Mickey Mouse puts copyright woes to bed with Disney-OpenAI deal December 16, 2025 Disney’s $1bn investment in OpenAI, coupled with a three year licensing deal for over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters on Sora, constitutes a seismic shift in how Hollywood thinks about content creation and copyright. Last week’s announcement, long anticipated since CEO Bog Iger hinted at AI plans, marks the first time a [...]
Six of the top business books of 2025 December 15, 2025 Yes, dear reader, it’s that time of year again. What to buy for that special high-flying City exec in your life? I’ve read nearly 50 books this year – most of them new, and most about business. Some were good, others have since found their way to Oxfam. Here are a few of my favourites. [...]
‘It probably could do my job’: New ChatGPT model catches up with junior bank analysts December 12, 2025 OpenAI introduced a new ChatGPT model on Thursday, which they claim is the first to outperform human experts. The software, GPT-5.2, is specifically designed for professional use and was tested using tasks which would typically be assigned to a junior analyst at an investment bank. These included putting together a three-statement model for a Fortune [...]
Google DeepMind partners with the government on AI innovation December 11, 2025 The government has struck a major deal with Google DeepMind which will see UK scientists gain priority access to its AI technologies. The Alphabet-owned AI giant will also create a new AI system aimed to cut government bureaucracy, and develop a version of Gemini – Google’s largest AI model – to be integrated into schools. [...]
Is Microsoft becoming the new Vodafone? December 11, 2025 America’s biggest tech firms – Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Google – have thrown the kitchen sink at becoming leaders in AI. They have forked out whatever is necessary to get to the front of the race. The four firms spent a combined $16bn on capex in the first quarter of 2020. Fast-forward to the third quarter [...]
How AI hoaxes could move markets December 11, 2025 If a fake image of a collapsed bridge can stop trains imagine what else AI generated scams could do? Asks John Oxley Last week, a few dozen trains around Carlisle were delayed. It appears to be an unremarkable story, especially for anyone familiar with the state of British railways. The cause, however, was novel: a [...]
Britain’s nuclear lag could cost its AI crown December 10, 2025 Britain’s AI boom is running straight into an energy wall, and nuclear power was supposed to act as its crutch to get around it. Instead, the government has hit pause, just as data centre demand is set to explode, leading investors wondering whether the UK risks talking itself out of its opportunity. Recent analysis from [...]
CMS rolls out Suits-inspired AI after saving lawyers 100 hours December 10, 2025 Law firm CMS has said it aims to ‘stay ahead of the curve’ by rolling out legal tool Harvey AI after lawyers reported already seeing “meaningful time savings”. The law firm is set to extend the use of the AI tool, named after the fictional character in Suits, across all 21 CMS member organisations in [...]
UK legal sector books double-digit revenue growth in 2024 December 9, 2025 Total revenue from legal activities in the UK reached a record £52.3bn in 2024, up 11 per cent from 2023, according to a new report by TheCityUK, published in partnership with Barclays. The UK boasts the world’s second-largest legal services market, trailing only the US, thanks to the dominance of English common law. Overall, the [...]
MPs push for stricter AI rules as UK lags December 8, 2025 Over 100 UK parliamentarians have called on the government to tighten the reigns on AI regulation, warning that ministers risk letting the technology race ahead unchecked. The cross-party push, led by figures including former defence secretary Lord Des Browne and ex-environment minister Lord Zac Goldsmith, argues that superintelligent AI could become “the most perilous technological [...]