Internet

Online hate, culture of abuse is becoming normalised, study warns

Sportspeople and pundits believe online hate is becoming normalised and say it is significantly impacting how they do their jobs, live their lives and express themselves, according to a new report.

Technology

Opinion: Crypto was already in bad odour before jumping into bed with Trump. Now it smells worse

Since Trump returned to the presidency, his and his family's involvement in crypto-related deals has critics charging that crypto has become an entirely new path for official corruption and conflicts of interest in the White House.

Robotics

Robots that look 'cute' can influence human decisions, study finds

The most susceptible group of people turned out to be "powerless female consumers," which the team found to be more likely than others to go with menu suggestions made by male-like robots.

AI

'Creepy good': AI can now tell your location from obscure photographs

The chatbot was albe to use clues and cues in architecture and environment to narrow down possible locations in photos before either nailing it or coming uncannily close.

AI

Deepfake me: Are there risks to uploading your face for AI selfies?

New research has even shown that AI is now suprisingly good at guessing your location even from obscure photographs without recognisable places in the background.

Technology

Musk's xAI updates Grok chatbot after 'white genocide' comments

(Reuters) -Elon Musk's xAI responded to widespread reports that its Grok chatbot made claims about a genocide against white citizens in South Africa, saying there had been an unauthorized change to the artificial intelligence bot. In a post on X on Thursday, xAI said it would update the system to address the problem.

Technology

AI regulation ban meets opposition from state attorneys general over risks to US consumers

(Reuters) -A Republican proposal to block states from regulating artificial intelligence for 10 years drew opposition on Friday from a bipartisan group of attorneys general in California, New York, Ohio and other states that have regulated high-risk uses of the technology.

Technology

OpenAI to help UAE develop one of world's biggest data centers, Bloomberg News reports

(Reuters) -OpenAI plans to help develop a massive new data center in the United Arab Emirates that may eventually be one of the largest in the world, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Technology

Mike Novogratz's Galaxy Digital debuts on Nasdaq in bumper week for crypto

(Reuters) -Galaxy Digital, founded by Mike Novogratz, made its Nasdaq debut on Friday, capping off a momentous week for cryptocurrency in public markets, with Coinbase joining the S&P 500 and retail brokerage eToro also going public.

Technology

Verizon ending DEI programs as it seeks US approval for Frontier deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Verizon Communications said Friday it is ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs after the Trump administration opened a probe and as the U.S. telecom carrier seeks approval to purchase Frontier Communications.

Technology

Tesla to add Chipotle executive Jack Hartung to board

(Reuters) - Tesla will add Chipotle executive Jack Hartung to its board of directors and audit committee in June, the electric vehicle maker said on Friday.

Technology

Factbox-Largest tech deals of last decade

(Reuters) -Charter Communications said on Friday it would buy privately held rival Cox Communications for $21.9 billion, uniting two of the largest U.S. cable and broadband operators.

Technology

UAE partners with Italian startup for AI supercomputer

MILAN (Reuters) -United Arab Emirates tech firm G42 agreed on Friday to partner with Italian artificial intelligence startup iGenius to develop a major AI supercomputer in Italy, the companies said in a joint statement.

Technology

Weeks after Amazon's Alexa+ AI launch, a mystery: where are the users?

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Alexa, where are your users?

Social media

Abortion-rights groups denounce censorship on Meta-owned apps in Latin America and beyond

Across the Americas, organisations that guide women seeking abortions in various countries are raising alarm, decrying what they see as a new wave of censorship on platforms owned by tech giant Meta – even in countries where abortion is decriminalized.

Technology

Microsoft makes Office-Teams offer to avert EU antitrust fine

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Microsoft has offered to make its Office product without Teams cheaper than when sold with Teams, EU antitrust regulators said on Friday, which could spare the company a big fine and ease tensions with the United States.

Technology

Intel spars with EU regulators over $421.4 million antitrust fine

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Intel on Friday sparred with EU antitrust regulators over a 376 million euro ($421.4 million) fine levied nearly two years ago for excluding rivals from the market, arguing that it was disproportionate and unfair.

Social media

Sailing from Oregon to Hawaii after quitting his job turns a man with a cat into social media star

Midway while sailing across the Pacific with just his cat named Phoenix, Oliver Widger reflected on why he thinks his many followers – more than a million on TikTok and Instagram – are drawn to his story of quitting his 9-to-5 job and embarking on a journey from Oregon to Hawaii.

Drones

Chinese student Xu Yang breaks ‘impossible’ microdrone world speed record

With help from other drone speedsters, Xu comes up with his own 3D-printed propellers for his superfast small quadcopter.

AI

Deep love or deepfake? Dating in the time of AI

A projected 8 million deepfakes will be shared worldwide in 2025, risking a romance scam explosion.