Oceania
Artificial intelligence research has a slop problem, academics say: 'It's a mess'
The author, Kevin Zhu, now runs Algoverse, an AI research and mentoring company for high schoolers. The author, Kevin Zhu, now runs Algoverse, an AI research and mentoring company for high schoolers. Artificial intelligence research has a slop problem, academics say: 'It's a mess' AI research in question as author claims to have written over 100 papers on AI that one expert calls a'disaster' A single person claims to have authored 113 academic papers on artificial intelligence this year, 89 of which will be presented this week at one of the world's leading conference on AI and machine learning, which has raised questions among computer scientists about the state of AI research. Zhu himself graduated from high school in 2018. Papers he has put out in the past two years cover subjects like using AI to locate nomadic pastoralists in sub-Saharan Africa, to evaluate skin lesions, and to translate Indonesian dialects.
Six greats reads: a train ride to the future; searching for the 'sky boys' and wallaby hunting in the English countryside
Six greats reads: a train ride to the future; searching for the'sky boys' and wallaby hunting in the English countryside Need something brilliant to read this weekend? In Silicon Valley, rival companies are spending trillions of dollars to reach a goal that could change humanity - or potentially destroy it. Robert Booth caught a morning train through the San Francisco outskirts to speak to those working at the cutting edge of this multi-trillion-dollar revolution, where some people worry that the push for AI is "all gas, no breaks". The Irish politician was targeted in 2022, in the final weeks of her run for office. She has never found out who made the malicious deepfake, but knew immediately she had to try to stop this happening to other women.
AI deepfakes of real doctors spreading health misinformation on social media
An investigation found that real video of medical professionals is being manipulated using AI. An investigation found that real video of medical professionals is being manipulated using AI. TikTok and other social media platforms are hosting AI-generated deepfake videos of doctors whose words have been manipulated to help sell supplements and spread health misinformation. The factchecking organisation Full Fact has uncovered hundreds of such videos featuring impersonated versions of doctors and influencers directing viewers to Wellness Nest, a US-based supplements firm. All the deepfakes involve real footage of a health expert taken from the internet.
'Urgent clarity' sought over racial bias in UK police facial recognition technology
A facial recognition system deployed by the Metropolitan police at Oxford Circus on 13 May in London. A facial recognition system deployed by the Metropolitan police at Oxford Circus on 13 May in London. 'Urgent clarity' sought over racial bias in UK police facial recognition technology The UK's data protection watchdog has asked the Home Office for "urgent clarity" over racial bias in police facial recognition technology before considering its next steps. The Home Office has admitted that the technology was "more likely to incorrectly include some demographic groups in its search results", after testing by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of its application within the police national database. The report revealed that the technology, which is intended to be used to catch serious offenders, is more likely to incorrectly match black and Asian people than their white counterparts.
New York Times sues AI startup for 'illegal' copying of millions of articles
New York Times newspaper office building is seen in Manhattan on 26 October 2022. New York Times newspaper office building is seen in Manhattan on 26 October 2022. The New York Times sued an embattled artificial intelligence startup on Friday, accusing the firm of illegally copying millions of articles. The newspaper alleged Perplexity AI had distributed and displayed journalists' work without permission en masse. The Times said that Perplexity AI was also violating its trademarks under the Lanham Act, claiming the startup's generative AI products create fabricated content, or "hallucinations", and falsely attribute them to the newspaper by displaying them alongside its registered trademarks.
Irish police investigating drone activity during Zelensky visit
An Garda Sรญochรกna (Irish police force) has launched an investigation after drones were detected in Irish skies on the night the Ukrainian president arrived in Ireland. Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Dublin late on Monday night for a one-day official visit with his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska. Senior Irish government figures, including Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheรกl Martin, have been briefed on the issue. Martin confirmed it would be discussed at a National Security Council meeting later this month. In a statement, gardaรญ said its Special Detective Unit (SDU) is investigating the matter and will be liaising with the Defence Forces and international security partners.
'I don't want to be part of this war machine': Young Germans protest against military service plans
'I don't want to be part of this war machine': Young Germans protest against military service plans Young people have taken to the streets of Berlin to protest against the German parliament's decision to introduce voluntary military service to boost national defences after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The change means that all 18-year-olds in Germany will be sent a questionnaire from January 2026 asking if they are interested and willing to join the armed forces. While the plan is for voluntary service, if the security situation worsens or if too few volunteers came forward, a form of compulsory military service could be considered. I don't want to be part of this war machine, one of the protesters said. Another person said, we as a youth do not want to die in wars because of Germany.
I hope Crucial's death isn't a canary in a PC memory coal mine
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I hope Crucial's death isn't a canary in a PC memory coal mine I'm now wondering what comes next. I did not have "Micron kills its consumer business" on my 2025 bingo card. The company announced the shuttering of its Crucial brand on Wednesday morning in unexpectedly simple, transparent language . The short version: Micron is concentrating on their business customers, where the demand has "surged" for memory and storage--thanks to data centers and their scaling up for AI.
Home Office admits facial recognition tech issue with black and Asian subjects
Facial recognition cameras being used near Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in north London before a match last month. Facial recognition cameras being used near Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in north London before a match last month. Calls for review after technology found to return more false positives for'some demographic groups' on certain settings Fri 5 Dec 2025 06.11 ESTLast modified on Fri 5 Dec 2025 06.57 Ministers are facing calls for stronger safeguards on the use of facial recognition technology after the Home Office admitted it is more likely to incorrectly identify black and Asian people than their white counterparts on some settings. Following the latest testing conducted by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) of the technology's application within the police national database, the Home Office said it was "more likely to incorrectly include some demographic groups in its search results".
Giant purple dinosaur caught fly-tipping on CCTV
A fly-tipper dressed as a giant purple T. rex has been caught on camera dumping rubbish in a street. The brightly coloured rogue raptor was spotted checking for traffic before crossing a road in Southend, Essex. The prehistoric predator then looks around before slinging two black bin bags to the ground next to large black bin. Footage of the incident, first reported by Your Southend, was captured on a resident's CCTV just before 21:30 GMT on Tuesday. The city council told the BBC it had not received any reports of fly-tipping in relation to the incident.