UK must seize initiative on AI or be left at its mercy, Liz Kendall says
Britain must seize the initiative on artificial intelligence or be left at the “mercy and whim” of a future shaped by the technology, Liz Kendall has said,The technology secretary said the country must have greater control over the industry as she highlighted big tech’s grip on its development, with 70% of the world’s AI computing power provided by US companies,In a speech on the UK’s ability to develop its own capabilities, Kendall said: “The choice isn’t between a world that has AI and one that does not,It is a choice between a world where we shape our AI future, based on our own interests and values, or where we are left at its mercy and whim,”Kendall highlighted the launch this month of a state AI investment fund as evidence of Labour’s support for domestic firms, and revealed the government was drawing up a plan to become more influential in designing and manufacturing the chips that power AI systems.
The MP for Leicester West spoke amid concerns the UK was struggling to make its own way with the technology, despite producing a stream of academic talent and being the base for companies such as the UK-founded Google DeepMind.Last week Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister and, until recently, a senior Silicon Valley executive, said the UK was “without a single steam engine” in the AI revolution owing to factors such as high energy costs and an unresolved row over copyright.OpenAI, the US startup behind ChatGPT, has paused a multi-billion dollar datacentre project in the UK, citing high energy costs and regulation.The Guardian revealed recently that many of the deals to “mainline AI into the veins” of the British economy were “phantom investments”, and a supercomputer scheduled to go live in 2026 was still a scaffolding yard in Essex.Kendall singled out datacentres as an example of concentration in the AI market, with five US companies – Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle – controlling 70% of global AI computing, up from 60% a year ago.
“Control of this incredibly powerful technology is becoming increasingly concentrated,” she said, adding that the UK “must shape this technology, not just be shaped by it”.However, Kendall said a push for AI sovereignty should not be seen as “weakening our deep, close and enduring relationship with the US”, the home of leading AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.Kendall said calls to pause AI development would be a “betrayal of British talent and British interests”.In December, MPs at a Westminster Hall debate were urged to consider calls by the campaign group PauseAI for a hiatus in developing powerful AI systems.“It would send a message that Britain is closed to new ideas and new opportunities; that a country so rich in talent, innovation and enterprise has put an ‘out of office’ sign on its front door,” said Kendall.
“If we retreat from progress we retreat from the world, leaving this powerful technology to be exploited by other nations to their advantage and our disadvantage.”
Google reportedly signs classified AI deal with US Pentagon
Google has reportedly signed a deal with the US Pentagon to use its artificial intelligence models for classified work. The tech company joins a growing list of Silicon Valley firms inking agreements with the US military.The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google’s AI for “any lawful government purpose”, the report from the Information added, putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI, which also have deals to supply AI models for classified use. Similar agreements, both at Google and other AI firms, have sparked significant disagreements with the Pentagon and major employee pushback.Classified networks are used to handle a wide range of sensitive work, including mission planning and weapons targeting
‘It feels like a betrayal’: anger as Apple to close its first unionized store in the US
Workers at the first Apple store to unionize in the US are pushing back against the company’s decision to shut it down by June, alleging that Apple’s decision is rooted in “a cynical attempt to bust the union”.On Monday, the union filed an unfair labor practice charge against Apple, alleging unionized employees at the store in Towson, Maryland, are being denied transfer rights and other rights compared with workers at non-unionized stores. The union is also alleging retaliation for being unionized.According to the union, Apple claims the collective bargaining agreement prevents relocation, a claim the union says is “simply false, and raises serious concerns that this closure is a cynical attempt to bust the union”, the union said in a statement.Apple denied the claims in the charge
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Hello, and welcome to TechScape. I’m your host, Blake Montgomery, US tech editor at the Guardian, writing to you from beneath a cherry blossom tree in Prospect Park in New York City. Spring has arrived!Monday marked the start of a major trial pitting Sam Altman against his OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk, who is suing the maker of ChatGPT for breach of contract.Musk alleges that Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, broke the company’s founding agreement by restructuring and converting much of it to a for-profit enterprise. Altman and OpenAI counter that Musk, who left the firm in 2018 amid internal disputes and has since started his own rival AI business, xAI, is essentially a sore loser
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‘They’re supposed to be handmade’: zine creators fight to resist AI influence
The self-published zine has long been central to cultural revolutions, from queer activism to Black feminism and the riot grrrl punk movement, producing titles such as Sniffin’ Glue and Sweet-Thang along the way. But now the traditionally analogue art form faces a new shift: artificial intelligence.AI may seem incompatible with the these cult DIY booklets, but some creatives, designers and artists have begun to experiment with the technology, causing alarm in parts of the underground publishing world. It has been their Dylan-goes-electric moment.“AI is eliminating a lot of people’s ability to think critically for themselves,” says Rachel Goldfinger, a Philadelphia-based video editor and illustrator who has published an anti-AI zine
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Apple’s Macs have been on a roll this year with the brand new budget MacBook Neo and a faster MacBook Air M5, but now it’s time for its workhorse MacBook Pro to be upgraded with the fastest, most powerful M-series chips.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The latest MacBook Pro comes in two screen sizes and a large range of chip and configuration options
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