Big Tech’s AI capex splurge can’t go on forever AI The eye-watering capital expenditure plans of Big Tech has been one of the year’s biggest stories. Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft have all splurged to secure a podium spot in the race to build out the infrastructure which will run the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. Total capex by these four firms is expected to reach $750bn [...]
From bathroom to courtroom: Lush chief’s squabble set to fizz in £6m trial Legal The former chief executive of cosmetics giant Lush is set to face off against the current chief executive in a 19-day trial that spans more than 30 years of the company’s history and may cost over £6m in legal fees. The dispute stems from former chief executive Andrew Gerrie’s 2014 exit from the company, after [...]
HSBC targets $100m in savings with Google Cloud AI tie-up Banking Europe’s biggest lender HSBC has sealed a a tech tie-up with Google where it aims to use AI to scout priority projects that could bank the firm $100m in “efficiency gains”. The FTSE 100 giant is planning to roll out Google Cloud across its operations in a deal that the bank says will allow 200 [...]
Book review: The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI by Cory Doctorow June 17, 2026 No subject has made me go more hot and cold than AI. Some days, I open Gemini, Claude or ChatGPT, set tough tasks and am dumbstruck by the speed and accuracy of the results. Wow, this is the future, I think to myself. On other days, I ask something simple and they get it all [...]
SpaceX snaps up AI coding darling Cursor as valuation soars past Amazon June 16, 2026 Elon Musk’s SpaceX has overtaken Amazon to become the world’s fifth-largest listed company after a blistering post-IPO rally, as the newly public firm unveiled a $60bn (£45bn) takeover of AI coding start-up Cursor. Shares in Musk’s rocket and AI giant rose more than eight per cent in pre-market trading on Tuesday, extending a surge that [...]
Ex-Lush chief’s lawyers hike costs to ensure their AI model isn’t trained by juniors June 16, 2026 Lawyers for the former chief executive of cosmetics giant Lush, Andrew Gerrie, have hiked their fees ahead of a trial this month, partly as they will not allow junior staff to train their AI model, City AM can reveal. A court heard this morning that Gerrie’s legal team from Brown Rudnick have pushed up a [...]
Allianz tech blitz dethrones AXA to claim Europe’s insurance AI crown June 16, 2026 Allianz has officially overtaken French insurer AXA to claim the top spot in global AI maturity, capitalising on a massive talent hoarding strategy. The German insurance giant, Allianz, has amassed an AI workforce 28 per cent larger than its closest rival, resulting in a staggering 900 active AI use cases worldwide and putting pressure on [...]
Adobe and LinkedIn target AI skills gap in marketing roles June 16, 2026 Adobe and LinkedIn have launched a new AI training programme for marketers as businesses accelerate their adoption of AI and demand for AI-skilled workers surges. Together, the firms are rolling out a free programme through LinkedIn Learning, Fortune reported, offering role-specific courses covering digital marketing, content creation, social media, communications, data and analytics. The launch [...]
Trump to reject UK plea over Anthropic ban as AI ‘kill switch’ fears grow June 16, 2026 The White House is poised to reject Keir Starmer’s attempt to restore British access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, in a move that has exposed how dependent the UK has become on a handful of American Big Techs. Downing Street has spent recent days lobbying Washington for an exemption after the Trump administration blocked [...]
Former KPMG chief joins £10m funding round for AI-powered audit challenger June 16, 2026 A Berlin-based audit AI firm has raised over £10m in a fundraising round, including from Dawn Capital, to expand into the UK market as a solution to the skilled labour shortage in the audit industry. Cortea, founded in 2024 by Valentin Neumann and Philipp Hovelmann, pitches itself as an answer for firms under pressure to [...]