The US Social Security Administration is launching digital access to Social Security numbers in the summer of 2025 through its ‘My Social Security’ portal. The initiative aims to improve convenience, reduce physical card replacement delays, and protect against identity theft.
The digital rollout responds to the challenges of outdated paper cards, rising fraud risks, and growing demand for remote access to US government services. Cybersecurity experts also recommend using VPNs, antivirus software, and identity monitoring services to guard against phishing scams and data breaches.
While it promises faster and more secure access, experts urge users to bolster account protection through strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and avoidance of public Wi-Fi when accessing sensitive data.
Users should regularly check their credit reports and SSA records and consider requesting an IRS PIN to prevent tax-related fraud. The SSA says this move will make Social Security more efficient without compromising safety.
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Oxford University physicists have achieved a world-first in quantum computing by setting a new record for single-qubit operation accuracy.
Using a trapped calcium ion as the qubit, the researchers controlled its state using electronic microwave signals instead of lasers.
Their experiment produced an error rate of just 0.000015 percent, or one mistake in 6.7 million operations, nearly ten times better than the previous benchmark set by the same team. The breakthrough brings quantum computers a step closer to becoming viable tools.
This more stable and cost-effective approach was conducted at room temperature and without magnetic shielding, simplifying future hardware requirements.
The precision reduces the number of qubits needed for error correction, making future quantum machines potentially smaller and faster.
Despite the milestone, the researchers emphasised the need to improve two-qubit gate fidelity, where error rates remain significantly higher.
The project is part of the UK Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub, with wider support from the National Quantum Technologies Programme.
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Paul Atkins, a US Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner, has publicly backed the right to self-custody digital assets. Describing it as a core value, Atkins stressed that individual control over one’s money aligns with foundational principles of freedom and property rights.
Self-custody allows crypto holders to store their private keys independently, without relying on exchanges or custodians. The practice gained traction after centralised platforms such as FTX collapsed in 2022, causing billions in losses.
Tools like Ledger, Trezor, and MetaMask have made it easier for everyday users to manage their keys securely.
Support for self-custody is growing among regulators and the wider crypto community. With more than 30 million Americans now owning cryptocurrency, Atkins’ endorsement reflects a broader trend towards individual responsibility and decentralised finance.
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OpenAI has revealed that its annualised revenue has surged to $10 billion as of June 2025, nearly doubling since December 2024, when it stood at $5.5 billion.
The rapid growth is driven by the widespread adoption of its ChatGPT AI models across consumer and business markets, putting the company on course to meet its earlier goal of $12.7 billion in revenue for the whole year.
The $10 billion figure excludes licensing income from Microsoft, a major investor, and some large one-off contracts, according to an OpenAI spokesperson. Despite recording a loss of about $5 billion last year, OpenAI’s impressive revenue scale places it well ahead of many rivals benefiting from the AI boom.
Other players in the AI space are also seeing strong growth. For instance, Anthropic recently surpassed $3 billion in annualised revenue, driven by startup demand using its code-generation models. Meanwhile, OpenAI plans to raise up to $40 billion in new funding, valuing the company at $300 billion.
Since launching ChatGPT over two years ago, OpenAI has expanded its offerings with various subscription plans and services. The company reported 500 million weekly active users as of March 2025, underscoring its dominant position in the AI market.
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s leading contract chipmaker, reported a significant 39.6% year-over-year surge in May revenue, reaching NT$320.52 billion ($10.70 billion).
This robust growth is primarily attributed to sustained high demand for its AI chips. The company, a key supplier to tech giants like Apple and Nvidia, has seen its US-listed shares rise over 2% in premarket trading, extending their 5% gain so far this year.
Despite May’s revenue being down 8% from April’s figure, the chipmaker’s January-to-May revenue climbed nearly 43% compared to the same period last year, reaching NT$1.51 trillion.
This strong performance underpins TSMC’s ambitious expansion plans, including a previously announced intent to invest $100 billion in U.S.-based chip-manufacturing facilities.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei reiterated the company’s full-year 2025 revenue projection in April, anticipating an increase of ‘close to mid-20s percent in US dollar terms.’
The continued strong demand for AI chips is expected to be a major driver in achieving these financial targets, solidifying TSMC’s critical role in the global technology landscape.
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Dogecoin has seen a sharp decline of over 10% in the past week, falling to $0.179. The drop coincides with heightened uncertainty linked to Elon Musk and Donald Trump, which appears to have dampened investor sentiment.
Despite the setback, Dogecoin remains the eighth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation at $26.88 billion and commands a dominance of 0.8299%.
Technical analysis shows widening Bollinger Bands on the 4-hour chart, indicating increased volatility. The price touched the lower band near $0.17 before making a mild recovery towards the midline.
Meanwhile, trading volume surged to $1.63 billion, suggesting a large-scale sell-off. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) fell into an oversold zone but is now showing signs of recovery at 39.75, hinting at a potential reversal.
If bullish momentum continues, Dogecoin could test the resistance level at $0.183, with possible targets at $0.200 and $0.217. However, failure to break through could send the price down to the key support level of $0.165 in the coming weeks.
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TikTok has announced plans to expand its UK operations significantly, adding over 500 new jobs and investing in a significant new office in London.
Despite ongoing scrutiny from Western governments over data security and alleged ties to the Chinese state, TikTok insists it invests heavily in trust and safety.
The company already employs 2,500 people in the country and will bring its UK workforce to 3,000 by the end of 2025.
The announcement coincides with London Tech Week, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed major global tech firms to showcase innovation and economic commitment.
TikTok’s UK director, Adam Presser, described the country as the platform’s largest user community in Europe, with over 30 million monthly users.
He emphasised that the company’s growth strategy includes commitments to digital safety and economic support for local creators and entrepreneurs.
Company leaders have reiterated that they aim to create a secure space while supporting the broader economy through innovation and job creation.
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Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Platforms CEO, is reportedly building a new team dedicated to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), aiming for machines that can match or exceed human intellect.
The initiative is linked to an investment exceeding $10 billion in Scale AI, whose founder, Alexandr Wang, is expected to join the AGI group. Meta has not yet commented on these reports.
Zuckerberg’s personal involvement in recruiting around 50 experts, including a new head of AI research, is partly driven by dissatisfaction with Meta’s recent large language model, Llama 4. Last month, Meta even delayed the release of its flagship ‘Behemoth’ AI model due to internal concerns about its performance.
The move signals an intensifying race in the AI sector, as rivals like OpenAI are also making strategic adjustments to attract further investment in their pursuit of AGI. This highlights a clear push by major tech players towards developing more advanced and capable AI systems.
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The temporary outage of ChatGPT this morning left thousands of users struggling with their daily tasks, highlighting a growing reliance on AI.
Social media was flooded with humorous yet telling posts from users expressing their inability to perform even basic functions without AI. This incident has reignited concerns about society’s increasing dependence on closed-source AI tools for work and everyday life.
OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is currently investigating the technical issues that led to ‘elevated error rates and latency.’ The widespread disruption underscores a broader debate about AI’s impact on critical thinking and productivity.
While some research suggests AI chatbots can enhance efficiency, others, like Paul Armstrong, argue that frequent reliance on generative tools may diminish critical thinking skills and understanding.
The discussion around AI’s role in the workplace was a key theme at the recent SXSW London event. Despite concerns about job displacement, exemplified by redundancies at Canva, firms like Lloyd’s Market Association are increasingly adopting AI, with 40% of London market companies now using it.
Industry leaders maintain that AI aims to rethink workflows and empower human creativity, with a ‘human layer’ remaining essential for refining and adding nuanced value.
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Apple has unveiled a range of AI features at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, focusing on tighter privacy, enhanced user tools and broader integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. These updates will appear across iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 and visionOS 26, set to launch in autumn.
While Apple Intelligence was first teased last year, the company now allows third-party developers to access its on-device AI models for the first time.
CEO Tim Cook and software chief Craig Federighi outlined how these features are intended to offer more personalised, efficient apps. Users of newer iPhones will benefit from tools such as live translation in Messages and FaceTime, and AI-powered image analysis via Visual Intelligence.
Apple also enables users to blend emojis creatively and use ChatGPT through its Image Playground to stylise photos. Enhancements to the Wallet app will help summarise order tracking from emails, and AI-generated voices will offer fitness updates.
Despite these innovations, Apple’s redesign of Siri remains incomplete and is not expected to launch soon.
The event failed to deliver major surprises, as many details had already been leaked. Investors responded cautiously, sending Apple shares down by 1.2%. The firm has lost 20% of its value in the year and no longer holds the top spot as the world’s most valuable company.
Nonetheless, Apple is expected to reveal more AI advancements in 2026.
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