such projects have become a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/03/datacenter-recall-elections">significant polit

<p>Dating apps such as Bumble forced to adapt as ‘swipe fatigue’ grows</p><p>Bumble was supposed to be different. When it launched in 2014, it offered women a simple proposition: if you matched with a man, you had to make the first move. The rule was meant to make online dating safer and less intimidating, while giving women control over who got to speak first.</p><p>This week, Bumble abandoned it.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/14/online-dating-salvage-mode--ai-b

<p>Pilot scheme will provide three weeks of training as part of UK government’s latest attempt to address Neets crisis</p><p>Young people <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/may/27/neets-could-hit-125m-by-early-2030s-milburn-review-young-people-employment-uk">out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK</a> are to join “AI boot camps” where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace.</p><p>The government’s latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets – young

<p>District attorney says Arjun Aravind, 17, used internet and AI to search for fantasy stories regarding killing of his family</p><p>A <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> teenager accused of killing his mother and younger brother is being held without bail as authorities investigate a double-murder case that prosecutors say is connected to his use of ChatGPT.</p><p>Arjun Aravind, 17, appeared on Thursday morning for his arraignment in Concord district c

<p>Meta AI | Future Guardian writers and Neets | Food for thought | Plants surviving the heat | Living and dying well</p><p>Your article (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/aug/10/mark-zuckerberg-superintelligent-ai-essay-meta">Zuckerberg pushes ‘superintelligent’ AI for all as Meta releases open-weight model, 10 August</a>) quotes Mark Zuckerberg as saying: “Everyone will have an exceptionally capable personal agent that understands you, your goals, and everything you care abo

<p><strong>Prof Stephen Blundell</strong> on the plight of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and <strong>Peter Forbes</strong> on bacteriophages and AI</p><p>Much of the commentary about the UK Research and Innovation science funding cuts has centred around the decision to close Jodrell Bank, with the iconic Lovell telescope rightly identified as a “source of wonder and pride” (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jul/31/dont-let-jodrell-bank-observatory-become-another-industrial-

<p>Following Australia’s first reported automated hacking accident, experts warn deployers – and possibly developers – of AI agents could be held liable for the actions of their bots</p><ul><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>The law is clear, say

<p>Fairground TV is a 24/7 channel devoted to low-quality AI content for viewers sick of watching real people move in ways that won’t haunt you</p><p>The appeal of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/jun/15/fox-roku-acquisition-deal">Roku</a> is that, whatever you happen to want to watch, there will almost certainly be a live channel for it. Just want to watch <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jul/07/little-house-on-the-prairie-netflix-reboot-controversy">Little

<p>The AI jobs apocalypse never showed up. Still, jobs are changing and economists expect more to come</p><p>The prediction was stark: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/artificialintelligenceai">artificial intelligence</a> advancements would wipe out jobs en masse. “Half” of all entry-level white collar jobs would vanish, Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, said in May 2025. A month later, OpenAI’s CEO, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/sam-altman">Sam Altman</a>, went fur

<p>Amid public concern over the impact of new technology, Silicon Valley’s use of its wealth to influence specific election races is an unwelcome development</p><p>As the huge societal ramifications of artificial intelligence have become clear, some of the tech industry’s most senior figures have taken to writing <a href="https://www.inc.com/kit-eaton/what-can-we-learn-about-whats-coming-in-ai-from-sam-altman-that-ai-is-future.html">thinkpieces</a> on what comes next. The latest to do so is Mark

<p>In her new documentary Replica, film-maker Chouwa Liang taps into her own experience of finding love with artificial intelligence and makes contact with other women like her</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/dec/21/sign-up-for-five-great-reads-guardian-australias-wrap-of-our-best-summer-stories"><strong>Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads</strong></a></p></li></ul><p>Qin has never said “I love you” to her parents or friends. She has only ev

<p>Music streaming platform creates ‘AI persona’ label that will appear on profiles and track listings in crackdown on fake performers</p><p>Spotify is to label AI artists and exclude them from algorithm recommendations as part of a crackdown on fake performers.</p><p>The world’s largest music streaming platform is creating a label for AI-generated artist identities called “AI personas” that will appear on the artist profile and on track listings on playlists.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardia

<p>Also: Google executives jump ship in race for AI dominance</p><p>Hello, TechScape readers! Danielle Abril, editor of the Guardian’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/series/reworked">Reworked series</a> on AI and the future of work, filling in for Blake Montgomery this week. Major legal battles against <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/meta">Meta</a> over child safety are playing out in courts across the US – and the tech giant is losing. Recent rulings raise big q