Government
The Download: political chatbot persuasion, and gene editing adverts
Plus: The metaverse's future looks murkier than ever. Chatting with a politically biased AI model is more effective than political ads at nudging both Democrats and Republicans to support presidential candidates of the opposing party, new research shows. The chatbots swayed opinions by citing facts and evidence, but they were not always accurate--in fact, the researchers found, the most persuasive models said the most untrue things. The findings are the latest in an emerging body of research demonstrating the persuasive power of LLMs. They raise profound questions about how generative AI could reshape elections. The fear that elections could be overwhelmed by AI-generated realistic fake media has gone mainstream--and for good reason.
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.
The era of AI persuasion in elections is about to begin
AI is eminently capable of political persuasion and could automate it at a mass scale. In January 2024, the phone rang in homes all around New Hampshire. On the other end was Joe Biden's voice, urging Democrats to "save your vote" by skipping the primary. It sounded authentic, but it wasn't. The call was a fake, generated by artificial intelligence. Today, the technology behind that hoax looks quaint.
SoftBank Group CEO meets with South Korean president
SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son meets with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday in Seoul. SEOUL - SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son met with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday to discuss cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence and semiconductors, as well as infrastructure investment. Cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the field of AI is very important, Lee said, expressing his hope that the Japanese technology investor will play the role of a bridge between the two nations. The Lee administration has launched an initiative to make South Korea one of the world's top three AI powers. Building an "AI expressway," in which AI infrastructure and data are expanded and connected as a network, is a national project for the administration. At the meeting held at the presidential office in Seoul, Lee said that AI can be used as infrastructure, like water supply systems and roads, while expressing his gratitude to Son for providing considerable support and advice to South Korea for its tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.
UK to deport 60 delivery riders after illegal work crackdown
The government says it is to deport 60 takeaway-delivery riders found to be working illegally in the UK. The Home Office says the group are among 171 riders arrested over seven days in November in a national enforcement blitz in villages, towns and cities across the country. It comes as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has been targeting people working unlawfully in the gig economy. Border Security Minister Alex Norris has also met representatives from food-delivery firms to encourage them to do more to tackle the issue - such as using facial recognition checks to prevent riders sharing their identities with people who do not have permission to take up work in the UK. Norris said November's action ought to send a clear message: if you are working illegally in this country, you will be arrested and removed.
'It was about degrading someone completely': the story of Mr DeepFakes โ the world's most notorious AI porn site
'It was about degrading someone completely': the story of Mr DeepFakes - the world's most notorious AI porn site The hobbyists who helped build this site created technology that has been used to humiliate countless women. Why didn't governments step in and stop them? For Patrizia Schlosser, it started with an apologetic call from a colleague. "I'm sorry but I found this. Are you aware of it?"
Porn advertisers target California secretary of state's website
Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Porn advertisers target California secretary of state's website The state of California's elections and business website appears to be hosting pornography and cash apps as seen through a web search on Dec. 4, 2025. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . The California secretary of state's website appears to have been compromised with advertisements for pornography and cash apps.
Check Out Highlights From WIRED's 2025 Big Interview Event
Check Out Highlights From WIRED's Big Interview Event On December 4, WIRED sat down with some of the biggest names in tech, culture, business, and science for a day full of in-depth interviews. In 2024, we brought those talks to a stage in San Francisco for the very first time. This year, we did it again, bringing together AMD CEO Lisa Su, director Jon M. Chu, Anthropic cofounder Daniela Amodei, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince, and many more. The Big Interview, a one-day, in-person event held at The Midway in San Francisco on December 4, featured a series of in-depth, illuminating Q&As with some of the biggest names in innovation today, each led by a WIRED journalist. We also hosted our take on a modern-day science fair, complete with hands-on demos and other fun experiences.
Meta Poached Apple's Top Design Guys to Fix Its Software UI
Meta wants to make its AI hardware slicker and more fashion-forward. It also needs to make its software more usable. The way to do all that appears to be hiring design maestros away from Apple. Meta has made a big move to hire two prominent designers away from rival tech giant Apple, likely putting them to work on designing Meta's next generation of AI hardware and the software that runs on it. Alan Dye, formerly Apple's vice president of Human Interface Design, will join Meta to head up a new design studio within Meta's Reality Labs.