The UK government has appointed two senior industry figures as AI Champions to support safe and effective adoption of AI across financial services, as part of a broader push to boost growth and productivity.
Harriet Rees of Starling Bank and Dr Rohit Dhawan of Lloyds Banking Group will work with firms and regulators to help turn rapid AI uptake into practical delivery. Both will report directly to Lucy Rigby, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
AI is already widely deployed across the sector, with around three-quarters of UK financial firms using the technology. Analysis indicates AI could add tens of billions of pounds to financial services by 2030, while improving customer services and reducing costs.
The Champions will focus on accelerating trusted adoption, speeding up innovation, and removing barriers to scale. Their remit includes protecting consumers, supporting financial stability, and strengthening the UK’s role as a global economic and technology hub.
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The European Commission has signalled readiness to escalate action against Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok, following concerns over the spread of non-consensual sexualised images on the social media platform X.
The EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen told Members of the European Parliament that existing digital rules allow regulators to respond to risks linked to AI-driven nudification tools.
Grok has been associated with the circulation of digitally altered images depicting real people, including women and children, without consent. Virkkunen described such practices as unacceptable and stressed that protecting minors online remains a central priority for the EU enforcement under the Digital Services Act.
While no formal investigation has yet been launched, the Commission is examining whether X may breach the DSA and has already ordered the platform to retain internal information related to Grok until the end of 2026.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also publicly condemned the creation of sexualised AI images without consent.
The controversy has intensified calls from EU lawmakers to strengthen regulation, with several urging an explicit ban on AI-powered nudification under the forthcoming AI Act.
A debate that reflects wider international pressure on governments to address the misuse of generative AI technologies and reinforce safeguards across digital platforms.
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Seoul and Rome have announced plans to deepen cooperation in high-technology sectors, notably AI, semiconductor development and space technology, as part of a broader strategic partnership.
The agreement reflects shared interests in advancing cutting-edge technology and innovation, reinforcing economic and scientific collaboration between South Korea and Italy.
Both countries see these areas as central to future economic competitiveness and technological leadership on the global stage.
While details of specific programmes were not yet disclosed publicly, officials emphasised the mutual benefits of enhanced research partnerships, talent exchange and joint development initiatives that span emerging technologies and advanced industrial sectors.
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India’s first AI-generated travel influencer, Radhika Subramaniam, has begun attracting sustained audience engagement since her launch in mid-2025, signalling growing acceptance of virtual creators in travel content.
Developed by Collective Artists Network, a talent management company based in India, Radhika initially drew attention through curiosity, but followers increasingly interacted with her posts in ways similar to those of human influencers, according to the company’s leadership.
Industry observers say AI travel influencers offer brands greater efficiency, lower production costs, and more control over storytelling, as virtual creators can be deployed without logistical constraints.
Some creators remain sceptical about whether artificial personas can replicate the emotional authenticity and sensory experiences that shape real-world travel storytelling.
Marketing specialists expect AI and human influencers to coexist, with virtual avatars serving as consistent brand voices while human creators retain value through spontaneity, trust, and personal perspective.
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UK regulators and the Treasury face MP criticism over their approach to AI, amid warnings of risks to consumers and financial stability. A new Treasury Select Committee report says authorities have been overly cautious as AI use rapidly expands across financial services.
More than 75% of UK financial firms are already using AI, according to evidence reviewed by the committee, with insurers and international banks leading uptake.
Applications range from automating back-office tasks to core functions such as credit assessments and insurance claims, increasing AI’s systemic importance within the sector.
MPs acknowledge AI’s benefits but warn that readiness for large-scale failures remains insufficient. The committee urges the Bank of England and the FCA to introduce AI-specific stress tests to gauge resilience to AI-driven market shocks.
Further recommendations include more explicit regulatory guidance on AI accountability and faster use of the Critical Third Parties Regime. No AI or cloud providers have been designated as critical, prompting calls for stronger oversight to limit operational and systemic risk.
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Apple has issued a renewed warning to iPhone users, urging them to install the latest version of iOS to avoid exposure to emerging spyware threats targeting older versions.
Devices running iOS 26 are no longer fully protected by remaining on version 18, even after updating to the latest patch. Apple has indicated that recent attacks exploit vulnerabilities that only the newest operating system can address.
Security agencies in France and the United States recommend regularly powering down smartphones to disrupt certain forms of non-persistent spyware that operate in memory.
A complete shutdown using physical buttons, rather than on-screen controls, is advised as part of a basic security routine, particularly for users who delay major software upgrades.
While restarting alone cannot replace software updates, experts stress that keeping iOS up to date remains the most effective defence against zero-click exploits delivered through everyday apps such as iMessage.
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OpenAI’s annualised revenue has surpassed $20 billion in 2025, up from $6 billion a year earlier. The company’s computing capacity and user numbers have also continued to grow.
The company recently confirmed it will begin showing advertisements in ChatGPT to some users in the United States. The move is part of a broader effort to generate additional revenue to cover the high costs of developing and running advanced AI systems.
OpenAI’s platform now spans text, images, voice, code, and application programming interfaces. CFO Sarah Friar said the next phase of development will focus on agents and workflow automation that can operate continuously, retain context over time, and take action across multiple tools.
Looking ahead to 2026, the company plans to prioritise what it calls ‘practical adoption’, with a particular emphasis on health, science, and enterprise use cases. The aim is to move beyond experimentation and embed AI more deeply into real-world applications.
Friar also said OpenAI intends to maintain a ‘light’ balance sheet by partnering with external providers rather than owning infrastructure outright. Contracts will remain flexible across hardware types and suppliers as the company continues to scale its operations.
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A new ‘Answer Now’ button has been added to Gemini, allowing users to skip extended reasoning and receive instant replies. The feature appears alongside the spinning status indicator in Gemini 3 Pro and Thinking/Flash, but is not available in the Fast model.
When selected, the button confirms that Gemini is ‘skipping in-depth thinking’ before delivering a quicker response. Google says the tool is designed for general questions where speed is prioritised over detailed analysis.
The update coincides with changes to usage limits across subscription plans. AI Pro users now receive 300 Thinking prompts and 100 Pro prompts per day, while AI Ultra users get 1,500 Thinking prompts and 500 Pro prompts daily.
Free users also gain access to the revised limits, listed as ‘Basic access’ for both the Thinking and Pro models. Google has not indicated whether the Fast model will receive the Answer Now feature.
The rollout follows the recent launch of Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature, which allows the chatbot to draw on Google services such as Gmail and Search history. Google says Answer Now will replace the existing Skip button and is now available on Android, iOS, and the web.
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Exiger has launched a free online tool designed to help organisations identify links to forced labour in global supply chains. The platform, called forcedlabor.ai, was unveiled during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The tool allows users to search suppliers and companies to assess potential exposure to state-sponsored forced labour, with an initial focus on risks linked to China. Exiger says the database draws on billions of records and is powered by proprietary AI to support compliance and ethical sourcing.
US lawmakers and human rights groups have welcomed the initiative, arguing that companies face growing legal and reputational risks if their supply chains rely on forced labour. The platform highlights risks linked to US import restrictions and enforcement actions.
Exiger says making the data freely available aims to level the playing field for smaller firms with limited compliance budgets. The company argues that greater transparency can help reduce modern slavery across industries, from retail to agriculture.
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South Korea has narrowed its race to develop a sovereign AI model, eliminating Naver and NCSoft from the government-backed competition. LG AI Research, SK Telecom, and Upstage now advance toward final selection by 2027.
The Ministry of Science and ICT emphasised that independent AI must be trained from scratch with initialised weights. Models reusing pre-trained results, even open source, do not meet this standard.
A wild-card round allows previously eliminated teams to re-enter the competition. Despite this option, major companies have declined, citing unclear benefits and high resource demands.
Industry observers warn that reduced participation could slow momentum for South Korea’s AI ambitions. The outcome is expected to shape the country’s approach to homegrown AI and technological independence.
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