The 23 best deals from Amazon competitors including Best Buy, REI and more

Amazon Prime Day isn’t for everyone, but Best Buy, Target and many other retailers are offering great alternative deals on products worth buying

I was wary of driverless cars and their tech overlords – but they could give me a different future

For those of us who can’t drive due to disabilities, the drawbacks of these vehicles are vastly outweighed by the possibilities they offer, says freelance writer Gabriel Stewart

The weirdest things a leak revealed about Peter Thiel’s secret club

The Dialog society grades its attendees on a hidden scale, tackles issues from sex to world wars, and offers matchmaking

Meta pauses employee tracker for AI training amid privacy concerns

About 1,600 workers signed petition against tool that tracked staff keystrokes, mouse clicks and computer screen content

If an AI chatbot misleads you, who is to blame?

A court in Germany found that Google was responsible for what its chatbots say in search summaries. This is the accountability we need

‘You can’t make billions without hurting people’: Cory Doctorow on Elon Musk, the AI bubble and bosses’ cruel fantasies

The writer who coined the word ‘enshittification’ tells us why AI will never deliver what it promises – and why it still appeals so much to those in power

‘Who is going to pay us when we’re replaced by robots?’ The Indian factory workers told to film themselves for AI

When workers had cameras attached to them, they found it funny at first. But novelty soon turned to concern

Chinese supercomputer leapfrogs best US machines to be ranked world’s fastest

China’s LineShine debuts at number one in Top500 – a list sometimes viewed as a national measure of global tech prowess

US AI stock sell-off shakes markets from Wall Street to Asia

Losses spread globally as investors questioned soaring valuations and spending on AI infrastructure

You’re only supposed to blow the bloody hooves off: AI Michael Caine narrates Odyssey audiobook

AI company ElevenLabs unveils its officially licensed replica of the iconic actor’s voice in a retelling of Homer’s epic poem, while director who previously recorded the star recalls real-life experience

Will California’s billionaire tax proposal make it to ballots?

Despite more than double the needed number of signatures to qualify for ballot, there’s uncertainty it’ll make it to voters

AI in the classroom prompts tide of concern from US parents and experts

While tech companies and Trump have been pushing teachers to use AI in the classroom, many argue that there is little evidence that it would actually help children

Majority of datacenters are vulnerable to climate threats like floods and fires, study finds

Study warns AI datacenters are vulnerable to the climate hazards that their global greenhouse gas emissions bolster

Australia ‘sleepwalking’ into AI crisis and ‘tech bro free-for-all’, says Greens senator

Sarah Hanson Young’s warning comes as David Pocock urges government to prevent firms using Australian content to train AI models

Self-doubt, burnout … and Taylor Swift: why Toy Story 5 is the ultimate millennial girl movie

Nostalgia hits hard for anyone who has grown up with the franchise. But little could prepare me for the emotional punch of this latest film – and the very specific vulnerabilities it taps