If the advice is free, who is really paying for it? Partner There is an old line from Silicon Valley: If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product. It was originally used to describe the internet economy. Free search. Free social media. Free platforms. Free tools. Services that appeared to cost the user nothing, but were monetised elsewhere through advertising, data, attention or influence. [...]
Why 2026 World Cup is when AI becomes the interface between fans and football Sport Business The 2026 World Cup is the first AI-shaped major sports event and will change football fandom forever. Jon Williams outlines what sponsors, broadcasters and brands need to do about it. Football, like the creative advertising business I work in, thinks the biggest gains from AI are operational – speed, efficiency, and more. They’re not. AI’s [...]
Government to take on big tech in bid to boost British news Tech The government is preparing to force social media platforms to boost the presence of British news providers to counter misinformation, in a move likely to ruffle the feathers of big tech firms. Ministers are preparing to consult on rules which would require platforms like YouTube and Meta to make UK news sites like the BBC, [...]
Big Tech’s AI capex splurge can’t go on forever June 17, 2026 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 [...]
Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban June 16, 2026 Elon Musk, Meta and Google’s YouTube have all attacked Keir Starmer’s planned social media ban for under-16s, warning the restrictions will drive teenagers towards less safe corners of the internet and create sweeping new surveillance powers. The backlash comes as ministers consider forcing Apple and Google to carry out age checks on millions of British [...]
Starmer’s social media restrictions will mean the government can spy on every phone June 9, 2026 In practice, the government is demanding that Apple install on-device AI nudity-detection software at the operating system level for iOS and that Google do the same for Android. This would involve constantly scanning the camera viewfinder, screen output, livestream, and stored files, and blocking or blurring nudity in real time. This amounts to surveillance technology on [...]
Google hit with UK-first AI crackdown over publisher content June 3, 2026 Google will be forced to give publishers greater control over how their content is used in AI-generated search results after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) unveiled what it described as a “world-first” intervention aimed at re-balancing power between Big Tech and content creators. The move comes as publishers increasingly complain that Google’s AI Overviews [...]
How do you teach a robotaxi London? Waymo explains June 2, 2026 Before Waymo launches a commercial robotaxi service in London, it needs to teach its vehicles more than just how to drive on the left, writes Saskia Koopman. Waymo, the Alphabet-owned autonomous driving company, has spent months testing vehicles across the capital ahead of a planned commercial launch. The robotaxi giant has been testing in London [...]
Google taps markets for $30bn AI cash call June 2, 2026 Alphabet will raise up to $80bn (£59bn) from investors to fund its AI expansion, marking one of the largest equity fundraisings in history and a major shift for a company that has traditionally relied on its vast cash generation to finance growth. The Google parent said on Monday it would use the proceeds to expand [...]
London was once a destination for the young, now it’s a compromise May 29, 2026 New research shows a third of young Londoners expect to leave within two years. The city is pricing out its talent, says Festus Akinbusoye.