Young people turn to AI therapist bots, 1 in 5 new cars are electric

Harry Potter, Elon Musk, Beyoncé, Super Mario and Vladimir Putin. These are just some of the millions of artificial intelligence (AI) personas you can talk to on Character.ai - a popular platform where anyone can create chatbots based on fictional or real people. It uses the same type of AI tech as the ChatGPT chatbot…

Hackers predict: The biggest cybersecurity worries in 2024

Hacking courses, leaked nudes and AI-led scams – these are the most discussed topics on the dark web forums... Every year around experts at NordVPN try to predict the cybersecurity risks awaiting us in the next year. This year they decided to take a different route and look into the biggest dark web forum to find…

Half of teens addicted to social media, clamp down on ‘tax-free’ side hustles

Almost half of British teenagers say they feel addicted to social media, according to findings that come amid mounting pressure for big tech companies to be held accountable for the impact of their platforms on users. The finding, from the Millennium Cohort study, adds to evidence that many people feel they have lost control over…

Tesla unveils new version of humanoid robot, E3 cancelled forever

Tesla has debuted a new version of its humanoid robot that can squat without falling over and pick up an egg without breaking it. Elon Musk’s electric car company has teased updates to the company’s Optimus automaton in a video posted on Twitter. In a demonstration video, Tesla’s robotics division showed off what it called…

Spotify slashes 1500 jobs, Google delays launch of Gemini AI robot

Swedish music-streaming giant Spotify has announced it is cutting 17% of its workforce, about 1,500 jobs, as the company seeks to clamp down on costs. Chief executive Daniel Ek said he had made the "difficult" decision with economic growth slowing "dramatically". Spotify employs about 9,000 people, and Mr Ek said "substantial action to rightsize our…

IKEA launches home sensors, Amazon opens ‘second chance’ shop

IKEA wants to make your smart home even smarter with the addition of a trio of new sensors. Called the Parasoll, Vallhorn and Badring (which Ring is surely smarting about), the sensors are designed to detect motion and pick up on issues like water leaks... Parasoll (€9.99, around $11 / £9 / AU$17) is a…

Ofcom report: Average adult now spends 56 days a year online!

Ofcom's latest Online Nation research takes a look at how people in the UK are spending their time online. It found that teenagers and children are leading the way in getting to grips with emerging technology like generative artificial intelligence, as well as highlighting a range of other trends. Here we take a look at some…

Nissan to make 3 EVs at Sunderland, Samsung patents glasses

Three EVs (Qashqai, Juke and Leaf) will be manufactured at Nissan's Sunderland plant, pictured above. Image: Nissan Nissan and its partners have announced a £2bn plan to build three electric car models at its Sunderland factory. The Japanese firm will build electric Qashqai and Juke models at the plant alongside the…