Science and Tech

Threads and Instagram users will no longer be able to opt out of being shown political content from people they do not follow, parent company Meta has announced. The head of the platforms Adam Mosseri said it followed Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s reorienting the company towards “free expression” – a move that saw it ditch fact checkers on Tuesday. Mr …

Getty Images Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who is now the co-chair of Meta’s oversight board, is the former Prime Minister of Denmark. The co-chair of the independent body that reviews Facebook and Instagram content has said she is “very concerned” about how parent company Meta’s decision to ditch fact-checkers will affect minority groups. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, from Meta’s oversight board, told the BBC …

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman’s sister, Ann Altman, has filed a lawsuit alleging that he regularly sexually abused her between 1997 and 2006. The lawsuit, which was filed on 6 January in a US District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, alleges that the abuse started when she was three and Mr Altman was 12. In a joint statement …

Tech Life is at CES in Las Vegas, one of the world’s biggest consumer tech shows.

Getty Images Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style “community notes” where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users. In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said third-party moderators were “too politically biased” and it was “time to …

Getty Images Apple Intelligence – the company’s suite of AI tools – has been front and centre of its latest iPhones Apple is facing a fresh call to withdraw its controversial artificial intelligence (AI) feature that has generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones. The product is meant to summarise breaking news notifications but has in some instances invented …

The US has added several Chinese technology companies, including gaming and social media giant Tencent and battery maker CATL, to a list of businesses it says work with China’s military. The list serves as a warning to American companies and organisations about the risks of doing business with Chinese entities. While inclusion does not mean an immediate ban, it can …

The boss of US computer chip giant Nvidia has unveiled the firm’s next-generation of gaming chips, known as the RTX 50-series. The announcement was part of Jensen Huang’s keynote address at CES, an annual technology show in Las Vegas. The new family of chips will use Nvidia’s Blackwell artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create movie-quality images, he told a packed …

Meta has announced the appointment of three new board members including the chief executive of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and close Donald Trump ally, Dana White. It comes as Meta’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, appears to be making efforts to mend ties with Trump, ahead of the US president-elect’s inauguration this month. Days ago former UK deputy prime minister …

Getty Images Luke Littler does not play in the PDC World Championship final until Friday evening A news summary from Apple falsely claimed darts player Luke Littler won the PDC World Championship – before he has even played in the final. The incorrect summary was written by artificial intelligence (AI) and is based on a BBC story about Littler winning …