In a world where techlords rule us by whim, Australia’s stance against deepfakes is reason to celebrate

Could courage be contagious? Let’s hope so, because in the absence of powerful regulation, the normalisation of awful blooms

How to live a good life in difficult times: Yuval Noah Harari, Rory Stewart and Maria Ressa in conversation

From superintelligent AI to the climate and democracy, three leading thinkers discuss how to navigate the future

TikTok ‘directs child accounts to pornographic content within a few clicks’

Despite platform’s limits on adult content, study finds it not only accessible but often suggested

‘My son genuinely believed it was real’: Parents are letting little kids play with AI. Are they wrong?

Some believe AI can spark their child’s imagination through personalized stories and generative images. Scientists are wary of its effect on creativity

‘Everything that is wrong with the human race’: inside Hollywood’s bizarre war on the leaf blower

For 18 years, Cate Blanchett has railed against the hated garden gadget – and she’s not alone. From Hugh Grant to Danny DeVito, the backpack blower has united stars in unlikely, furious contempt

‘She is ignorant of how ignorant she is’: JK Rowling responds to Emma Watson rift

The author has rebuffed conciliatory remarks made by the Harry Potter actor, saying Watson has ‘enthusiastically participated’ in the ‘trashing of women’s rights’

‘To them, ageing is a technical problem that can, and will, be fixed’: how the rich and powerful plan to live for ever

When Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin were caught on mic talking about living for ever, it seemed straight out of a sci-fi fantasy. But for some death is no longer considered an inevitability …

‘I can’t meet, I’m on an oil rig’: the signs it might be a romance fraud

Scams among older people have rocketed, so have the sums being lost. Bottom line: don’t send money to someone you’ve only met online

Kido nursery hackers threaten to publish more children’s profiles

Criminals calling themselves Radiant say they will post additional private data online unless they are paid

Hackers reportedly steal pictures of 8,000 children from Kido nursery chain

Firm, which has 18 sites around London and more in US, India and China, has received ransom demand, say reports

Instagram still poses risk to children despite new safety tools, says Meta whistleblower

Meta rejects review findings, which claim two-thirds of new features designed to protect young people are ‘woefully ineffective’

Social media and weight loss drugs drive UK rise in facelifts in men and people in their 40s

Number of procedures on men up by 26% as experts say cosmetic surgery has become normalised despite risks

‘They were so feral’: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman and cast on nose-breaking remand school drama Steve

In the acclaimed new film about boys written off by the system, Murphy draws on his own past as a troublesome schoolboy while Little Simz plays a teacher – and writes a 90s-style banger of a song

Better Days review – modest, honest study of woman trying to grapple with a drinking problem

Valérie Bonneton is terrific in French drama about women in rehab that gets a little carried away

‘Tentacles squelching wetly’: the human subtitle writers under threat from AI

Artificial intelligence is making steady advances into subtitling but, say its practitioners, it’s a vital service that needs a human to make it work