If anyone in your business has used ChatGPT to draft a client email, asked an AI tool to generate a social media image, or fed customer data into an automated system, your firm is already exposed to a set of legal risks that most small business owners have not yet thought about.

Legal experts are warning that 2026 is the year when AI-related liability stops being a theoretical concern and starts showing up in real disputes. The risks range from the obvious, copyright infringement when AI tools reproduce protected material, to the subtle, such as data privacy breaches triggered by employees pasting sensitive information into third-party AI platforms without realising where that data ends up.

Copyright sits at the heart of the problem. Generative AI systems are trained on vast quantities of text, images and code, much of it protected by copyright. When those systems produce outputs that closely resemble the material they were trained on, the question of who is liable, the AI provider, the user, or both, remains legally unresolved. The Getty Images case against Stability AI brought the issue into sharp focus, and while the UK government decided in March to step back from a broad copyright exception for AI training, the legal grey areas have not gone away.

For a small business using AI to produce marketing copy, design assets or website content, the practical risk is real. If an AI-generated image turns out to contain elements of a copyrighted work, it is the business that published it, not the AI tool, that is most likely to face a claim.

Data privacy is equally treacherous territory. Every time an employee enters customer details, commercial data or personal information into an AI chatbot, that data may be processed and stored by a third party in ways that breach UK data protection rules. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 has relaxed some requirements around automated decision-making, but the core obligations around consent, transparency and data minimisation remain firmly in place.

Then there is the problem of AI hallucinations, the tendency of large language models to produce confident-sounding but entirely fabricated information. A Microsoft-powered chatbot was recently found to have given incorrect legal guidance to business owners. If a small firm relies on AI-generated advice to make a commercial or regulatory decision and that advice turns out to be wrong, the consequences could be severe.

The common thread running through all of these risks is governance, or rather the lack of it. Many small businesses have adopted AI tools on an ad hoc basis, a staff member signs up for a free trial, another starts using a chatbot for research, without any formal policy on what is and is not acceptable use. Legal advisers describe this as a ticking time bomb.

The fix does not have to be elaborate. A short, clear AI usage policy that sets out which tools staff may use, what data they may input, and what human review is required before AI-generated content is published or acted upon will cover the vast majority of risks. For businesses in regulated sectors, a more detailed governance framework may be needed, but for most small firms, common sense and a written policy will go a long way.

The pace of regulatory change makes this a moving target. New rules can apply across jurisdictions and, in some cases, retrospectively to systems already in use. Small businesses that fail to keep an eye on developments risk falling foul of laws they did not know existed. Staying informed, or having an adviser who is, has become a necessary cost of doing business in the AI age.

Read more:
Your business is probably already using AI – and that is exactly where the legal risk starts

Judgment in Getty Images v Stability AI seen as a setback for copyright owners as calls grow for new UK rules on AI training data

A London-based artificial intelligence company has won a closely watched High Court case that tested whether AI developers can lawfully train their models using vast libraries of copyrighted material.

Stability AI, whose board includes Avatar film-maker James Cameron, successfully defended a lawsuit brought by Getty Images, which alleged that the company had infringed copyright by scraping millions of its photographs to train the image-generation model Stable Diffusion.

Mrs Justice Joanna Smith found that Getty had failed to prove that the training took place in the UK and ruled that the resulting AI model did not constitute an “infringing copy” under existing law. Getty did, however, succeed on limited trademark claims after some AI-generated images were found to contain replicas of the Getty watermark.

The ruling is viewed as a blow to copyright owners’ ability to control how their work is used in AI training. Rebecca Newman, legal director at Addleshaw Goddard, said it highlights that “the UK’s secondary copyright regime is not strong enough to protect its creators.”

Evidence presented in court showed that Getty’s images had been used to train Stability’s model, which creates pictures from text prompts. Getty argued that Stability was “completely indifferent” to what it ingested, but the judge said the dispute underscored a wider societal question about “where to strike the balance between the creative industries and the AI sector.”

The decision comes amid intense debate over how the Labour government should legislate to manage the competing interests of artists and AI developers. Figures including Elton John, Kate Bush, Dua Lipa and Kazuo Ishiguro have urged ministers to protect creative rights, while technology firms argue for broad access to copyrighted data to build powerful generative models.

The government is consulting on proposals to create a “text and data mining” exception in UK law, which would allow copyright works to be used for AI training unless rights-holders explicitly opt out.

In a statement, Getty said it remained “deeply concerned” about the lack of transparency rules governing AI data use.

“We invested millions of pounds to reach this point with only one provider that we need to continue to pursue in another venue,” the company said. “We urge governments, including the UK, to establish stronger transparency requirements to prevent costly legal battles and to allow creators to protect their rights.”

Christian Dowell, general counsel for Stability AI, welcomed the decision: “Getty’s voluntary dismissal of most of its copyright claims left only a subset of issues before the court, and this final ruling resolves the copyright concerns that were at the core of the case.”

Gosia Evans, senior solicitor in Harper James’ intellectual property team, said the judgment still leaves the key question unanswered: “Should training AI models on copyrighted works be lawful in the UK? We need government to regulate AI use in a way that is practical and forward-thinking, without removing protections vital to the UK’s creative economy.”

The case is likely to influence future disputes over how AI systems source their data — and to intensify pressure on policymakers to clarify where copyright ends and machine learning begins.

Read more:
AI firm Stability AI wins High Court case against Getty Images over copyright claims

OpenAI has signed a landmark $38 billion agreement with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to secure the immense computing power required to train and deploy its next generation of artificial intelligence systems — marking one of the biggest technology infrastructure deals ever struck.

The partnership, announced this week, will give the maker of ChatGPT access to vast fleets of graphics processors — including hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips — hosted within Amazon’s cloud network. OpenAI will begin using AWS infrastructure immediately, with full deployment expected by the end of 2026 and room to expand further beyond 2027.

The move represents a significant shift for OpenAI, which until now has relied heavily on Microsoft’s Azure platform to power its models. The deal also underscores the intensifying race among cloud giants to dominate the lucrative AI infrastructure market. Following the announcement, Amazon shares surged to a record high, briefly valuing the company at more than $2.74 trillion, as investors hailed the agreement as a strong endorsement of AWS’s capabilities.

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, said the partnership was critical to scaling what he called “frontier AI”. “Scaling frontier AI requires massive, reliable compute,” he said. “Our partnership with AWS strengthens the broad compute ecosystem that will power this next era and bring advanced AI to everyone.”

For Amazon, the deal serves as a powerful vote of confidence in AWS at a time when some analysts had questioned whether the cloud division was falling behind rivals Microsoft and Google in the AI race. The agreement ensures AWS remains central to the next phase of AI development — an arena now defined by unprecedented hardware and capital demands.

Industry analysts said the scale of the contract highlights how the economics of artificial intelligence have changed. Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, described it as “a hugely significant deal and a clear endorsement of AWS’s compute capabilities”. The deal also reflects how AI development has become a game of access — not just to algorithms and talent, but to computing power on a colossal scale.

OpenAI has been on a global dash to secure that capacity. In addition to the Amazon deal, it has signed agreements with Nvidia, AMD and Oracle to access more powerful processors and cloud data centres. Altman has previously said the company plans to invest around $1.4 trillion in computing resources over the coming years, targeting 30 gigawatts of infrastructure — enough to power roughly 25 million American homes.

The agreement also follows OpenAI’s internal restructuring with its largest backer, Microsoft, which valued the company at $500 billion and paved the way for it to evolve from a non-profit research outfit into a profit-driven business. The reorganisation transferred some control to a new non-profit foundation that holds equity in OpenAI’s commercial arm while removing Microsoft’s right of first refusal to supply its compute services — effectively clearing the path for the new partnership with Amazon.

However, the deal has reignited debate about whether the AI sector is heading into a speculative bubble. Nvidia, whose chips underpin most AI systems, last week became the world’s first $5 trillion company, its market value now roughly half the size of Europe’s entire benchmark equities index. Analysts warn that the rapid rise in valuations, coupled with vast capital outlays by AI developers, may prove difficult to sustain if the promised productivity gains do not materialise.

Despite those concerns, the OpenAI–Amazon deal sends a clear message: AI’s future will be shaped by those with the deepest computing resources. As cloud titans jostle for position, the partnership not only secures OpenAI’s access to power on an unprecedented scale but also cements AWS’s place at the heart of the global AI infrastructure boom.

For now, Altman appears undeterred by warnings of overheating. His stated ambition is to add one gigawatt of compute capacity every week — each unit carrying an estimated capital cost of more than $40 billion. If that pace continues, OpenAI’s collaboration with Amazon may only be the beginning of an even larger technological arms race redefining how artificial intelligence is built, trained and delivered worldwide.

Read more:
OpenAI strikes $38 billion deal with Amazon to supercharge AI computing power

Artificial intelligence is fast becoming Britain’s most popular financial adviser, with more than half of adults now using platforms such as ChatGPT to help them make decisions about money, according to new research commissioned by Lloyds Banking Group.

The study found that 56 per cent of UK adults — equivalent to 28.8 million people — have turned to AI tools for guidance on budgeting, savings, pensions and even investments. Financial advice has overtaken all other uses of AI, cited more often than help with writing emails or work documents (29 per cent), recipes (20 per cent), medical queries (17 per cent) or career advice (14 per cent).

Researchers said the findings show how quickly AI has entered mainstream decision-making since becoming widely available less than three years ago, but warned that the trend also exposes consumers to new risks.

Jas Singh, chief executive for consumer relationships at Lloyds, said: “AI is empowering millions to feel more confident about their financial decisions — but it’s vital they receive information they can trust.”

The study of 5,000 adults found that one in three people uses an AI tool at least once a week for financial information or advice. Many users seek practical help — such as drawing up budgets — but others ask for recommendations on pensions, investments and tax, areas that would normally require regulated professional advice.

Unlike banks or investment firms, which face strict rules on what they can tell customers, AI platforms are entirely unregulated. This raises the risk of people acting on incorrect or misleading information, with no legal protection if things go wrong.

Despite those dangers, awareness among users remains mixed. Around 80 per cent of respondents said they were worried about receiving inaccurate advice, and 83 per cent expressed concern about data privacy — yet usage continues to grow rapidly.

Experts say the boom reflects a deeper problem in Britain’s financial system: the “advice gap”, where millions of people cannot afford the roughly £1,000 it costs for a traditional financial adviser to conduct a full review of their affairs.

ChatGPT, the AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, was the most widely used tool, cited by six in ten respondents, followed by Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Meta’s AI assistants built into WhatsApp and Facebook.

Users reported saving an average of £399 a year through AI-assisted money management, suggesting the technology is helping people make more informed day-to-day decisions — at least in the short term.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is preparing to introduce new “targeted support” rules by late 2026, allowing regulated firms to provide more tailored guidance without a full financial fact find. However, the Lloyds study suggests consumers are already far ahead of the regulatory curve.

The FCA has acknowledged AI’s potential to simplify complex information and improve accessibility, but it continues to stress that human judgment remains essential. The regulator is understood to be considering website updates to help consumers understand both the benefits and the limits of generative AI.

Consumers who act on AI-generated recommendations are not protected by the Financial Ombudsman Service or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme if they suffer financial losses.

Financial experts warn that while AI can make financial knowledge more accessible, it also risks normalising unverified advice.

Ignorance, fear of risk and frustration with the complexity of financial products have long pushed people toward poor decision-making, the report notes. AI, by offering quick and personalised answers, could help bridge that gap — or, without oversight, widen it.

As Singh concluded: “Technology can help people take control of their money, but it cannot replace trust. The future of financial advice must combine innovation with responsibility — and ensure that confidence doesn’t come at the cost of protection.”

Read more:
Half of UK adults now use AI for financial advice, study finds

Virgin Media O2 is set to become the first UK mobile network to offer customers automatic satellite connectivity in areas with no phone signal, after striking a deal with Elon Musk’s Starlink.

The new service, O2 Satellite, will launch in the first half of 2026, giving users coverage in rural and remote regions where terrestrial masts are unavailable. The company said smartphones compatible with the technology would automatically connect to satellites when no mobile signal is detected.

While Virgin Media O2 has yet to reveal pricing, the service will be offered as an optional monthly add-on rather than a standard feature.

Initially, O2 Satellite will only support messaging, maps and location apps. Phone calls made via normal mobile networks will not work over the satellite connection, as Starlink’s current generation of satellites does not support voice. However, WhatsApp calls and other data-based communication apps may function, with O2 confirming it will run trials before the public rollout.

Luke Pearce, a telecoms analyst at CCS Insight, said the technology could prove transformative for consumers and businesses.

“In today’s world, connectivity is no longer optional,” he said. “Whether it’s emergency SOS in life-saving situations or keeping software-defined vehicles online, people now expect constant access. Satellite is the only technology that can truly close the coverage gap across mountains, oceans and rural areas.”

O2’s announcement follows rival Vodafone’s successful live video call via satellite earlier this year from a remote mountain in Wales, which the company described as a UK first. Vodafone partnered with US satellite firm AST SpaceMobile, which currently has six satellites in orbit and aims to deploy up to 60 by the end of 2026.

Starlink, owned by SpaceX, already has more than 650 satellites supporting direct-to-device services and has launched similar offerings in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and Japan.

In the UK, the telecoms regulator Ofcom updated its rules in September to allow satellite connectivity directly to smartphones. For now, such connections are limited to emergency texting features available on the latest iPhone and Android models, but O2’s partnership with Starlink is expected to be the first commercial deployment for mainstream users.

Astronomers, however, have raised concerns about the growing number of low-Earth orbit satellites, warning they contribute to light pollution and could make it harder to detect asteroids and other space hazards.

Still, with O2’s move, the UK looks set to take a major step toward universal mobile coverage — powered not by masts on the ground, but by “phone towers in the sky.”

Read more:
Virgin Media O2 to team up with Musk’s Starlink to launch UK’s first satellite-connected mobile service

BT Group is reportedly weighing plans to launch a new low-cost mobile brand as part of a potential strategy to compete with a wave of new market entrants — including fintech heavyweights Revolut and Monzo, both preparing to debut mobile services.

According to the Financial Times, the UK’s largest telecoms company is assessing whether to develop an in-house budget brand or acquire an existing virtual network operator (MVNO) as it explores opportunities to re-enter the value end of the mobile market.

Such a move would represent a strategic shift for BT, which currently offers mobile services solely through its premium EE brand, and has focused its Plusnet subsidiary on broadband since a restructuring last year.

The push comes as virtual network operators — companies that lease capacity from established networks such as EE, Vodafone, and Three — expand rapidly, accounting for 16.5% of the UK mobile market in 2024, according to Ofcom. Analysts expect that share to rise as competition intensifies between low-cost and digital-first providers.

Fintech companies are among the latest entrants. Revolut and Monzo, which boast a combined user base of more than 13 million UK customers, are preparing to launch mobile plans as part of broader efforts to diversify revenue streams and strengthen customer loyalty through bundled financial and telecoms services.

Buy-now-pay-later provider Klarna is also moving into mobile, alongside Fern Trading, part of the Octopus Group investment empire, which is building out telecoms assets across the UK.

“Fintechs are blurring the lines between banking, payments, and connectivity,” said James Barford, head of telecoms research at Enders Analysis. “They already control the digital interface with consumers — moving into mobile services is a natural extension of that ecosystem.”

BT’s exploration of the low-cost segment is being driven by Chief Executive Allison Kirkby, who took the helm earlier this year. Kirkby is understood to be seeking ways to strengthen customer acquisition in a saturated market and broaden BT’s appeal beyond its high-end EE brand.

Industry sources told the FT the plan has the backing of Sunil Bharti Mittal, the Indian billionaire and founder of Bharti Enterprises, which became BT’s largest shareholder in 2024 after acquiring the stake held by French-Israeli telecoms magnate Patrick Drahi.

The potential move aligns with Mittal’s strategic focus on affordability and market scale — principles that have underpinned his success with Airtel, one of India’s largest mobile networks.

The telecoms group is also reviewing the positioning of its BT consumer brand, which retains strong recognition among older customers. Executives are said to be considering reviving BT-branded broadband and mobile bundles aimed at more traditional users less familiar with the company’s newer brands, EE and Plusnet.

BT’s own research reportedly found that brand familiarity remains a key factor in attracting and retaining older customers, particularly as rivals emphasise simplicity and value.

“EE has become a high-performance brand for premium users,” said Sarah Hall, telecoms consultant at Pegasus Strategy. “But the mass market is where volume growth lies — and that’s where fintech challengers are attacking first.”

In response to reports, BT issued a brief statement: “We regularly review our offerings across all our brands to ensure our customers have access to the best products and services on the best network. At present, we have no plans to change our mobile offering.”

However, analysts say BT’s silence may reflect early-stage deliberations rather than a dismissal of the idea. The group faces mounting pressure to defend its consumer market share, as value-driven entrants such as Giffgaff, Smarty, and Voxi continue to lure younger users with flexible, app-based contracts and transparent pricing.

The UK mobile market is undergoing one of its most significant shake-ups in years, driven by digital disruption, consolidation, and rising costs of network investment.

BT has already faced competitive pressure following the Vodafone–Three merger, while also contending with the challenge of monetising its multi-billion-pound investment in 5G infrastructure.

Meanwhile, fintech companies see telecoms as a lucrative gateway into everyday digital services — allowing them to bundle banking, payments, and connectivity under one app and harness rich data insights to drive growth.

“If Revolut and Monzo succeed in turning mobile services into lifestyle ecosystems, it could redefine customer loyalty in both finance and telecoms,” said Dr. Anna Pickering, senior lecturer in digital economy at King’s College London. “BT and the legacy networks can’t afford to ignore that.”

While BT insists no formal decision has been made, the discussions underscore how rapid convergence between telecoms and fintech is forcing incumbents to innovate or risk losing relevance among younger, mobile-first consumers.

If BT proceeds, a low-cost mobile brand could not only protect its domestic market share but also serve as a strategic counterweight to digital challengers seeking to erode the dominance of Britain’s established networks.

Either way, the battle for the UK’s mobile future is no longer just about connectivity — it’s about who controls the customer relationship in an increasingly digital world.

Read more:
BT weighs move into low-cost mobile market as Revolut and Monzo eye launches

JPMorgan Chase, the world’s largest bank by assets, has approved the use of its in-house artificial intelligence system to help employees write annual performance reviews — a move that underscores how rapidly AI-generated content is being integrated into corporate workflows.

According to the Financial Times, the US banking giant has launched a large language model (LLM) tool that enables staff to generate draft reviews based on prompts, streamlining a process that can be notoriously time-consuming in large organisations.

The rollout, which follows months of internal testing, highlights both the productivity gains and ethical dilemmas associated with AI in the workplace — where the line between human and machine-generated text is becoming increasingly blurred.

JPMorgan’s internal guidance instructs employees to use the AI system as a starting point when composing reviews, emphasising that final responsibility rests with the author. The tool cannot be used for compensation or promotion decisions, according to people familiar with the rollout.

The bank declined to comment publicly but sources said the move was intended to improve efficiency and consistency across its global workforce of more than 300,000 employees.

A recent report by Boston Consulting Group found that AI-assisted drafting of performance reviews can reduce writing time by up to 40 per cent, freeing managers to focus on coaching and qualitative feedback.

JPMorgan has already rolled out its LLM Suite, an internal AI platform comparable to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, to around 200,000 employees within eight months of its launch last year — one of Wall Street’s largest-scale adoptions of generative AI.

The platform, developed in-house for security and compliance, allows employees to safely access and experiment with third-party AI tools while protecting client and regulatory data.

The technology is already used across the bank — by software engineers to review code, investment bankers to draft presentations, and legal teams to review contracts.

JPMorgan invests more in technology than any other global bank, with plans to spend $18 billion in 2025, including $2 billion annually on AI initiatives, according to chief executive Jamie Dimon.

“It affects everything — risk, fraud, marketing, idea generation, customer service. And it’s the tip of the iceberg,” Dimon told Bloomberg earlier this month.

Raj Abrol, CEO of AI firm Galytix, said the announcement demonstrates how financial institutions are accelerating AI adoption — but warned that trust remains a key barrier.

“It’s clear the banking industry is warming up to the limitless power of AI to transform critical processes,” Abrol said.

It’s clear the industry is warming up to the limitless power of AI to transform critical processes in banking.” and use the bolded part as the anchor text?“However, the use of specialist AI assistants must go further — particularly in risk and credit management — if banks are to fully realise the long-term benefits.”

Across the financial services sector, AI is increasingly viewed as a strategic differentiator, with firms from Goldman Sachs to HSBC exploring how to integrate large language models into their operations.

Dimon has previously said AI will “change every job”, eliminating some roles while creating new ones.

Read more:
JPMorgan launches AI chatbot to help staff write performance reviews

From handcrafted partyware to science-backed pet supplements, few firms look less alike than Meri Meri and PetLab Co. Yet they share a single, telling decision that has transformed how they work: both built their next phase of growth on Oracle NetSuite.

In separate conversations, Meri Meri’s managing director, Paul Cripps, and PetLab Co.’s chief financial officer, Tony Morreale, described, in unvarnished terms, what happens when a high-growth company ditches a patchwork of systems for a cloud ERP that acts as the business’s command centre.

Cripps arrived at Meri Meri—a San Francisco-registered, UK-run design house whose seasonal launches light up kitchen tables from London to Reno—mid-pandemic. He found a company with enviable creativity and a back office straining at the seams. Shopify, Amazon, B2B portals and a constellation of 3PLs all fed a heavily customised legacy ERP. The plumbing never quite held. Reports froze. Orders jammed in queues. “Every day there was an issue,” he says. “If a report ran, people made coffee while it locked up.” Decision-making slowed to the speed of a spinning progress wheel. In a global business that designs Christmas two years out and ships to two continents, uncertainty is more than an annoyance; it is drag.

Meri Meri faced a familiar crossroads: pay handsomely to re-implement an ageing system already papered over with one-off fixes, or start again with something built for best practice in the cloud. Cripps had implemented ERPs before. This time, NetSuite’s appeal was less about bells and whistles than about discipline. “Don’t try to make NetSuite fit your business—change your processes to match best practice,” he says. The company adopted OneWorld to reconcile a UK-led, US-registered structure and kept customisation to a minimum. The implementation took two and a half years in calendar terms, not because of complexity but because the company only had one safe cutover window—April to June—each year. A sandbox went up quickly; teams prodded, tested and suggested changes; and when the switch was finally thrown mid-May, something unusual happened: the noise stopped.

What changed first was the rhythm of the day. Under the old set-up, the Reno distribution centre opened before dawn and then waited for someone, somewhere, to release orders. Under NetSuite, Shopify purchases appeared in the ERP within about half a minute, hit the DC pick list moments later and were being packed inside five minutes. The pendulum swung from frustration to speed so quickly that customers began emailing ten minutes after checkout asking to amend orders already sealed in boxes. Cripps’s measure of success was delightfully un-technical. “By the end of June, it was almost like we’d never been without it,” he says. The floor went quiet. Exceptions evaporated. Customer service tickets, once counted in the hundreds each week, fell to a handful of genuine user mistakes. Overtime all but disappeared. The team that had been firefighting became, once again, a team.

The financial consequences are easy to miss because they creep in through absence: no overtime, no backfills, no morning queues, no costly consultants to unpick brittle integrations. Meri Meri’s headcount drifted down from the mid-nineties to around eighty through natural attrition, even as revenue climbed by more than a fifth. Finance shrank without drama; the warehouse moved from two shifts to one and a half. Against the cost of a modern cloud ERP, those avoided hires alone turn into a six-figure annual saving—before you count the opportunity value of moving faster.

If Meri Meri’s story is one of a creative manufacturer rediscovering flow, PetLab Co. offers the CFO’s view of a scale-up growing from start-up reflexes into institutional reliability. The London-founded, US-focused pet wellness brand launched in 2018 and rode a wave of direct-to-consumer demand. When Morreale arrived, the finance stack—perfectly reasonable for an early-stage business—had become a brake. Month-end stretched to four weeks. Multi-entity consolidation was clumsy. Inventory insight at SKU level was elusive. “I’ve implemented NetSuite three times,” he says. “For a business a couple of years into its journey, it’s the right breadth at the right price.”

PetLab’s implementation in 2021 coincided with a professionalising of its operating cadence. NetSuite automated bank reconciliations, turned month-end into a matter of days and finally delivered the granularity to answer the questions a scaled consumer brand must answer: which SKUs make money, in which channels, and how does that change with tariffs, packaging costs and shifting fulfilment footprints? The company mapped its five US warehouses directly in NetSuite, reconciled physical stock against system positions and moved beyond “never stock out” as a mantra to something more useful: never be surprised. When US-China packaging costs bit, the team modelled the SKU-level impact and shifted to Vietnam, tracking margin effects from the general ledger to the pallet.

The knock-on effects are cultural as much as financial. Morreale’s team of eleven has not grown, even as revenue surged from around $70 million to well north of $200 million. Automation has not hollowed out the department; it has lifted it. The repetitive is handled by machines; people move up the value chain. That, in turn, changes how outsiders see the company. In the bootstrapped years, PetLab built credibility with HSBC by sharing NetSuite-derived forecasts fortnightly. When private equity arrived to take a majority stake in 2025, diligence advisers described the numbers as “robust”. It is a small phrase that carries weight. Investors fund what they can trust. Trust starts with auditable, real-time data.

Both leaders are practical about artificial intelligence. Neither is chasing chatty front-ends for their own sake. At Meri Meri, AI already sits inside demand-planning via Netstock and will increasingly draft customer-service replies and surface cross-regional trends—California versus Florida, north-south seasonality, the subtle ways Halloween plays differently in the UK and US—so humans can spend their time on judgement, not retrieval. “AI won’t design our products,” Cripps says. “But it will buy back hours across the business. If you don’t embrace it, you’ll be left behind.” At PetLab, the lure is scenario planning that actually fits how a finance team works, with natural-language prompts and explainable outputs; until then, NetSuite’s core gets them most of the way.

In the end, the case for NetSuite here is not framed in the glossy language of digital transformation. It is disarmingly plain. If your warehouse waits for the system rather than the system serving the warehouse; if month-end bleeds into a third or fourth week; if customer service has become an exceptions desk; if you cannot answer a SKU-level margin question in the time it takes to walk to a meeting, you are not simply inefficient—you are throttling your ability to grow. What Cripps and Morreale reveal, each from different industries and instincts, is that a modern ERP is less a software purchase than a managerial choice. It is a decision to run on standard processes, to measure silence as a KPI, and to treat reliable numbers as a strategic asset.

“By the end of the first six weeks, it was like we’d never been without it,” says Cripps. Morreale offers the CFO’s version: same team, roughly triple the revenue, with banks and buyers leaning in rather than looking away. For ambitious businesses wondering whether the ceiling they feel is real, the lesson is simple. A stitched-together stack adds people to chase problems. A single cloud backbone compounds growth—with confidence.

Read more:
The cloud engine behind scale: why Oracle NetSuite can super-power your business

Capita has been fined £14 million by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for serious data protection failures following a major cyber-attack in March 2023 that compromised the personal details of 6.6 million people across the UK.

The attack, which saw hackers infiltrate Capita’s systems and extract nearly one terabyte of sensitive data, affected customers, pension scheme members, and staff of one of Britain’s largest outsourcing firms.

In its report, the ICO described the incident as “a systemic failure to apply basic cyber hygiene”, concluding that the breach caused “significant distress and anxiety” for millions of people whose financial, employment, and personal data was exposed.

According to the regulator, Capita detected the breach within 10 minutes of the hackers gaining access but failed to isolate the infected device for 58 hours, a delay that allowed ransomware to spread and data to be exfiltrated.

Sensitive material stolen included financial data, criminal record checks, and “special category data” — information revealing an individual’s race, religion, sexual orientation, and health status.

The ICO investigation found that Capita had known vulnerabilities in its systems, an understaffed security operations centre, and inadequate testing of its defences. Despite handling data for millions of citizens through contracts with local councils, NHS bodies, and private clients, its cybersecurity processes were found to fall “well below expectations for a company of its size and role”.

The total penalty comprises £8 million for Capita plc and £6 million for Capita Pension Solutions, reflecting the wide range of affected stakeholders, including several large pension schemes.

An initial fine of £45 million was reduced after the company demonstrated improvements to its cybersecurity systems and cooperated with regulators, including the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

John Edwards, the Information Commissioner, said: “This incident exposed the personal information of millions of people to potential misuse and caused substantial anxiety and inconvenience. While we recognise Capita’s cooperation and subsequent remediation, the case highlights the consequences of failing to act swiftly and decisively in the face of a known threat.”

Capita’s chief executive, Adolfo Hernandez, said the company had been targeted early in what became a spate of sophisticated cyber-attacks against large UK firms.

“As an organisation delivering essential public and private services, Capita was among the first in the recent wave of highly significant cyber-attacks on UK companies,” Hernandez said. “We have since invested heavily in cyber resilience and security monitoring to protect our systems and our clients’ data.”

Capita provides outsourced services for local authorities, the NHS, and private businesses — making it a key part of the UK’s public service infrastructure. The attack disrupted multiple contracts, including teachers’ pensions administration, prompting government departments to conduct reviews of their exposure to third-party cyber risks.

Andy Ward, SVP International at Absolute Security, said the incident illustrated the danger of delayed responses to cyber intrusions.

“The Capita breach highlights the critical importance of identifying and remediating cyber incidents immediately — every hour of delay multiplies the potential damage,” he said.

“True resilience isn’t just about prevention or compliance; it’s about ensuring organisations can withstand and rapidly recover from attacks while minimising downtime and disruption.”

Ward added that nearly half of UK CISOs (48%) now believe the country’s overall cyber resilience strategy is “insufficient”, calling for greater investment in detection, containment, and recovery capabilities.

The Capita breach remains one of the most significant UK corporate cyber incidents since the 2017 WannaCry attack that crippled NHS systems. The ICO’s findings underscore a broader pattern of cybersecurity weaknesses among large contractors handling sensitive public data.

While the regulator acknowledged Capita’s post-incident reforms, it said the fine should serve as a warning that delays in response and underinvestment in security carry substantial financial and reputational risks.

“Cyber resilience must be embedded across every layer of the business,” Ward said. “Leaders must assume attacks are inevitable — and be ready to respond when they come.”

Read more:
Capita fined £14 Million over 2023 cyber-attack that exposed data of 6.6 Million people

The UK economy is losing as much as £3.5 billion a year as tens of thousands of women leave the technology sector amid stalled career progression, unequal pay and weak leadership pipelines, according to a new landmark report released to mark Ada Lovelace Day.

The 2025 Lovelace Report: Unlocking £2–3.5 Billion, published on Tuesday, reveals that between 40,000 and 60,000 women are quitting the industry annually — an exodus that experts warn is undermining the country’s ambitions to become a global leader in artificial intelligence and digital innovation.

Despite making up just 20% of the tech workforce, women are leaving at twice the rate of men, with the losses hitting hardest among mid-career professionals who should form the backbone of Britain’s digital economy.

The report’s authors say the problem is not that women are failing to enter tech, but that the system is failing to retain them. More than three-quarters of women with 11–20 years’ experience said they had waited over three years for a promotion, while half earned below-average pay for their seniority.

Although 90% of women in the sector say they want to lead, only one in four believe they can, citing a lack of sponsorship, opaque promotion pathways, and workplace cultures that undervalue women’s contributions.

The report estimates an annual cost of £1.4–2.2 billion in lost productivity from women leaving tech, and a further £640 million–1.3 billion from turnover as women move between employers in search of better pay or opportunity.

Elizabeth Anderson, chief executive of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said the findings highlight how structural inequality and digital exclusion reinforce one another.

“With women being 14–22% more likely to be in digital poverty than men, Ada Lovelace serves as an important reminder of the need to close the gender gap in access to technology,” Anderson said.

“Without the right tools, connectivity and digital literacy, many women face a self-perpetuating cycle of exclusion that limits their ability to participate in the workforce.”

She added that the issue goes beyond workplace access to devices, noting that digital exclusion now “deepens existing inequalities” by limiting access to education, healthcare, and financial planning.

“Celebrating Ada’s legacy is not just about honouring the past — it’s about ensuring every woman can thrive in a digitally connected world,” she said.

The report warns that the UK’s inability to retain female tech professionals comes at a dangerous moment. The government’s AI and Digital Skills Strategy aims to scale the national AI workforce twentyfold by 2030, yet the sector already faces a shortfall of 98,000–120,000 skilled workers across AI, cybersecurity, and infrastructure.

Industry leaders say the country risks falling further behind the US, Canada and Singapore unless it tackles workplace inequality and embeds retention incentives into industrial policy.

“This isn’t just about fairness — it’s an economic emergency,” one senior tech executive told Business Matters. “If half of your skilled workforce leaves before reaching senior level, you’re not just losing talent, you’re sabotaging your own growth strategy.”

Each year, Ada Lovelace Day celebrates the pioneering mathematician who in the 19th century imagined machines that could process ideas as well as numbers — a vision that prefigured the birth of modern computing.

But 184 years after Lovelace’s notes on Charles Babbage’s analytical engine, the report argues that the UK is still failing to build the inclusive innovation ecosystem she envisioned.

The researchers conclude with a stark warning: unless companies address career stagnation and gender inequity, the UK will continue to “bleed talent and opportunity.”

“On Ada Lovelace Day, this research is both a celebration and a call to action,” the report states. “Women have been at the heart of technology since its inception — and the UK cannot afford to lose the next generation of its brightest minds.”

Read more:
UK Losing £3.5bn a Year as Women Exit Tech Sector, Warns 2025 Lovelace Report

Google may be required to overhaul the way its search engine operates in the UK after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed it has granted the tech giant “strategic market status” (SMS) under the country’s new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA).

The landmark decision, announced on Friday, gives the CMA sweeping new powers to impose legally binding rules on Google’s search and advertising businesses — which together account for over 90% of all online searches in the UK.

While the designation is not a finding of wrongdoing, it allows regulators to step in later this year with potential measures aimed at increasing competition in digital markets.

Under its new status, Google could be required to offer users alternative search engines via “choice screens”, introduce greater transparency in how results are ranked, and provide publishers with more control over how their content is displayed or monetised online.

Will Hayter, who leads the CMA’s digital markets unit, said the move reflected the company’s long-established dominance.

“Google maintains a strategic position in the search and search advertising sector, with more than 90 per cent of searches in the UK taking place on its platform,” Hayter said.

“Having taken into account feedback following our proposed decision, we have today designated Google’s search services with strategic market status.”

The CMA said its goal is to ensure “fairer competition and more choice for consumers”, while fostering innovation and reducing barriers for rivals to compete in the UK’s £20 billion online advertising market.

In response, Google said it would cooperate with the regulator but warned that heavy-handed or unclear rules could have the opposite effect, slowing innovation and harming UK competitiveness.

Oliver Bethell, Google’s senior director for competition, said: “UK businesses and consumers have been amongst the first to benefit from Google’s innovations, often months before their European counterparts.

“Many of the ideas for interventions raised in this process would inhibit UK innovation and growth, potentially slowing product launches at a time of profound AI-based innovation.”

Sources told Business Matters that Google executives have grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of clarity over what interventions may follow. The company is concerned that sweeping or unpredictable rules could make it harder to invest and roll out new AI-driven features in the UK — a concern shared by other major tech firms observing the new regime.

The CMA will now consult on possible remedies, with proposals expected to be published later in 2025. These could include new transparency obligations for search ranking algorithms, restrictions on how data is shared across Google’s vast advertising ecosystem, and new oversight of how it integrates AI into its products.

Officials insist the purpose of the new regime is not to punish successful firms, but to ensure open digital markets that benefit both consumers and competitors.

“Our role is to promote competition and innovation, not to stifle it,” a CMA spokesperson said.

The move comes as the UK seeks to establish its own post-Brexit framework for Big Tech oversight, diverging from both the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the US Department of Justice’s more litigious approach.

With Google the first major company to be formally designated under the UK’s new rules, the outcome of the CMA’s next steps will be closely watched by global tech firms — including Meta, Amazon, and Apple — as Britain tests its new powers to rein in digital giants.

Read more:
Google could be forced to change search operations in the UK

The UK risks losing ground in the global race to harness artificial intelligence, with small businesses in particular falling behind their American counterparts, according to Debbie Weinstein, President of Google Europe.

Weinstein, who previously led Google’s UK and Ireland operations, said that while Britain remains an innovation hub, its small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are slower to adopt AI — a gap that could limit productivity growth and wider economic gains.

“The biggest gap in terms of productivity-led growth is with the US,” Weinstein said. “If you look at what’s driven the US relative to the UK over the last ten years, a lot of the unlock that is missing in this country comes down to productivity.”

Research from Google suggests that AI-powered tools could increase productivity among UK SMEs by up to 20%, effectively giving employees an extra working day each week.

The company’s analysis estimates that AI adoption could unlock £200 billion in additional economic value for UK small businesses by the end of the decade.

SME leaders surveyed by Google believe the technology could boost revenues by an average of 30%, with the greatest benefits expected in customer service automation, marketing, and administrative tasks.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are really the lifeblood of the UK economy,” Weinstein said. “Whenever you talk to a small business owner they always tell you the one thing they struggle with is time.”

But she warned that businesses that fail to adapt risk being left behind.

“My biggest worry is that there’s this potential for growth — for each of these individual small businesses and for the economy overall — that isn’t realised because people don’t have the tools or the skills to take advantage of this opportunity.”

To help close the adoption gap, Google has launched the AI Works for Business programme in partnership with the Department for Business & Trade and NatWest.

The initiative will deliver a series of free in-person workshops across Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Cardiff over the next two months. Around 1,000 small business owners have already registered.

Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade, said the collaboration would help small firms gain vital practical skills.

“AI is transforming the way we work,” Kyle said. “This partnership with Google will give small businesses hands-on experience of how to capitalise on the many benefits of AI to innovate, grow, and compete on the global stage.”

Weinstein added that the workshops build on pilot programmes run earlier this year, where short training sessions significantly increased AI use among participants.

“What we found in those trainings is that a few hours of hands-on experience made all the difference,” she said. “When we did a couple of hours of training and went back, there was a doubling of the daily usage of AI.”

Google introduced Gemini, its generative AI chatbot, into its suite of productivity apps in February 2024, giving businesses access to AI-driven writing, data analysis and planning tools directly through Google Workspace.

However, while large corporations have integrated AI rapidly into operations, smaller firms have been slower to follow — often due to lack of awareness, cost barriers, or uncertainty about regulation.

Weinstein’s comments add to a growing debate over how Britain can close its AI productivity gap. Economists warn that while the technology could transform efficiency across industries, the benefits will only be realised if businesses adopt early and invest in digital skills.

“This isn’t about hype,” Weinstein said. “It’s about ensuring that small businesses — which make up the backbone of the UK economy — have the opportunity, confidence and support to use AI to their advantage.”

Read more:
UK falling behind in AI adoption, warns Google Europe chief

BERO, the fast-growing premium non-alcoholic beer brand, has adopted Oracle NetSuite to streamline operations, improve financial visibility, and scale its business internationally.

The AI-powered cloud ERP platform is helping the company increase efficiency, automate key processes, and build a strong foundation for global growth.

Founded in 2024 by actor Tom Holland and beverage industry veteran John Herman, BERO has rapidly expanded across the US and UK, selling four unique beers both direct-to-consumer online and through major retailers including Target, Amazon, Sprouts, and Total Wine.

Before launching publicly, BERO implemented NetSuite’s cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with the support of NetSuite Solution Provider Luxent. The company said the platform has enabled it to meet rising demand and simplify operations across its growing distribution network.

“From day one, we knew we needed a flexible system that could grow with our business and immediately enable efficiency,” said John Herman, co-founder and CEO of BERO (pictured at SuiteWorld). “With NetSuite, we maintain real-time insight across financial and operational layers while automating admin tasks so our team can focus on strategic growth.”

Senior Vice President of Operations Neha Soi led the implementation, ensuring that BERO’s back-end systems were built for scalability from the outset.

NetSuite has helped BERO automate and integrate financial, order fulfilment, and supply chain processes, expediting workflows and improving data accuracy.

By linking sales, transportation management and order fulfilment, BERO can now process orders in under 15 minutes, while automated financial reporting ensures real-time insights. The platform’s global management tool, NetSuite OneWorld, allows BERO to manage multi-currency transactions and integrate new subsidiaries seamlessly as it expands internationally.

The result is that BERO has reduced its monthly financial close from up to 15 days to just 3–5 days, significantly improving operational agility.

Evan Goldberg, founder and executive vice president at Oracle NetSuite, said BERO’s use of NetSuite demonstrates how strong technology foundations can accelerate success in fast-evolving consumer markets.

“From the outset, BERO recognised the importance of a strong technology foundation to scale successfully and respond swiftly to market demands,” Goldberg said. “Our unified suite makes it easy to take advantage of the latest cloud and AI innovations to keep up with its evolving needs.”

The partnership comes amid continued expansion in the non-alcoholic drinks market, as consumers increasingly prioritise balance, wellness and premium flavour experiences.

Read more:
BERO brews international growth with Oracle NetSuite’s AI-powered business suite

Oracle NetSuite, has announced the formation of a new strategic partnership with BILL, the intelligent finance platform used by more than half a million businesses, to transform how companies manage accounts payable.

The collaboration introduces BILL-powered payment automation embedded directly within NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation, enabling US customers to make fast, secure, and flexible vendor payments without leaving the platform.

“Accounts payable plays an important role in helping organizations manage cash flow, control costs, and build stronger vendor relationships,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and executive vice president of Oracle NetSuite. “Our partnership with BILL will allow customers to optimize payment processes within NetSuite and extend the value of our AI-powered payment automation offering.”

Embedded AI-driven payments for speed, security and efficiency

The new feature allows customers to start making payments within minutes of activation, supporting all US banks and leveraging BILL’s extensive network of over eight million connected businesses.

With advanced AI capabilities, real-time synchronization, and a fully embedded design, NetSuite Intelligent Payment Automation helps users capture and pay bills, manage payment runs, and reconcile accounts all in one place — eliminating the need for external tools or manual data transfer.

Security remains a central focus. The integration incorporates advanced encryption, multi-factor authentication, and fraud prevention, alongside compliance with PCI DSS and SOC 2 standards to ensure regulatory and data protection best practices.

BILL’s network and automation expertise at the core

René Lacerte, chief executive and founder of BILL, said the partnership would help businesses access intelligent finance where it matters most — inside the systems they already use to run their operations.

“This partnership marks an important milestone in our mission to make intelligent finance more accessible,” Lacerte said. “Embedding BILL’s payment capabilities within the world’s #1 AI Cloud ERP gives businesses a new way to pay faster, optimize cash flow, and accelerate growth.”

Intelligent Payment Automation features

NetSuite’s AI-powered Intelligent Payment Automation suite includes:
• Payment automation: Fast, secure payments powered by BILL’s network of millions of vendors.
• Bill capture: AI-powered automation eliminates manual data entry and accelerates processing.
• Intelligent payment proposals: Agentic AI workflows in natural language help optimize payment timing and cash flow.
• Bill matching: Automatically links vendor bills to purchase orders, reducing fraud and duplicate charges.
• Payment reconciliation: Improves accuracy and speeds up financial close through automated reconciliation.

Read more:
NetSuite & BILL partner to accelerate AI-powered accounts payable automation

Oracle NetSuite has launched NetSuite Next, a major evolution of its cloud ERP platform featuring conversational AI, agentic workflows, and natural language capabilities to help businesses automate repetitive tasks and make smarter, faster decisions.

The new system aims to transform how businesses interact with AI, enabling users to complete repetitive and complex tasks faster, more intuitively, and with greater confidence.

“NetSuite Next puts AI to work for businesses by making it a natural extension of the way they already work,” said Evan Goldberg, founder and EVP of Oracle NetSuite. “With the latest AI innovations built in, NetSuite Next can deliver powerful insights and autonomously complete complex tasks — all with enterprise-level reliability.”

Built on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) and grounded in customers’ existing data and security controls, NetSuite Next combines explainable AI with a unified data model and Oracle’s Redwood Design System to ensure every decision is transparent, auditable, and aligned with business governance.

Customers can move to the new platform “at the press of a button,” according to Oracle, without needing to migrate data or disrupt existing configurations.

NetSuite Next uses AI to anticipate risks and opportunities, understand user context, and assist with decision-making while allowing full user control.

At the centre of the new experience is Ask Oracle, a natural language assistant that allows users to search, navigate, analyse and act across the entire NetSuite dataset in plain English.

The assistant provides context-aware answers, visualisations and reasoning, explaining the “how” and “why” behind every result. It also integrates seamlessly with SuiteCloud Platform extensions and partner apps, ensuring consistent insights across customisations and workflows.

Key features of NetSuite Next

AI Canvas: A collaborative, visual workspace embedded directly in NetSuite where teams can analyse data, brainstorm solutions, and trigger AI-driven workflows.

Narrative summaries and insights: Automated, real-time explanations built into reports and records, surfacing trends and correlations before they become issues.

Agentic workflows: Proactive, AI-powered workflows to automate complex processes such as vendor selection, reconciliations, and supply chain operations — with users able to approve or delegate actions.

Document and knowledge integration: Large language models that extract, validate and act on information from invoices, contracts, receipts, and manuals, converting static documents into actionable insights.

Oracle says NetSuite Next is designed to make AI a seamless part of business operations rather than an add-on. The platform’s explainable AI approach ensures trust and compliance, while new automation tools aim to boost productivity across finance, procurement, and operations.

NetSuite Next will launch initially in North America within the next 12 months, with global rollout to follow.

Read more:
Oracle NetSuite launches NetSuite Next with embedded conversational AI and agentic workflows

Only 5% of generative AI pilots at companies are delivering meaningful results, according to a new report from MIT’s NANDA initiative, which warns that corporate enthusiasm for AI has outpaced real-world success.

The report — The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025 — analysed 300 public AI deployments, 150 executive interviews, and survey data from 350 employees. It found that while AI tools promise faster growth and efficiency, most enterprise projects fail to generate measurable impact on profit and loss statements.

“Some large companies’ pilots and younger startups are really excelling with generative AI,” said Aditya Challapally, the report’s lead author and a research contributor to MIT’s project NANDA.

“Startups led by 19- or 20-year-olds have seen revenues jump from zero to $20 million in a year. It’s because they pick one pain point, execute well, and partner smartly with companies who use their tools.”

The “GenAI Divide”: startups surge, enterprises stall

The report identifies a widening gap between nimble startups and larger corporations — a phenomenon MIT calls the “GenAI Divide.”

While small, focused teams are translating generative AI into clear commercial wins, 95% of corporate pilots stall, producing little or no productivity uplift. MIT attributes this to poor integration, not model quality.

“The issue isn’t regulation or model performance,” Challapally explained. “It’s that enterprise systems aren’t learning from their own workflows. Generic tools like ChatGPT excel for individuals because they’re flexible — but in businesses, they don’t adapt, they don’t integrate, and so they stall.”

This “learning gap” between tools and organisations, the study argues, is the single biggest drag on enterprise AI performance.

MIT’s findings also highlight a mismatch in corporate AI investment. More than half of enterprise GenAI budgets are currently spent on sales and marketing applications, even though the highest return on investment comes from back-office automation — areas such as document processing, compliance, and finance operations.

According to the research, companies that used AI to replace business process outsourcing (BPO), cut agency costs, or streamline internal workflows saw the strongest returns, while those deploying AI for content generation or chatbots struggled to show value.

“Executives want fast wins in visible areas like sales,” Challapally noted. “But the real value is hiding in the unglamorous operational work where AI can quietly save millions.”

Among the 5% of AI pilots that succeeded, MIT found three common factors:
• Clear, narrow use cases tied to a measurable outcome.
• Deep collaboration between AI teams and end-users.
• A focus on data integration before deployment, not after.

These pilots often achieved revenue acceleration of 15-25%, validating the technology’s potential when applied with precision.

The report urges enterprises to “move from experimentation to operationalisation” — integrating generative AI into existing systems, rather than treating it as a separate innovation silo.

The findings come as companies across industries race to embed AI into workflows following the explosive adoption of tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Google Gemini. Analysts estimate that corporate spending on generative AI exceeded $40 billion globally in 2024, but measurable returns remain elusive.

“We’re seeing an extraordinary gap between expectation and execution,” Challapally said. “The winners will be those who stop chasing buzzwords and start solving specific problems — one workflow at a time.”

Read more:
MIT report: 95% of corporate generative AI pilots are failing

HSBC has warned business banking customers that personal identification documents submitted during account applications may have been compromised following unauthorised access to a third-party platform.

In an email sent to customers earlier this month, the bank confirmed that identity documents, images and contact details provided when opening a business account were exposed in the breach. HSBC stressed that its own systems remained unaffected, with passwords, PIN codes and biometric security such as Voice ID uncompromised.

The breach raises concerns about potential identity theft and fraud. HSBC said there was no evidence of fraudulent activity arising from the incident so far, but urged customers to monitor their accounts, credit reports and bank statements closely for suspicious activity.

To mitigate risks, the bank is offering affected customers a complimentary 12-month subscription to Experian’s Identity Plus service, providing monitoring of personal information and alerts for possible misuse. A dedicated helpline managed by Experian has also been set up to handle queries until 8 October 2025.

One affected customer, who declined to be named, told Business Matters: “I provided passport details in good faith to HSBC as it was necessary for identification before opening up a business account. Now I’m worried that money will be taken out of the company account by crooks, with the third-party platform having been hacked. Worse, that my passport details could be sold on the dark web.

I had reservations about providing ID proof in the first place because cyber attacks are now so prevalent but you put your trust in the banks to get online security right, including tech partners. Frankly, nowhere is safe in the online world these days and businessmen and women need to be constantly on alert for data breaches involving their details. In the wrong hands, lives and livelihoods are devastated and there is little redress.”

This latest breach comes after recent high-profile cases, including Harrods’ data breach affecting loyalty scheme members, which also highlighted the vulnerability of customer information in the hands of external providers.

Cybersecurity experts warn that the growing reliance on third-party platforms for data storage and verification continues to expose companies and their clients to heightened risks. The incident underscores the need for firms, particularly financial institutions, to strengthen due diligence on their technology partners.

HSBC said it had worked with external specialists to investigate the incident and had taken steps to prevent further unauthorised access. The bank reiterated that it would never request sensitive information such as PIN codes or passwords by phone or email and urged customers to remain cautious of potential phishing attempts in the wake of the breach.

Speaking about the breach, a HSBC spokesperson said: “We recently became aware of unauthorised access to a third-party platform which held personal identity information and documents provided by applicants for a new HSBC UK business banking account. We have implemented measures to prevent further unauthorised access and have contacted those potentially affected.

“HSBC’s systems are separate and have not been impacted. Customers can continue to use their account as normal.

“We take the safety of customers’ and applicants’ information very seriously and use a range of measures to keep this information safe.

“We are sorry for any concern and inconvenience this may cause.”

Read more:
HSBC warns UK business banking customers of third-party data breach

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a distant prospect for small businesses — it is already here, reshaping day-to-day operations and opening up new opportunities for growth.

According to new research from YouGov, 31% of UK SMEs are actively using AI-powered tools, while a further 15% say they plan to adopt them in the near future.

Just as AI has transformed wider society — with ChatGPT famously becoming the fastest-growing app in history by reaching 100 million users in just two months — business adoption is accelerating. The challenge now lies in knowing which tools to use, and how to balance automation with human oversight.

One reason for rising adoption is the sheer availability of AI solutions. Many businesses already have access through existing subscriptions. For example, Microsoft has embedded its Copilot AI assistant within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams, giving users the ability to draft documents, analyse data and streamline communication.

Kirstie Kavanagh, a tech consultant and AI enablement expert, said: “If you’ve got an enterprise-level Microsoft 365 Business Structured Account, you probably have a lot more in that than you realise. But remember: the AI is simply a copilot, not the pilot.”

This distinction underscores the need for SMEs to run internal audits, identifying where AI can complement — rather than replace — human expertise.

Cybersecurity: risk and defence

AI’s rapid development has also made cyber threats more sophisticated. UK SMEs lose an estimated £3.4 billion annually to cyber attacks, with the average incident costing between £3,398 and £5,001.

Yet AI can also help businesses defend against these risks. From monitoring network traffic to flagging potential breaches, AI tools are now being deployed as part of proactive cybersecurity strategies. Still, human oversight remains essential, particularly when it comes to regulation and compliance.

Christiana, co-founder of FlightStory, the content studio launched with entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, stressed the importance of expert guidance: “Any small businesses that want to start experimenting with AI tools should be seeking expert guidance from partners. When it comes to things like GDPR, compliance and cybersecurity, we’re still going to engage partners like Vodafone Business for advice to make sure we’re doing it right.”

Data privacy is another critical consideration. SMEs adopting new tools should review providers’ privacy policies to confirm compliance with GDPR. As Kavanagh advises: “If you’re a UK-based business and the tool stores data in the UK, does it have a GDPR reference within its privacy policy? Then you can tell instantly whether this tool is taking regulation seriously.”

Equally, businesses must have their own internal policies to guide employees on what data can and cannot be shared with AI tools. This helps avoid unintentional exposure of sensitive or confidential information.

For SMEs, AI can deliver measurable gains in productivity, cost savings and resilience — but only when combined with sound human judgement. From automating routine tasks to bolstering defences against cyber threats, the technology’s potential is clear. The key lies in integrating it responsibly, with expert partners and compliance measures ensuring growth is sustainable and secure.

Read more:
Artificial Intelligence, real change: How small businesses can harness AI for growth

President Donald Trump has claimed that Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan are expected to join a U.S. consortium seeking to acquire TikTok’s American operations from its Chinese owner, ByteDance.

Speaking during a Fox News interview, Trump said the Murdochs would join Oracle founder Larry Ellison and Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell in the group. He suggested that the Murdochs’ involvement would likely come through their Fox Corporation media business rather than personal investment.

“These are great people, very prominent people, American patriots,” Trump told the network. “I think they’re going to do a really good job.”

The proposed deal is part of efforts to prevent TikTok from being banned across the United States. Congress last year passed legislation requiring ByteDance to divest the app over national security concerns, but the enforcement of that law has repeatedly been delayed while negotiations continue.

The White House said over the weekend that it expected the takeover to be completed “in the coming days.” Trump added that he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping to help secure approval for the deal.

TikTok, which has more than 130 million U.S. users and over a billion worldwide, has long been in the crosshairs of Washington over fears that its Chinese ownership could compromise user data. Oracle is expected to handle data and security functions as part of the arrangement.

While the financial terms and ownership structure have not yet been disclosed, the inclusion of the Murdoch family would bring one of the world’s most influential media groups into the deal. News Corp and Fox declined to comment on the president’s claims.

The revelation comes just months after Trump launched a $10 billion libel suit against the Wall Street Journal, owned by Murdoch’s media empire, over an article about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Despite that legal battle, Trump framed the involvement of Murdoch, Ellison and Dell as proof the TikTok deal would be in “patriotic American hands” – though much still depends on how regulators in Washington and Beijing respond in the weeks ahead.

Read more:
Murdoch and Dell said to join US consortium for TikTok takeover, Trump claims

Cyber criminals have stolen the personal details of potentially millions of Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen customers in a ransomware attack on their parent company, Kering.

The luxury group confirmed that in April hackers gained “temporary access” to its systems and accessed customer records, though it insists no financial information such as card or bank details was stolen.

The compromised data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses and the total amount customers spent in-store. The hacker behind the breach, who calls themselves Shiny Hunters, claims to hold data linked to 7.4 million email addresses, suggesting a similar number of victims.

Kering said affected customers had been contacted directly, though it has not disclosed how many people were impacted. Legally, companies do not need to make a public statement if they notify individuals individually, but the scale of the breach has raised alarm across the industry.

A small sample of the stolen data, shared with the BBC, included thousands of customer records showing spending habits. Some individuals had spent over $10,000, while others were flagged with totals as high as $86,000. Experts warned this could expose high-spending clients to targeted scams or phishing attacks.

Becky White, Senior Solicitor in Harper James’ Data Protection team, told Business Matters: “While no card or ID details were taken, the exposure of names, contact information and purchase history poses a serious risk. This type of data can reveal who your most valuable customers are, enabling cyber criminals to craft convincing phishing campaigns or target high-net-worth individuals for fraud.”

Shiny Hunters said they approached Kering in June demanding a Bitcoin ransom, but the company denies entering negotiations, saying it had followed law enforcement advice and refused to pay.

“In June, we identified that an unauthorised third party gained temporary access to our systems and accessed limited customer data from some of our Houses,” a Kering spokesperson said. “No financial information — such as bank account numbers, credit card information or government-issued IDs — was involved in the incident.”

Kering added that its IT systems had since been secured and regulators notified.

The breach occurred during a wave of cyberattacks on luxury retailers. Cartier and Louis Vuitton also disclosed customer data leaks earlier this year.

Shiny Hunters, also tracked by Google as UNC6040, has been linked to phishing-style intrusions on corporate Salesforce systems. The group has previously targeted technology firms and government contractors.

Google itself warned in June of attacks by the same collective, which it said tricked employees into handing over login details.

White said the Kering breach was “a wake-up call” for the sector: “Businesses often focus on securing payment details, but underestimate the value of other CRM data — from purchase history to loyalty activity. Under UK GDPR, companies are expected to practise ‘data minimisation’, collecting and retaining only what is strictly necessary.

Whether you’re a global fashion house or a local retailer, investing in robust security and transparent communication isn’t just a legal obligation — it’s how you protect customer trust and safeguard your brand reputation.”

As online sales and app-based retail continue to grow, the luxury sector has become a prime target for hackers, given its wealthy clientele and global customer databases.

Read more:
Millions of Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen customer records ransomed in cyberattack

When ministers and tech executives hailed Microsoft’s £22 billion UK investment package, one project stood out from the dense jargon of “compute capacity” and “data infrastructure”: Stargate UK.

The name might sound like a science fiction franchise, but Stargate UK is in fact Britain’s most ambitious supercomputing initiative to date — a programme designed to provide the raw computing power needed to train the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) models on British soil.

Stargate UK takes its name from Stargate, the $500 billion US project announced earlier this year by OpenAI and SoftBank. That American initiative aims to build an unprecedented network of AI data centres capable of hosting trillions of operations per second, fuelling the world’s most advanced generative AI.

Britain’s version is more modest in scale, but strategically vital. It is being positioned by the government as Europe’s largest AI supercomputer effort — a joint partnership between Nvidia, the US chipmaker behind the world’s most powerful AI processors; NScale, a British data-centre business; and OpenAI, the San Francisco-based creator of ChatGPT.

The government hopes that Stargate UK will secure Britain’s place as an “AI maker, not an AI taker”, ensuring British researchers, startups and industries have direct access to cutting-edge computing power rather than relying entirely on US or Chinese capacity.

AI models such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Anthropic’s Claude require astronomical amounts of computing power to train. This is provided by GPUs (graphics processing units), which can handle many calculations in parallel. Training a state-of-the-art model can take tens of thousands of GPUs running for months, consuming as much electricity as a small town.

Until now, Britain’s computing capacity has lagged behind. The government’s flagship Isambard-AI project, launched in 2023, was designed to run on around 5,500 GPUs. By comparison, Stargate UK is expected to scale up to 31,000 GPUs by 2026 — many of them Nvidia’s new Grace-Blackwell Ultra processors, among the most powerful AI chips in existence.

That leap would put the UK closer to global peers, offering a viable domestic platform for training advanced models in areas like finance, defence, life sciences and climate science, where sovereignty over sensitive data is critical.

The initiative is being structured around guaranteed demand. Microsoft has committed billions to Britain’s AI infrastructure and is partnering with NScale, while OpenAI is expected to be one of Stargate UK’s first anchor customers, potentially using up to 8,000 GPUs in early 2026 and scaling up sharply from there.

The idea is simple: by locking in customers in advance, the consortium makes it financially feasible to build data centres of this scale. Construction will be spread across multiple sites, with Cobalt Park in northeast England earmarked as a central hub. The area has been designated an AI Growth Zone, where planning approvals and energy connections are expected to be fast-tracked.

Why “sovereign compute” matters

AI has become not just an economic race, but a geopolitical one. Nations are vying to ensure they control at least some of the “compute” — the hardware and software capacity — needed to run large AI models. Without it, countries risk being locked into dependence on foreign suppliers, with sensitive data leaving national borders.

By hosting OpenAI’s most advanced systems in UK-based data centres, operating under British regulatory rules, the government hopes to guarantee that national security, defence and financial institutions can use these tools without compromising confidentiality.

David Hogan, Nvidia’s vice president of enterprise, summed it up: “The only thing that’s been missing in the UK is infrastructure. This will truly make Britain an AI maker, not an AI taker.”

The numbers underline the ambition. Microsoft has pledged £22 billion over four years, half of it for capital expansion. Nvidia is allocating 120,000 GPUs to the UK, its largest European deployment, with about half being the ultra-powerful Grace-Blackwell Ultra chips. CoreWeave, a US AI infrastructure firm, will also invest £1.5 billion to expand capacity in Britain.

Of these chips, about 60,000 are expected to go directly into the Stargate UK supercomputer. For context, that is more than ten times the capacity of Isambard-AI.

The potential payoff is significant: faster training of AI models, new breakthroughs in science, and thousands of high-skilled jobs in data-centre management, engineering and research.

The challenges ahead

Despite the fanfare, Stargate UK faces real hurdles.
• Energy demand: Data centres of this scale consume huge amounts of electricity. Google has already announced a partnership with Shell to stabilise clean energy supplies for its new UK centre, and Stargate UK will face similar scrutiny over its environmental footprint.
• Cost overruns: Building AI infrastructure is capital-intensive. Locking in customers like OpenAI helps, but delays or budget overruns could strain finances.
• Talent shortages: The UK will need more data scientists, engineers and technicians to run and maintain this infrastructure.
• Geopolitics: With President Trump pushing hard for US dominance in AI, Britain will need to balance partnership with Washington while ensuring domestic priorities are not sidelined.

The “Stargate” brand is symbolic. It references both the US project and the sense of entering a new era of computing, where AI is not just another software tool but an operating layer for the economy.

For ministers, the name conveys ambition: that Britain is not retreating from global competition, but stepping through its own “stargate” into a future powered by AI.

Stargate UK is not yet built, but if successful it will mark a turning point for Britain’s digital economy. It represents a bid to anchor world-class AI capacity on UK soil, reduce dependence on foreign compute, and keep Britain at the forefront of the next technological revolution.

As one government insider put it, “This is about sovereignty, science, and staying in the race.”

Read more:
What is Stargate UK? Britain’s new AI supercomputer project explained

TikTok has overtaken Google and Amazon to become the world’s most scraped website, underlining how the artificial intelligence boom is transforming demand for online data.

According to Decodo’s second annual Most Scraped Websites report, the video-first platform recorded a 321 per cent surge in scraping traffic, climbing from outside the top 10 last year to claim the number one position in 2025.

The findings point to a profound shift in the data economy as businesses move away from traditional, text-heavy sources toward multimodal platforms rich in video, audio and social interactions. Video and social media now account for 38 per cent of all scraping activity, ahead of search engines (24 per cent) and e-commerce platforms (22 per cent). YouTube, Coupang and ScienceDirect were among six new entries to the top 10, marking the sharpest year-on-year change since Decodo began tracking the sector.

Industry experts say the trend is being driven by escalating demand for diverse, high-quality datasets to train next-generation AI models. “Data might have been the new oil in 2006, but in 2025 it’s the fuel that powers artificial intelligence,” said Gabrielė Verbickaitė, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Decodo. “AI systems have an appetite for fresh, varied training data at unprecedented scale.”

As companies compete for an edge in AI, access to rich external data sources is fast becoming a decisive competitive advantage. Decodo’s analysis suggests that organisations prioritising diverse content inputs will be better positioned to innovate in an era where multimodal AI reshapes not only technology, but entire industries.

Read more:
TikTok tops list of most scraped websites as AI training reshapes data priorities

A UK startup has unveiled a new platform designed to transform how IT consultancies use and share talent, amid rising concerns about wasted skills and soaring recruitment costs.

BenchBee, launched today in London, describes itself as the first talent sharing economy for IT consultancies. The platform enables firms to monetise idle consultants, cut recruitment fees and respond more quickly to project demands by subcontracting skills within a trusted, member-driven network.

Founder and chief executive Hassen Hattab said the initiative was designed to disrupt traditional recruitment models. “This isn’t just another job board – it’s an entirely new category of talent sharing,” he explained. “We’ve created a member-driven ecosystem where consultancies can match available talent to project needs in real time and access hidden talent pools that traditional recruitment can’t reach.”

According to IDC, IT skills shortages will affect 90 per cent of organisations by 2026, costing the global economy an estimated $5.5 trillion (£4.18 trillion). In the UK alone, consultants spend on average 15–20 per cent of their time ‘on the bench’ – employed but not generating revenue.

For a consultancy with 500 consultants, this equates to £15.3 million a year in lost revenue, while across the industry the total climbs to £3.06 billion annually.

Traditional recruitment, meanwhile, is proving increasingly inadequate. Agencies typically charge 15–20 per cent placement fees on inflated salaries, but often fail to deliver the specialist skills required at speed. As a result, companies face a choice between paying steep fees, gambling on unvetted freelancers, or leaving projects under-resourced while skilled consultants sit idle elsewhere.

A new model for sharing expertise

BenchBee’s platform offers an alternative by enabling vetted consultancies to subcontract available consultants within a secure network. A flat membership fee replaces commission-based recruitment costs, while members gain real-time access to pre-qualified, industry-experienced professionals.

By creating what it calls a “talent sharing economy”, BenchBee aims to address three of the industry’s biggest challenges: monetising underused consultants, accessing hidden talent pools, and eliminating recruitment inefficiencies.

Hattab said the model reflects the realities of the modern IT consultancy sector. “After more than a decade in the industry, I kept seeing the same problem. One organisation has brilliant people on the bench. Another is losing work because of a lack of skills. BenchBee directly connects those dots.”

With hiring freezes, budget cuts and skills shortages squeezing consultancies, BenchBee argues its approach offers firms a way to protect margins and accelerate delivery.

“This isn’t better recruitment, it’s a completely different approach,” Hattab added. “It’s a smarter way for companies to collaborate, share expertise and uncover underused talent. This is talent sharing for the real world: faster, leaner and built around how consultancies actually operate.”

Read more:
UK startup set to tackle £3bn IT skills gap

AI adoption among large enterprises has dipped slightly, even as overall use of the technology continues to rise across the corporate landscape.

New figures from the US Census Bureau show that uptake among companies with more than 250 employees fell from a peak of around 14 per cent to 12 per cent in recent summer surveys.

The decline, though modest, points to hesitancy among larger businesses that have already committed billions to AI infrastructure, including data centres and rollout support. Analysts suggest the slowdown reflects frustration with unclear returns on investment.

Across all companies surveyed, however, adoption remains on an upward trajectory. The Bureau’s biweekly survey of 1.2 million US businesses found that 9.7 per cent of respondents had used AI in the past two weeks, up from 8.8 per cent previously. Forward-looking sentiment is also strengthening, with 13.7 per cent of companies expecting to adopt AI for producing goods or services within six months. Yet nearly two-thirds still report no plans to use AI at all, underscoring that mainstream adoption is still emerging.

Industry leaders caution that the figures do not mean companies are walking away from AI altogether. Sheila Flavell CBE, chief operating officer of FDM Group, said the dip demonstrates the limits of deploying AI without adequate training and strategy. “AI can only deliver value when people know how to use it effectively,” she explained. “When organisations implement practical, hands-on training, it builds confidence and helps employees understand how AI can support their roles.”

Others argue that security and governance remain pressing concerns. Andy Ward, senior vice-president international at Absolute Security, noted that over a third of chief information security officers have already banned tools such as DeepSeek, citing privacy and control risks. “AI can transform detection and response, but if it’s deployed without robust resilience strategies, real-time visibility and clear governance, it risks adding more vulnerabilities than it solves,” he said.

Some experts argue the Census Bureau’s methodology may understate true AI adoption because it counts only use in producing goods and services, excluding applications in marketing, administration and customer service. Analysts at UBS point out that, despite the recent dip, AI adoption overall is progressing more quickly than US e-commerce did in its first two decades.

But scepticism is growing around whether the scale of corporate investment is justified. Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo Academy, has warned that the slowdown highlights caution among big corporates, while Arpit Gupta, associate professor at NYU Stern, suggested “trillions in AI capex should probably be reconsidered.”

A recent MIT report adds to the uncertainty, finding that 95 per cent of companies struggle to generate financial returns from AI. Together, these signals have fuelled speculation that an AI bubble could be inflating — with large enterprises pausing to reassess before committing to further rollouts.

Read more:
AI adoption stalls in large enterprises as doubts grow over returns

Business today moves fast. Entrepreneurs are expected to manage teams, meet clients, and grow their companies, all while staying connected on the move. To keep up, they need more than just a phone. They need a tool that works as hard as they do.

The Google Pixel 10 is built for a new way of working. It blends productivity, security, and style into one device. For business owners and professionals on the go, it could be the most valuable tool to carry.

Power That Keeps Up with You

Running a business doesn’t stop when the working day ends. Entrepreneurs often move from meetings to flights to late-night emails. A phone that runs out of battery halfway through the day simply won’t do.

The Pixel 10 is designed to last. Its adaptive battery learns your habits and saves power where it’s not needed. That means it can last well into the evening on a single charge. When you do need a power boost, fast charging gets you back to work in minutes.

No more hunting for plug sockets at the airport or carrying bulky power banks. With the Pixel 10, power worries are taken off the list.

AI That Works Like an Assistant

Time is the most valuable resource for any business owner. The Pixel 10 uses advanced AI to help save it.

• Smart replies let you respond to messages instantly without typing long responses.
• Call screening helps filter out time-wasting spam or unknown calls.
• Real-time translation breaks language barriers during international trips.
• Voice dictation makes writing emails or notes fast and accurate.

These features combine to remove distractions and free up focus for what matters most. Running the business.

Seamless Integration with Business Tools

Entrepreneurs rely on a wide range of apps. From calendars and video calls to project management and expenses, everything must work smoothly.

In fact, many experts argue you can run a business entirely from a smartphone. An article highlights how entrepreneurs are using mobile devices to handle everything from payments and contracts to team communication.

The Pixel 10 is designed to integrate seamlessly with Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, and countless other business tools. It helps entrepreneurs keep track of meetings, manage documents, and organise projects without hassle.

Always Connected, Wherever You Go

Whether it’s a video call with a client or checking in with a remote team, reliable connectivity is non-negotiable. The Pixel 10 is built with 5G to ensure fast speeds and stable performance.

You can download files, join video conferences, and collaborate with ease, even when travelling abroad. Combined with O2’s reliable network and roaming, the Pixel 10 keeps your business running no matter where you travel.

Security That Protects What Matters

The Pixel 10 comes with multiple layers of protection. It has face and fingerprint unlock for secure and quick access. Its Titan M2 security chip helps defend against digital threats, and with automatic security updates, your phone is always prepared for the latest risks.

Business leaders carry sensitive data on their phones every day, and cyber attacks are a real and measurable risk. The UK Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025 found that over 43% of UK businesses and 30% of charities experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. This highlights why built-in protections like the Titan M2 chip and automatic updates are essential.

This level of protection gives entrepreneurs peace of mind. Even if the phone is lost or stolen, the data remains safe

A Camera Built for Work and Beyond

The Pixel 10’s AI-powered camera makes it easy to capture sharp images of whiteboards, documents, or events. Features like Photo Unblur and Magic Eraser make sure every image looks professional.

It’s not just about work either. For entrepreneurs who spend much of their time travelling, the Pixel 10 doubles as a top-tier camera for capturing those rare moments of downtime.

Seamless Integration with Business Tools

Entrepreneurs rely on a wide range of apps. From calendars and video calls to project management and expenses, everything must work smoothly.

The Pixel 10 is designed to integrate seamlessly with Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, and countless other business tools. It helps entrepreneurs keep track of meetings, manage documents, and organise projects without hassle.

No switching devices, no lagging performance. Just simple, efficient workflows from one pocket-sized hub.

Style That Matches Your Ambition

First impressions matter in business. The Pixel 10 doesn’t just perform well, it looks the part too.

Its sleek and professional design makes it a natural fit in the boardroom, a client dinner, or an international conference. Lightweight and slim, it slips easily into a bag or pocket. The Pixel 10 balances style with function, reflecting the professional standards of those who carry it.

Why the Pixel 10 Is the Right Choice for Entrepreneurs

Running a business is never simple. But the right tools can make the journey smoother. The Google Pixel 10 offers everything an entrepreneur needs:

• Long-lasting power.
• AI that saves time.
• Strong security.
• Seamless connectivity.
• Professional design.
• It’s more than just a smartphone. It’s a partner in productivity, travel, and growth. For business owners who want a phone that supports their ambitions, the Pixel 10 delivers on every level.

Read more:
The Smartest Business Tool in Your Pocket: Why the Pixel 10 Is Built for Entrepreneurs

Google has been ordered to hand over some of its search data to rivals after a U.S. federal judge ruled that the company must take steps to curb its dominance in internet search.

In a decision described as the most significant antitrust ruling of the internet age, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said Google must share parts of its search results with “qualified competitors” to help level the playing field. The ruling follows a years-long case brought by the Justice Department, which accused the company of abusing its power to maintain a near-90 per cent share of the search market.

The government had pushed for far tougher remedies, including forcing Google to divest its Chrome web browser and banning the multibillion-dollar payments it makes to secure default search placement on smartphones and browsers such as Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox. Those requests were denied, though Mehta did place restrictions on such agreements. In 2021, Google spent more than $26 billion on contracts to ensure its search engine was the default choice across devices.

“Notwithstanding this power, courts must approach the task of crafting remedies with a healthy dose of humility,” Mehta said, reflecting his decision not to impose structural changes such as a breakup. Google has confirmed it will appeal, meaning the case is likely to remain tied up in the courts for years.

The ruling marks the first time a monopoly case against a modern technology platform has reached the remedies stage, making it a bellwether for other challenges to Silicon Valley’s biggest companies. Under both the Trump and Biden administrations, regulators have filed lawsuits against Apple, Amazon, Meta and Google over alleged anticompetitive practices.

The stakes extend beyond search. Google is also facing separate lawsuits over its advertising technology, while Meta awaits a ruling on whether its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp illegally stifled competition. Amazon has been accused of squeezing smaller merchants, with a trial scheduled for 2027. Apple is fighting claims that it deliberately locks users into its ecosystem.

Former U.S. assistant attorney general Bill Baer called the Google ruling “the most important antitrust case of the 21st century”, warning that the battle is only beginning. “There will be appeals and appeals and appeals,” he said.

The decision comes as the nature of search itself is being transformed by artificial intelligence. Start-ups including OpenAI, Anthropic and Perplexity are already offering chatbots that can summarise information and plan tasks, while Google has integrated its own AI answers into the top of its results page and added a conversational search tab.

For now, Judge Mehta’s order forces Google to open up some of its data to competitors, curbing its power without dismantling the business. But the ruling has set a precedent. As other Big Tech antitrust battles move through the courts, it offers the clearest guide yet on how U.S. judges may attempt to restrain the digital monopolies of the 21st century.

Read more:
Judge orders Google to share search data with rivals in landmark monopoly ruling

Hundreds of UK jobs are at risk after TikTok confirmed plans to restructure its content moderation operations and shift work to other parts of Europe.

The social media giant, which has more than a billion users worldwide, said the move is part of a global reorganisation of its Trust and Safety division and reflects its growing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) for moderating content.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “We are continuing a reorganisation that we started last year to strengthen our global operating model for Trust and Safety, which includes concentrating our operations in fewer locations globally.”

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) condemned the decision, accusing TikTok of “putting corporate greed over the safety of workers and the public”.

John Chadfield, CWU National Officer for Tech, said: “TikTok workers have long been sounding the alarm over the real-world costs of cutting human moderation teams in favour of hastily developed, immature AI alternatives.”

He added that the announcement comes “just as the company’s workers are about to vote on having their union recognised”.

TikTok defended the cuts, arguing the changes would improve “effectiveness and speed” while reducing the amount of distressing content human reviewers are exposed to. The company said 85 per cent of rule-breaking posts are already removed automatically by AI systems.

Affected staff in London’s Trust and Safety team – alongside hundreds more across Asia – will be allowed to apply for other roles within TikTok and will be given priority if they meet the minimum requirements.

The restructuring comes as the UK tightens oversight of social media platforms. The Online Safety Act, which came into force in July, imposes stricter requirements on tech companies to protect users and verify age, with fines of up to 10 per cent of global turnover for non-compliance.

TikTok has introduced new parental controls, including the ability to block specific accounts and monitor older teenagers’ privacy settings. But the firm continues to face criticism over child safety and data practices. In March, the UK’s data watchdog launched a “major investigation” into the platform.

TikTok said its recommender systems operate under “strict and comprehensive measures that protect the privacy and safety of teens”.

The cuts highlight the growing tension between efficiency and safety in the moderation of online content. While AI allows platforms to process huge volumes of posts at scale, critics argue that human oversight remains essential to capture context, nuance and emerging harms.

For TikTok, the gamble comes at a sensitive time. With regulators intensifying scrutiny and unions organising inside the company, the decision to reduce human moderation risks reigniting questions about whether technology alone can keep users safe.

Read more:
TikTok cuts threaten hundreds of UK content moderator jobs amid AI shift

Piers Linney has always been ahead of the curve. A former venture capital lawyer and M&A banker turned entrepreneur, investor and Dragons’ Den panellist, he has built his career on spotting trends before they become mainstream.

His ventures have spanned cloud computing, AI innovation and leadership, and today, through Implement AI, the company he co-founded, he helps businesses prepare for the new reality of artificial intelligence.

For Linney, the phrase “AI-first” is more than a buzzword. He describes it as part of a continuum that stretches back centuries, when humans were always “first”, using tools to support them but ultimately doing the hard cognitive work themselves. That balance, he argues, is shifting. With the advent of large language models and diffusion models, AI is starting to take the lead role, transforming the way we interact with technology.

“We’ve entered an era of AI-assisted work, where employees and organisations can be supercharged in their productivity,” he says. “Unlike the move to cloud computing, which gave companies years to adapt, this wave of change is happening almost overnight. If you wait, you won’t be disrupted by AI itself – you’ll be disrupted by rivals who know how to use it.”

One of the biggest debates surrounding AI is the question of bias. Because the models are trained on human content, from across the internet and social media, they inevitably carry some of our own prejudices. Linney acknowledges the challenge but sees AI as part of the solution rather than the problem.

“Bias is real, and it’s inherited from the data,” he admits. “But unconscious bias is also a huge factor in human decision-making, particularly in recruitment. Carefully designed AI systems can strip away those prejudices and make choices based on objective data. Over time, AI will evolve into what I call a ‘ruthless optimiser’, making decisions that are more data-driven, transparent and less prone to human flaws.”

Yet AI is not only a tool for innovation. It is also being seized upon by criminals. Linney, who recently addressed a global cybersecurity firm, is clear that the threat is growing more sophisticated by the day.

“We’re moving beyond AI-designed malware to a point where the malware itself is AI,” he warns. “It can adapt, hide and pursue its own objectives autonomously. That raises the stakes dramatically. It’s not the science-fiction scenario of humanoid robots we need to worry about, but AI-enabled cybercrime destabilising economies, draining people’s finances and even targeting governments. The cybersecurity arms race is only just beginning.”

If businesses are to harness the opportunities of AI while guarding against its risks, Linney believes leadership must start with clear governance. Every company, regardless of sector, needs an AI policy — but, he stresses, it cannot sit in isolation.

“AI has to run through the business, touching HR, training, compliance and data security,” he explains. “Industries like healthcare and finance will face stricter rules, but every sector needs boundaries for how staff use AI, how data is managed, and how risks are controlled. The missing piece is training. Research shows that almost a third of employees are already using AI at work without their employer knowing — what we call ‘Shadow AI’. That’s a risk, but with the right framework it’s an enormous opportunity.”

From his vantage point, AI is not a distant future but an immediate revolution. Companies that act decisively will, in his words, be “supercharged” — those that don’t may find themselves overtaken by competitors who understood the AI advantage early.

Read more:
The AI advantage: Piers Linney on how forward-thinking businesses will outpace the rest

OpenAI, the San Francisco-based developer behind ChatGPT, is reportedly in early-stage discussions over a potential share sale that could see the artificial intelligence company valued at $500 billion, surpassing Elon Musk’s SpaceX in market worth.

According to Bloomberg, the proposed transaction would involve the sale of shares held by current and former employees, with existing investors — including Thrive Capital — exploring a buy-in at the higher valuation. If completed, the deal would increase OpenAI’s valuation by nearly two-thirds, up from its last known $300 billion mark.

This would place the AI pioneer above SpaceX, which is currently valued at around $350 billion and is said to be seeking a $400 billion valuation in its next funding round.

OpenAI and Thrive Capital declined to comment on the report.

The move comes as OpenAI faces mounting competition for AI talent, especially from Meta, which is aggressively recruiting for its “superintelligence” division. Meta has already poached key hires from OpenAI, reportedly offering signing bonuses of up to $100 million to lure top engineers.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has downplayed the defections, insisting that Meta has taken “none of our best people”.

The share sale, if approved, could act as a retention tool, offering staff liquidity without requiring a full public listing — a common strategy among high-growth tech firms to motivate employees while attracting new capital.

The report follows a flurry of product announcements from OpenAI. Altman recently shared a screenshot hinting at the release of GPT-5, the latest iteration of its flagship AI model, and confirmed the launch of two new open-source AI models on Tuesday.

“We’re excited to make this model, the result of billions of dollars of research, available to the world,” said Altman. “It’s about getting AI into the hands of as many people as possible.”

The move signals OpenAI’s intention to compete more directly with Meta and Chinese rival DeepSeek, both of which have stepped up the release of open-source AI models in a bid to influence global adoption and innovation.

Despite the open-source push, OpenAI’s core business remains built around its “closed” proprietary models, offered through subscription-based versions of ChatGPT and integrations with enterprise platforms.

OpenAI operates under a non-profit governance structure, with a for-profit subsidiary handling commercial activity. However, ongoing talks to transition into a full for-profit model have stalled, reportedly due to complex negotiations with major investor Microsoft.

“Obviously in any deep partnership there are points of tension,” Altman told The New York Times podcast in June. “But on the whole, it’s been really wonderfully good for both companies.”

In March, a US court denied Elon Musk’s attempt to block OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model. Musk, a co-founder who left OpenAI in 2019, has since been publicly critical of the company’s commercial direction, arguing it has deviated from its original non-profit mission to develop AI “for the benefit of humanity”.

OpenAI is also expanding into hardware, having acquired io, a consumer tech startup led by former Apple designer Sir Jony Ive, in a $6.4 billion deal.

Altman has reportedly told staff that the company intends to produce 100 million AI-powered personal devices, dubbed “AI companions”, that could become part of daily life. Production is expected to begin by 2027, with Altman calling the prototype “the coolest piece of technology the world will have ever seen.”

The rumoured share sale would see OpenAI take a commanding lead in the AI valuation race, ahead of not just SpaceX, but also rivals like Anthropic, which is said to be seeking a $170 billion valuation in an upcoming funding round. Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI employees and is backed by Amazon and Google.

With AI models becoming increasingly expensive to train — requiring vast data centre resources and cutting-edge chips — access to capital is critical for scale and sustained innovation.

If the $500 billion valuation materialises, OpenAI will join the ranks of the world’s most valuable private companies, further cementing its position as a global AI leader at a time when regulation, ethics, and geopolitics are converging around the future of intelligent systems.

Read more:
OpenAI in talks over $500bn share sale, potentially surpassing SpaceX in value

A quiet but profound transformation is underway in the UK’s rural and remote communities. The government-backed Shared Rural Network (SRN) — a £1.3 billion programme launched to eliminate mobile “not-spots” — is reshaping how people live, work and do business across the countryside.

Launched in 2020, the SRN aims to deliver 95% 4G coverage across the UK from at least one operator by the end of 2025, and 84% from all four mobile network providers (EE, Vodafone, Three and VMO2) by 2027.

As of summer 2025, the programme has already hit its 95% single-operator milestone, with over 58 rural mast upgrades completed this year alone. These upgrades are now enabling people in hard-to-reach communities to access reliable mobile internet — many for the first time.

The SRN is addressing years of digital inequality in places like the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, Snowdonia, Cumbria, Dorset, and the Yorkshire Dales, where geography and commercial constraints have long left rural businesses and households with patchy or non-existent signal.

In these areas, better mobile connectivity is no longer just about convenience — it’s about economic survival, public safety, and access to essential services.

“The SRN is enabling farmers to use agri-tech, holiday parks to manage bookings on the move, and local tradespeople to process digital payments without relying on patchy WiFi,” said a source from Mobile UK, the industry body representing UK mobile operators.

“It’s a game-changer for local resilience, and it’s boosting productivity in places often forgotten by the digital economy.”

Stronger rural connectivity supports more than just private enterprise. It enhances emergency services, enabling faster and more reliable coordination in hard-to-reach locations, especially for mountain rescue teams, paramedics, and rural police forces.

The SRN also facilitates access to digital healthcare and remote education — services that became lifelines during the COVID-19 pandemic and remain vital today for isolated communities.

Meanwhile, rural tourism — a major economic driver in regions like Cornwall, Devon, and the Lake District — is getting a boost as visitors benefit from improved connectivity for navigation, mobile payments and digital itineraries.

The SRN rollout is being welcomed by digital inclusion advocates, who see the programme as a vital weapon in the fight against digital poverty. An estimated 19 million people in the UK still face some form of digital exclusion, whether due to lack of coverage, devices, or skills.

“Rural areas are often disproportionately affected by poor connectivity, which cuts them off from opportunities and services many take for granted,” said Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance. “The Shared Rural Network is not just infrastructure—it’s empowerment.”

What sets the SRN apart is its unique structure: a joint initiative between the UK government and mobile network operators, co-funded to ensure commercially unviable areas aren’t left behind.

The programme requires all operators to share infrastructure, meaning a mast upgraded for one provider must also be accessible to the others where technically feasible. This reduces duplication, maximises efficiency, and helps meet environmental targets.

The government is also investing £184 million to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts — which previously served only EE — to enable multi-operator use, further strengthening coverage.

While the SRN has made significant progress, there remain challenges. Planning and permissions in remote locations can be slow, local opposition to new infrastructure still arises, and extreme weather can delay deployments.

Nonetheless, the government and industry remain committed to the programme’s long-term rollout, with final targets due for completion by 2027.

Chris Bryant MP, Minister for Telecoms, called the SRN “a cornerstone of our Plan for Change,” saying it unlocks the economic potential of rural Britain while ensuring that no community is left behind in the digital age.

As the UK transitions toward 5G and beyond, programmes like the Shared Rural Network offer a template for inclusive infrastructure — combining public ambition, private innovation, and shared national purpose.

With digital connectivity now central to healthcare, education, business and democracy, the SRN is more than just a network upgrade — it’s the foundation of a fairer, smarter, and more connected UK.

Read more:
Shared Rural Network: How a £1.3bn mobile connectivity programme is transforming digital Britain

Residents and businesses across North Yorkshire’s rural communities are now benefiting from faster and more reliable mobile internet, following the latest wave of government-funded 4G upgrades under the UK’s Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme.

The upgrades, which have gone live in Hawes and surrounding areas including Hardraw, Appersett, Snaizeholme and Sedbusk, form part of the £1.3 billion national programme to tackle patchy mobile coverage in remote parts of the UK.

Previously, the area’s mobile masts only supported EE customers and emergency 999 calls, but the infrastructure improvements now enable full connectivity from Three, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 (VMO2), bringing true multi-operator coverage to one of England’s most scenic but underserved regions.

The new masts build on wider SRN delivery across North Yorkshire, including recent coverage extensions in the North York Moors National Park, Helmsley, Wombleton, and Pockley, among others.

The improvements have been welcomed by digital inclusion advocates, who say enhanced rural mobile access is vital for bridging the UK’s growing digital divide.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said the expansion of 4G coverage was a crucial step in ensuring more people can access essential services.

“To fully participate in modern society, with services such as education, healthcare and banking shifting online, connectivity is a necessity rather than a luxury,” Anderson said. “It’s excellent to see the 4G rollout reaching Yorkshire.”

She noted that 19 million people across the UK still lack sufficient digital access, including broadband, digital devices and skills — particularly among young people, who risk falling behind in education and employment.

To help tackle this issue, the Digital Poverty Alliance has expanded its Tech4Youth scheme to the Yorkshire Coast, supplying free laptops to young people in need of digital support. Anderson said that such local initiatives, when combined with national investment programmes like SRN, can have “a transformational impact on lives across the country.”

The UK government confirmed that 58 rural 4G mast upgrades have now gone live under the SRN programme. The scheme has already met its 2024 target of delivering 95% 4G coverage from at least one operator across the UK, but further work is planned through to 2027.

The government is also investing £184 million to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts — which currently only support EE — to allow access from all four mobile network operators.

Chris Bryant MP, Minister for Telecoms, said the rollout was central to the government’s wider ambitions for growth, digital transformation and levelling up.

“The Shared Rural Network means walkers can navigate more easily and access information on the go, local businesses can benefit from being better connected, and emergency services can respond faster when needed,” Bryant said.

“This is connectivity that breaks down digital barriers and unlocks economic potential in Yorkshire’s world-class beauty — all of which supports our Plan for Change.”

The SRN is a joint initiative between government and mobile operators, co-funded to ensure that rural areas are not left behind as mobile networks expand nationally.

As demand for always-on connectivity grows across all sectors — from agriculture to tourism — improved mobile access is set to play a critical role in supporting rural resilience and economic recovery.

Read more:
Government-funded 4G upgrades go live in North Yorkshire to boost rural mobile connectivity

Meta and Microsoft have added a staggering $500 billion in combined market value overnight, following blockbuster earnings reports that exceeded Wall Street expectations and sent their share prices soaring.

The surge marks a major milestone for both tech giants—and a moment of triumph for investors riding the artificial intelligence wave.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, saw its share price leap more than 11 per cent in pre-market trading, adding over $190 billion (£143 billion) to its market capitalisation. Microsoft, meanwhile, jumped 8.5 per cent, translating into a $320 billion (£241 billion) rise and pushing the company’s valuation beyond the $4 trillion mark—making it only the second business in history to hit that level after Nvidia.

Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, said the overnight gains were “the sort most companies can only dream of”. He added: “They’ve smashed market forecasts by a country mile and caused investors to scream with joy.”

The uplift is largely credited to booming revenues from cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company’s long-term goal is to deliver “personal superintelligence for everyone” as it ramps up its AI development.

“I spent a lot of time building this team this quarter,” Zuckerberg said, referring to Meta’s new AI division. High-profile hires include Scale AI co-founder Alexander Wang, with other industry leaders reportedly being lured with multi-million dollar packages.

“We’re making all these investments because we have conviction that superintelligence is going to improve every aspect of what we do,” Zuckerberg added.

Microsoft’s rally was driven by strong demand for its AI assistant Copilot, which now boasts over 100 million users. The company said it would further accelerate investment in AI-driven software, deepening its lead in the enterprise technology space.

Coatsworth noted that Microsoft’s new implied valuation of $4.13 trillion makes it the second most valuable company in the US stock market, behind only Nvidia.

“Incredibly, Microsoft and Meta together are now worth $5.81 trillion—roughly twice the total value of the entire FTSE 100 index,” he said. “That’s quite something and goes to show how the UK market’s lack of big technology names has left it trailing behind.”

The news comes as the make-up of the US tech elite continues to shift. The so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’—which once included Apple, Tesla, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon and Alphabet—appears to be evolving into a smaller group of frontrunners.

“Apple and Tesla have both suffered double-digit share price losses this year, so it’s time to bid farewell to the ‘Mag7’ banner,” said Coatsworth. “These stocks are no longer driving the market, so the banner needs refreshing. We’re now in the new era of the ‘Famous Five’, with Meta and Microsoft doing their best to dethrone Nvidia as the most exciting tech play.”

The extraordinary gains underline the accelerating pace of AI-fuelled transformation in big tech. While questions remain around regulation, ethics, and long-term monetisation, one thing is clear: investors are placing their bets on a future defined by artificial intelligence—and the companies best positioned to lead it.

Read more:
Meta and Microsoft add $500bn in value overnight as AI boom fuels investor euphoria

Microsoft has become the second publicly traded company in history to reach a $4 trillion market valuation, propelled by booming demand for artificial intelligence and record performance from its cloud computing division.

The milestone was reached on Thursday, just weeks after chipmaker Nvidia became the first company to cross the same threshold on 9 July. The Washington-based tech giant’s achievement follows a strong quarterly earnings report and a bold forecast for future AI-led capital investment.

Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform continues to be a primary driver of growth, with the company reporting surging sales in its most recent update. It also announced plans to spend a record $30 billion in capital expenditure during the first quarter of its current fiscal year—largely to expand AI infrastructure and meet intensifying enterprise demand.

“It is in the process of becoming more of a cloud infrastructure business and a leader in enterprise AI, doing so very profitably and cash generatively despite the heavy AI capital expenditures,” said Gerrit Smit, lead portfolio manager at the Stonehage Fleming Global Best Ideas Equity Fund.

Microsoft first surpassed the $1 trillion mark in April 2019. Compared to the rapid ascent of Nvidia—whose value has tripled in under 12 months—Microsoft’s growth has been more measured, underpinned by consistent earnings and strategic shifts toward cloud services and artificial intelligence.

The company’s ambitious AI roadmap, combined with strategic layoffs and aggressive investment in next-generation technologies, has positioned it as a frontrunner in the global race for AI supremacy.

Investor confidence is surging across the wider tech sector. Meta Platforms, another tech titan, also reported stronger-than-expected earnings this week, citing AI as a major contributor to its revitalised advertising business. The social media giant raised its full-year capital spending forecast by $2 billion, echoing a similar move by Google parent company Alphabet just days earlier.

The optimism has driven broader market gains, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching record highs in recent days, buoyed further by positive developments in trade talks between the US and international partners ahead of former President Trump’s 1 August tariff deadline.

Microsoft’s latest quarterly forecast—its largest single-quarter capital expenditure plan in history—suggests it could outspend rivals over the coming year as it scales its AI and cloud infrastructure.

Since September 2022, Microsoft has delivered back-to-back record revenues. The company has also been actively streamlining its operations, announcing several rounds of layoffs to sharpen its focus on high-growth segments.

As AI continues to reshape industries and fuel investor enthusiasm, Microsoft’s steady evolution from a traditional software provider into an AI-powered cloud infrastructure leader appears to be paying off—both on the balance sheet and in the markets.

Read more:
Microsoft joins $4tn club as AI-driven growth fuels tech boom

Netflix has used generative artificial intelligence to create visual effects in one of its original TV shows for the first time, as part of a wider strategy to reduce production costs and accelerate timelines.

The streaming giant revealed that AI technology was used to produce a complex scene in its new Argentine sci-fi drama The Eternauts, featuring the collapse of a building in Buenos Aires. The sequence marks the first use of final AI-generated footage in a Netflix original film or series.

Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said the decision to use generative AI—software capable of creating images and video based on text prompts—enabled the production team to deliver the effects ten times faster than through traditional VFX method “The cost of it just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show in that budget,” Sarandos said. “That sequence is the very first generative AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film. The creators were thrilled with the result.”

The announcement comes as Netflix posted a 16% year-on-year increase in revenue, reaching $11 billion (£8.25 billion) for the quarter ending June 30. Profits surged from $2.1 billion to $3.1 billion, buoyed by the release of the third and final season of Squid Game, which has drawn over 122 million views to date.

While Netflix’s use of AI has drawn praise for its innovation and cost-efficiency, the move also reopens debate about AI’s role in creative industries. Critics argue that generative AI often learns from existing artistic works without the consent of their creators, and that increasing use of automation could displace human artists and technicians.

Concerns over AI were central to the Hollywood strikes of 2023, during which the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) called for stricter regulation around AI’s use in film and television.

Netflix, however, has positioned its deployment of AI as a tool to democratise access to advanced visual effects—especially for lower-budget productions.

“It’s about enabling storytelling that otherwise wouldn’t be possible,” Sarandos added. “We’re not talking about replacing creativity, but enhancing it with the right technology.”

The integration of generative AI into Netflix’s pipeline signals a potential shift in how streaming giants balance production ambition with economic discipline. With increasing pressure to produce blockbuster content at scale, AI could become a core part of the toolkit for mid-tier and international series.

As studios face rising costs, tighter profit margins, and evolving viewer expectations, the question is no longer whether AI will reshape entertainment—but how far, how fast, and on whose terms.

Read more:
Netflix turns to generative AI for visual effects in original series The Eternauts

Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company behind Truth Social, has announced that it has filed trademark applications for “Truth Social AI” and “Truth Social AI Search” as part of a wider plan to embed artificial intelligence features into its platform.

The company—listed on Nasdaq and NYSE Texas under the ticker DJT—said the new trademarks mark the start of a significant tech upgrade for the Truth Social ecosystem, which also includes streaming platform Truth+ and fintech service Truth.Fi.

According to the company’s CEO and Chairman, Devin Nunes, the AI functionality will be designed to offer users what he called “a one-stop-shop for reliable information, non-woke news, and entertainment.”

“Integrating AI into Truth Social will be a big push forward in our initiative to expand and enhance the platform,” Nunes said.

The new AI tools are expected to roll out across Truth Social’s mobile apps for iOS and Android, as well as the web version of the platform. While details remain limited, the trademark filings suggest the company is planning both generative AI tools and AI-powered search capabilities within the platform.

The move comes amid rising interest in political and alternative-media platforms integrating AI, both to surface content and provide custom user experiences. It also reflects broader industry trends, as social media networks race to incorporate AI-driven features.

Truth Social, which launched in 2022 and is backed by former President Donald Trump, has aimed to position itself as a “free speech” alternative to mainstream platforms like Twitter/X and Facebook.

Further details about the AI rollout and expected timeline have yet to be announced.

Read more:
Trump Media applies for AI-related trademarks as it plans AI rollout on Truth Social

The UK Government has today announced a landmark strategic partnership with Google Cloud aimed at modernising core public services, phasing out legacy IT infrastructure, and upskilling up to 100,000 civil servants in emerging technologies by 2030.

Unveiled by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle at Google Cloud Summit London, the agreement will help central and local government bodies replace outdated systems that have long been described as the “ball and chain” of the public sector, while delivering an estimated £45 billion in efficiency savings.

Under the agreement, Google Cloud will provide technical support and training to help government departments and public agencies—including the NHS, councils, and tax services—transition away from legacy IT contracts, many of which are vulnerable to outages and cyberattacks.

More than one in four public sector systems currently run on legacy infrastructure, with some police forces and NHS trusts reporting figures as high as 70%. These outdated contracts often leave departments locked into inflexible systems with high maintenance costs and limited interoperability.

The new initiative is a key part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change and digital government blueprint, which aims to transform the delivery of everyday services—from bin collections and healthcare to tax returns—by making them faster, more secure, and easier to use.

As part of the wider effort, Google Cloud will also launch a dedicated training programme to equip up to 100,000 civil servants with the skills needed to manage and apply emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. This aligns with the Prime Minister’s target to have one in ten civil servants working in digital or tech roles by 2030.

“Britain will be using more technology, in more areas and more than ever before,” Kyle said. “My message to the big technology companies is clear: bring us your best ideas, your best tech, and your best price. When I negotiate with tech companies, I do so on behalf of the British taxpayer.”

Google DeepMind will also work with government scientists and engineers to explore the use of AI in accelerating public sector innovation and scientific research, while Google Cloud will support the potential development of a unified cybersecurity platform to improve response times and resilience to growing digital threats.

Tara Brady, President of Google Cloud EMEA, said the partnership would help “build a truly modern, secure and efficient digital future, delivering tangible benefits to citizens and driving significant economic value.”

The government hopes the deal will reduce procurement fragmentation by allowing departments to negotiate collectively rather than independently—something Kyle described as a move to “give government better bargaining power” in securing public sector technology deals.

By enabling faster adoption of cloud and AI solutions, the government aims to break free from outdated tech models, defend against cyber threats, and modernise the services that millions of Britons rely on every day.

Read more:
Google and UK Government announce landmark deal to ditch legacy tech and train 100,000 civil servants in AI

UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are being urged to bolster their cyber defences amid a growing wave of politically motivated attacks, as global tensions and conflicts intensify the threat landscape.

The warning comes after a recent Sky News investigation revealed an increase in cyberattacks linked to the Iran conflict, with businesses across multiple sectors increasingly being targeted. Speaking at the NATO Summit this week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called on UK companies of all sizes to “take immediate steps to review and strengthen their defences.”

Clinton Groome, CEO of IT services and cybersecurity provider Espria, said the call to action may have come too late for some, warning that businesses can no longer afford to wait for official government alerts before taking proactive steps.

“As tensions spread globally, threat actors will continue to exploit digital vulnerabilities — and neutral businesses make for low-risk, high-impact targets,” Groome said. “This latest warning reinforces the urgency of the threat, but it also highlights a gap in the UK’s cyber readiness. Cybersecurity isn’t just about systems — it’s about people, too.”

Human error still the biggest risk

While companies often focus on technological upgrades, Groome emphasised the importance of addressing the human factor — frequently the weakest link in the security chain. He cited research from BT showing that 39% of UK SMEs — around 2 million businesses — have yet to arrange cybersecurity training for staff.

“Cyber awareness is still vastly under-emphasised,” he said. “Before investing in tools, organisations need to fortify their human firewall. Attackers exploit distraction, fear, and information overload to launch social engineering campaigns. Businesses must ensure their teams are prepared.”

Groome recommends company-wide awareness initiatives, including incident response drills, simulated phishing attacks, and regular reinforcement of cyber hygiene best practices. “The goal is a workforce that’s not only informed but also confident enough to report suspicious activity.”

Beyond employee awareness, Groome pointed to the importance of basic cyber hygiene — including multi-factor authentication (MFA), regular patching, and securing Internet of Things (IoT) devices. He also flagged the upcoming end of support for Windows 10 in October as a critical vulnerability, urging firms to migrate to Windows 11 without delay.

“Threat actors are opportunists,” he said. “The end of Windows 10 support will leave systems unpatched and wide open unless action is taken.”

Groome also stressed the importance of observability and integrated telemetry — the ability to monitor all parts of an organisation’s IT environment in real-time.

“Cyber observability is a team sport. SMEs need to consolidate visibility across endpoints, email, cloud, and identity systems to detect early indicators of compromise, such as anomalous logins or repeated MFA requests. Siloed data can’t protect a business — integrated insight can.”

Given the complexity and cost of deploying advanced security systems, many SMEs may struggle to build these capabilities in-house. Groome recommends that businesses seek support from external experts or managed security providers.

“Layered security is essential, but it can be resource-intensive. Partnerships can help SMEs scale their protection, integrate telemetry, and deliver meaningful training,” he said.

As geopolitical instability continues to drive cyber risk across the private sector, Groome concluded with a message of urgency: “Cybersecurity is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ — it’s a survival necessity. With the right tools, knowledge, and support, businesses can build the resilience they need to weather the current storm.”

Read more:
UK SMEs must strengthen cybersecurity as geopolitical threats escalate, warns Espria

OpenAI has been forced to remove online content promoting its high-profile partnership with Sir Jony Ive’s hardware startup io, following a trademark dispute with AI earbud maker iyO.

The ChatGPT developer confirmed it had taken down promotional materials from its website, including a dedicated page and a video featuring Ive and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman discussing their $6.4 billion (£4.8 billion) venture. The video, however, remains available on YouTube.

The legal row stems from a trademark complaint filed by iyO, a tech startup that develops artificial intelligence-powered earbuds. While the dispute has prompted OpenAI to scrub online references to io, the company clarified that the complaint does not affect the deal itself.

“This page is temporarily down due to a court order following a trademark complaint from iyO about our use of the name ‘io’. We don’t agree with the complaint and are reviewing our options,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.

The collaboration between Ive, the legendary designer behind many of Apple’s most iconic products, and Altman is seen as one of the most ambitious fusions of design and AI in recent tech history.

In the original video, Ive described the partnership as a culmination of decades of work: “I have a growing sense that everything I have learned over the last 30 years has led me to this place, to this moment.”

Altman, meanwhile, described a prototype device from Ive’s team as “the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.”

While details remain closely guarded, the new AI-enabled device is expected to launch next year. Reports suggest it will be a discreet piece of hardware designed to sit alongside existing gadgets like the iPhone or MacBook Pro, offering environmental awareness and context-based intelligence.

Despite previous remarks from Ive about the unintended societal downsides of smartphones, Altman said the aim of their device is not to replace the smartphone entirely. “In the same way that the smartphone didn’t make the laptop go away, I don’t think our first thing is going to make the smartphone go away. It is a totally new kind of thing,” he told Bloomberg in May.

The trademark conflict highlights the increasingly crowded landscape of consumer AI hardware startups, where even subtly similar brand names can trigger legal clashes.

iyO, which has not yet publicly commented on the dispute, has been contacted for further clarification.

Read more:
OpenAI takes down Jony Ive’s ‘io’ content after trademark complaint from earbud startup iyO

Internet users are being urged to change their passwords and bolster their online security after cybersecurity researchers discovered 16 billion login credentials in publicly exposed datasets — a trove that could be used by criminals to hijack everything from social media accounts to email logins.

The revelation comes from researchers at Cybernews, who uncovered 30 separate datasets containing credentials gathered through malicious software known as “infostealers”, as well as from historic data breaches. While many of the records are likely duplicates or already in criminal circulation, the scale of the find is alarming and underscores the persistent vulnerability of personal data online.

The exposed credentials could, in theory, offer access to services including Facebook, Google, and Apple, though none of these companies suffered a new breach. Instead, the data was obtained from third-party sources — typically through malware infections on users’ devices that steal saved logins and passwords directly from browsers or password managers.

Bob Diachenko, a respected Ukrainian cybersecurity expert who led the research, said the records were briefly accessible after being misconfigured on remote servers before being taken down. “It will take some time to assess and contact those affected, because it’s an enormous amount of data,” he said.

Cybersecurity analysts have been quick to caution that this is not the result of a new major data breach, but rather a reflection of how dangerous and widely available previously stolen data remains. Much of the data stems from logs generated by infostealer malware, which can harvest login credentials, session cookies, browsing history, and even saved credit card information.

According to Diachenko, the vast majority of the exposed information — about 85% — appears to be from such infostealer logs, with the remainder coming from older breaches such as the 2012 LinkedIn hack.

The data troves followed a clear structure: URLs, followed by usernames and passwords. The potential for account takeovers, phishing attacks, and identity theft is significant, especially if users have reused passwords across multiple services.

Google, responding to the report, confirmed the leak did not originate from any Google systems, and encouraged users to secure their accounts using tools like Google Password Manager and passkeys, a newer password-free authentication method. Meta and Apple have yet to respond publicly.

Toby Lewis, global head of threat analysis at Darktrace, warned that infostealers remain “very much real and in use by bad actors.” While they don’t directly log into accounts, they “scrape information from browser cookies and metadata,” giving attackers a way around passwords altogether.

Peter Mackenzie, director at Sophos, emphasised that the news serves as a stark reminder of the depth of personal data available to cybercriminals. “There is no new threat here, but it shows how much sensitive information is still floating around. If you haven’t changed your passwords or enabled multifactor authentication, now’s the time.”

Experts recommend that anyone concerned should:
• Immediately change passwords, especially if reusing the same credentials across platforms.
• Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever available, adding an extra layer of security.
• Use a password manager to generate and store unique, strong passwords.
• Check whether personal information has been compromised using services like HaveIBeenPwned.com.

Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Surrey, called it a good time for “password spring cleaning.” He added: “The fact that everything seems to be breached eventually is why there’s such a strong push toward zero-trust security models, which don’t assume any device or user is inherently safe.”

Cybernews said that although the exposed datasets were quickly taken down and haven’t been widely circulated on public forums, they represent a “blueprint for mass exploitation” and warned that complacency could leave users vulnerable.

In an era where one compromised login can unlock access to emails, financial records, or private conversations, experts agree: staying proactive is no longer optional — it’s essential.

Read more:
Internet users urged to change passwords after 16bn login credentials found online

The BBC has issued a legal warning to US-based artificial intelligence company Perplexity, accusing it of reproducing BBC content without permission and demanding that the company stop using its material, delete existing data, and propose financial compensation.

This marks the first time the BBC has threatened legal action against an AI company, as concerns escalate across the media industry over how generative AI tools use protected journalism.

In a letter sent directly to Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, the broadcaster alleged that the firm’s AI-powered chatbot was presenting verbatim BBC content to users in breach of UK copyright law and the BBC’s terms of use. The corporation claims the activity is damaging its reputation, especially among UK licence fee payers, by producing inaccurate or misleading summaries of news stories.

“It is highly damaging to the BBC, injuring the BBC’s reputation with audiences… and undermining their trust in the BBC,” the letter states.

The legal move follows BBC research earlier this year which found that several major AI tools — including Perplexity’s — frequently misrepresented news stories, falling short of BBC editorial standards around impartiality and accuracy.

In a brief statement, Perplexity dismissed the claims, saying: “The BBC’s claims are just one more part of the overwhelming evidence that the BBC will do anything to preserve Google’s illegal monopoly.”

The company did not clarify how it believes Google relates to the BBC’s legal concerns and offered no further explanation.

At the heart of the dispute lies the practice of web scraping, where bots extract content from websites en masse — often without explicit permission — to train or feed AI models. While robots.txt files are commonly used to instruct bots not to access certain content, compliance is voluntary, and numerous reports suggest some AI firms ignore these restrictions.

The BBC says it has explicitly disallowed two of Perplexity’s crawlers but alleges that the company has continued to scrape its content regardless.

Perplexity has previously denied breaching robots.txt rules. In a June 2024 interview with Fast Company, CEO Srinivas claimed that its bots comply with such directives and that the company does not use content to train foundation models, stating that it instead operates as a “real-time answer engine”.

The chatbot presents users with aggregated answers to queries, pulling in and synthesising live information from across the web — a process that, according to Perplexity, does not involve the same training processes used by large language model developers.

Still, the BBC and other media organisations argue that this real-time scraping and content repackaging represents a serious breach of intellectual property. The BBC’s stance is echoed by the Professional Publishers Association (PPA), which represents over 300 UK media brands.

In a statement, the PPA said it was “deeply concerned” by current AI practices, warning that the unauthorised use of publishers’ content to power AI tools poses a threat to the UK’s £4.4 billion publishing industry and the 55,000 people it employs.

“This practice directly threatens the UK’s publishing industry and the journalism it funds,” the PPA said, calling on the government to enforce stronger copyright protections for media content used by AI firms.

The BBC–Perplexity standoff comes amid mounting tension between news organisations and generative AI companies. While AI chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Perplexity’s own assistant continue to grow in popularity, they have been repeatedly criticised for presenting misleading summaries, failing to credit original sources, or diverting traffic away from the publishers who create the content.

In January, Apple suspended an AI-driven feature that generated misleading BBC headlines on iPhones, following complaints from the broadcaster.

Quentin Willson, founder of the FairCharge campaign and a former Top Gear presenter, said the unauthorised use of journalistic content poses existential risks for trusted media organisations.

“If AI is allowed to scrape and regurgitate verified journalism without consent or compensation, the business model for serious news collapses,” he said.

While many publishers have begun signing licensing deals with AI companies — including The Associated Press, Axel Springer and News Corp — others are taking legal action. The New York Times is currently suing OpenAI and Microsoft, and more lawsuits are expected as the technology advances.

For now, the BBC is demanding a halt to unauthorised use, full deletion of scraped data, and financial reparations. Whether it follows through with formal legal proceedings could set a major precedent in the global fight over AI and journalism.

Read more:
BBC threatens AI firm Perplexity with legal action over unauthorised use of news content

WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging service, will soon begin displaying paid-for adverts to users for the first time—marking a significant shift for a platform that once proudly declared it would remain ad-free.

The Meta-owned service, which has around three billion monthly active users, will roll out the advertising features globally over the coming months. However, WhatsApp has insisted that ads will not appear in users’ personal chats, but instead will be shown in the app’s “status” section, a space used for ephemeral updates similar to Instagram Stories.

The move brings WhatsApp’s functionality closer to its sister platforms, Facebook and Instagram, and signals Meta’s intent to generate revenue from the service, which it bought in 2014 for $19 billion—still the group’s largest-ever acquisition.

WhatsApp said businesses operating “channels” on the platform will now be able to promote content in the updates tab, which also includes statuses. Companies will also be permitted to charge users for access to premium content via subscriptions, with WhatsApp expected to take a 10 per cent commission.

These new monetisation features come as WhatsApp faces growing scrutiny for recent updates, including the controversial introduction of an “Ask Meta AI” button that cannot be removed. The platform appears keen to reassure users that their private conversations will remain off-limits.

“These new features will appear only on the updates tab, away from your personal chats,” WhatsApp said.
“Your personal messages, calls and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted—meaning no one, not even us, can see or hear them.”

The app will, however, share limited user metadata with advertisers, including a person’s location, language, channels followed, and how they interact with ads. It has emphasised that phone numbers and personal messaging behaviour will not be shared or sold.

The company also clarified that users who do not engage with status updates or channels will not see ads in their inbox. “If you’re only using WhatsApp for messaging, you’re not going to see this,” said Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, acknowledging that the updates tab is “not particularly popular” in the UK but is used by 1.5 billion people daily worldwide.

Despite repeated past assurances that WhatsApp would not adopt an advertising model, this announcement confirms a significant shift in Meta’s strategy. The original co-founders of WhatsApp, including Brian Acton, left the company after clashing with Facebook’s management over the direction of the app—most notably, the plan to monetise it with advertising. Acton famously declared “no ads, no games, no gimmicks” as part of WhatsApp’s founding mission.

WhatsApp had denied reports in 2023 that it was considering introducing adverts, but Meta now appears committed to monetising the platform more aggressively. The changes reflect Meta’s growing need to diversify revenue streams in a competitive digital landscape dominated by TikTok, YouTube, and other fast-growing content platforms.

Meta also continues to face pressure from regulators. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States is suing the company, alleging that it acquired WhatsApp and Instagram unlawfully in a bid to suppress competition. Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pushed back, arguing that the company faces intense competition, especially from TikTok, and cited a surge in traffic when TikTok briefly went offline in January as evidence.

The commercialisation of WhatsApp is likely to divide users. While the platform has become an indispensable communication tool across much of the world, especially in developing markets, its growing convergence with Meta’s ad-driven ecosystem may alienate users who value its simplicity and privacy-first ethos.

Nonetheless, for Meta, the untapped monetisation potential of WhatsApp—with its vast user base and business integration—is too large to ignore. With over 200 million businesses using the platform for customer service and engagement, the addition of ad tools and subscriptions represents a significant new revenue opportunity.

As the changes begin to roll out, the tech giant will be watching closely to see whether users tolerate the presence of commercial content—or if the move triggers a backlash for crossing one of WhatsApp’s most sacrosanct boundaries.

Read more:
WhatsApp to introduce adverts as Meta pushes to monetise messaging app

Apple has taken its movie marketing to a whole new sensory level.

As it builds hype for F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski, Apple has launched the world’s first haptic movie trailer—a short film preview that you can actually feel.

Thanks to the iPhone’s Taptic Engine, users can experience vibrations synced with the on-screen action. As F1 cars roar down the track, speed through corners, or pull into the pit lane, your phone vibrates with varying intensities—letting you feel the thrill of the track in the palm of your hand.

It’s a natural fit for the film, which brings the visceral experience of Formula 1 to life. And it’s a clever way for Apple to flex its hardware-software ecosystem by marrying immersive tech with cinematic storytelling.

How to watch the haptic trailer

To try it for yourself:

1. Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 18.

2. Open the Apple TV app.

3. Look for the F1: The Movie haptic trailer at the top of the home screen or scroll down to find it.

4. Tap to watch—and hold on tight.

Apple says this is just the beginning of how haptics could enhance storytelling, with the technology offering a new dimension to mobile entertainment. While only compatible iPhones will deliver the tactile experience, it’s another example of Apple finding new ways to elevate its content in a crowded streaming market.

Apple’s biggest movie bet yet

F1: The Movie, due in cinemas on June 27, is Apple Original Films’ most ambitious project to date. With Brad Pitt behind the wheel, real F1 teams involved, and unprecedented trackside access, Apple hopes the film will be a breakout box-office success ahead of its eventual release on Apple TV+ later this year.

Whether the haptic trailer signals a broader trend in film marketing remains to be seen. But for now, it’s a turbocharged innovation—one that makes movie trailers not just something you see and hear, but something you actually feel.

You can check out the non-haptic trailer for F1 The Move below:

Read more:
You can literally feel Apple’s new ‘F1: The Movie’ trailer starring Brad Pitt

VodafoneThree, the newly merged telecoms giant formed from Vodafone UK and Three, has unveiled plans to invest £11 billion in a nationwide rollout of standalone 5G and ultra-fast broadband, with the aim of reaching 99.95% of the UK population by 2034.

The company, now the largest mobile operator in Britain, said the investment will provide a “massive upgrade for the country” and eliminate 16,500 square kilometres of mobile “not spots” — areas currently without reliable signal — by the end of this year.

CEO Max Taylor said the rollout would dramatically improve coverage, performance and speed, allowing VodafoneThree to compete more effectively in both the consumer and business broadband markets, while enabling new services that demand low latency and high capacity, such as IoT, augmented reality, and autonomous vehicles.

The UK has lagged behind G7 nations in 5G performance, with the slowest average 5G download speeds, according to 2023 data from Open Signal. Taylor acknowledged the shortfall, calling the £11bn investment “long overdue” and essential to unlock the full economic potential of next-gen connectivity.

The merged entity plans to bring “fibre or fibre-like” broadband speeds to all UK homes, leveraging its own mobile and fibre networks, as well as partnerships with Openreach, CityFibre, and now Community Fibre in London.

Taylor noted the business would target “full national coverage”, using fixed wireless access in harder-to-reach areas where full fibre is not yet available.

The move follows the completion of Vodafone’s £16.5 billion merger with CK Hutchison’s Three at the end of June — a deal seen as a litmus test for further telecoms consolidation in Europe. Network operators have long argued that fewer players would allow more sustainable investment and faster rollout of infrastructure.

Taylor said the integration would support cross-selling of mobile and broadband services across its base of 27 million mobile customers, increasing revenue opportunities through bundled offers and upgrades to faster services.

While he said the focus was on organic growth, Taylor did not rule out additional deals with wholesale or alternative network providers, though ruled out any current interest in acquiring TalkTalk, the struggling broadband operator.

VodafoneThree said its expansion will generate an average of 9,000 jobs annually across the UK over the next eight years. A further 400 roles will be created at new customer service hubs in Belfast and Sheffield. Some job duplication will occur, especially across headquarters, as the merger is integrated.

The broader economic impact is expected to be significant, with improved digital infrastructure boosting productivity, supporting remote work, and enabling smart city technologies.

Despite being central to the digital economy, the UK telecoms sector has struggled with stagnant growth, intense price competition, and rising infrastructure costs. Vodafone CEO Margherita Della Valle has responded with a sweeping restructure of the group, including the sale of Vodafone’s operations in Spain and Italy, raising €12 billion in the process.

Taylor said that 5G can finally offer telecoms providers a sustainable path to growth, but only if customers can see the value: “The challenge is to demonstrate that these propositions are worth paying a sustainable premium for.”

Read more:
VodafoneThree pledges £11bn to bring 5G to every corner of the UK by 2034

Austrian synthetic data pioneer MOSTLY AI has launched a $100,000 global challenge to drive adoption of privacy-safe synthetic data and highlight its potential to safely fuel artificial intelligence innovation.

Dubbed The MOSTLY AI Prize, the challenge invites data scientists, AI developers, and researchers to create high-fidelity synthetic datasets from real-world data. Entries will be judged on accuracy, privacy, usability, and generalisability, with the aim of showcasing synthetic data’s role in powering safe, open-access AI.

The prize pool – the largest yet for a synthetic data challenge – is split between two tracks: the Flat Data Challenge, involving static, table-based data like patient records, and the Sequential Data Challenge, for time-ordered datasets such as stock values or longitudinal health data.

Entrants must submit anonymised synthetic datasets that closely mirror the original data while maintaining privacy and complying with regulations. Submissions close on 3 July 2025, with winners announced on 9 July.

Alexandra Ebert, Chief AI and Data Democratization Officer at MOSTLY AI, said the prize represents “a call-to-action for anyone with an interest in data and AI”.

“Open data access is key to unlocking AI’s full potential – but achieving that will require wider adoption of synthetic data tools,” Ebert said. “This challenge is about showcasing the power of privacy-safe data generation and making it accessible to all.”

The competition follows MOSTLY AI’s release of the first open-source toolkit for synthetic data generation. While participants can use this toolkit, it is not a requirement.

The challenge comes amid growing demand for AI training data and tightening privacy regulations. With traditional data sharing increasingly constrained, synthetic data – which mimics real-world data while stripping away identifiable information – is seen as a breakthrough solution.

MOSTLY AI, which raised $25 million in Series B funding and works with clients including Citi, Telefónica and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, says synthetic data can help businesses and researchers share and scale data securely across industries.

Full details of the challenge, including data samples, scoring metrics, and eligibility, are available at: mostlyaiprize.com.

Read more:
Mostly AI launches $100k global challenge to spotlight privacy-safe synthetic data for AI development

Disney and Universal have filed a landmark lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney, accusing the San Francisco-based company of large-scale copyright infringement and calling its tools a “bottomless pit of plagiarism”.

The entertainment giants allege that Midjourney’s AI model, which creates high-quality visuals from text prompts, unlawfully copied and distributed images of iconic characters including Darth Vader, Yoda, Elsa, Shrek, Iron Man, and the Minions. Filed in federal court in Los Angeles, the suit marks one of the most aggressive legal actions yet taken by Hollywood against the fast-growing generative AI industry.

“Piracy is piracy,” said Disney’s chief legal officer, Horacio Gutierrez, “and the fact that it’s done by an AI company does not make it any less infringing.” NBCUniversal’s general counsel Kim Harris echoed the concern, adding that the lawsuit aims to protect the creative work and investment of the studios and artists they represent.

According to the complaint, Midjourney’s training data included millions of images scraped from the internet without permission—a practice confirmed by founder David Holz in a 2022 interview. The studios claim Midjourney rebuffed requests to stop using their intellectual property or to implement safeguards that would prevent users from generating infringing content.

The studios have filed for a preliminary injunction to block Midjourney from offering its image and video generation services unless it adopts tools to prevent the unauthorised replication of copyrighted content. They are also seeking unspecified financial damages.

Midjourney, which generated $300 million in revenue last year through paid subscriptions, has not yet commented on the suit. However, the company has faced similar legal challenges before. A prior lawsuit filed by a group of visual artists remains ongoing, with a judge last year ruling that the artists’ claim—that Midjourney stored and reused their copyrighted works without consent—was “plausible”.

This latest action underscores growing tensions between creative industries and AI developers, as generative models increasingly encroach on areas previously protected by intellectual property law. The entertainment industry, in particular, has moved swiftly in recent months to push back against what it sees as widespread appropriation of its copyrighted content. In parallel lawsuits, major record labels, authors, and news organisations have taken similar action against AI companies accused of training models on protected materials without consent or compensation.

The legal outcome of Disney and Universal’s case could set a critical precedent for how AI tools are developed and monetised—and whether or not training models on copyrighted content constitutes fair use or infringement.

While some media companies, including The Guardian and Axel Springer, have opted to license their archives to AI firms, others, like The New York Times, have launched lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft for similar unauthorised use.

For now, the case marks a pivotal test of whether courts will draw a firm line on copyright protection in the age of artificial intelligence—or whether companies like Midjourney can continue scraping and generating from vast libraries of human-made work with limited accountability.

Read more:
Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney over ‘bottomless pit of plagiarism’

A summit held at the House of Lords during London Tech Week has sounded the alarm over a looming “skills cliff edge” in the UK workforce, as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the economy and redefine job roles across industries.

Chaired by Steven George-Hilley, founder of Centropy PR, the summit brought together thought leaders from across the tech, legal, financial and cybersecurity sectors for a wide-ranging discussion on the challenges and opportunities presented by AI.

The consensus? The UK risks falling behind international competitors unless it urgently accelerates efforts to build an AI-literate workforce, safeguard data integrity, and adopt ethical guardrails in AI deployment.

Achi Lewis-Dhaliwal, AVP UK, EMEA & India at Absolute Security, warned that AI is dramatically escalating the scale and sophistication of cyber threats, particularly for data-rich sectors such as financial services.

“The financial services industry houses vast quantities of sensitive data that is constantly subject to threats from malicious cyber actors, especially with the rise of AI-powered attacks,” he said. “These discussions must be grounded in real-world cyber risk scenarios if we’re to future-proof UK critical infrastructure.”

Leigh Allen, Strategic Advisor at Cellebrite, highlighted how AI is already proving transformative in digital forensics, stating: “AI is a critical enabler in unlocking digital evidence and significantly reducing investigation times, greatly aiding police forces and combating national security threats.”

She added that combining AI with ethical access to digital evidence is key to creating safer communities and stronger digital justice systems.

James Tuttiett, Sales Director UK & EMEA at FDM Group, pointed to a strategic disconnect across UK industries: “There’s a lack of a united vision and strategy when it comes to AI. Most organisations are still experimenting—there’s no ‘one size fits all’ yet—but what’s clear is that integration is imminent.”

He stressed that as automation reshapes careers, more emphasis is needed on teaching “how to ask the right questions of AI—not just accept the answers.” Understanding prompt engineering, he added, will be vital to preparing a resilient and agile workforce.

Arkadiy Ukolov, founder of Ulla Technology, flagged the data privacy risks surrounding popular AI tools that send user data to third-party providers for model training.

“When it comes to sensitive meeting discussions or client information, this creates significant risk of data leakage. Ethics must be at the centre of House of Lords discussions if we want AI that serves society rather than undermines it,” Ukolov said.

Stuart Harvey, CEO of Belfast-based analytics firm Datactics, urged policymakers to focus not just on AI adoption but on data quality itself.

“In the rush to adopt AI tools, many organisations overlook the foundational issue of fragmented or inaccurate data. Without high-quality, reliable datasets, AI models will produce unreliable or even damaging outputs,” Harvey warned.

Chris Davison, CEO of NavLive, showcased the positive applications of AI, such as using real-time 2D and 3D building modelling to enable sustainable construction.

“By creating accurate real-time spatial data across the lifecycle of a building, architects, engineers and construction professionals can save significant time and money,” he said. “This is where AI can power real economic growth.”

Read more:
House of Lords AI summit at London Tech Week warns of ‘skills cliff edge’ threatening UK’s competitive future

TikTok has formed a new SME Council to give Britain’s small businesses a bigger say in the evolving digital economy, bringing together entrepreneurs, founders, and content creators who have used the platform to fuel growth.

The inaugural gathering of the council, held at Stoke-on-Trent town hall, saw 20 small and medium-sized business owners from across the UK convene to share experiences and shape a manifesto for government, due to be published this autumn.

TikTok says the initiative is designed to help shape the future of small business by giving entrepreneurs a forum to exchange insights, influence policy, and better understand how to harness digital tools to reach new audiences. With more than 1.5 million UK SMEs now active on TikTok, the platform has emerged as an unlikely but powerful force in Britain’s business ecosystem.

The council includes a diverse mix of industries — “a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker,” according to Ali Law, director of public policy and government affairs for TikTok UK and Ireland. That includes Rachel Spence, founder of Bear Burners in South Shields, who joined the council to campaign for clearer, more practical government guidance for first-time founders. “Small businesses make up an incredible amount of the UK’s economy,” she said. “But a lot of the time you have to figure it all out on your own.”

For others, the TikTok-hosted event stood in contrast to more traditional business organisations. Louise Rogerson, chief clinical officer of Manchester-based sleep-tech firm Levitex, said: “It felt modern and welcoming. Sometimes Chambers of Commerce can feel a bit intimidating for early-stage founders who don’t fit the usual mould.”

Dominique Bogle Khan, who runs Hair Anatomy, a Birmingham-based synthetic wigs brand, echoed the value of solidarity the group offered. “Being an entrepreneur is a very lonely place sometimes. It was comforting to realise others had gone through the same things.”

The formation of the SME Council comes amid rising interest in “social commerce” — shopping directly via social media. According to Retail Economics, more than 25 per cent of UK shoppers made a purchase through a social platform in 2024, with TikTok Shop and Instagram Shopping leading the charge.

TikTok hopes the SME Council will act both as a policy sounding board and a support network, amplifying the digital voices of small business owners often overlooked in formal trade groups. The company plans to use the group’s feedback to help shape its own platform development and provide government with a clearer picture of the challenges and opportunities facing UK entrepreneurs in the social-first economy.

While TikTok may not be the most conventional voice in British business policymaking, its impact on the modern retail and small business landscape is increasingly hard to ignore. As more firms turn to video-first platforms for growth, its SME Council could offer a new kind of influence — less boardroom, more back bedroom — but no less effective.

Read more:
TikTok launches SME council to elevate small business voices and boost digital growth

Elon Musk’s Starlink is on track to play a larger role in the UK’s broadband infrastructure, with telecoms regulator Ofcom proposing new temporary spectrum licences to expand the satellite internet provider’s capacity across the country.

Under the plans, Starlink would gain access to additional E band frequencies at three of its existing ground stations in Hampshire, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire. These Earth stations connect users by transmitting data between Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites and terrestrial infrastructure.

The proposed licences, set to run until the end of 2028, come with technical safeguards to prevent interference with other satellite and broadband services. Ofcom said the move would enable Starlink to boost its network capacity and better serve both businesses and households in rural and remote areas.

“We consider that granting these licences would enable Starlink to increase the capacity of its services, benefiting people and businesses who use these services in the UK,” Ofcom said in a statement. “This should encourage investment, foster innovation and bolster growth of satellite services in the UK.”

Starlink, a division of Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, already provides internet access to isolated communities and rural businesses that have long struggled with slow or unreliable broadband. It has also won public sector contracts, including providing connectivity to rural NHS GPs and support for ambulance tracking systems.

The company operates a vast constellation of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit, designed to deliver high-speed internet in areas where traditional fixed-line or mobile networks are either impractical or cost-prohibitive.

Starlink’s expansion comes as demand for rural broadband access grows and as political pressure mounts over persistent coverage gaps across the UK. Mobile operators including EE and Virgin Media O2 have been trialling Starlink’s technology to enhance their own networks, especially in “not spots” – areas with poor mobile reception. T-Mobile is conducting similar tests in the US.

The move also aligns with the broader trend of integrating satellite and mobile technology. Vodafone, which is finalising a £15 billion merger with Three, has launched a satellite broadband joint venture with Texas-based AST SpaceMobile. Meanwhile, Ofcom has approved new capabilities that allow smartphones to connect directly to satellites, bypassing traditional masts and potentially transforming connectivity in rural regions.

However, Starlink’s growing influence has not come without scrutiny. Elon Musk has faced criticism over his political affiliations and his role in the Ukraine conflict, where Starlink technology has become critical to maintaining digital infrastructure. Musk’s previous suggestion that he could cut off access to Ukrainian forces has raised concerns about the geopolitical risks of relying on private satellite networks.

The company is also set to face fresh competition from Jeff Bezos’s Project Kuiper, Amazon’s rival satellite broadband initiative, which is preparing for its own UK rollout in the coming months.

While satellite broadband won’t replace traditional fibre or mobile networks, its integration is expected to provide vital redundancy and service continuity in underserved locations. Operators are likely to charge a premium for such services, in a model similar to international roaming.

Read more:
Starlink set to expand UK footprint as Ofcom greenlights new spectrum licences

At first glance, it could be a cry for help—or just another post on a crowded message board.

“I am 22 and unemployed,” a young man writes on the website Quora. “I am wasting [my] entire day watching porn and browsing Facebook. What should I do in my free time which is more productive?”

The suggestions from strangers range from the practical—join the army, learn to code—to the sarcastic. “I heard there’s stuff to do outside,” one user replies. “Supposedly there are people and places you can interact with.”

It’s a post that speaks to a broader malaise: a generation of young men increasingly lost in a digital fog of easy dopamine hits, retreating from work and real-world responsibilities into online distraction.

Britain is grappling with a deepening youth worklessness crisis. More than 900,000 16 to 24-year-olds are now not in education, employment or training (Neets)—the highest level in a decade. And the gender split is striking: nearly half a million are men.

Among male Neets, economic inactivity—those neither working nor looking for work—has surged 48% since before the pandemic. For young women, the equivalent figure is under 10%.

Many experts believe the trend is being fuelled by a potent mix of digital distraction, mental health challenges, and economic stagnation. But it’s the role of online pornography and video games—readily available and relentlessly engaging—that has drawn particular concern.

“This is a synthetic replacement for real-life interactions,” says one senior secondary school teacher, who asked not to be named. “We see students as young as year seven who believe online forums are more meaningful than real-world relationships. That mindset makes work, education—even friendship—seem less appealing.”

The National Centre for Gaming Disorder reports that 90% of its patients are male. Meanwhile, the Centre for Social Justice found that 25% of men aged 18-29 watch porn daily or most days, compared to just 2% of women.

Addiction to these digital habits can leave young men trapped in an isolating loop, withdrawing from life offline. One Reddit user, aged 29, describes feeling “jobless, isolated, and addicted to porn since the age of 12”. “I have no motivation to do anything,” he admits.

The emotional toll is real. A study published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease last year found strong links between problematic pornography use and anxiety and depression.

And these aren’t just marginal cases. Graham Cowley, who works with unemployed young men in Blackpool, told reporters recently: “There are kids on the internet 24 hours a day. They don’t want to work for anything less than 40 grand.”

Some see the shift beginning in childhood. With smartphones in nearly every pocket by the age of 12, boys are growing up immersed in a digital landscape filled with instant gratification—and influencers like Andrew Tate, whose messages glorify hyper-masculine rebellion and disdain for traditional employment.

Meanwhile, the education system, with its emphasis on conformity, structure, and academic targets, is struggling to compete.

Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that while social media captured girls in the late 2000s, boys were already disappearing into gaming and online escapism. As he puts it: “The virtual world becomes more enticing. The real world—especially school—becomes more frustrating.”

Not everyone agrees that porn and gaming are the root causes.

Lord Elliott, founder of the Jobs Foundation, says it’s too simplistic to blame digital habits. “Rewind several decades, and you had more opportunities for solid, rewarding jobs. Buying a home was realistic. That’s no longer true for many young men.”

He argues that online addiction may be a symptom rather than the cause. “The root cause of worklessness is a wider malaise that has grown over the past few decades,” he says.

Maxwell Marlow, director of public affairs at the Adam Smith Institute, takes a similar view: “People are on video games at home because they can’t find any work. That’s what people do when they’re unemployed.”

And while many reject the idea of government intervention into people’s private habits, others point to mounting evidence of compulsive behaviour. A Cambridge University study found that porn stimulates the brains of compulsive users in the same way cocaine activates a drug addict’s neural circuitry.

For those affected, the way out is rarely easy. But some recognise the path.

“I remember my therapist asked if I have a job,” one Reddit user writes. “I said no. He told me a job would fix almost everything messed up in my life. It would force me to wake up, leave the house, make friends, maybe even find a relationship.”

The digital world is not going away. But the deeper question may not be whether young men are addicted to gaming or porn—but why so many find these escapes more appealing than the alternatives.

Unless those real-world alternatives—education, work, relationships—feel meaningful and attainable, the pull of the screen will only grow stronger.

And for a generation already slipping through the cracks, that may be the hardest challenge of all.

Read more:
Lost in the digital world: how porn and gaming are sapping young men’s desire to work

Industry leaders gathered at the House of Lords yesterday for a high-level summit on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the UK economy, with speakers warning of relentless cyber threats and a widening digital skills divide unless urgent action is taken.

Chaired by Steven George-Hilley of Centropy PR, the debate brought together experts from cybersecurity, law enforcement, financial services, infrastructure, and tech startups to discuss how AI is reshaping the workforce and the risks and opportunities that come with it.

While AI’s potential to accelerate digital transformation and boost productivity was widely acknowledged, many panellists also highlighted the escalating risks posed by cybercriminals, data privacy lapses, and an increasingly outdated digital skill base across key sectors of the economy.

Dr Janet Bastiman, Chief Data Scientist at Napier AI, addressed the growing threat of financial crime in the UK, noting that AI-powered solutions could save financial institutions £2.2 billion a year by improving anti-money laundering efforts.

“AI-driven solutions can bolster compliance, improve the accuracy of transaction screening, and identify criminal networks more effectively,” she said.

Leigh Allen, Strategic Advisor at Cellebrite, emphasised how AI is transforming policing and national security: “AI helps unlock digital evidence faster and reduces investigation times—key to modernising strained police forces,” Allen explained. “It’s not just about reacting to threats, but enabling law enforcement to lead in a digital-first world.”

Linda Loader, Software Development Director at Resonate, highlighted AI’s growing role in transport and critical infrastructure, noting that data quality and robust protections must underpin any AI deployments in the rail sector.

“AI can transform rail operations, but we need secure, small-scale use cases today to build for tomorrow.”

Chris Davison, CEO of NavLive, spotlighted the construction sector, where AI and robotics are enabling real-time 2D and 3D modelling of buildings.

“By creating real-time spatial data, we’re helping architects and engineers cut time and costs, while supporting more sustainable retrofitting and brownfield development.”

Richard Bovey, Chief for Data at AND Digital, warned that a “widening AI gap” is emerging between large enterprises and small to mid-sized businesses.

“The AI winners are already years ahead in experimentation and data infrastructure. But SMEs can catch up by investing in data capabilities now to avoid falling into a competitive disadvantage.”

With rapid AI adoption comes an urgent need to ensure ethical data use and privacy, argued Arkadiy Ukolov, CEO and Co-Founder of Ulla Technology, saying: “Many AI tools send sensitive data to third-party providers, exposing confidential meetings and documents to risk. This is unacceptable. Privacy and safety must be at the core of all AI development moving forward.”

Richard Cuda, of startup Kasha, said AI can play a vital role in helping entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. The technology provides access to tools and efficiencies once only available to large enterprises.

As the UK accelerates its AI ambitions, the summit made clear that success depends on closing the digital skills gap, addressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and embedding ethical principles and trust at the heart of AI innovation.

“The AI conversation can’t just be about opportunity,” said George-Hilley. “It must be about safeguarding citizens, strengthening national resilience, and making sure businesses of all sizes can thrive in a fast-evolving digital economy.”

Read more:
House of Lords AI Summit warns of ‘relentless’ cyber threats as UK races to close digital skills gap