Less magic, more panic in Disney’s AI deal March 5, 2026 It was always going to happen, wasn’t it? The moment AI video tools became proficient enough to conjure something that looked vaguely like a princess, or a Jedi, Disney would ultimately have to choose: spend the next decade playing a game of Whac-A-Mole in court, or license its assets in-house. The House of Mouse, it [...]
Should we be worried that AI’s referees are leaving the pitch? March 5, 2026 Zoe Hitzig had one of the more unorthodox jobs Silicon Valley has to offer. She worked on the ethics and policy questions around artificial intelligence at OpenAI – the uncomfortable bits about how these systems are built, used, accessed and paid for. A couple of weeks ago, she quit. Taking the pen for the New [...]
Entain losses deepen as Budget gambling tax bites March 5, 2026 Britain’s new gambling tax regime has delivered an early sting for Entain, pushing the Ladbrokes owner to a wider annual loss even as its core betting business continued to grow. The FTSE-listed bookmaker said it swung to a loss of £681m for 2025, compared with £461m a year earlier, after booking a £488m impairment linked to [...]
Britain’s tech sector ‘massively punches above its weight’ March 4, 2026 The UK’s tech sector continues to generate capital, attract global investment and talent, yet the domestic narrative often points to a country in retreat. “We have a huge narrative issue”, Russ Shaw, founder of Global Tech Advocates and London Tech Advocates, told City AM. “We’re the third largest tech ecosystem in the world. We have [...]
OpenAI rewrites Pentagon AI deal following backlash March 3, 2026 OpenAI has amended its newly signed contract with the US Department of War after chief executive Sam Altman admitted the original announcement “looked opportunistic and sloppy”. The news triggered fears the company’s technology could be used for domestic mass surveillance. The San Francisco-based AI firm signed the agreement with the Pentagon on Friday, hours after [...]
Spotify says UK music industry ‘in really strong position’ March 3, 2026 A year ago, the UK music industry was in a bout of slipping global chart shares and fewer breakthrough stars. Yet following this weekend’s Brit Awards, Spotify claims that export growth and rising royalty payments are pointing to an industry revival. In 2025, the streaming giant paid out £860m to UK artists and their rights [...]
UK considers social media curfew as under-16 ban looms March 2, 2026 The government is considering overnight curfews on social media and tighter restrictions on children’s access to AI chatbots as it prepares to launch what it describes as a “national conversation” on online safety. From Monday, parents and young people will be invited to take part in a consultation exploring measures that could include an Australia-style [...]
Rail fares frozen in first pause for 30 years March 2, 2026 A long-trailed freeze on regulated rail fares has come into effect across England, with ministers claiming the move will save passengers around £600m over the coming year. The move marks the first halt to annual increases in three decades. From this week, peak commuter returns and off-peak returns between major cities will not rise in [...]
Blair think tank turns fire on Labour over wage hikes and tax squeeze March 1, 2026 Tony Blair’s think tank has published a critique of Labour’s economic strategy, warning that higher minimum wages, rising employers’ National Insurance and tougher workers’ rights risk choking off growth and pricing young people out of jobs. In a striking intervention from the former Labour prime minister’s own policy institute, the report deems the government’s labour [...]
£9bn in housing funds sit idle in council accounts March 1, 2026 More than £9bn in developer contributions earmarked for schools, transport, healthcare and affordable housing is sitting unspent in council bank accounts, according to new research. A freedom of information survey by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) estimates that £6.6bn in Section 106 payments and £2.2bn raised through the community infrastructure levy (CIL) remain unspent. Of [...]
