Africa
Elon Musk's X should deal with 'appalling' Grok AI deepfakes, government demands
Government demands Musk's X deals with'appalling' Grok AI deepfakes Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has called on Elon Musk's X to urgently deal with its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok being used to create non-consensual sexualised deepfake images of women and girls. The BBC has seen several examples on X of people asking the bot to digitally undress people to make them appear in bikinis without their consent, as well as putting them in sexual situations. Kendall said the situation was absolutely appalling, adding we cannot and will not allow the proliferation of these degrading images. It is absolutely right that Ofcom is looking into this as a matter of urgency and it has my full backing to take any enforcement action it deems necessary. On Monday, regulator Ofcom said it had made urgent contact with Elon Musk's company xAI and was investigating concerns Grok has been producing undressed images of people.
LIVE: Deadly clashes erupt between Syrian army, SDF forces in Aleppo
At least three civilians and a Syrian soldier have been killed after clashes erupted between the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, according to the state news agency SANA. Earlier, Syria's defence ministry said three soldiers were injured after SDF fired drones at a military checkpoint near Deir Hafer, east of northern province. Heavy machine gunfire and fighting have been reported in the areas of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyah. The ministry says it will respond to the "aggression in an appropriate manner".
Is AI taking the fun out of fantasy football?
Is AI taking the fun out of fantasy football? For years, fantasy football has given every armchair manager the space to back up claims they could do a better job than the real thing. Whether you're competing against workmates, family members or strangers, the ability to pull together your own dream team is irresistible to millions of football fans. The competitive pastime has spawned a whole industry of content creators offering weekly tips for anyone looking to gain an edge as they sift through stats and manage transfers. Recently, more players have been turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for advice - but not everyone agrees they have a place in the virtual dugout.
US action in Venezuela morally right, Badenoch says
The US military action in Venezuela was the right thing to do morally, Kemi Badenoch has said. The Conservative leader told the BBC that while she did not understand the legal basis for Donald Trump's operation to remove President Nicolás Maduro from the country, he was overseeing a brutal regime and she was glad he's gone. However, she added that the move did raise serious questions about the rules-based order. The UK government has so far avoided criticising the US move or saying whether it breached international law, instead arguing that Maduro was an illegitimate president. However, some Labour MPs and opposition parties including the Liberal Democrats, Green Party and SNP have called on the government to condemn Trump's actions and brand them illegal.
Skiers create heart-shaped tribute for Switzerland fire victims
Dozens of skiers created a heart shape on the slopes of Crans-Montana to mourn the victims of the deadly bar fire on New Year's Eve. Forty people were killed at the bar where the fire began, while 119 others were injured. Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the managers of Le Constellation bar. The annual food fight festival ''Els Enfarinats'' has left the Spanish town of Ibi covered in flour and egg shells. The French model and actress has died at the age of 91.
Gmail users advised to 'turn off' two features NOW amid email privacy concerns
Gunfire and anti-aircraft blasts heard near Venezuela's presidential palace as chaos unfolds after Maduro's ouster Stephen Miller declares Greenland should be part of US and'nobody will fight' over country's future Timothee Chalamet's declaration of love to his pneumatic girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the Critics Choice Awards has left me with a terribly rude thought: CAROLINE BULLOCK Trump vowed to deport one million migrants. But insiders say explosive data that Kristi Noem is desperate to hide tells the REAL story... The View audience left stunned as woke anti-MAGA co-host defends Trump's arrest of Maduro Trump says US will have to pay oil companies to rebuild Venezuela's aging infrastructure as he declares HIMSELF in charge of ambitious 18-month plan Furious fallen dictator Nicolás Maduro's hearing descends into chaos as he gets into shouting match with man claiming he was prisoner of his regime JFK's grandson Jack Schlossberg, 32, looks heartbroken as he attends sister Tatiana's funeral after she died of cancer aged just 35, with Joe Biden seen crying Kylie Jenner's curves spark surgery rumors as Timothee Chalamet grabs her behind at Critics Choice Awards SNL star Chloe Fineman reveals'botched' cosmetic treatments in candid photos as fans beg her to stop Secrets of JD Vance's'home attacker': Suspect is transgender daughter of wealthy surgeon Democrat donor as ultra-privileged life is revealed Ancient Bible reveals timeline for humanity's final'day' before divine judgment Gmail users advised to'turn off' two features NOW amid email privacy concerns'Super flu' still spreading uncontrollably... as cities see record number of cases and hospitalizations My shock discovery made me rethink everything I know about death. This is exactly what happens after your heart stops beating... and what you'll see, reveals neurosurgeon Caroline Kennedy cradles granddaughter at her daughter Tatiana Schlossberg's funeral, as doctor widower holds onto their son Gmail users advised to'turn off' two features NOW amid email privacy concerns Google users have been warned that they've been secretly opted in to a feature that allows the tech giant to access all their private emails. According to electronics design engineer Dave Jones of Australia, all Gmail users have had their accounts automatically selected to allow Google to scan their messages and attachments to help train its AI models like Gemini.
Nvidia unveils 'reasoning' AI technology for self-driving cars
Nvidia unveils'reasoning' AI technology for self-driving cars Nvidia boss Jensen Huang on Monday announced Alpamayo, a tech platform the company says will help self-driving cars think like humans. Alpamayo brings reasoning to autonomous vehicles, allowing them to think through rare scenarios, drive safely in complex environments, and explain their driving decisions, Huang said on stage at the annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas. Huang also said Nvidia has begun producing a driverless car powered by its technology, the Mercedes-Benz CLA, in partnership with the German automaker. The vehicle will be released in the US in the coming months before being rolled out in Europe and Asia. Wearing his trademark black leather jacket, Huang told an audience of hundreds that the project has taught Nvidia an enormous amount about how to help partners build robotic systems. Analysts say the announcement reinforces Nvidia's leadership in integrating AI hardware and software, deepening its push into physical AI.
Car giant Hyundai to use human-like robots in factories
Hyundai Motor Group says it will roll out human-like robots in its factories from 2028, as major companies race to use the new technology. The South Korean firm showed off Atlas, a humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Monday. Hyundai says it plans to integrate Atlas across its global network, including a plant in the US state of Georgia that was involved in a massive immigration raid in 2025 . Other firms that have said they will use humanoid robots in their operations include Amazon, Tesla and Chinese car making giant BYD. The Atlas robots will gradually take on more tasks, said Hyundai.
AI images of Maduro capture reap millions of views on social media
A supporter of Maduro holds a painting of him in Caracas. A supporter of Maduro holds a painting of him in Caracas. Minutes after Donald Trump announced a "large-scale strike" against Venezuela early on Saturday morning, false and misleading AI-generated images began flooding social media. There were fake photos of Nicolás Maduro being escorted off a plane by US law enforcement agents, images of jubilant Venezuelans pouring into the streets of Caracas and videos of missiles raining down on the city - all fake. The fabricated content intermixed with real videos and photos of US aircraft flying over the Venezuelan capital and explosions lighting up the dark sky.
EU flags 'appalling' child-like deepfakes generated by X's Grok AI
EU flags'appalling' child-like deepfakes generated by X's Grok AI The European Commission has condemned the reported spread of explicit, child-like content on social media platform X, calling the material "appalling" and "disgusting". European Union digital affairs spokesman Thomas Regnier made the comments to reporters on Monday following weeks of complaints over a new feature on X's integrated AI chatbot Grok used to generate pornographic content, including depicting children. Regnier said the European Commission is "very seriously looking" into the matter, and such content has "no place in Europe". Meanwhile, the public prosecutor's office in Paris, France expanded an investigation into X to include accusations that Grok - created by Elon Musk's xAI company - has been used to generate and spread child pornography. In late December, a novel "edit image" feature on Grok allowed users to modify any image on the platform.