Liverpool is crypto capital of UK, survey finds
The city’s most famous sons may have sung that money can’t buy you love, but that was before bitcoin existed.Liverpool has emerged as the crypto capital of the UK, according to a study looking at the online habits of people across the country.The survey, conducted by telecommunications company Openreach, found that 13% of respondents from Liverpool regularly invest in cryptocurrency and check stocks, more than anywhere else in Britain.Different cities across the UK proved to be hotspots for various activities.London seems to be the online dating capital of Britain, with 24% of respondents saying they engage with dating apps on at least three days a week.
This contrasts with the country in general, with the study finding that only 4% of Britons spend any time on dating apps.According to the study, the average British person claims to spend three-and-a-half hours a day online, though 20% of those asked admitted to spending above five hours of their day on the internet.Popular times to be online varied, but 64% of respondents said they spend time online between the hours of 11pm and 6am, with 19% of them saying this is the time they visit YouTube.In the north, analysis tells a tale of three cities.The people of Manchester used Instagram more than anywhere else, with 27% of people in the city using the platform regularly.
Sheffield, meanwhile, is home to both the most frequent TikTok users and music streamers in the country (with figures of 32% and 30% respectively).Sheffield is also the city where households spend the most time online, with 32% spending more than five hours online per day – in contrast to the 11% of Brighton citizens who do the same.The people of Leeds seem to favour yesterday’s social media site of choice, with 43% of the city’s residents saying they spend a lot of time using Facebook.The study was commissioned by Openreach to coincide with the first installation of broadband in a UK home, which took place in April 2000 in Basildon, Essex.The study also found that many respondents disliked the way they use the internet, with 43% feeling that they wasted time online, 37% concerned by the hours spent “doom-scrolling” and 33% saying they would feel more relaxed if they spent less time online.
Katie Milligan, deputy CEO of Openreach, said: “It’s fascinating to see how different parts of the UK are embracing the online world and adapting to it in unique ways.“At the same time, it’s encouraging that many recognise the importance of taking time away from devices and digital connectivity.”
Tell us: what questions do you have about the impacts of smartphones on children?
A quarter of three- and four-year-olds in the UK now own a smartphone, but the impact of that is still being understood. From endless scrolling to constant notifications, smartphones expose children not just to their friends and classmates, but to a world of advertising, influencers, and algorithms. But how is all of this shaping how children see themselves, relate to others, and develop emotionally?In a video series on our It’s Complicated Youtube channel, we’re speaking to experts to explore how smartphones might be affecting children’s mental health, attention, self-esteem and relationships. Are social apps making kids more anxious? What happens when children are targeted by ads that shape their sense of identity from a young age? What do we know, and what don’t we yet understand, about growing up in a world where you’re always online?We want to hear from you. What have you always wondered about children and smartphones? Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or just someone curious about the long-term effects, fill out the form below to share your questions
Disney and Universal sue AI image creator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement
Disney and Universal sued an artificial intelligence company on Wednesday, alleging copyright infringement. In their lawsuit, the entertainment giants called Midjourney’s popular AI-powered image generator a “bottomless pit of plagiarism” for its alleged reproductions of the studios’ best-known characters.The suit, filed in federal court in Los Angeles, claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios, making and distributing without permission “innumerable” copies of their marquee characters such as Darth Vader from Star Wars, Elsa from Frozen, and the Minions from Despicable Me. Midjourney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The suit by Disney and Universal over images and video represents a new frontier in the raging legal wars over the copyright and the creation of generative artificial intelligence
‘They went too far’: Musk says he regrets some of his posts about Trump
Elon Musk has expressed contrition for some of his tweets about Donald Trump last week, in an apparent effort to retreat from an explosive falling out that has threatened to damage the Tesla boss’s business interests.Musk was by far the biggest donor to Trump’s presidential campaign, but tensions between the two erupted into public view last week and rapidly escalated, as the world’s richest man called for the president’s impeachment and mocked his connections to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a series of posts.On Wednesday, Musk posted on X, the social network he owns: “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”Musk’s public apology came after the tech billionaire privately called Trump on Monday night, the New York Times first reported, citing three people familiar with the matter
Meta to announce $15bn investment in bid to achieve computerised ‘superintelligence’
Meta is to announce a $15bn (£11bn) bid to achieve computerised “superintelligence”, according to multiple reports.The Silicon Valley race to dominate artificial intelligence is speeding up despite the patchy performance of many existing AI systems.Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, is expected to announce the company will buy a 49% stake in Scale AI, a startup led by Alexandr Wang and co-founded by Lucy Guo, in a move described by one Silicon Valley analyst as the action of “a wartime CEO”.Superintelligence is described as a type of AI that can perform better than humans at all tasks. Currently AI cannot reach the same level as humans in all tasks, a state known as artificial general intelligence (AGI)
UK students and staff: tell us your experiences with AI at university
The use of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools are becoming increasingly commonplace in UK higher education. A February survey of 1,000 students showed an “explosive increase” in use of generative AI in particular over the previous 12 months.With this in mind, we’d like to find out more about how AI is affecting students at university.How has AI impacted your studies? Have you used AI tools? Have you been suspected of using AI when you haven’t? What guidance have you been given by universities or tutors about using AI? Do you have any concerns?We’d also like to hear from university teaching staff – what is the impact of AI on students’ work? What are the challenges?You can tell us about your experiences with AI at university using this form.Please share your story if you are 18 or over, anonymously if you wish
As big tech grows more involved in Gaza, Muslim workers are wrestling with a spiritual crisis
Is working in big tech halal? Muslim workers are reckoning with the possibility that their jobs go against their religious obligationsBefore Ibtihal Aboussad was fired by Microsoft for protesting the company’s work with the Israeli military during a celebration of the firm’s 50th anniversary, she sent two emails.The first went to all of her colleagues. She appealed to their universal humanity and urged them to stand against Microsoft’s contracts to provide cloud computing software and artificial intelligence products to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).She sent the second to the “Muslims at Microsoft” email list. Its subject line read: “Muslims of Microsoft, Our Code Kills Palestinians
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