China's SpaceSail Pushes Into The Satellite Internet Race
State-backed SpaceSail says it is ready for its first commercial service and is in talks with dozens of countries to challenge Elon Musk's Starlink.
Rajan Mehta 4 min read
Technology
Technology coverage here keeps one eye on the frontier and one on the state's response. Chinese advances lead the frontier: SpaceSail pushing into satellite internet and a supercomputer topping the global speed ranking for the first time since 2017. The governance thread runs from police facial recognition expanding faster than the law to the Palantir row over what the NHS is for, ministers pledging an AI-driven NHS overhaul, the AI chatbot loophole in online safety law, and Britain switching on the Borealis system to guard its satellites.
Chinese Supercomputer Tops Global Speed Ranking for First Time Since 2017
The milestone displaces US machines at the top of the list and sharpens attention on the high-performance computing race between the major powers.
Rajan Mehta 3 min read
Swipe right, with a script: AI chatbots are becoming dating coaches
From crafting opening lines to decoding ambiguous replies, dating-app users are increasingly turning to AI for help, raising questions about authenticity in modern romance.
Rajan Mehta 5 min read
Asian shares mixed after technology-led sell-off
Regional markets wavered as semiconductor stocks, currency expectations and Wall Street sentiment reshaped trading.
Rajan Mehta 3 min read
Police facial recognition expands rapidly as watchdogs warn law is lagging behind
Forces have scanned millions of faces this year and ministers plan a national rollout, but biometrics regulators caution that the legal framework is struggling to keep pace with the technology.
Eleanor Whitfield 7 min read
Opinion: A social media ban for under-16s is the easy part. Enforcing it honestly is the test
Banning under-16s from TikTok, Instagram and YouTube answers a real public anxiety, but a law the government cannot enforce risks becoming a comforting fiction that lets the platforms off the hook.
Sophie Bennett 7 min read
Ministers pledge AI-driven NHS overhaul, insisting service must 'transform its way out' of crisis
The Health and Social Care Secretary has set out plans to accelerate the digitisation of the NHS, telling the ConfedExpo conference that the service cannot manage its way out of pressure but must reform through technology.
Eleanor Whitfield 7 min read
Opinion: The Palantir row is really a question about what the NHS is for
MPs want ministers to walk away from a £330m contract over the firm's 'values'. The instinct is understandable, but ditching a working system on principle alone would be a serious mistake unless we are honest about what replaces it.
Sophie Bennett 7 min read
Ministers move to close the AI chatbot loophole in online safety law
The government is fast-tracking reforms to bring standalone AI chatbots within the scope of online safety rules, after an Ofcom investigation exposed a gap that left some tools outside the law entirely.
Eleanor Whitfield 7 min read
Britain switches on 'Borealis' space defence system to guard its satellites
The UK has unveiled a new system to track satellites, debris and potentially hostile objects in orbit, alongside the first images from a powerful military telescope, as ministers warn space is becoming a contested frontier.
Eleanor Whitfield 7 min read
Councils to get AI planning tools as government chases 1.5 million homes
Ministers are rolling out artificial intelligence tools to local planning departments in a bid to halve decision times, part of a wider package of reforms designed to accelerate housebuilding across England.
Eleanor Whitfield 7 min read
Bytes Technology shares plunge 27% after profit warning
The IT reseller blamed delayed corporate spending and changes to Microsoft's enterprise programme as it cautioned that first-half profit would fall short.
Rajan Mehta 6 min read