AI minister hints at Budget measures as UK weighs tougher tech rules Tech AI minister Kanishka Narayan has hinted at new measures in next week’s Budget, as the government considers tougher regulation of AI alongside plans to reduce Britain’s dependence on foreign technology. Narayan said ministers must go beyond regulating AI and develop domestic technology to give Britain greater influence over how it is used. Speaking on BBC’s [...]
Tesla-SpaceX merger could fuel AI spending spree across Musk’s $3.5 trillion empire Tech Elon Musk’s proposed $3.5 trillion (£2.6 trillion) merger of Tesla and SpaceX could unlock a wave of AI investment, giving the billionaire greater access to cash and borrowing power as he races to expand his tech empire. Analysts said combining the two businesses could help Musk fund his increasingly expensive AI ambitions, bringing together Tesla’s [...]
Microsoft boss warns of AI trust crisis as UK workers lag behind bosses Tech Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has warned that increasingly powerful AI systems are becoming less trustworthy, as new research exposes a widening confidence gap between UK bosses and their employees. Speaking at Microsoft’s Frontier Tour in London on Wednesday, Nadella urged businesses to embrace AI while retaining human oversight, warning that the technology’s growing capabilities [...]
AI giant Perplexity taps London startup Valarian in sovereign tech drive October 20, 2026 US AI giant Perplexity has struck a deal with London-based startup Valarian to bring its technology into the UK government and defence systems, a major boost to Britain’s ambition to reduce its reliance on foreign tech infrastructure. The partnership will let governments and businesses handling sensitive information deploy Perplexity’s AI within their own infrastructure, keeping [...]
Apple faces UK crackdown over iPhone contactless payments October 20, 2026 Apple could be forced to slash the fees it charges rival payment providers and loosen its grip on iPhone contactless technology under new proposals unveiled by Britain’s competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday that Apple’s high fees and restrictive terms were stifling competition, preventing businesses from developing alternatives to Apple [...]
Musk and Anthropic seek to temper AI backlash with billion-dollar giveaways October 19, 2026 Elon Musk and AI giant Anthropic have announced plans for multibillion-dollar public giveaways, as Silicon Valley faces mounting scrutiny over AI’s impact on jobs and safety. Musk pledged on Monday to give every American child a share in SpaceX, in a giveaway potentially worth $10.5bn (£7.9bn), hours after Anthropic announced plans to put at least [...]
AI minister warned UK risks becoming ‘high-value AI customer’ October 19, 2026 Britain risks becoming a “high value AI customer” rather than developing its own tech unless ministers urgently invest in domestic firms, the government’s top science advisory body has warned. In a letter to AI minister Kanishka Narayan, the Council for Science and Technology (CST) called for a national AI sovereignty plan to reduce Britain’s reliance [...]
Starling warns UK risks being ‘second in the queue’ on AI October 15, 2026 Britain risks becoming “second in the queue” for AI unless it invests more in domestic infrastructure, a government AI adviser has warned, as Starling Bank becomes the first lender to train an AI model on a UK sovereign cloud. Harriet Rees, Starling’s chief information officer and the Treasury’s AI champion for financial services, warned that [...]
Salesforce offers free AI tools to UK students as graduate job market lags October 15, 2026 As UK graduate vacancies hit their lowest level since 2020, Salesforce is offering free AI tools to six million students to help them meet employers’ growing demand for artificial intelligence skills. The US tech giant announced the scheme on Thursday, giving universities and colleges access to its workplace platform Slack and AI tools to help [...]
Khan climbdown: Palantir settles £50m Met row after fears of ‘unlawful’ bias October 14, 2026 Palantir has settled its High Court battle with Sadiq Khan’s policing office over a blocked £50m Metropolitan Police contract, following concerns that the decision had been unlawfully influenced by the US tech giant’s values and ethics. City AM understands the company pursued legal action not only to challenge the decision, but also to make sure [...]