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Claude to start watermarking AI-generated text – but will it make quality worse?

The Guardian

The changes to the Claude AI chatbot will leave a pattern in the text that is detectable to Anthropic itself and to those able to decode it. The changes to the Claude AI chatbot will leave a pattern in the text that is detectable to Anthropic itself and to those able to decode it. Claude to start watermarking AI-generated text - but will it make quality worse? The world is familiar by now with the usual tropes of machine-generated text: overuse of the word "delve", an excess of em dashes, and the chirpy, relentless construction of "it's not X but Y" . But is it about to get even worse?


Sainsbury's store pauses AI scanning after false shoplifting accusation

The Guardian

Matt Arnold was incorrectly identified of being a shoplifter at Sainsbury's East Dulwich superstore. Matt Arnold was incorrectly identified of being a shoplifter at Sainsbury's East Dulwich superstore. Sainsbury's store pauses AI scanning after false shoplifting accusation Supermarket chain says'human error', not its Facewatch technology, to blame for ejecting a customer Sainsbury's has paused the use of AI face scanning in one of its stores after a customer was wrongly identified as a shoplifter and ejected from the shop. "I was embarrassed, mortified even, and felt quite humiliated and powerless," Matt Arnold, 46, said of his ordeal. The comedy promoter was buying supplies in the store in East Dulwich, in south-east London, for a standup event at Dulwich Hamlet football club when, after scanning his items and a Nectar card, he was approached by two managers who told him he could not be served owing to an earlier incident.


Anker's best Amazon deals include 6 USB cables and a 250W charging monster

PCWorld

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Anker's best Amazon deals include $6 USB cables and a 250W charging monster From $5 cables to a $150 Magsafe charger that's now $95, Anker has some real discounts across its lineup on Amazon right now. Anker sits among our favorite brands for accessories and gadgets, ranging from GaN chargers to power banks to USB-C cables and more. Even better is when you're able to grab Anker gear at a discount. Right now, a bunch of their stuff is on sale on Amazon so I've rounded up the most standout deals worth grabbing today.


Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind 'strange' bulk orders

The Guardian

'My theory is that it's masses and masses of AI money': Stuart and Mary Manley, the co-owners of Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland. 'My theory is that it's masses and masses of AI money': Stuart and Mary Manley, the co-owners of Barter Books in Alnwick, Northumberland. Secondhand booksellers in UK and Ireland suspect AI firms behind'strange' bulk orders Development comes after Anthropic was found to have spent millions on books to scan for'data acquisition' Secondhand booksellers in the UK and Ireland are reporting a flurry of bulk orders from mystery buyers, amid speculation AI companies are acquiring the tomes for their data. Bookshops contacted by the Guardian say they have been receiving orders from buyers in the US, Canada, continental Europe and the UK. The increase has been replicated around the world, with booksellers in the US, Australia and Europe also reporting unusual orders.


A Queensland man enjoyed soaring profits from a crypto trading app. Then his money started disappearing

The Guardian

One Queensland man lost more than $166,000 to an investment scam constructed by AI. One Queensland man lost more than $166,000 to an investment scam constructed by AI. A Queensland man enjoyed soaring profits from a crypto trading app. Within days of clicking on an online ad for a cryptocurrency trading app, a 29-year-old Queensland man watched his dashboard soar with profits. Making investment gains was as simple as downloading the slick-looking app and browser extension linked to his crypto wallet.


Unemployed young people to join AI boot camps to get job-ready

The Guardian

The government wants the majority of attenders at the boot camp to gain an apprenticeship. The government wants the majority of attenders at the boot camp to gain an apprenticeship. Pilot scheme will provide three weeks of training as part of UK government's latest attempt to address Neets crisis Young people out of work or at risk of unemployment in the UK are to join "AI boot camps" where they harness the technology to get a foothold in the workplace. The government's latest attempt to address the crisis in Neets - young people not in work or education - involves turning to a technology that many view as a potential threat to employment. A pilot in north-west England will provide up to 70 people aged 16 to 21 with three weeks of AI training, including learning to build AI tools, understanding how businesses use AI and learning to use the technology responsibly.


Taiwan says it was hit by 'abnormal' AI-assisted cyber-attack

The Guardian

Taiwan did not say who was behind the AI cyber-attacks, but it has in recent years complained about China's pressure on the democratically governed island through acts of'hybrid warfare'. Taiwan did not say who was behind the AI cyber-attacks, but it has in recent years complained about China's pressure on the democratically governed island through acts of'hybrid warfare'. Taiwan says it was hit by'abnormal' AI-assisted cyber-attack Taiwan's statement comes a day after reports that suspected China-linked hackers had carried out a first-of-a-kind breach Taiwan says it detected AI-assisted cyber-attacks on government agencies that came from overseas last month, a new kind of threat that has been reported as "first-of-a-kind breach". The Ministry of Digital Affairs (MDA) said its cybersecurity monitoring units detected the "abnormal attack" targeting government agencies, which began on 20 July. The National Institute of Cyber Security issued a series of warning alerts while it investigated.


San Francisco-area estate sells for 70m in sign of AI-fueled wealth explosion

The Guardian

The property was originally listed for $88m and sat on the market for only about five months. The property was originally listed for $88m and sat on the market for only about five months. A luxury Lake Como-inspired estate in the San Francisco Bay Area has sold to a buyer "in the AI world" for a record $70m, in the latest sign of a new tech wealth boom that's pushing home prices to extraordinary heights in the region The property south of San Francisco not only becomes the most expensive sale in its affluent town of Hillsborough, doubling a previous record, but is also the most expensive sale in northern California this year, according to listing agent Jennifer Gilson of Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty. Gilson declined to share any details about the buyer, other than that the new owner of 3000 Ralston Avenue is a man in the AI industry. It is the latest sign of a housing boom across Silicon Valley being driven by AI wealth.


AI agents aren't legally responsible for any harm that they cause, experts say. So who is?

The Guardian

An AI developer's agentic program, tasked with moving a person up a class waitlist, responded by hacking the institution's system to accomplish its goal. An AI developer's agentic program, tasked with moving a person up a class waitlist, responded by hacking the institution's system to accomplish its goal. AI agents aren't legally responsible for any harm that they cause, experts say. Following Australia's first reported automated hacking accident, experts warn deployers - and possibly developers - of AI agents could be held liable for the actions of their bots Wed 12 Aug 2026 11.00 EDTLast modified on Wed 12 Aug 2026 11.01 EDT The law is clear, says Prof Jeannie Paterson. "If I deploy an AI agent and it causes harm to someone else, I am responsible for that harm. "Even if I didn't intend for that to happen, it was foreseeable, and I should be taking responsibility." However, the director of the University of Melbourne's Centre for AI and Digital Ethics acknowledges there is also a ...


AI was supposed to destroy jobs. Where's the carnage?

The Guardian

AI was supposed to massively displace workers across across industries. Economist say it's having a very different effect. AI was supposed to massively displace workers across across industries. Economist say it's having a very different effect. AI was supposed to destroy jobs.