Uber launches UK's first robotaxis with a driver - here's what it's like to ride in one Londoners are able to hail the UK's first robotaxis - as Uber today becomes the first company to launch a self-driving minicab. Initially, it only has 15 autonomous vehicles with a licence to operate in the city, and each one must have a human safety driver behind the wheel ready to take control if anything goes wrong. Uber said it surveyed London-based customers via the app and more than 100,000 said they would choose a self-driving taxi if one was available, despite incidents of driverless rides malfunctioning in US cities where they already operate. As I found out when I became the first UK journalist to hail one, it was mostly smooth but the safety driver did intervene on one occasion. At the moment the UK fare for a robotaxi ride will be the same fare as a standard UberX, Uber Electric, or Uber Comfort journey, with upfront fares shown in the app.

Almost half of people in Britain live in areas where economic growth does not translate into a better quality of life with a stark North-South divide in the spending power of households, a new report finds. Researchers at consultancy firm PwC said every region the north of England, midlands and Wales had a lower spending power than the country's average, with London and the South East comfortably above. The findings come as Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle the cost of living and regional inequalities in order to boost living standards. But questions remain over the new PM's economic policies with surges in UK government borrowing costs set to impact public spending choices. The report released on Thursday said the equivalent of 12.5 million households - 46% - lived in parts of the country where economic growth, often seen through increased business investment and job opportunities, were not leading to better living standards.

DIY store B&Q and the fast food chain Five Guys are among hundreds of UK businesses named by the government for paying staff below the minimum wage. More than 600 employers were ordered to pay affected workers the outstanding wages, with £4m returned to workers, according to the Department for Business and Trade. The firms have also been issued penalties worth £7m. B&Q said the underpayments were unintentional and the result of calculations involving geographical allowances, while Five Guys blamed technical differences in how payroll regulations were applied. The list of 658 businesses includes shops, restaurants, nurseries, social care providers and a handful of NHS trusts.

OpenAI is facing another wave of lawsuits in the wake of the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge in Canada's province of British Columbia, which left eight people dead. On Wednesday, 30 new complaints were reportedly filed in a United States federal court in California, including teachers and students who were witnesses and survivors at the school where most of the shooting took place, joining seven initial lawsuits filed in April. The suits, brought by lawyer Jay Edelson, allege that the company knew about the intentions of the 18-year-old shooter who, in her interactions with OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, had described scenarios involving gun violence, but that the leadership did not report their concerns to law enforcement, echoing earlier lawsuits on the matter. In April, Altman penned a letter to the community apologising that the company did not alert law enforcement about the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar. "While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered," Altman wrote in the letter.

Creator Playbook Trending Now Say More Look Up Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Switch Off Mashable Voices Mashable Selects Safety Net Versus Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List In My Bag All Series Is Meta finally backing a federal kids safety bill, or is it all PR? Some say the company is sending mixed messages about kids' safety. Chase joined Mashable's Social Good team in 2020, covering online stories about digital activism, climate justice, accessibility, and media representation. A group of parents called out comments by a Meta official backing industry regulation. In the aftermath of Meta's recent $17 billion settlement, the culmination of a litigious debate over its alleged role in social media addiction and youth mental health, all attention was on the platform's promises.

OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman speaks at the G20 innovation ministerial summit in North Carolina on Wednesday. OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman speaks at the G20 innovation ministerial summit in North Carolina on Wednesday. The Times accuses OpenAI and its largest financial backer, Microsoft, of using millions of newspaper articles without permission to train OpenAI's popular chatbot. Other newspapers have joined in the suit, first filed in 2023. A brief has advisory rather than legal weight but could bolster tech companies as they fight the claims.

US judge rejects bid to break up Google's ad business Share US judge rejects bid to break up Google's ad business on social media Alphabet's Google has escaped a breakup of its advertising technology business, marking the third time in recent years that United States antitrust enforcers have tried to force a Big Tech breakup and lost. US Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, on Wednesday declined to make Google sell AdX, where publishers pay Google a 20 percent fee to sell ads in auctions that happen instantly when users load websites. The judge accepted behavioural remedies. The reasoning behind today's decision was not immediately made public. Brinkema filed her opinion under seal for 14 days, leaving the details of how Google must change its ad business unknown for now.

The US government wrote a letter in support of OpenAI's argument that training AI on others' intellectual property is fair use. The Trump Administration just took OpenAI's side in the artificial intelligence company's legal battle with the New York Times. Now, the government has stepped in, arguing that OpenAI's actions were within bounds. "Constraining LLM development under a misunderstanding of fair use doctrine would thwart such creative and scientific progress while hindering American prosperity and economic mobility," lawyers for the government wrote. While the letter focuses on the New York Times and OpenAI, the government noted that its arguments apply to all of the parties in this case and related cases, including other publishers and authors.

Judge declines to make Google sell AdX in win for firm against US antitrust enforcers' attempts to break up big tech Alphabet's Google escaped a breakup of its advertising technology business on Wednesday, when a judge in Virginia rejected US antitrust enforcers' attempt to force a sale of Google's online advertising exchange. While the ad exchange is a small part of Google's business, the ruling is the second powerful symbolic victory against the US Department of Justice in its efforts to force Google to sell assets to address illegal monopolies. US judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, declined to make Google sell AdX, where publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell ads in auctions that happen instantly when users load websites. She accepted most of the parties' proposed behavioral remedies. The justice department and a broad coalition of states sued Google in 2023 over its dominance in markets for advertising technology used by online publishers and websites.

Dale'Grey Beard' Sanders reclaims title as oldest person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail at 91 'I literally think this is going to be it for me': Hiker recounts grizzly bear encounter in Canada Creature dubbed'Syracuse Figure' spotted in New York: Is it Bigfoot or an elderly skinny-dipper? Taylor Sheridan's Landman faces lengthy wait as season 3 production timeline revealed Man in trouble for using robot vacuum to record wife's affair, friends with benefits lease up & hall pass wins Country music star Riley Green keeps cooking with new single'That's Just Me' from upcoming album Internet reacts to Georgia schoolteacher's groundbreaking invention, the'fart corner' Rockstar finally releases statement regarding'Grand Theft Auto VI' leaks, leaving fans even more confused Let's look back on the best moments (read: crashes) from the World Humanoid Robot Games Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi lead ex-CIA heist in Tehran in new trailer for'The Fix' First preview drops for'Brothers' as'True Detective' stars reunite on Apple TV this September Iran vows to continue striking until Americans'regret their crimes' Abdul El-Sayed releases'cringe' TikTok spoof to reach Gen Z voters Bird's-eye rescue: Wild parrot saved from balcony John Fetterman warns Democratic Party to'divorce' from socialism Lowe's partners with tech, auto leaders to address skilled labor shortage Investment expert sells Microsoft: Here's WHY Alabama AG Marshall accuses Dems of obstructing ballot safeguards: 'This is about securing elections' OutKick Culture Florida police learn the hard way to not trust'Crooked Jess' with money to buy crack for undercover operation Jessica Straubel Sanchez allegedly disappeared for months before Pinellas County Sheriff's Office caught up with her Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday and former acting DEA Administrator Derek Maltz weigh in on a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation at Penn State University. Authorities arrested fourteen individuals, including current and former students, for running a drug ring that used popular cash apps and Snapchat to distribute cocaine. I'd like to think there's one officer that attended the meeting where an undercover drug bust was being discussed that raised a concern about using a person with an alias of Crooked Jess to buy the drugs . I give a tip of the cap to that officer.