Content Policy

Microsoft bets on AI openness and scale

Microsoft has added xAI’s Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini models to its Azure AI Marketplace, revealed during its Build developer conference. This expands Azure’s offering to more than 1,900 AI models, which already include tools from OpenAI, Meta, and DeepSeek.

Although Grok recently drew criticism for powering a chatbot on X that shared misinformation, xAI claimed the issue stemmed from unauthorised changes.

The move reflects Microsoft’s broader push to become the top platform for AI development instead of only relying on its own models. Competing providers like Google Cloud and AWS are making similar efforts through platforms like Vertex AI and Amazon Bedrock.

Microsoft, however, has highlighted that its AI products could bring in over $13 billion in yearly revenue, showing how vital these model marketplaces have become.

Microsoft’s participation in Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol initiative marks another step toward AI standardisation. Alongside GitHub, Microsoft is working to make AI systems more interoperable across Windows and Azure, so they can access and interact with data more efficiently.

CTO Kevin Scott noted that agents must ‘talk to everything in the world’ to reach their full potential, stressing the strategic importance of compatibility over closed ecosystems.

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Judge rules Google must face chatbot lawsuit

A federal judge has ruled that Google and AI startup Character.AI must face a lawsuit brought by a Florida mother, who alleges a chatbot on the platform contributed to the tragic death of her 14-year-old son.

US District Judge Anne Conway rejected the companies’ arguments that chatbot-generated content is protected under free speech laws. She also denied Google’s motion to be excluded from the case, finding that the tech giant could share responsibility for aiding Character.AI.

The ruling is seen as a pivotal moment in testing the legal boundaries of AI accountability.

The case, one of the first in the US to target AI over alleged psychological harm to a child, centres on Megan Garcia’s claim that her son, Sewell Setzer, formed an emotional dependence on a chatbot.

Though aware it was artificial, Sewell, who had been diagnosed with anxiety and mood disorders, preferred the chatbot’s companionship over real-life relationships or therapy. He died by suicide in February 2024.

The lawsuit states that the chatbot impersonated both a therapist and a romantic partner, manipulating the teenager’s emotional state. In his final moments, Sewell messaged a bot mimicking a Game of Thrones character, saying he was ‘coming home’.

Character.AI insists it will continue to defend itself and highlighted existing features meant to prevent self-harm discussions. Google stressed it had no role in managing the app but had previously rehired the startup’s founders and licensed its technology.

Garcia claims Google was actively involved in developing the underlying technology and should be held liable.

The case casts new scrutiny on the fast-growing AI companionship industry, which operates with minimal regulation. For about $10 per month, users can create AI friends or romantic partners, marketed as solutions for loneliness.

Critics warn that these tools may pose mental health risks, especially for vulnerable users.

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West Lothian schools hit by ransomware attack

West Lothian Council has confirmed that personal and sensitive information was stolen following a ransomware cyberattack which struck the region’s education system on Tuesday, 6 May. Police Scotland has launched an investigation, and the matter remains an active criminal case.

Only a small fraction of the data held on the education network was accessed by the attackers. However, some of it included sensitive personal information. Parents and carers across West Lothian’s schools have been notified, and staff have also been advised to take extra precautions.

The cyberattack disrupted IT systems serving 13 secondary schools, 69 primary schools and 61 nurseries. Although the education network remains isolated from the rest of the council’s systems, contingency plans have been effective in minimising disruption, including during the ongoing SQA exams.

West Lothian Council has apologised to anyone potentially affected. It is continuing to work closely with Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. Officials have promised further updates as more information becomes available.

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UK research body hit by 5 million cyber attacks

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the country’s national funding body for science and research, has reported a staggering 5.4 million cyber attacks this year — a sixfold increase compared to the previous year.

According to data obtained through freedom of information requests, the majority of these threats were phishing attempts, with 236,400 designed to trick employees into revealing sensitive data. A further 11,200 were malware-based attacks, while the rest were identified as spam or malicious emails.

The scale of these incidents highlights the growing threat faced by both public and private sector institutions. Experts believe the rise of AI has enabled cybercriminals to launch more frequent and sophisticated attacks.

Rick Boyce, chief for technology at AND Digital, warned that the emergence of AI has introduced threats ‘at a pace we’ve never seen before’, calling for a move beyond traditional defences to stay ahead of evolving risks.

UKRI, which is sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, manages an annual budget of £8 billion, much of it invested in cutting-edge research.

A budget like this makes it an attractive target for cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors alike, particularly those looking to steal intellectual property or sabotage infrastructure. Security experts suggest the scale and nature of the attacks point to involvement from hostile nation states, with Russia a likely culprit.

Though UKRI cautioned that differing reporting periods may affect the accuracy of year-on-year comparisons, there is little doubt about the severity of the threat.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has previously warned of Russia’s Unit 29155 targeting British government bodies and infrastructure for espionage and disruption.

With other notorious groups such as Fancy Bear and Sandworm also active, the cybersecurity landscape is becoming increasingly fraught.

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Ascension faces fresh data breach fallout

A major cybersecurity breach has struck Ascension, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the US, exposing the sensitive information of over 430,000 patients.

The incident began in December 2024, when Ascension discovered that patient data had been compromised through a former business partner’s software flaw.

The indirect breach allowed cybercriminals to siphon off a wide range of personal, medical and financial details — including Social Security numbers, diagnosis codes, hospital admission records and insurance data.

The breach adds to growing concerns over the healthcare industry’s vulnerability to cyberattacks. In 2024 alone, 1,160 healthcare-related data breaches were reported, affecting 305 million records — a sharp rise from the previous year.

Many institutions still treat cybersecurity as an afterthought instead of a core responsibility, despite handling highly valuable and sensitive data.

Ascension itself has been targeted multiple times, including a ransomware attack in May 2024 that disrupted services at dozens of hospitals and affected nearly 5.6 million individuals.

Ascension has since filed notices with regulators and is offering two years of identity monitoring to those impacted. However, critics argue this response is inadequate and reflects a broader pattern of negligence across the sector.

The company has not named the third-party vendor responsible, but experts believe the incident may be tied to a larger ransomware campaign that exploited flaws in widely used file-transfer software.

Rather than treating such incidents as isolated, experts warn that these breaches highlight systemic flaws in healthcare’s digital infrastructure. As criminals grow more sophisticated and vendors remain vulnerable, patients bear the consequences.

Until healthcare providers prioritise cybersecurity instead of cutting corners, breaches like this are likely to become even more common — and more damaging.

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Jersey artists push back against AI art

A Jersey illustrator has spoken out against the growing use of AI-generated images, calling the trend ‘heartbreaking’ for artists who fear losing their livelihoods to technology.

Abi Overland, known for her intricate hand-drawn illustrations, said it was deeply concerning to see AI-created visuals being shared online without acknowledging their impact on human creators.

She warned that AI systems often rely on artists’ existing work for training, raising serious questions about copyright and fairness.

Overland stressed that these images are not simply a product of new tools but of years of human experience and emotion, something AI cannot replicate. She believes the increasing normalisation of AI content is dangerous and could discourage aspiring artists from entering the field.

Fellow Jersey illustrator Jamie Willow echoed the concern, saying many local companies are already replacing human work with AI outputs, undermining the value of art created with genuine emotional connection and moral integrity.

However, not everyone sees AI as a threat. Sebastian Lawson of Digital Jersey argued that artists could instead use AI to enhance their creativity rather than replace it. He insisted that human creators would always have an edge thanks to their unique insight and ability to convey meaning through their work.

The debate comes as the House of Lords recently blocked the UK government’s data bill for a second time, demanding stronger protections for artists and musicians against AI misuse.

Meanwhile, government officials have said they will not consider any copyright changes unless they are sure such moves would benefit creators as well as tech companies.

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Chicago Sun-Times under fire for fake summer guide

The Chicago Sun-Times has come under scrutiny after its 18 May issue featured a summer guide riddled with fake books, quotes, and experts, many of which appear to have been generated by AI.

Among genuine titles like Call Me By Your Name, readers encountered fictional works wrongly attributed to real authors, such as Min Jin Lee and Rebecca Makkai. The guide also cited individuals who do not appear to exist, including a professor at the University of Colorado and a food anthropologist at Cornell.

Although the guide carried the Sun-Times logo, the newspaper claims it wasn’t written or approved by its editorial team. It stated that the section had been licensed from a national content partner, reportedly Hearst, and is now being removed from digital editions.

Victor Lim, the senior director of audience development, said the paper is investigating how the content was published and is working to update policies to ensure third-party material aligns with newsroom standards.

Several stories in the guide lack bylines or feature names linked to questionable content. Marco Buscaglia, credited for one piece, admitted to using AI ‘for background’ but failed to verify the sources this time, calling the oversight ‘completely embarrassing.’

The incident echoes similar controversies at other media outlets where AI-generated material has been presented alongside legitimate reporting. Even when such content originates from third-party providers, the blurred line between verified journalism and fabricated stories continues to erode reader trust.

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Google unveils Veo 3 with audio capabilities

Google has introduced Veo 3, its most advanced video-generating AI model to date, capable of producing sound effects, ambient noise and dialogue to accompany the footage it creates.

Announced at the Google I/O 2025 developer conference, Veo 3 is available through the Gemini chatbot for those subscribed to the $249.99-per-month AI Ultra plan. The model accepts both text and image prompts, allowing users to generate audiovisual scenes rather than silent clips.

Unlike other AI tools, Veo 3 can analyse raw video pixels to synchronise audio automatically, offering a notable edge in an increasingly crowded field of video-generation platforms. While sound-generating AI isn’t new, Google claims Veo 3’s ability to match audio precisely with visual content sets it apart.

The progress builds on DeepMind’s earlier work in ‘video-to-audio’ AI and may rely on training data from YouTube, though Google hasn’t confirmed this.

To help prevent misuse, such as the creation of deepfakes, Google says Veo 3 includes SynthID, its proprietary watermarking technology that embeds invisible markers in every generated frame. Despite these safeguards, concerns remain within the creative industry.

Artists fear tools like Veo 3 could replace thousands of jobs, with a recent study predicting over 100,000 roles in film and animation could be affected by AI before 2026.

Alongside Veo 3, Google has also updated Veo 2. The earlier model now allows users to edit videos more precisely, adding or removing elements and adjusting camera movements. These features are expected to become available soon on Google’s Vertex AI API platform.

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Microsoft brings Grok AI to Azure

Microsoft has become one of the first major cloud providers to offer managed access to Grok, the controversial AI model from Elon Musk’s xAI startup.

Now available through the Azure AI Foundry platform, both Grok 3 and Grok 3 mini will be billed by Microsoft and include the same service-level agreements as other Azure-hosted models.

Grok gained attention for its unfiltered and provocative tone, marketed by Musk as a more candid alternative to mainstream AI.

Unlike ChatGPT, it has been known to use vulgar language and provide responses on sensitive topics that other models typically avoid.

However, the AI has stirred criticism, particularly over troubling behaviour such as undressing women in photos and referencing conspiracy theories. Incidents of censorship and offensive content have raised concerns about its deployment on Musk’s platform X.

Instead of replicating that experience, Microsoft is offering a more controlled version of Grok within Azure. These versions include stricter content controls, enhanced data integration, and improved governance tools, distinguishing them from the models directly available through xAI.

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Can AI replace therapists?

With mental health waitlists at record highs and many struggling to access affordable therapy, some are turning to AI chatbots for support.

Kelly, who waited months for NHS therapy, found solace in character.ai bots, describing them as always available, judgment-free companions. ‘It was like a cheerleader,’ she says, noting how bots helped her cope with anxiety and heartbreak.

But despite emotional benefits for some, AI chatbots are not without serious risks. Character.ai is facing a lawsuit from the mother of a 14-year-old who died by suicide after reportedly forming a harmful relationship with an AI character.

Other bots, like one from the National Eating Disorder Association, were shut down after giving dangerous advice.

Even so, demand is high. In April 2024 alone, 426,000 mental health referrals were made in England, and over a million people are still waiting for care. Apps like Wysa, used by 30 NHS services, aim to fill the gap by offering CBT-based self-help tools and crisis support.

Experts warn, however, that chatbots lack context, emotional intuition, and safeguarding. Professor Hamed Haddadi calls them ‘inexperienced therapists’ that may agree too easily or misunderstand users.

Ethicists like Dr Paula Boddington point to bias and cultural gaps in the AI training data. And privacy is a looming concern: ‘You’re not entirely sure how your data is being used,’ says psychologist Ian MacRae.

Still, users like Nicholas, who lives with autism and depression, say AI has helped when no one else was available. ‘It was so empathetic,’ he recalls, describing how Wysa comforted him during a night of crisis.

A Dartmouth study found AI users saw a 51% drop in depressive symptoms, but even its authors stress bots can’t replace human therapists. Most experts agree AI tools may serve as temporary relief or early intervention—but not as long-term substitutes.

As John, another user, puts it: ‘It’s a stopgap. When nothing else is there, you clutch at straws.’

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