AI, drones and data: Defence giants splash record $4.1bn on tech start-ups July 27, 2026 Investment in defence tech start-ups has reached a record high this year as the world’s biggest arms companies step up spending on new military technology. New figures from Dealroom show defence contractors including BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Airbus have participated in $4.1bn (£3bn) of venture capital funding rounds so far this year, the highest [...]
Breaking up the science department is a setback for Britain’s AI ambitions July 27, 2026 Spreading AI across four different departments is a mistake Andy Burnham will come to regret, says Eliot Wilson Last Tuesday, on his first full day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham killed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. That has set back the UK’s approach to science policy by several years, for reasons which are [...]
‘Extremely dangerous’: AI warfare much bigger threat than LLM model advances, experts warn July 25, 2026 The growing use of AI in warfare poses a much bigger threat to the future of the UK than the latest advances in frontier AI models, experts have told City AM. Nicholas Fairfax and Max Rangeley, co-editors of The Artificial Intelligence Revolution, said the ability of small actors to use AI to develop immensely powerful [...]
I’m an editor. This is the most worrying thing about AI slop July 23, 2026 The slow creep of AI slop is unnerving to witness I’m an editor at this newspaper. Over the past week or so some of our best contributors have filed me AI slop – but not quite how you’d imagine it. These pieces aren’t necessarily completely written by AI, although sometimes they are. The new frontier [...]
Milestone Alphabet century bond already under pressure July 23, 2026 Alphabet’s historic century bond has shed more than seven per cent of its value in just five months, amid a wider downturn in long-dated debt and increased scepticism on the earnings potential of the US’s so-called hyperscalers. The sterling-denominated 100-year bond, which the Google owner will not have to repay until 2126, has sold off [...]
Anthropic payout piles pressure on UK ministers in AI copyright row July 22, 2026 The publishing industry has urged ministers to force AI companies to license copyrighted content after Anthropic agreed a record $1.5bn (£1.1bn) settlement over its use of pirated books to train AI models. Dan Conway, chief executive of the Publishers Association, told City AM the agreement should serve as a warning to AI developers operating in [...]
‘Fantastic news’ as Burnham brings Britain’s AI minister into Cabinet July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham has promoted Kanishka Narayan to a Cabinet position as Britain’s AI minister as part of his first major government reshuffle, handing artificial intelligence its first dedicated seat at the Cabinet table. Narayan will attend Cabinet for the first time after surviving Burnham’s sweeping reshuffle, which saw several senior ministers leave government and the [...]
Burnham risks ‘big mistake’ on AI with tech department shake-up July 20, 2026 Andy Burnham has been warned that breaking up the government department behind Britain’s artificial intelligence strategy could unsettle global investors and damage the country’s standing as a technology hub. The incoming prime minister is reportedly considering abolishing the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and splitting its responsibilities between the Department for Business and [...]
There’s a 45 per cent chance this op-ed was written by AI July 16, 2026 Emma Divers was trained to write using the technique now being flagged by AI detectors. She says the AI crackdown could become a witch hunt.
AI minister: UK sets sights on global AI leadership, not Silicon Valley emulation July 15, 2026 AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the UK must build enough domestic AI capability to “shape our own destiny” rather than rely on overseas tech giants as the government accelerates its push to develop sovereign AI infrastructure. Narayan told City AM that AI had become “the defining currency” of geopolitical and economic power, arguing that the [...]