Amazon says it buys books in bulk to ‘improve products’ Tech Amazon has said it buys books through commercial channels to develop its products after an investigation traced a bulk order of rare books to a facility where workers reportedly destroy and scan physical copies. “Amazon purchases books through commercial channels to help develop and improve the products and services our customers use,” an Amazon spokesperson [...]
Anthropic payout piles pressure on UK ministers in AI copyright row Tech 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 [...]
‘The problems didn’t begin with John Edwards’: Pressure grows for wider data watchdog overhaul Tech John Edwards’ resignation was meant to draw a line under the workplace misconduct scandal that engulfed Britain’s data watchdog. Instead, it has shifted scrutiny onto the leadership that surrounded him – and of the regulator’s record long before he stepped down. Tech secretary Liz Kendall told MPs on Wednesday she was “appalled” to learn Edwards [...]
‘Safe’ version of Anthropic’s Mythos model hits market June 10, 2026 Anthropic officially released Claude Fable 5 on Wednesday, allowing the public to access the core architecture of its notorious ‘Mythos’ model for the first time – a technology previously deemed to dangerous for distribution. Fable 5 is being rolled out via Anthropic’s interace, but the launch comes with strict limitations. The San Francisco-based AI titan [...]
Visa data leak piles pressure on Britain’s digital ID push May 28, 2026 The leak of more than 100,000 passport scans and biometric selfies linked to a third-party visa website has renewed concerns over the security risks surrounding Britain’s growing shift towards digital ID systems. A site operating under the name UK Visa Portal – which is not affiliated with the UK government – was found on Wednesday [...]
Salesforce earnings set to test AI sell-off fears May 27, 2026 Salesforce will report earnings after the bell on Wednesday, with investors watching closely to see whether the software giant can shake off the AI-driven sell-off that has hammered the sector since February. The Slack owner has lost around a third of its value this year, badly underperforming both the Nasdaq and wider software sector, as [...]
Quantexa chief says £175m HMRC deal will ‘protect taxpayers’ money’ May 14, 2026 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has signed a £175m, 10-year partnership with London-based Quantexa to overhaul its data infrastructure, as the tax authority scrambles to recover billions lost to evasion and sophisticated fraud. The deal – one of the largest tech deployments in the public sector – is designed to fix the “fragmented” legacy systems [...]
AI’s biggest problem is that it is trained to ‘please you’, warns tech chief May 13, 2026 The biggest risk facing AI may be that it becomes too good at telling users what they want to hear. Anthony Goonetilleke, chief tech officer at software firm Amdocs, told City AM businesses rushing to deploy AI are vastly underestimating a more subtle and potentially more dangerous problem emerging inside LLMs. “There’s another bucket I [...]
NHS gives Palantir wider access to patient data amid growing backlash May 11, 2026 NHS England has expanded access to sensitive patient data for external contractors working on its controversial Palantir-backed data. The move has sparked concerns over privacy for such sensitive data, and the growing influence of American Big Techs inside the UK’s health service. According to the Financial Times, internal briefing documents show NHS officials approved new [...]
Daily Mail owner sells US data arm for $1bn April 30, 2026 The owner of the Daily Mail has agreed to sell its US property data business in a $1bn (£730m) deal, as it reshapes its portfolio and frees up cash for new investments. Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT), controlled by Rothermere Continuation Holdings, said it will offload Trepp to Fitch Group in an all-cash transaction [...]