Archive for May 2025
Legal Aid : Data Exposed
Hundreds of thousands of criminal, financial and personal records have been compromised in a major cyber attack on the UK’s Legal Aid Agency, raising serious questions about digital security in one of the country’s most sensitive justice systems. What Is the Legal Aid Agency And Why Was It Targeted? The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), part…
Read More‘Superwood’ : Stronger Than Steel
A new sustainable building material that’s stronger than steel and made from ordinary timber is about to go into mass production, and it could change the face of construction forever. From The Lab to the Launch of ‘Superwood’ In 2018, materials scientist Liangbing Hu and his team at the University of Maryland developed a method…
Read MoreProve You’re Human – Have Your Eyes Scanned
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s identity startup ‘World’ has begun its rollout in the United States, introducing 20,000 biometric devices known as Orbs that scan users’ irises to confirm they are human. From Worldcoin to World World began life in 2019 as Worldcoin, a startup co-founded by Sam Altman and Alex Blania through their company Tools…
Read MoreShorter Chatbot Answers Less Accurate?
In this Tech Insight, we look at why new research has shown that asking AI chatbots for short answers can increase the risk of hallucinations, and what this could mean for users and developers alike. Shortcuts Come At A Cost AI chatbots may be getting faster, slicker, and more widely deployed by the day, however…
Read MoreSmart Google Tools Tackling Surge in Online Scams
Google has announced that it is deploying powerful AI tools across Search, Chrome and Android to block fraudulent content and protect users from evolving scam tactics. Why? Online scams are nothing new. However, their scale, sophistication and impact are growing fast. From fake airline customer service numbers to dodgy tech support pop-ups, cybercriminals are increasingly…
Read MoreMicrosoft Kills-Off Skype After 23 Years
Skype has officially shut down as of 5 May 2025, marking the end of one of the most recognisable names in digital communication after a 23-year run. A Platform That Defined an Era Launched in 2003 by a small team of Estonian and Scandinavian developers, Skype quickly became the go-to app for free internet-based voice…
Read MoreIsraeli Spyware Firm To Pay $167 Million Over WhatsApp Hack
A US jury has ruled against Israeli firm NSO Group, makers of Pegasus spyware, ordering it to pay $167 million to WhatsApp-owner Meta after the company was found liable for a 2019 hack affecting 1,400 users worldwide. What Is Pegasus Spyware? Pegasus is a form of military-grade spyware developed by the NSO Group, a cyber…
Read MoreWill Robots Solve The Housing Crisis?
As Europe faces a worsening housing shortage, a new generation of construction robots is being pitched as a solution, but how realistic is the idea, and what does it mean for sustainability, workers, and the industry as a whole? Rethinking the Way We Build Housing shortages aren’t new, but in parts of Europe (including the…
Read MoreAI Isn’t Slashing Jobs or Wages (Yet)
Despite the whirlwind of hype, new research suggests that generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude have, so far, made barely a ripple in the labour market, leaving jobs and wages largely untouched. A Grounded Reality Check A comprehensive study by economists Anders Humlum (University of Chicago) and Emilie Vestergaard (University of Copenhagen) has found…
Read MoreHow Marks & Spencer Was Brought To A Standstill
In this Tech Insight, we look at how a major ransomware attack on M&S could happen, who was behind it, how it caused such widespread disruption, and what it means for the company, its customers, and the wider UK retail sector. What Happened and When? To help understand how the cyber attack on Marks &…
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