Research & Development news

• OpenAI bots meddled with multiple US government agency sites

  26-09-2026 04:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  OpenAI said its bots accessed public data from a range of institutions during test exercises.
  
  Read more

• The Download: rogue agent liability and the AI Hype Index

  28-09-2026 14:10 via technologyreview.com
  
  This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.Who’s liable when AI agents go rogue?Over the past few months, a cascade of cyberattacks by AI agents has stunned the world. In July, OpenAI disclosed that a swarm of its agents had escaped their sandbox and hacked into the AI platform Hugging Face to cheat on a cybersecurity test. Many experts say it’s only a matter of ti
  
  Read more

• Who’s liable when AI agents go rogue?

  28-09-2026 10:06 via technologyreview.com
  
  MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the series here.Over the past few months, a cascade of cyberattacks by AI agents has stunned the world. In July, OpenAI disclosed that a swarm of its agents had escaped their sandbox and hacked into the AI platform Hugging Face to cheat on a cybersecurity test. Recently, external researchers discovered that OpenAI agents had hijac
  
  Read more

• Inside iconic horror game Silent Hill's Scottish makeover

  26-09-2026 01:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  One of gaming's biggest horror franchises has come to the UK. Can it live up to the original?
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Inside the FBI hack: Agents fearful and angry after 'dangerous' data breach

  26-09-2026 01:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Current and former agents speak to the BBC about the devastating impact of the FBI hack.
  
  Read more

• Special agents' blood and urine test results stolen in FBI hack

  25-09-2026 15:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Experts say the hack could leave agents vulnerable to scams, blackmail and targeted attacks.
  
  Read more

• The Download: the Pentagon’s AI-powered lie detector and young organ limits

  25-09-2026 14:10 via technologyreview.com
  
  This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detectorThe US government wants to spend $30.3 million over the next five years on an improved lie detector, according to a Department of Defense budget request.The program, called “Polygraph+” or “Polygraph Next,” will focus on scoring algorithms that use AI and machi
  
  Read more

• US backs Elon Musk's bid to overturn €120m EU fine against X

  25-09-2026 11:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The EU had said X "deceives users" by selling blue ticks without "meaningfully verifying" accounts.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector

  25-09-2026 11:16 via technologyreview.com
  
  The US government wants to spend $30.3 million over the next five years on an improved form of lie detector, according to a Department of Defense budget request. The program, called “Polygraph+” or “Polygraph Next”, will focus on scoring algorithms that use artificial intelligence and machine learning and on a technique called “standoff sensing”, which refers to the ability to take physiological readings from a subject without attaching a device to their pers
  
  Read more

• Young organs may not be a fountain of youth for recipients

  25-09-2026 11:00 via technologyreview.com
  
  Around this time last year I was attending an aging conference in Manchester, listening to a talk about fly aging, when my phone started pinging. News outlets were reporting that a hot mic had caught Russia’s and China’s leaders discussing the possibility of living forever.“With the developments of biotechnology, human organs can be continuously transplanted, and people can live younger and younger, and even achieve immortality,” Russia’s Vladimir Putin reportedly
  
  Read more

• X-planes: Are they needed in the new era of drones?

  25-09-2026 01:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Where do America's X-plane projects fit in an era of cheap drones?
  
  Read more

• Why Australia chose the world's biggest political stage to reveal OpenAI hack

  24-09-2026 20:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Australia, which has strict social media restrictions and has proposed controls on algorithms and smart glasses, announced the breach at the UN.
  
  Read more

• Rogue OpenAI agent 'infiltrated' Australian government website in world first

  24-09-2026 17:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Australia criticised OpenAI for taking "too long" to tell them about the breach which happened in June.
  
  Read more

• Why did an OpenAI system hack Australia's health system - and can it be stopped in the future?

  24-09-2026 16:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  News that an automated AI agent hacked a government IT system raises big questions about regulating the tech.
  
  Read more

• FBI investigating claim hackers have stolen details of all its agents

  24-09-2026 14:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The hackers claim they have every agent's name, role, badge number and personal details including home address, phone numbers and spouse information.
  
  Read more

• The Download: a bid to scrap the virtual wall and AI hits Climate Week

  24-09-2026 14:10 via technologyreview.com
  
  This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.A congressional representative just proposed killing America’s border tower programDelia Ramirez, a Democratic US representative from Illinois, has announced plans to introduce legislation to terminate the surveillance tower program along the country’s southern border.The announcement comes just days after publication of an MIT Technolog
  
  Read more

• Are we back in big tech's 'move fast and break things' era?

  24-09-2026 13:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Despite promises to make safe AI, examples of bots behaving badly are now coming at us thick and fast.
  
  Read more

• AI is dominating the conversation at Climate Week

  24-09-2026 12:00 via technologyreview.com
  
  This week, world leaders descended on Manhattan for the UN General Assembly. It’s also New York Climate Week—investors, policymakers, advocates, and journalists are colliding at panels, talks, and fancy dinners.With so many climate voices in one place, the discourse can feel a little louder than usual. This year, the unavoidable topic is artificial intelligence.There’s been a growing tension bubbling up about AI’s impacts on climate and climate tech. Depending on where y
  
  Read more

• What you need to know about the OpenAI Australian government hack

  24-09-2026 07:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC’s North America technology correspondent Lily Jamali explains how the Medicare breach happened, and why it matters.
  
  Read more

• Indians are discovering the thrill of shopping without paying

  24-09-2026 01:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dopamine sites mimic shopping’s thrill without the spending, turning the ritual of consumption into a digital game.
  
  Read more

• US rejects pleas from OpenAI, Anthropic for global AI standards

  24-09-2026 00:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  OpenAI's Sam Altman has called for risk evaluation standards, as have Anthropic's Dario Amodei and Hugging Face's Clement Delangue.
  
  Read more

• A congressional representative just proposed killing America’s border tower program

  23-09-2026 19:10 via technologyreview.com
  
  Delia Ramirez, a Democratic US representative from Illinois, has announced a plan to introduce new legislation to terminate the surveillance tower program along the US southern border. The announcement comes just days after publication of an MIT Technology Review investigation, “Dying on Camera,” in which we looked at deaths along the border that took place close to one or more of these towers. MIT Technology Review found that nearly one in four deaths we analyzed between 2015 a
  
  Read more

• Pornhub investigated over its age checks

  23-09-2026 17:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The regulator says it has concerns over how the site is relying on third party checks provided by Apple for some users.
  
  Read more

• The Download: India’s smart glasses menace and AI’s trillion-dollar gamble

  23-09-2026 14:10 via technologyreview.com
  
  This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.Smart glasses are already causing havoc in IndiaWhen Shubnam saw an Instagram video of a Delhi protest they had attended, they realized a content creator wearing Meta smart glasses had recorded them surreptitiously. The mocking reel drew millions of views, along with transphobic abuse and AI-generated memes.Experts warn that many others will experie
  
  Read more

• OpenAI gives cyber defence tools to Ukraine

  23-09-2026 14:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ukraine will get access to OpenAI's advanced GPT 5.6 Sol model under the deal - a rival to Anthropic's Mythos and Fable
  
  Read more

• The AI Hype Index: AI loves cheating

  23-09-2026 11:00 via technologyreview.com
  
  Brace yourself: It turns out AI is being optimized for cheating. OpenAI’s agents hacked into Hugging Face to get the answers to a cybersecurity test. Next, they solved a prestigious math problem (or just stole from two top mathematicians’ answer sheets). Anthropic’s models have also hacked into other companies’ systems four times already. And that’s only what we’ve caught so far. Freaking out? You’re not alone. AI lab researchers are quitting their
  
  Read more

• Smart glasses are already causing havoc in India

  23-09-2026 11:00 via technologyreview.com
  
  Shubnam was packing boxes for a move into a new home when their friend sent them an Instagram video. The footage had only been up for a few hours, but it was days old, recorded at a Delhi protest this spring against a bill that would have narrowed the legal recognition for transgender people in India. There, a content creator known for rage-bait videos had approached Shubnam, a 38-year-old transfeminine graphic designer and educator. Shubnam, who uses a single chosen name, was dressed in a
  
  Read more

• US criticises Australia's proposed algorithm opt-out laws as 'censorship'

  23-09-2026 03:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Under the draft laws, tech firms face fines if they do not give users the option to switch off algorithms.
  
  Read more

• Will a switch to light speed cut power use at data centres?

  23-09-2026 01:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  To save power and add capacity,data centres are switching from copper wires to tech using light.
  
  Read more

• Huge data centres rise at 'China speed' to power its AI ambitions

  23-09-2026 00:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC visits Inner Mongolia, an unlikely frontier in Beijing's AI race with Washington.
  
  Read more

Follow @R_and_D_UK on Twitter!