AI tools may soon manipulate people’s online decision-making, say researchers

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools could be used to manipulate online audiences into making decisions – ranging from what to buy to who to vote for – according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.The paper highlights an emerging new marketplace for “digital signals of intent” – known as the “intention economy” – where AI assistants understand, forecast and manipulate human intentions and sell that information on to companies who can profit from it.The intention economy is touted by researchers at Cambridge’s Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (LCFI) as a successor to the attention economy, where social networks keep users hooked on their platforms and serve them adverts.The intention economy involves AI-savvy tech companies selling what they know about your motivations, from plans for a stay in a hotel to opinions on a political candidate, to the highest bidder.“For decades, attention has been the currency of the internet,” said Dr Jonnie Penn, an historian of technology at LCFI

‘I deleted news apps’: Guardian readers on how to stop doomscrolling

Doomscrolling happens to the best of us. Algorithms across social platforms are finely tuned to feed you content and posts that keep you locked in. It can be hard to pull yourself away even when you’re consuming a barrage of news about the state of the world online.While we certainly don’t encourage people to turn away from the news, we also know it’s important to take breaks. A recent MIT study found that social media can create a negative feedback loop: those who are already struggling with their mental health are more likely to consume negative content, which makes their mental health worse

‘All people could do was hope the nerds would fix it’: the global panic over the millennium bug, 25 years on

Just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, 25 years ago, Queen Elizabeth II stepped off a private barge to arrive at London’s Millennium Dome for its grand opening ceremony. Dressed in a pumpkin-orange coat, she entered the venue with Prince Philip, taking her place alongside Tony and Cherie Blair and 12,000 guests to celebrate the dawn of a new millennium. At the stroke of midnight, Big Ben began to chime and 40 tonnes of fireworks were launched from 16 barges lined along the river. The crowd joined hands, preparing to sing Auld Lang Syne. For a few long moments, the Queen was neglected – she flapped her arms out like a toddler wanting to be lifted up, before Blair and Philip noticed her, took a hand each, and the singing began

Michael Adex: the entrepreneur aiming to inspire black-founded tech startups

He is the man behind 3bn streams, a string of chart-topping artists – and Wetherspoon’s newest brand of tequila.Ask Michael Adex how he has achieved all this by the age of 28 and he gives some credit to his “immovable” will to make things happen.But the Manchester-raised entertainment mogul, who first tasted success as the talent manager behind rapper Aitch before founding a talent agency, record label and global music publishing business, is acutely aware that no matter how powerful the vision, or how good the idea, fledgling companies need cash to survive.The UK aims to be a leader in “deep tech”, the field of innovation that includes advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. But the pathway from bright idea to commercial success can be a fraught one, especially for black entrepreneurs

‘Godfather of AI’ shortens odds of the technology wiping out humanity over next 30 years

The British-Canadian computer scientist often touted as a “godfather” of artificial intelligence has shortened the odds of AI wiping out humanity over the next three decades, warning the pace of change in the technology is “much faster” than expected.Prof Geoffrey Hinton, who this year was awarded the Nobel prize in physics for his work in AI, said there was a “10% to 20%” chance that AI would lead to human extinction within the next three decades.Previously Hinton had said there was a 10% chance of the technology triggering a catastrophic outcome for humanity.Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he had changed his analysis of a potential AI apocalypse and the one in 10 chance of it happening, he said: “Not really, 10% to 20%.”Hinton’s estimate prompted Today’s guest editor, the former chancellor Sajid Javid, to say “you’re going up”, to which Hinton replied: “If anything

There’s no reason for older people to fear smartphones | Letters

In wishing to ban smartphones, Tim Watson (nearly 94) throws the baby out with the bathwater (Letters, 20 December). Being of a certain age myself, I remember when nobody in my close family even had a landline.Smartphone use can become misuse but, used intelligently, the smartphone is one of the greatest modern inventions. With mine, I can call people on the other side of the world cheaply or even at no cost; I can use it as a satnav; I do not have to speak to everyone because I can simply send them a text; I can store important information and use any number of apps.I agree with banning smartphone use during school hours – and appropriate use and misuse should be part of education today because, of course, there are dangers