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In China, talking to AI is normal. Now the government fears it might replace human intimacy
China is tightening rules on AI companion chatbots amid growing concern that they foster emotional dependence and could discourage young people from pursuing real relationships, marriage and parenthood. The move follows ByteDance’s decision last month to shut down the companion feature on its Doubao chatbot, which upset users who had formed close attachments to their…
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Musk’s SpaceX to build $100bn launch site in Louisiana
SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, has confirmed it will build its largest launch site to date, a $100bn (£73bn) facility called Starbase, Louisiana, marking a major expansion beyond its existing Texas headquarters and Florida operations. The move underscores Musk’s ambitions to dramatically scale up Starship flight frequency for missions to Earth orbit, the Moon and…
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OpenAI loses a top data center exec, as stream of high-profile departures continues
OpenAI has lost Chris Malone, its head of data centres, who departed last week, according to the Wall Street Journal. His exit is notable given the critical, high-profile nature of the role amid the AI industry’s massive infrastructure buildout, and it adds to a run of more than a dozen senior departures from the company…
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Perplexity unveils Nvidia-powered Portable Computer for local AI
Perplexity has expanded from search, browsers and cloud-based AI agents into local AI services, unveiling a new tool called Portable Computer. The move comes amid reports that Nvidia is considering a $30 billion (£23.6 billion) investment in Perplexity, and the new product runs on Nvidia’s DGX Spark hardware, prompting speculation about the timing and heavy…
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Government campaign urges households to store food and water
The Government is preparing a “national resilience campaign” urging households to keep tinned food and bottled water on hand, as ministers step up planning for extreme weather, cyber attacks and hostile state action. The drive, coordinated across Whitehall by First Secretary of State Louise Haigh, is being framed by officials as “common sense, not scaremongering,”…
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Firms scramble for battery power in Spain and Portugal
A catastrophic power cut across Spain and Portugal in April 2025 left both countries in darkness for hours, causing widespread disruption and heavy financial losses for businesses. The blackout exposed how vulnerable firms have become after switching from fossil fuels to electricity for industrial processes, and it has since pushed many companies to invest heavily…
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Adam Mosseri says it’s ‘news to me’ that Instagram employees limited his exposure to teen safety data
Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified in Meta’s social media addiction trial that he was unaware employees had been told by a company lawyer to limit the teen safety data shown to him. The trial, brought by attorneys general from dozens of states, alleges Meta deliberately designed its platforms to hook children despite internal research showing…
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Amplitude denies AI use in Humankind 2 trailer
Amplitude Studios has publicly rejected claims that a trailer for its upcoming strategy game Humankind 2 was made using artificial intelligence, insisting the footage instead relied on real actors, practical sets and custom-made props. The dispute arose after some viewers online branded the trailer “AI slop” due to its visual style, illustrating the growing sensitivity…
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Woman found dead inside property near Melbourne as man, 75, is arrested
A woman was found dead inside a home in Bacchus Marsh, north-west of Melbourne, in the early hours of Wednesday morning, prompting a homicide investigation. A 75-year-old man was arrested at the scene and is now under police guard in hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. Victoria Police say the two…
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Here are three sick Gibson guitar controllers made for Stage Tour’s Dec. 10 release
CRKD has released a trio of officially licensed Gibson guitar controllers for Stage Tour, the rhythm game from RedOctane launching on 10 December for PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X/S. The Stage Tour Pro Guitar Collection — comprising a Gibson Les Paul Oxblood Edition, Gibson SG Midnight Blue Edition and 8K Gibson…