OpenAI Reportedly Dissolves Its Existential AI Risk Team

In-person interactions break down barriers in east London, as AI startups also try to bridge communication divideWesley Hartwell raised his fists to the barista and shook them next to his ears. He then lowered his fists, extended his thumbs and little fingers, and moved them up and down by his chest, as though milking a cow. Finally, he laid the fingers of one hand flat on his chin and flexed his wrist forward.Hartwell, who has no hearing problems, had just used BSL, British Sign Language, to or

In-person interactions at Dialogue Cafe break down barriers in east London amid AI-startup surge seeking digital answersWesley Hartwell raised his fists to the barista and shook them next to his ears. He then lowered his fists, extended his thumbs and little fingers, and moved them up and down by his chest, as though milking a cow. Finally, he laid the fingers of one hand flat on his chin and flexed his wrist forward.Hartwell, who has no hearing problems, had just used BSL, British Sign Language

Scientists warn that rapid advances in AI and neurotechnology are outpacing our understanding of consciousness, creating serious ethical risks. New research argues that developing scientific tests for awareness could transform medicine, animal welfare, law, and AI development. But identifying consciousness in machines, brain organoids, or patients could also force society to rethink responsibility, rights, and moral boundaries. The question of what it means to be conscious has never been more ur

With Donald Trump tearing up the world order, governments across Europe are having to confront the fact that most of the technology they rely on comes from US companies. French officials have taken a step this week to reduce their dependence on US digital infrastructure, announcing they have stopped using Zoom, the US-owned video meeting software, in favour of a French-made program.But how viable is this? And what are the risks? The Guardian’s Michael Safi speaks to the tech journalist Chr

House price fantasies | Coyote confirmation | Premier Inns | Longevity advice | ApostrophesI always regard the house prices in your fantasy house hunt feature with wry amusement. After all, it is supposed to be fantasy. However, last weekend’s selection made my blood boil (Homes for sale to inspire artists in England – in pictures, 23 January). In 2024, the Guardian reported that the median income of visual artists had dropped to £12,500, a fall of 40% since 2010. Even the most

Weather service research finds less accurate probability-based predictions are still considered helpfulThe Met Office is to lean into one of Britain’s favourite pastimes – talking about the weather – by launching a new two-week forecast.At present, the publicly funded weather and climate service offers a seven-day forecast on its website and app with an hourly breakdown for the first five days and then a three-hourly breakdown for the final two days. Continue reading...

When bubbles burst, what comes next can be better, if we build it differentlyIt was December 1999. Tech investors were riding high, convinced that a website and a Super Bowl ad were all it took to get rich quick. Spending was mistaken for growth; marketing was mistaken for a business model. In just a few months, the dot-com boom would go bust: $1.7tn in market value vanished, and the broader economy took a $5tn hit.Yet something remarkable emerged from the wreckage. The post-crash internet wasn&

Rocket company examining feasibility of both options before potential $1.5tn stock market flotation, report saysBusiness live – latest updatesSpaceX is reportedly considering a potential merger with the electric carmaker Tesla, or a tie-up with artificial intelligence firm xAI, as Elon Musk looks at options to consolidate his global empire.The rocket company is examining the feasibility of a tie-up with Tesla or xAI before a huge potential stock market float, according to Reuters. Continue

Exclusive: Smartwatches, Oura rings, smart home devices and Fitbits being weaponised, says RefugeDomestic abusers are increasingly using AI, smartwatches and other technology to attack and control their victims, a domestic abuse charity says.Record numbers of women who were abused and controlled through technology were referred to Refuge’s specialist services during the last three months of 2025, including a 62% increase in the most complex cases to total 829 women. There was also a 24% in

The Institute for Public Policy Research also argues that tech companies must pay publishers for content they useAI-generated news should carry “nutrition” labels and tech companies must pay publishers for the content they use, according to a left-of-centre thinktank, amid rising use of the technology as a source for current affairs.The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said AI firms were rapidly emerging as the new “gatekeepers” of the internet and intervention

Swedish study of 100,000 women found higher rate of early detection, suggesting potential to support radiologistsThe use of artificial intelligence in breast cancer screening reduces the rate of a cancer diagnosis by 12% in subsequent years and leads to a higher rate of early detection, according to the first trial of its kind.Researchers said the study was the largest to date looking at AI use in cancer screening. It involved 100,000 women in Sweden who were part of mammography screening and we

Meta wowed Wall Street with improvements in ad targeting fueled by AI alongside huge investment. Microsoft had less to show for its billions spentBig tech earnings so far this week have sent a clear warning: investors are willing to overlook soaring spending on artificial intelligence if it fuels strong growth, but are quick to punish companies that fall short.The contrast was clear in Thursday’s stock market reaction to earnings from Microsoft and Meta, highlighting how dramatically the s

Charlie Nunn says banks will be hiring staff with different skill sets as customer experience will ‘radically change’Business live – latest updatesThe boss of Lloyds Banking Group has warned that bankers will need to “reskill themselves” to survive the oncoming AI boom that stands to transform the financial services sector.Charlie Nunn told reporters on Thursday that while he could not predict the full impact that AI would have over the next decade, it was clear tha

Quantum computers need extreme cold to work, but the very systems that keep them cold also create noise that can destroy fragile quantum information. Scientists in Sweden have now flipped that problem on its head by building a tiny quantum refrigerator that actually uses noise to drive cooling instead of fighting it. By carefully steering heat at unimaginably small scales, the device can act as a refrigerator, heat engine, or energy amplifier inside quantum circuits.

Projects this year expected to triple global gas capacity, forecast finds, as concerns grow over impacts on planetThe US is leading a huge global surge in new gas-fired power generation that will cause a major leap in planet-heating emissions, with this record boom driven by the expansion of energy-hungry datacenters to service artificial intelligence, according to a new forecast.This year is set to shatter the annual record for new gas power additions around the world, with planned and under-co

Analysis finds at least 150 channels on messaging app that are distributing AI-generated images and videoMillions of people around the world are creating and sharing deepfake nudes on the secure messaging app Telegram, a Guardian analysis has shown, as the spread of advanced AI tools industrialises the online abuse of women.The Guardian has identified at least 150 Telegram channels – large encrypted group chats popular for their secure communication – that appear to have users in man

Analysis finds at least 150 channels on messaging app that have distributed AI-generated images and videoMillions of people around the world have created and shared deepfake nudes on the secure messaging app Telegram, a Guardian analysis has shown, as the spread of advanced AI tools industrialises the online abuse of women.The Guardian identified at least 150 Telegram channels – large encrypted group chats popular for their secure communication – that appeared to have users in many c

Under Donald Trump, the White House has filled its social media with memes, wishcasting, nostalgia and deepfakes. Here’s what you need to know to navigate the trollingIt started with an image of Trump as a king mocked up on a fake Time magazine cover. Since then it’s developed into a full-blown phenomenon, one academics are calling “slopaganda” – an unholy alliance of easily available AI tools and political messaging. “Shitposting”, the publishing of del

Lord Stockwood says people in government ‘definitely’ talking about idea as technology disrupts industries• Business live – latest updatesThe UK could introduce a universal basic income to protect workers in industries that are being disrupted by AI, the investment minister Jason Stockwood has said.“Bumpy” changes to society caused by the introduction of the technology would mean there would have to be “some sort of concessionary arrangement with jobs tha

Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collective effortSummer after summer, I used to descend into a creek that had carved a deep bed shaded by trees and lined with blackberry bushes whose long thorny canes arced down from the banks, dripping with sprays of fruit. Down in that creek, I’d spend hours picking until I had a few gallons

Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collective effortSummer after summer, I used to descend into a creek that had carved a deep bed shaded by trees and lined with blackberry bushes whose long thorny canes arced down from the banks, dripping with sprays of fruit. Down in that creek, I’d spend hours picking until I had a few gallons

The laws have been criticised by tech startups, which say they go too far, and civil society groups, which say they don’t go far enoughSouth Korea has embarked on a foray into the regulation of AI, launching what has been billed as the most comprehensive set of laws anywhere in the world, that could prove a model for other countries, but the new legislation has already encountered pushback.The laws, which will force companies to label AI-generated content, have been criticised by local tec

High hopes for Optimus robot help company beat forecasts despite yearly revenue decline and flailing car businessIn the clearest sign yet that Tesla is pivoting away from its electric car business, CEO Elon Musk announced on Wednesday’s investor call that the company would discontinue production of its Model X SUV and Model S full-size sedan.“It’s time to basically bring the Model S and X programs to an end,” Musk said. “We expect to wind down S and X production nex

Musk’s optimism for Optimus robot demand help EV maker beat quarterly expectations despite first-ever yearly revenue declineTesla’s most recent quarterly earnings report showed slumping vehicle sales and declining revenue, as the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, pins the company’s futures on AI and robotics. The earnings report described Tesla’s chaotic year as a “transition from a hardware-centric business to a physical AI company”.The high hopes and grand pos