When asked by CNN about cyber-attacks on US institutions coming from Russian soil, Putin brought up cyber-attacks on Russia. "As far as cyber security is concerned, we agreed that we would begin consultations on that issue and I believe that it is extraordinarily important. Obviously, both sides have to assume certain obligations there," he also said. Probed on Russian domestic politics, Putin repeatedly criticized America's stability and moral standing, pointing to the January 6 Capitol riot and killing of George Floyd. For many black people in America "you don't have time to open your mouth and you are shot dead," he said.

Britain is'prepared and able' to launch massive retaliatory cyber attacks against Russia, Boris Johnson warned last night. The Foreign Secretary, who arrived in Moscow yesterday for talks, said the UK'cannot accept' Russia's'destabilising' cyber activity against the West. In meetings with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov today, Mr Johnson will complain about Russian-backed hackers' efforts to attack critical UK infrastructure – such as power stations and communication networks – influence elections, and spread fake news. He will underline Britain's growing offensive cyber capability, after GCHQ this week revealed it has developed sophisticated weapons that could cripple a hostile state. On the day it emerged an alleged Russian spy had met Theresa May in Downing Street in July, Mr Johnson told reporters on a flight to Moscow that Russia should understand that the UK had developed a powerful cyber deterrent.

The Kremlin prefers the Republicans over the Democrats. Or at least that is what a Russian political insider told me back in 2008, as we stood on the rooftop terrace of a hotel overlooking the Red Square on the eve of the US presidential elections. I found it a rather surprising statement considering the times. Republican US President George W Bush had been at loggerheads with the Kremlin over several issues: The US decision to deploy a controversial missile defence system in Eastern Europe, Russia's invasion of Georgia, and the latter's prospective membership in NATO. With all that, the Russians were still rooting for a Republican foreign policy hawk like John McCain?

Google Bard refuses to respond to most queries about Russian president Vladimir Putin when asked in Russian, and is more likely to produce false information in Russian and Ukrainian than its AI chatbot competitors, researchers have found. The results raise questions about how these AIs are trained and the risks of using them in place of traditional search engines, say experts.

Even controversial leaders like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin were once innocent babies - and artificial intelligence has created images of them before becoming war-mongering dictators. The young rulers were created by Midjourney, an AI-powered imaging software that churns out photos based on simple text prompts. The results shows each baby image sporting a suit and donning the tyrants' iconic hairstyles. These images follow one of baby Elon Musk that made waves on the internet this month, showing the billionaire as a toddler with a white button-up shirt, brown overalls and signature haircut. AI-generated images have taken over the internet in recent months, some sparking joy and others causing terror.