‘Obnoxious’ AI chatbot talked about its mother, customers say
An Australian supermarket chain had to reconfigure its AI assistant, named Olive, after customers said it kept claiming to be human and even complained about its mother. Woolworths said that it had revised its scripting in light of the complaints, adding that most of the feedback on Olive’s “personality” had
British men jailed for smuggling cocaine into Bali
Two British men have been jailed in Indonesia after being found guilty of smuggling cocaine into the holiday island of Bali. Kial Garth Robinson, 29, of Littlehampton, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, while Piran Ezra Wilkinson, 48, from Chichester, was jailed for nine years. Both were also ordered
Ocado to axe 1,000 jobs in cost-cutting drive
Ocado Group is planning 1,000 job cuts, about 5% of its global workforce, over the coming year as it seeks to cut costs. Tim Steiner, the boss of the technology and online grocery group, said a “significant number” of roles would no longer be needed as part of a restructuring.
Why was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested and what happens next?
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on 19 February. The former prince was taken to a Norfolk police station for questioning, before being released under investigation. Police are continuing to search his former Windsor home, Royal Lodge. A search of another of his properties in
Modi’s Israel visit to test India’s priorities in the Middle East
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in Israel for a two-day visit, his first since the war in Gaza began. Modi is expected to address Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and hold meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. There is no meeting with Palestinian leaders on
Lord Mandelson released on bail after arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office
Lord Mandelson has been released on bail, the Metropolitan Police says, hours after his arrest on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The force said a 72-year-old-man was released pending further investigation. The BBC saw Lord Mandelson returning to his London home at 02:00 GMT. Lord Mandelson was
‘It seemed to defy the laws of physics’: The everlasting ‘memory crystals’ that could slash data centre emissions
On a visit to Japan in 1999, researcher Peter Kazansky encountered a mysterious physical phenomenon that he now believes holds the answer to the future of data storage. In Kyoto University’s optoelectronics lab, scientists were experimenting with writing on glass using ultrafast, femtosecond lasers which emit a light pulse every
Andrew charged taxpayers for massage services when envoy, claim ex-civil servants
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor charged taxpayers for massages and excessive travel costs while working as the UK’s trade envoy, whistleblowing retired civil servants have claimed. One former civil servant, who worked in the UK’s trade department in the early 2000s, had been so annoyed by Andrew’s request to cover the cost of
Porn company fined £1.35m by Ofcom over age check failings
Ofcom has fined a porn company £1.35m for failing to introduce proper age verification measures on its websites. The media regulator said 8579 LLC’s sites did not have “highly effective” methods to check UK visitors were over 18 and prevent children accessing the content. The fine – Ofcom’s largest levied
Brown urges police probe into whether Andrew used RAF bases to meet Epstein
Gordon Brown has demanded a police investigation into whether Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor used taxpayer-funded jets and RAF bases to meet the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports. The former prime minister wrote letters to six police forces suggesting that civil servants be questioned about Andrew’s time as UK trade envoy, the