Author: BBC

Zoe KleinmanTechnology editorAFP via Getty ImagesLarge numbers of vast data centres continue to be build around the worldOne day the mighty data centre could be toppled into obsolescence by the humble smartphone, said Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas on a recent podcast.Speaking to host Prakhar Gupta, the AI chief argued that people will eventually use powerful, personalised AI tools that will be able to run on the hardware already inside their devices.This will be instead of the AI relying on transmitting data to and from enormous data centres, and using remote computers to function, as is generally the case now.Apple’s AI…

Fergus WalshMedical editorBBCOscar Murphy has now finished his CAR-T therapy and is hopeful for his futureThe first leukaemia patient to receive a breakthrough treatment since it was made available on the NHS has said it was “fantastic” and “very sci-fi”.Oscar Murphy, 28, who has an aggressive form of the blood cancer, was given the “living drug”, called CAR-T therapy, at Manchester Royal Infirmary.BBC News was present on 2 January when Oscar received the first of two infusions of his own immune cells, which had been genetically modified to recognise and target his cancer.NHS England has agreed to fund the immunotherapy…

The government has dropped plans requiring workers to sign up to its digital ID scheme in order to prove their right to work in the UK. By 2029, right to work checks will be done digitally – for example by using biometric passports – but registering with the new digital ID programme will be optional.This marks a shift from last year when the government first announced the policy and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told an audience: “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It’s as simple as that.”Conservative…

Laura CressTechnology reporterBBCThe UK will bring into force a law which will make it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images, following widespread concerns over Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot.Speaking to Labour MPs on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer warned X could lose the “right to self regulate”. “If X cannot control Grok, we will,” he said, adding the government would act quickly in response to the issue. The government also plans to unveil legislation to make it illegal to supply online tools used to create such images.The BBC has approached X for comment. It previously said: “Anyone using or prompting Grok…

Joanna MorrisBBC Shared Data UnitGetty ImagesThe number of children in drug and alcohol treatment has been rising since the coronavirus pandemicThree women whose teenage sons died after becoming addicted to drugs have told the BBC the system failed their children.Anita Morris, Nicola Howarth and Kate Roux spoke to the BBC as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the failings of drug treatment for young people.It found significant disparities in community care and a lack of state-funded residential facilities for under-18s.Analysis shows more than half of the 16,000 children in drug and alcohol treatment in the past year were 15 or…

Jasmine Ketibuah-FoleyandAlastair McKee,West of EnglandBBCAnton Hammer said his warm home has meant fewer visits to his GPA charity has been shortlisted for an award after helping vulnerable households keep warm during the winter months. Gloucestershire charity Severn Wye started its Warm Homes Prescription pilot in 2022. Patients with respiratory, coronary, or complex health conditions, on low incomes, are given grants to help with their energy bills, using government funding.The charity said the aim of the project is to help prevent the need for hospital care.Anton Hammer, 72, who suffers from Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease said he was constantly visiting his…

Osmond Chia,Business reporterandSilvano Hajid,BBC IndonesiaGetty ImagesGrok, a tool on Musk’s X platform, allows users to generate imagesMalaysia and Indonesia have blocked access to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok over its ability to produce sexually explicit deepfakes.Grok, a tool on Musk’s X platform, allows users to generate images but has recently been used to edit images of real people to show them in revealing outfits.The South East Asian countries said Grok could be used to produce pornographic and non-consensual images involving women and children. They are the first in the world to ban the AI tool.There is also growing…

Nick TriggleHealth correspondentBBCAs ambulances queued in front of Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading last week, corridors full of patients were waiting for a bed on a ward. Emergency department consultant Omar Nafousi was at his wit’s end.”We’ve no space,” he told the BBC last week. “This is not what I signed up for when I became a doctor.”It is a scene that is being repeated in hospitals up and down the country as winter viruses and cold weather add to the pressures on the health service. Currently nearly 4,000 beds in England alone are taken up by patients with flu,…

Richard Bilton,BBC PanoramaandBen Milne,BBC NewsGetty ImagesVets have told BBC Panorama they feel under increasing pressure to make money for the big companies that employ them – and worry about the costly financial impact on pet owners.Prices charged by UK vets rose by 63% between 2016 and 2023, and the government’s competition regulator has questioned whether the pet-care market – as it stands – is giving customers value for money. One anonymous vet, who works for the UK’s largest vet care provider, IVC Evidensia, said that the company has introduced a new monitoring system that could encourage vets to offer pet…

Rianna CroxfordInvestigations correspondent BBCVictoria Woodall has taken Google to an employment tribunalA senior Google employee has claimed she was made redundant after reporting a manager who told clients stories about his swinger lifestyle and showed a nude of his wife.Victoria Woodall told an employment tribunal she was subjected to a campaign of retaliation by the company after whistleblowing on the man who was later sacked.Google UK’s internal investigation found the manager had touched two female colleagues without their consent, and his behaviour amounted to sexual harassment, documents seen by the BBC in court show.The tech giant denies retaliating against Woodall…