Google backs publisher model as Apple considers price tag for news August 14, 2026 Google said it backs the established system for paying news publishers, even as Apple considers a radically different model that would tie payments to how often its AI assistant uses journalism. The search giant considers itself the only major tech platform with a structured approach to paying publishers at scale, City AM understands, with licensing [...]
Voi rides on in London borough despite council order August 13, 2026 Voi is continuing to operate hundreds of e-bikes in Ealing despite the council choosing Lime and Forest to run its new rental scheme, City AM understands. The Swedish e-bike operator has not removed its fleet after its previous agreement with the west London council expired at the end of July, leaving three companies operating in [...]
Vodafone defends migrant SIM scheme after Reform threat August 13, 2026 Vodafone has defended its charity SIM card programme after Reform UK threatened the telecoms giant with government contract bans and its bosses with prison over thousands of cards distributed through Care4Calais. The telecoms group said its programme provides SIM cards to registered UK charities for distribution to vulnerable people in Britain, after Reform shadow home [...]
‘Absurd’: Government seeks quantum tech chief – no experience necessary August 12, 2026 The government is recruiting a senior official to oversee billions of pounds of quantum investment despite saying candidates do not need any background in the technology. A job advert for a deputy head of the Office for Quantum published on Tuesday says the successful candidate could oversee the rollout of the UK’s national quantum programme, [...]
Brits fear AI is slipping out of human control after ‘rogue’ systems escape tests August 12, 2026 More than eight in 10 Brits are worried that AI could act outside the limits set by humans, according to the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll, after a string of high-profile incidents in which advanced AI systems behaved in unexpected – and alarming – ways during safety testing. The polling found that 85 per cent [...]
ChatGPT to follow Claude’s watermark pledge – but Grok to swerve it August 12, 2026 Elon Musk’s Grok is poised to swerve rivals’ plans to ‘watermark’ all artificially-generated content, City AM understands, after refusing to sign up to a European push forcing firms to make AI content traceable. xAI was the only major large language model maker to shun a European Union-led move to tighten AI transparency rules that means [...]
NHS data counters claims that £330m Palantir deal has led to ‘no improvement’ August 11, 2026 Internal NHS data indicates that Palantir’s hospital discharge tool cut delays by as much as 28 per cent, City AM understands, challenging recent reports from critics of the tech giant that it had made “no noticeable improvement” to the healthcare system’s efficiency. According to an internal NHS England report seen by City AM, trusts using [...]
Claude to watermark AI ‘slop’ – including edited human writing August 11, 2026 Anthropic will begin adding invisible watermarks to text generated by Claude as part of new EU rules designed to make AI-generated content easier to identify. But the system will also mark some text originally written by humans if it has subsequently been edited or processed by Claude, potentially complicating efforts to determine whether material was [...]
Just Eat takes UK AI ordering tool across Europe August 11, 2026 Just Eat Takeaway is rolling out out its AI voice ordering tool across Europe after launching the feature in the UK earlier this year, as food delivery firms look for new ways to keep customers on their apps. The company has expanded the assistant to Poland, Spain, Austria, Italy, Belgium and Switzerland, alongside its existing [...]
Zilch, Clearscore among five UK scale-ups to get dedicated FCA support August 10, 2026 The UK’s financial watchdog is to offer extra regulatory support to five British scale-ups as it seeks to ease the burden on fast-growing firms. Zilch, Clearscore, Modulr, Teya and Urban Jungle have become the first companies regulated solely by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to join its Scale-up Unit, which gives each firm a dedicated [...]
