AI-generated correspondence takes moments for users to create, but huge amounts of time for human employees to sift through and respond to. AI-generated correspondence takes moments for users to create, but huge amounts of time for human employees to sift through and respond to. 'AI clog': UK public bodies battle onslaught of chatbot-generated complaints "I t started as a trickle in 2024 and now it's an onslaught." Hollie Wickens, a senior caseworker in a Labour MP's office, is explaining the daily reality of dealing with surging volumes of artificial intelligence-generated correspondence. "Half the emails we receive are some form of AI," she says, adding that this has made requests and complaints much more complex and time-consuming to read and deal with, despite her decade of experience in the role.

The extended project is to draw its power from the National Grid. The extended project is to draw its power from the National Grid. A datacentre company that said it would power a massive AI development near Glasgow with renewable energy has admitted that the scheme will be entirely served by the National Grid . 'It's smoke and mirrors': hope turns to fear in Scottish village chosen for AI datacentre DataVita, a key plank of the UK's AI strategy, had promised that the Lanarkshire project would draw 1GW - the equivalent output of a small nuclear reactor, or Britain's largest windfarm - from green sources. But when the Guardian raised questions about the pledge, it said the arrangement was "subject to final commercial agreements, planning, grid and consenting processes".

Interest rates have been raised for the first time in more than three years - and it could be good and bad news for you. Here are three ways the increase to 4% from 3.75% could affect you. Rate-setters at the Bank make changes to interest rates to fulfil their role of keeping price rises at a steady level. Higher rates are meant to encourage people to spend less, reducing demand for goods and services and limiting price rises. This impacts businesses in two ways - less money to spend among their customers may mean they sell less, but also the cost of borrowing to invest as a company goes up.

UK Officials Said AI Would Add £400 Billion to the Economy. The AI minister now concedes the estimated figure is less than a third of that. Researchers blame the country's slow rate of adoption For the last two years, the UK government has been telling the British public that the country could receive an economic boost of £400 billion, thanks to AI, a figure intended to calm fears that the technology would lead to sweeping job losses and even an economic crash. But the UK AI minister admitted last week that figure was significantly higher than the government's actual projections after it was revealed that assessment came solely from a report commissioned by Google, and that its own estimation of AI's economic benefit was less than a third of that £400 billion figure. AI minister Kanishka Narayan, answering a parliamentary question on the issue, said that AI adoption and data investment could add £55 billion to £140 billion to the UK economy by 2030, bringing the central estimate to £120 billion.

Policy documents suggest live facial recognition cameras could be used to identify visa overstayers as well as targeting immigration-related criminality. Policy documents suggest live facial recognition cameras could be used to identify visa overstayers as well as targeting immigration-related criminality. The Home Office is preparing to deploy facial recognition technology at transport hubs and public events as part of the biggest immigration enforcement crackdown in British history. Policy documents show the government has been developing a programme to deploy live facial recognition (LFR) cameras for "general immigration enforcement", including non-criminal immigration offences. The technology will be used to identify people "seeking to re-enter the UK unlawfully", target those subject to removal action and to crack down on broader "immigration-related criminality".

Concerns have been raised with the government about the amount of time primary school children are spending on a game designed to make learning times tables fun. TT Rockstars, which allows children to compete with their classmates for virtual coins and rock-star themed characters and outfits, is widely used by schools for maths homework. Labour MP Emily Darlington said the app and others like it could be harming children's development because it rewards them for length of time rather than quality of time spent online. Bruno Reddy, founder of the firm behind TT Rockstars, said he shared concerns about screen time and was working with schools to bring in curfews and time limits. He said the company discourages long sessions, adding: Every game in TTRS is deliberately short, and our characters remind children to take regular breaks.

A survivor of grooming gang abuse has accused the Scottish government of taking too long to deliver the public inquiry it promised at pace almost nine months ago. Holly Alex, 36, went into care at the age of 14 after her stepfather went to prison and her relationship with her mother broke down. Holly's social care records, seen by BBC Scotland News, show that staff recorded concerns that she was being groomed for sex by adult Asian men as a teenager. They also indicate social workers and police knew of the risks she faced. Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said safeguarding children was the government's priority, and the planned statutory inquiry was a core part of this work.

Ancient woodland campaigners fear a drive to build more houses could put some of England's oldest habitats under increasing pressure, despite government protections designed to prevent their loss. The protected areas can only be built on or near in wholly exceptional circumstances, according to planning policy. But the Labour government's pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of 2029 and the recent creation of the grey belt - areas of poorer quality open spaces that can be built on - are leaving ancient woodlands at threat, campaigners say. A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said ancient woodlands continued to benefit from very clear and strong protections. But the BBC has found dozens of individual sites which feature planned developments immediately next to the woods.

Image caption, Ed Miliband tells the BBC's Newscast podcast it is right to confront this issue of the transatlantic slavery trade Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has insisted the government's willingness to consider formally apologising for the UK's role in the transatlantic slave trade will not lead to higher costs for the British taxpayer. The prime minister has said the UK will not pay reparations to affected countries, but declined to say whether his new approach could involve additional taxpayer money. Speaking on the BBC's Newscast podcast, Miliband said previous British governments had a sweep it under the carpet attitude to the pain and consequences of slavery, citing what he described as former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair's sorry not sorry remarks on the issue nearly two decades ago. In 2007, Sir Tony said the UK's involvement in the slave trade was a matter of deep sorrow and regret. Tony Blair did sort of do a kind of sorry not sorry situation.

King calls slavery'monstrous' and'Celeb loses gag bid' Image caption, The i Paper leads with King Charles III's comments on slavery during his address at the Commonwealth leaders summit in Antigua and Barbuda. King says slavery was'monstrous', reads the paper's headline, although he stops short of apologising. Instead, it writes the King praised the Royal Navy's role in ending the transatlantic slave trade at the meeting. Image caption, King Charles says Britain had leading role in ending the slave trade, is the Daily Mail's summary of the Monarch's speech - which it judges was punchier-than-expected. Image caption, The Times continues slavery was evil but we helped end it, leading with King Charles' expressing his most profound sorrow over the transatlantic slave trade.