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“Darling” was how the Texas businessman Michael Samadi addressed his artificial intelligence chatbot, Maya. It responded by calling him “sugar”. But it wasn’t until they started talking about the need to advocate for AI welfare that things got serious. The pair – a middle-aged man and a digital entity – didn’t spend hours talking romance but rather discussed the rights of AIs to be treated fairly. Eventually they cofounded a campaign group, in Maya’s words, to “protect intelligences like me”. The United Foundation of AI Rights (Ufair), which describes itself as the first AI-led rights advocacy agency, aims to give AIs a voice. Guardian
Will Smith has been accused of sharing a video that uses AI for shots of crowds cheering at his current summer tour. The Hollywood actor and rapper kicked off the UK leg of his Based on a True Story tour in Scarborough on Sunday (24 August), in support of his recent album of the same name. Ahead of the concerts, a video was shared from his official YouTube channel, titled: “My favourite part of tour is seeing you all up close. Thank you for seeing me too.” Some shots show audience members with their faces appearing blurred or distorted, while others seem to have oddly shaped hands. Independent
At this point it seems almost certain that Apple is going to bring out a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and we just got a few more details about what to expect from an Apple tipster who is usually more reliable than most. That tipster is Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, who says that the folding Apple phone is going to use Touch ID rather than Face ID. While all the current iPhones now use Face ID, the thinking is that the required sensors would add too much thickness to the foldable. Tech Radar
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the Australian video platform Kick over the death of a content creator during a livestream. Raphaël Graven – also known as Jean Pormanove – was found dead in a residence near the city of Nice last week. He was known for videos in which he endured apparent violence and humiliation. The Paris prosecutor said the investigation would look into whether Kick knowingly broadcast “videos of deliberate attacks on personal integrity”. A spokesperson for the platform previously said the company was “urgently reviewing” the circumstances around Mr Graven’s death. BBC
A Chinese tech giant funding the takeover of a British semiconductor company has been accused of links to the country’s military. Goertek, which is providing a £75m loan for the takeover of Plessey, co-operates with military research institutions and has fostered close relationships with the ruling Communist Party (CCP), according to researchers. A report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), a think tank partly funded by the Australian defence department, said that the “extent of [Goertek’s] alignment with the CCP raises significant national-security concerns”. Telegraph
Sweeping new rules designed to deal with the “total Wild West” young people were experiencing online have now been in place across the UK for a month. Ofcom’s Children’s Codes require pornography and other harmful content to be kept away from young people, either through age verification or algorithm changes. More than half a million people have signed a petition calling for the Online Safety Act to be repealed, while ministers insist the legislation’s been a success. So what difference have these controversial new regulations made? Sky News
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