Currys shares soar after retailer defies high street gloom January 21, 2026 Shares in tech retailer Currys soared this morning after the firm released an upbeat Christmas trading update, defying wider gloom on the high street. The London-listed firm recorded a three per cent uptick in UK and Ireland revenue as it clawed a bigger market share from strong sales in mobile, as well as growth in [...]
US tax consultancy faces $12bn threat, but AI could deliver $19bn in gains January 20, 2026 New research suggests AI could drive a $7bn (£5.2bn) net increase in the US tax consulting industry if firms shift focus from routine compliance to high-value advisory. The report from Source Global Research revealed that despite the potential threat to revenue, over half of all US tax services are expected to be significantly powered by [...]
UK financial system exposed to ‘serious harm’ from AI risks January 20, 2026 The Treasury, the financial watchdog and the Bank of England have been handed a stiff warning that the nation’s financial system is not adequately prepared for an AI shock. A group of influential MPs sat on the Treasury Select Committee took aim at the institutions for “not doing enough to manage the risks presented by [...]
ChatGPT to trial adverts for some users for the first time January 17, 2026 Online AI tool ChatGPT will begin to show users adverts for the first time, as it looks to recover from financial losses. Open AI, the bot’s developer, said it would start displaying adverts in the coming weeks based on what people ask ChatGPT as well as personal data the tool stores on users. Relevant ads [...]
Musk-Altman rift widens as judge approves court battle January 16, 2026 OpenAI and Microsoft have lost their final bid to avoid a courtroom battle with Elon Musk, with a US judge ruling that the Tesla and xAI founder can proceed to trial over claims that the start-up breached its original charitable mission. The case, set for a jury trial in late April at the District Court [...]
Big Tech wants to access your health records January 16, 2026 OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT Health this month is set to capitalise a behavioural pattern that has already taken hold. Millions of people use AI chatbots to make sense of symptoms, test results and medical jargon, often even before speaking to a qualified clinician. The difference is that now, as of just last week, the technology [...]
Liz Kendall welcomes X’s Grok changes as Ofcom probe continues January 15, 2026 The government has welcomed new safety measures introduced by Elon Musk’s X to curb abuse linked to its Grok AI tool, as the UK’s online safety regulator presses ahead with a formal investigation into the platform. Tech secretary Liz Kendall said she “welcomed” X’s move to restrict Grok’s image generation capabilities, but stressed that regulators [...]
Sadiq Khan: AI could bring ‘mass unemployment’ to London January 15, 2026 Sadiq Khan has warned that AI could become a “weapon of mass destruction” for jobs across London unless the government takes proactive action to ease its impact on work. The London Mayor said AI’s impact on the capital city will be “nothing short of colossal” over the coming years. In a Mansion House speech to [...]
Bankers and bots: City lenders to face scrutiny on AI ambitions January 15, 2026 Banks have been tipped as a big winner of AI integration but face a major test in selling their tech narrative to investors. As City lenders gear up to report their 2025 financials, shareholders will be looking past balance sheets for progress on digital ambitions. “This may be the year the market makes up its [...]
Big Tech steps up energy hiring as grid creaks under AI pressure January 14, 2026 Big Tech is increasingly recruiting energy specialists as access to electricity becomes a central constraint on the expansion of AI infrastructure. Energy-related hiring at tech firms rose 34 per cent year on year in 2024, according to Workforce.ai data, and has remained around 30 per cent above pre-2022 levels. The increase reflects growing demand for [...]