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Another woman joins lawsuit accusing Grok of generating CSAM

Engadget

A fourth party is pursuing legal action against xAI, alleging that Grok was used to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM) based on her childhood photos. As first reported by Washington Post, the woman, named as Jane Doe 4 in the lawsuit, said that her stepfather used Grok to create "thousands of sexually explicit images of her as a child and traded them online." According to the the lawsuit, the stepfather created more than 7,000 "fake explicit images of her using the AI chatbot Grok," including converting a photo taken of her when she was 11 into a sexually explicit image. Eventually, state and local law enforcement raided her stepfather's electronic devices for CSAM and two days after, he was found dead by suicide in his car, according to the report. Jane Doe 4 joins three other teenagers, who filed the original lawsuit that alleged that Grok was used to create sexually explicit deepfake images of them.


Sainsbury's pauses AI cameras after shopper ousted

BBC News

Sainsbury's pauses AI cameras after shopper ousted Sainsbury's has suspended its use of live facial recognition technology at one of its London branches after a customer was wrongly challenged as a shoplifter and asked to leave. Matt Arnold, 46, was buying items at the East Dulwich store when he was stopped by management at a self-service till. Describing the experience as a terrifying glimpse of the future, he has warned that retail surveillance tech risks humiliating customers and creating a system where staff feel compelled to follow automated alerts without applying human logic. The supermarket said it had apologised to Arnold and claimed the mistake was caused by human error, but critics have called for the technology to be scrapped. The incident happened on 6 August as Arnold - a comedy promoter getting supplies for a stand-up event hosted at the next door Dulwich Hamlet Football Club - was waiting for a staff member to approve an alcohol purchase.


The first anti-AI protester to be jailed has a message for OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta: 'Regain your humanity'

The Guardian

The first anti-AI protester to be jailed has a message for OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta: 'Regain your humanity' Wynd Kaufman, 69, chained and locked the front doors of OpenAI's headquarters last year with members of StopAI A n activist who blocked the entrance to one of the world's biggest AI companies is believed to have become the first person jailed for protesting against artificial intelligence as supporters dub her the "Rosa Parks of AI risk". Wynd Kaufman, 69, surrendered herself on Friday to authorities in San Francisco . She was found guilty by a jury for her role in an action last year that saw members of the group StopAI chain and lock the front doors of OpenAI's headquarters in protest against the pursuit of artificial superintelligence. The retired teacher from Berkeley, California, refused to move from a sit-in protest in February 2025 and pleaded not guilty to multiple misdemeanor charges. She was convicted in June of interfering with a business, trespassing with intent to interfere with a business, unlawful assembly and refusal to disburse a riot.


Unauthorised sites are growing but travellers say they are forced to break the law

BBC News

The number of unauthorised Gypsy and traveller sites is on the rise, with developments often carried out over Bank Holiday weekends. Since April, sites in Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and elsewhere have been transformed, prompting legal battles and local dismay. In January, the number of unauthorised traveller caravans - those without planning permission - across England stood at 4,950, a 73% increase on January 2020's figure of 2,860. The summer count also shows a rise, of 44% between July 2019 and July 2025, from 3,113 to 4,471. A senior councillor in one affected area warns there has been a loss of control of the planning system, while villagers living near one site likened its rapid construction to a military operation .


Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI?

BBC News

Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI? Something mysterious has been happening in the world of secondhand books. Over the last few months independent booksellers have been observing a strange pattern of purchases which have seen scores of their novels being shipped to far-off warehouses. In a typical week, Stuart Manley, from Barter Books, in Northumberland, would sell two or three thousand books. But one recent single bulk order from a Canadian company equalled what he would expect to move in seven days.


Can robots save an aging Japan?

The Japan Times

Can robots save an aging Japan? A mechanical wolf robot used to ward off bears and wild boars at a cabbage farm in the village of Shimo Higashiyama, in Yamagata Prefecture. It's hard to explain why Japanese love the cherry blossoms, called sakura. Robots do not appreciate the soft evanescence of the sakura. Nor do they understand why a snowbound town in northern Japan has dedicated itself to the cultivation of a winter variety. But the residents of Nishikawa have discovered -- at least, they thought they had discovered -- that they need robots for their sakura.


Two people killed after 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia

BBC News

One person has died following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia early on Saturday morning, sending people in Maumere, the main town on the island of Flores, running into the street. Video taken at the port shows large chunks of concrete breaking off the terminal building onto passengers waiting to board an inter-island ferry. Some were thrown into the sea when the gangway to the ship collapsed. A stream of people could be seen moving inland on motorbikes after authorities issued a tsunami warning, which was later lifted. Search and rescue teams are in Maumere working to free anyone trapped in damaged buildings.


'Row professor found dead' and 'barbecue ban'

BBC News

'Row professor found dead' and'barbecue ban' Image caption, At the top of the Times is the news that ex-Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who has been at the centre of a row in-part focused on accusations of plagiarism, has been found dead. The police have said his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. Also on the front page, Burnham calls up the military to tackle fires. Image caption, In the lead for the Daily Telegraph is that men lose right to prostate cancer test. The Telegraph also includes the news of Arday's death, noting that his memoir is due to be published in the UK later in August.


BBC seeks to subpoena Trump's family members in Panorama lawsuit

BBC News

BBC seeks to subpoena Trump's family members in Panorama lawsuit The BBC has sought to subpoena members of Donald Trump's family for documents and testimony as it defends against the US president's $10bn (£7.4bn) defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. Court filings show that representatives for the BBC's legal team attempted in May to serve subpoenas to the president's son Donald Trump Jr., his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The president is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave before the 2021 Capitol riots. The BBC has previously apologised for the edit but denied it was grounds for defamation. Judge grants Trump's request to delay handing financial records to BBC In the latest filing, the BBC's lawyers argue Trump's family members have personal knowledge of his intentions in delivering the speech, making their testimony and documents relevant to the president's defamation claim.


New York City Lawmakers Push to 'Ban the Scan' at MSG

WIRED

New York City Lawmakers Push to'Ban the Scan' at MSG At a press conference outside Madison Square Garden, politicians, musicians, and privacy advocates argued for tighter restrictions on how public venues deploy biometric surveillance. Privacy advocates and musicians rallied outside Madison Square Garden on Friday, pushing for new legislation to prevent facial-recognition technology at the venue and other public spaces in New York City. "MSG and its CEO, James Dolan, have been flagrantly abusing biotechnology," City Council member Shahana Hanif said at the event on Friday, after leading a chant of "ban the scan." In January, Hanif proposed a bill that would prohibit public venues from using biometric recognition tech such as Madison Square Garden's facial-recognition systems. Madison Square Garden is well-known for its biometric data collection practices .