on

What can governments do about online disinformation from abroad?

A cyberterrorism charge in Pakistan connected to riots in the UK illustrates how authorities are reaching across borders to tackle disinformation, but bringing overseas suspects to justice won't always be possible




on

Why is the US military getting ready to launch new spy balloons?

The US military has prioritised deploying high-altitude balloons that can carry out surveillance




on

Generative AI creates playable version of Doom game with no code

A neural network can recreate the classic computer game Doom despite using none of its code or graphics, hinting that generative AI could be used to create games from scratch in future




on

How to avoid being fooled by AI-generated misinformation

Advances in generative AI mean fake images, videos, audio and bots are now everywhere. But studies have revealed the best ways to tell if something is real




on

Ultra-strong stretchy material could enable shape-shifting aircraft

A new procedure turns an alloy of nickel and titanium into a material as strong as steel but 20 times stretchier – and one application could be building planes with shape-shifting wings




on

We need transparency from the companies disseminating misinformation

As misinformation about the upcoming US elections rockets across social media, creating chaos, companies need to be honest about where this content is coming from, says Annalee Newitz




on

NATO tests autonomous drone technology in DARPA-style competition

In a basement beneath City St George's, University of London, senior NATO leaders watch on as four research teams demonstrate the latest in AI-controlled, autonomous drone technolo0gy




on

I took control of NASA's Valkyrie robot and it blew my mind

Are humanoid robots the future of space exploration? New Scientist reporter James Woodford took NASA's Valkyrie for a spin to find out




on

Meet Valkyrie, NASA’s humanoid robot paving way to the moon and Mars

NASA’s Valkyrie is undergoing tests to understand what it would take to get a humanoid robot onto offshore facilities or into space. New Scientist's James Woodford took the controls to see what it is capable of




on

A riveting exploration of how AI models like ChatGPT changed the world

Supremacy, a new book from tech journalist Parmy Olson, takes us inside the rise of machine learning and AI, and examines the people behind it




on

Electric vehicles race combustion cars in 'battle of technologies'

‘Battle of Technologies’ sees electric vehicles and combustion cars compete at the highest level. Who will win?




on

How Star Trek-style replicators could lead to a food revolution

Our Future Chronicles column explores an imagined history of inventions and developments yet to come. This time, Rowan Hooper takes us to the early 2030s, when a technological step change enabled us to produce all the food we needed without the use of animals




on

Terminator is back, in a striking but flawed anime version

We're trying to avert Judgment Day yet again – this time in an anime series for Netflix. But striking visuals can't make up for shortcomings in narrative and character development




on

The AI expert who says artificial general intelligence is nonsense

Artificial intelligence has more in common with ants than humans, says Neil Lawrence. Only by taking a more nuanced view of intelligence can we see how machines will truly transform society




on

AIs get worse at answering simple questions as they get bigger

Using more training data and computational power is meant to make AIs more reliable, but tests suggest large language models actually get less reliable as they grow




on

Smart TVs take snapshots of what you watch multiple times per second

Smart TVs from Samsung and LG monitor what you are watching even when you are using the screens to display a feed from a connected laptop or video game console




on

Samantha Morton stars in dystopian docudrama 2073

What if tech bros ruled the world, asks Asif Kapadia's 2073. This docudrama is captivating and disturbing, but lacks enough heft to stand out




on

Useful quantum computers are edging closer with recent milestones

Google, Microsoft and others have taken big steps towards error-free devices, hinting that quantum computers that solve real problems aren’t far away




on

AIs are more likely to mislead people if trained on human feedback 

If artificial intelligence chatbots are fine-tuned to improve their responses using human feedback, they can become more likely to give deceptive answers that seem right but aren’t




on

Drone versus drone combat is bringing a new kind of warfare to Ukraine

Machines are fighting machines on the Ukrainian battlefield, as a technological arms race has given birth to a new way to wage war




on

Which AI chatbot is best at avoiding disinformation?

AI chatbots from Google and Microsoft sometimes parrot disinformation when answering questions about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – but their performance depends on language and changes over time




on

It's parents who are anxious about smartphones, not their children

Smartphones have indeed created an "anxious generation", but it isn't young people, it is their parents, argues neuroscientist Dean Burnett




on

Will semiconductor production be derailed by Hurricane Helene?

Hurricane Helene hit a quartz mine in North Carolina that is key to global semiconductor production, which could impact the entire tech industry. Here is everything we know so far




on

Hackers can turn your smartphone into an eavesdropping device

Motion sensors in smartphones can be turned into makeshift microphones to eavesdrop on conversations, outsmarting security features designed to stop such attacks




on

Fast forward to the fluffy revolution, when robot pets win our hearts

Our Future Chronicles column explores an imagined history of inventions and developments yet to come. We visit 2032 and meet artificial animals that love their owners, without the carbon footprint of biological pets. Rowan Hooper explains how it happened




on

Millions of websites could be impacted by UK deal on Chagos Islands

The UK government's decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius surprisingly threatens the extinction of millions of website addresses ending in ".io", and no one is quite sure what will happen next




on

Elon Musk's Tesla Cybercab is a hollow promise of a robotaxi future

Autonomous taxis are already operating on US streets, while Elon Musk has spent years promising a self-driving car and failing to deliver. The newly announced Tesla Cybercab is unlikely to change that




on

Human scientists are still better than AI ones – for now

A simulator for the process of scientific discovery shows that AI models still fall short of human scientists and engineers in coming up with hypotheses and carrying out experiments on their own




on

6G phone networks could be 9000 times faster than 5G

Next-generation phone networks could dramatically outperform current ones thanks to a new technique for transmitting multiple streams of data over a wide range of frequencies




on

Musical AI harmonises with your voice in a transcendent new exhibition

What happens if AI is trained to write choral music by feeding it a specially created vocal dataset? Moving new exhibition The Call tackles some thorny questions about AI and creativity – and stirs the soul with music




on

Battery-like device made from water and clay could be used on Mars

A new supercapacitor design that uses only water, clay and graphene could source material on Mars and be more sustainable and accessible than traditional batteries




on

Are we really ready for genuine communication with animals through AI?

Thanks to artificial intelligence, understanding animals may be closer than we think. But we may not like what they are going to tell us, says RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood




on

Mountaineering astronauts and bad spelling? It's advertising's future

Feedback digs into a baffling ad for a mobile game and identifies a new and devilish way to advertise a product online: make it as confusing as possible to encourage people to click (it worked on Feedback)




on

Spies can eavesdrop on phone calls by sensing vibrations with radar

An off-the-shelf millimetre wave sensor can pick out the tiny vibrations made by a smartphone's speaker, enabling an AI model to transcribe the conversation, even at a distance in a noisy room




on

One in 20 new Wikipedia pages seem to be written with the help of AI

Just under 5 per cent of the Wikipedia pages in English that have been published since ChatGPT's release seem to include AI-written content




on

The real reason VAR infuriates football fans and how to fix it

The controversies surrounding football’s video assistant referee (VAR) system highlight our troubled relationship with uncertainty – and point to potential solutions




on

Audio AIs are trained on data full of bias and offensive language

Seven major datasets used to train audio-generating AI models are three times more likely to use the words "man" or "men" than "woman" or "women", raising fears of bias




on

Pair found after month at sea

A yachtsman who went missing at sea with his six-year-old daughter has revealed details of their ordeal.




on

Commissions driving unit sales

We seem to be in the final stage of the apartment bubble, with developers offering huge inventives to Chinese agents.





on

Warn Your Children: Deadpool & Wolverine Is Now on Disney+

Just in time to watch with the whole family over Thanksgiving.





on

We Have Urgent Questions About the Unholy Provenance of Netflix’s Hot Frosty

Who built this ripped, anatomically graphic snowman? Is there a world of snowmen offscreen waiting to be turned into sex objects for widows?




on

Amazon Prime Video Lets Freevee Go

Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to watch Jury Duty for freevee.




on

What We Do in the Shadows Recap: Like Father, Like Son

Ghost dads are so embarrassing.





on

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez Finale Recap: Absolute Freedom

The finale doesn’t look to provide a definitive answer to what drove Aaron’s actions, much to the show’s credit.




on

Gary Lineker releases statement as BBC confirm Match of the Day exit



Gary Lineker is the longest-serving Match of the Day host since the BBC first aired the show in 1964.




on

Ronnie O'Sullivan leads stellar line-up for new snooker events in major shake-up



Ronnie O'Sullivan has agreed to compete in new snooker events.




on

Mike Tyson eyes Tyson Fury showdown and 'full comeback' after Jake Paul fight



Mike Tyson has not fought professionally since suffering a stoppage defeat to Kevin McBride in 2005.