Liv McMahonTechnology reporter

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The UK government says it will ban so-called “nudification” apps as part of efforts to tackle misogyny online.

New laws – announced on Thursday as part of a wider strategy to halve violence against women and girls – will make it illegal to create and supply AI tools letting users edit images to seemingly remove someone’s clothing.

The new offences would build on existing rules around sexually explicit deepfakes and intimate image abuse, the government said.

“Women and girls deserve to be safe online as well as offline,” said Technology Secretary Liz Kendall.

“We will not stand by while technology is weaponised to abuse, humiliate and exploit them through the creation of non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes.”

Creating deepfake explicit images of someone without their consent is already a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act.

Ms Kendall said the new offence – which makes it illegal to create or distribute nudifying apps – would mean “those who profit from them or enable their use will feel the full force of the law”.

Nudification or “de-clothing” apps use generative AI to realistically make it look like a person has been stripped of their clothing in an image or video.

Experts have issued warnings about the rise of such apps and the potential for fake nude imagery to inflict serious harm on victims – particularly when used to create child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

In April, the Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza called for a total ban on nudification apps.

“The act of making such an image is rightly illegal – the technology enabling it should also be,” she said in a report.

The government said on Thursday it would “join forces with tech companies” to develop methods to combat intimate image abuse.

This would include continuing its work with UK safety tech firm SafeToNet, it said.

The UK company developed AI software it claimed could identify and block sexual content, as well as block cameras when they detect sexual content is being captured.

Such tech builds on existing filters implemented by platforms such as Meta to detect and flag potential nudity in imagery, often with the aim of stopping children taking or sharing intimate images of themselves.

‘No reason to exist’

Plans to ban nudifying apps come after previous calls from child protection charities for the government to crack down on the tech.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) – whose Report Remove helpline allows under-18s to confidentially report explicit images of themselves online – said 19% of confirmed reporters had said some or all of their imagery had been manipulated.

Its chief executive Kerry Smith welcomed the measures.

“We are also glad to see concrete steps to ban these so-called nudification apps which have no reason to exist as a product,” she said.

“Apps like this put real children at even greater risk of harm, and we see the imagery produced being harvested in some of the darkest corners of the internet.”

However while children’s charity the NSPCC welcomed the news, its director of strategy Dr Maria Neophytou said it was “disappointed” to not see similar “ambition” to introduce mandatory device-level protections.

The charity is among organisations calling on the government to make tech firms find easier ways to identify and prevent spread of CSAM on their services, such as in private messages.

The government said on Thursday it would make it “impossible” for children to take, share or view a nude image on their phones.

It is also seeking to outlaw AI tools designed to create or distribute CSAM.

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A whistleblower has leaked horrifying footage showing slaughterhouse workers shooting, beating, stabbing, and urinating on cows.

The videos were recorded at Georgia’s Best Processing in Fort Valley, Georgia, and reportedly shared among workers for amusement, according to PETA.

The clips, which PETA said were recorded in the Fall, show workers urinating on cows’ faces, striking them with pipes and stabbing them while the animals struggled to stand. 

One video appears to show a worker shooting a cow and stabbing her in the neck, edited with music, hearts and other graphic overlays. 

PETA spokesperson Moira Colley told Daily Mail: ‘It appears at least three workers are depicted in the videos. At least one is a student of a local school, but all appear to be young.’ 

Georgia’s Best Processing acknowledged the videos on Facebook, saying it was unaware of the actions until the leak. 

‘Upon learning of the situation, we took immediate disciplinary action and fully cooperated with the Georgia Department of Agriculture,’ the statement reads. 

‘The individuals were immediately terminated. The humane treatment of animals entrusted to our care is a responsibility we take very seriously, and we are deeply concerned by what occurred.’

The videos were allegedly recorded by high school students employed at Georgia’s Best Processing in Fort Valley, Georgia, and reportedly shared among workers for amusement, according to PETA

PETA warned that ignoring such acts of cruelty endangers animals and can have serious consequences for communities if violent behaviors escalate. The nonprofit has contacted the students’ school, urging the superintendent to take swift action. 

Studies show childhood animal cruelty is a serious warning sign, often linked to family violence, trauma, and later violence against humans, but it can stem from curiosity, learned behavior, or emotional issues, with persistent or escalating cruelty and lack of empathy.

Daily Mail has contacted Georgia’s Best Processing for comment.

‘It appears at least three workers are depicted in the videos. At least one is a student of a local school, but all appear to be young,’ Colley said.

‘Cows in the meat industry are killed at a fraction of their natural lifespan and don’t receive a bit of kindness during their entire lives, but workers filming themselves stabbing conscious animals in the neck, and even urinating in the face of one, is especially horrific. 

‘These sadistic acts and the callous way in which workers allegedly shared videos of their torment to laugh at are a chilling wake-up call for this community.’

The whistleblower alleged the videos were shared on the social media platform Snapchat. 

She added that while the videos only show short moments of the cow’s struggling, Georgia law requires that animals be rendered unconscious with a single stunning attempt before slaughter.

The whistleblower alleged the videos were shared on the social media platform Snapchat

‘Stabbing the throat of a conscious animal would constitute a violation of the anti-cruelty statute O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4(b)(1), which prohibits causing an animal physical pain, suffering, or death by any unjustifiable act,’ said Colley.

‘The Georgia Department of Agriculture could suspend its inspections of the facility, which would prevent them from slaughtering animals. 

‘The individuals would likely be charged with a misdemeanor, which typically results in a fine of $1,000 or less and/or a sentence of less than 12 months.’

The videos have also surfaced on X, where users have been left outraged. 

‘Animal processing plants have a moral and professional responsibility to treat animals humanely by minimizing pain, stress, and fear at every stage of handling and processing. This is sick,’ one user shared.

In November 2024, PETA released even more shocking videos of workers at a Butterball factory, the largest producer of turkey products in the US, smacking, humping and sexually abusing the birds at the Ozark, Arkansas plant in 2006.

That was years before Butterball was privatized and certified by the American Humane. 

‘We are aware of a video from nearly 20 years ago, which is being reshared across social media,’ a spokesperson for the company told Scripps News.

‘The video is not current and was taken prior to Butterball becoming a private company and prior to engagement certification through American Humane.’

‘Animal care and well-being is central to who we are as a company, and we are committed to the ethical and responsible care of our flocks,’ the spokesperson insisted.

‘Eleven years ago, Butterball was the first, and remains the only, turkey company to be American Humane certified,’ they noted.

‘That means we have yearly audits conducted by a third-party to ensure compliance with our 200-plus science-based standards or best practices for care of turkeys, well exceeding industry best practices.

In November 2024, PETA released even more shocking videos of workers at a Butterball factory, the largest producer of turkey products in the US, smacking, humping and sexually abusing the birds at the Ozark, Arkansas plant in 2006 

‘We are proud of this designation that no other turkey company can claim, and have a zero tolerance policy for animal mistreatment.’

But in the disturbing footage, an undercover investigator claimed he saw a Butterball employee shoving his finger up a turkey’s cloaca, or vagina, for ‘fun’ and witnessed another worker humping a turkey while it was restrained, according to the animal rights group.

He also recalled seeing a ‘worker… taunting another worker by holding a bird by the legs and jerking her back and forth.’

Footage included in the video also showed employees manhandling multiple birds – striking, throwing and hanging them to death.

‘Do you know what happened to your Butterball turkey before it was killed?’ PETA wrote in the caption, without specifying that the content was filmed 18 years ago.

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President Donald Trump’s social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), said on Thursday that it’s merging with TAE Technologies, a Southern California-based company that has been chasing the dream of fusion power for nearly 30 years.

The all-stock transaction, valued at more than $6 billion, would expand Trump Media’s presence into the nascent fusion power space while data centers clamor for more electricity amid the ongoing AI boom.

Fusion industry insiders expressed curiosity over the deal and voiced concerns about potential conflicts of interest with the U.S. Department of Energy. Last week, industry representatives met with Energy Department officials, urging them to help direct billions of dollars toward fusion projects, and earlier this year, the DOE announced a new roadmap to guide commercial efforts in the sector, though it didn’t commit any new funds alongside the announcement.

TMTG is the parent company of Truth Social, the microblogging platform that the president spun up after he was banned from platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook in the wake of the January 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. At launch, the president called it “a rival to the liberal media consortium,” and said he wanted to “fight back against the Big Tech companies.”

TMTG went public last year via a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), a technique used to go public by private companies that want to raise money quickly but aren’t yet mature enough to take the traditional IPO route. In the quarter ended September 30, 2025, TMTG reported that it recorded a loss of $54.8 million on revenue of $972,900.

Truth Social and the company’s streaming platform have failed to generate much revenue, but TMTG has nevertheless managed to amass $3.1 billion in assets, largely through its cryptocurrency investments and partnerships.

TMTG CEO Devin Nunes, formerly a Republican congressman, stated that the company’s acquisition of TAE would “cement America’s global energy dominance for generations.” The companies said they plan to site and begin construction on “the world’s first utility-scale fusion power plant (50 MWe)” next year, and have plans for more fusion plants that are expected to generate between 350 megawatts to 500 megawatts of electricity.

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But the path forward for fusion power remains uncertain.

Currently, only one experimental device has proven that controlled fusion reactions can generate more power than they consume. Several other companies, including Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Sam Altman-backed Helion, are in the race to put fusion power on the grid sometime in the early 2030s.

If one or more fusion startups succeed, they could deliver gigawatts of clean, continuous power to the grid using nothing more than hydrogen isotopes filtered from seawater. Inside a fusion reactor, those isotopes are heated and compressed until they turn into a plasma. When particles in the plasma collide, they merge to form a new, heavier atom while releasing tremendous amounts of heat, which can be harvested to generate electricity.

TAE has been working on a range of fusion devices since the late 1990s. The company has raised nearly $2 billion in total, including a recent $150 million round from existing investors including Google, Chevron Technology Ventures, and New Enterprise. The company has been valued at about $1.8 billion, according to PitchBook.

Over the years, TAE has struggled to make its various designs work. Its latest effort uses magnetic fields generated by rotating plasma to stabilize the plasma itself. Particle beams bombard the outside of the plasma cloud, helping it to spin.

In the meantime, TAE has also created a new division focused on the life sciences. It is selling a version of its particle accelerator as a radiation treatment for cancer.

After the merger, Nunes and TAE CEO Dr. Michl Binderbauer will serve as co-CEOs of the combined company.

Update 12:05 p.m. ET: Added comments from fusion industry insiders.

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Instagram’s gotten trickier. What crushed it last year? Totally dead now. The platform keeps switching things up – new features pop up, the algorithm does its thing differently every few months, and people’s scrolling habits change constantly.

Getting likes feels like pulling teeth sometimes. But some stuff still works crazy well. Not those sketchy tricks that fizzle out in a week. Real methods to get more Instagram likes that keep delivering.

Likes Haven’t Gone Anywhere

People keep saying likes are dead. Nope. Not even close. Likes tell Instagram that people actually care about the content. The algorithm uses that signal to decide who else should see it.

More likes mean:

• Posts show up in more feeds and explore pages
• New visitors trust the account more
• Content hits trending spots more easily
• Brands notice and reach out
• Standing out gets way simpler

Sure, likes aren’t the whole game. But anyone saying they’re useless is completely wrong.

How Instagram Actually Works Now

The algorithm got pickier this year. It’s watching way more things:

Who Talks to Who: Posts from people someone chats with regularly? Those get pushed first. Instagram tracks DMs, comments back and forth, profile visits – all of it.

How Fresh It Is: Brand-new posts get a shot at going viral right away. That first hour decides everything basically.

How Long People Stick Around: Content that keeps someone scrolling on Instagram longer wins big. Videos and multiple-image posts beat single photos almost every time.

What Someone Likes Already: Instagram shows people more of what they already engage with. Stay consistent with the niche.

Make Stuff People Can’t Scroll Past

Three seconds. That’s it. Content either hooks someone in three seconds or they’re gone. Scroll, scroll, gone.

What stops the scroll right now:

• Big bold text slapped on the image
• Weird angles nobody expects
• Colors so bright they almost hurt
• Real faces with actual emotions showing
• Questions that make someone stop and think

Carousels Are Cheat Codes

Carousels get more action than regular posts. The reason? People keep swiping through them. Every swipe tells Instagram, Hey, this is good stuff. More swipes equal more reach.

Making carousels that hit:

• Put the best image up front, always
• Make each slide flow into the next one
• The last slide needs a clear next step
• Seven to ten slides work best, usually
• Mix teaching something with keeping it fun

Video Beats Everything Else

Reels get pushed harder than anything right now. Instagram wants video content. Even a quick five-second video clip gets more eyes than a regular photo.

Best length? Seven to fifteen seconds. Hook them in literally one second. Give them something useful or entertaining fast. End with something they’ll remember.

When and How Often to Post

Throwing up posts randomly wastes perfectly good content. Check when followers are actually online. Most accounts see better numbers during:

• Work days: late morning around 11 to 1, then evening 7 to 9
• Weekends: mid-morning between 9 and 11

Try different times for a couple of weeks. See what hits.

Show Up Regularly

Being consistent matters more than anything else. The algorithm learns patterns. Followers learn patterns. Accounts that post regularly get shown to more people than accounts that vanish, then dump a bunch of posts at once.

What actually works:

• Bare minimum: three to four times weekly
• Better: five to seven times weekly
• Reels separately: three to four weekly

Good content matters obviously. But showing up matters even more.

Get People Talking

First hour after posting? Critical. Answering comments fast tells Instagram people are engaged. That pushes the post further.

Try hitting every comment within 30 to 60 minutes. Real responses, though – not just heart emojis or “thanks so much!”

Hashtags That Make Sense

Hashtags work still, just differently now. Those massive ones like #instagood? Pointless. Focus on:

• Medium ones – 10,000 to 500,000 posts range
• Tags specific to the niche
• Eight to fifteen per post tops
• Stick them in the first comment or way at the bottom

Tag Others Smart

Tagging brings in more eyes if done right. Tag brands when showing their stuff, locations for travel posts, and other creators for collabs. Random spam tagging? Instagram punishes that hard.

Use Instagram’s Own Tools

Weird but true – posting stories regularly makes feed posts do better. Instagram likes accounts using everything they built. Three to five stories daily with:

• What’s happening behind the scenes
• Polls and question boxes
• Countdowns for what’s coming
• Reposting what followers make
• Sneak peeks of feed content

Go Live Sometimes

Live videos get a major push. Instagram actually notifies people when going live. Even ten minutes makes the whole account more visible for days after.

Live ideas that work:

• Quick question and answer sessions
• Showing how something’s made
• Testing products or trying things
• Just talking about the niche casually

Growing Faster Without Looking Fake

Find accounts doing similar stuff but not competing directly. Do shoutouts together, go live together, make content together. Gets shown to people already interested in that type of stuff.

Look for:

• Similar follower numbers
• About the same engagement
• Audiences that overlap without being identical

Get a Smart Boost When Needed

Sometimes growth just needs a push to get going. Services like BuzzVoice help get more Instagram likes from actual, real people. That initial bump gets the algorithm moving. Content reaches more people naturally after that.

The trick? Use it to help already good content, not fix bad content. It’s like lighter fluid on a fire that’s already lit.

Make Every Part Count

Captions do more than most people realize. Good captions keep someone reading instead of scrolling. That extra time on the post signals quality to Instagram.

Captions that work:

• First line grabs attention hard
• The next couple of sentences give value
• Clear instructions on what to do next
• Tags at the end

Tell People What to Do

Say it straight. Double-tap if you agree, or Save this for later gives clear direction. Posts telling people exactly what to do get way more engagement than posts that just sit there.

Getting more likes:

• Hit like if this helped you
• Double-tap for the second part
• Show love if you relate
• I like to save this for later

Check the Numbers and Do More of What Works

Look at the stats every week:

• Which posts got the most likes
• What times worked best
• Which format crushed it
• What captions did people respond to
• Which tags brought people in

Do way more of whatever’s working. Cut whatever’s flopping. Pretty straightforward.

Conclusion

Want to get more Instagram likes in 2026? No shortcuts exist. These methods work fine, but they take actual effort and showing up consistently. Accounts winning right now mix everything: solid content, smart timing, talking to people for real, and yeah, sometimes a strategic boost from something reliable like BuzzVoice.

Instagram gives more reach to accounts that follow the rules while giving people something actually worth seeing. Make content people genuinely want to look at. Talk to the community like a real person. Use growth tools when it makes sense. Likes come after that.

Overthinking kills momentum. Just start doing this stuff today. Watch what happens. Adjust based on results. Growth builds on itself over time.

The accounts blowing up aren’t doing anything magical. They’re just consistent with content that doesn’t suck, they engage like humans, and they track what actually moves the needle. Do that enough, and the numbers climb.

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Actors have voted to refuse digital scanning to prevent their likeness being used by artificial intelligence in a pushback against AI in the arts.

Members of the performing arts union Equity were asked if they would refuse to be scanned while on set, a common practice in which actors’ likeness is captured for future use – with 99% voting in favour of the move.

The general secretary, Paul Fleming, said: “Artificial intelligence is a generation-defining challenge. And for the first time in a generation, Equity’s film and TV members have shown that they are willing to take industrial action.

“Ninety per cent of TV and film is made on these agreements. Over three-quarters of artists working on them are union members. This shows that the workforce is willing to significantly disrupt production unless they are respected, and [if] decades of erosion in terms and conditions begins to be reversed.”

The vote was an indicative ballot designed to demonstrate the strength of feeling on the issue, with more than 7,000 members polled on a 75% turnout. However, actors would not be legally protected if they refused to be scanned.

The union said it would write to Pact, the trade body representing the majority of producers and production companies in the UK, to negotiate new minimum standards for pay, as well as terms and conditions for actors working in film and TV.

Equity said it may hold a formal ballot depending on the outcome of the negotiations, which, if backed, would give actors legal protection if they were being pressed to accept digital scanning on set.

The decision comes after months of debate and growing concern about performers’ rights as AI becomes embedded in the creative industries, with high-profile actors urging Equity members to support the push to stop digital scanning.

Adrian Lester, Hugh Bonneville and Harriet Walter have backed the union’s campaign to ensure AI protections for performers are written into union agreements.

Bonneville said actors’ likenesses and voices should not be “exploited for the benefit of others without licence or consent”, while Lester said actors at the start of their careers often found it difficult to push back against body scanning.

In October, Olivia Williams told the Guardian that performers were routinely pressed to have their bodies scanned on set without having a say over how the data was later used.

The Dune star argued that actors should have as much control over data harvested from body scans as they do over nudity scenes. She said some contracts included clauses that appeared to give studios carte blanche over a performer’s likeness “on all platforms now existing or yet to be devised throughout the universe in perpetuity”.

The arrival of the first AI “actor”, Tilly Norwood, further heightened concerns and demands for formal agreements on what is and is not permissible.

In 2023, concerns over AI were at the heart of the Hollywood writers’ strike, with writers and actors warning that unchecked use of the technology could radically reshape the industry and undermine their roles.

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Building anything of value is hard anywhere in the world. In Africa, it is harder.  The Builders’ List recognises people doing it anyway.

Beyond shipping products, Africa’s technology ecosystem constantly navigates unreliable power, fragmented logistics, weak public infrastructure, and regulatory uncertainty—often all at once. Progress is rarely linear, and success is usually hard-won. 

Founders alone do not make the industry. It is sustained by people doing a variety of work, some of it invisible but critical to the industry’s success. To recognise them, TechCabal is launching The Builders’ List: an annual index of the most consequential people shaping Africa’s technology ecosystem in the calendar year. It is a record of who’s building, and what their work reveals about the system they are building within. 

For the inaugural edition, our selected Builders  are grouped across five categories:

• Operators: Those who make systems work at scale.
• Innovators: Those creating new products, models, or technical possibilities.
• Enablers:  The individuals and institutions lowering the cost of building for others.
• Organisers:  Those connecting people, capital, and opportunity.
• Keepers: The stewards of trust, continuity, and institutional memory.

Together, these roles offer a more complete map of how the ecosystem functions.

The Builders’ List is an editorial project led by the TechCabal newsroom, informed by independent reporting and conversations with founders, operators, investors, policymakers, and long-time ecosystem observers across the continent and the diaspora. 

Our selections were based on our assessment of what materially changed within the calendar year, from infrastructure to policy or scale, rather than reputation or momentum alone. Where work is still emerging, progress was evaluated within the realities of the sector, market, and country in which it occurred.

Candidates were assessed comparatively and contextually. Starting from over 600 deeply researched names spanning all 54 African countries, we weighed outcomes against each builder’s operating environment—geography, regulation, capital access, impact and institutional maturity. Context that applies in Lagos doesn’t automatically translate to Kigali or Dakar.

Final decisions were made through editorial review. While external perspectives informed our reporting, the list reflects TechCabal’s independent editorial judgment.

This process, as our first, has been a critical learning curve. It reminded us that Africa’s technology ecosystem is far broader than funding headlines suggest—spanning hardware engineers in Cairo, beekeepers in rural Kenya, ministers rewiring infrastructure, and documentarians building institutional memory.

We learned that in 2025, the builders who matter most are no longer defined by capital raised or growth velocity, but by what they’ve made durable. This list revealed an ecosystem maturing past obsessions with scale and spectacle, toward the quieter work of building things that last—profitable businesses, regulatory frameworks, talent pipelines, and infrastructure others can build on.

The Builders’ List will return in 2026, and the patterns will shift. But the commitment remains: to document not just who is building, but what their work reveals about the system taking shape.

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For a lot of creators, dropping a link on Facebook is almost muscle memory. You post, add the link to your product, affiliate offer, or newsletter, and hope it pulls people off the platform and into your world. That small action might soon come with a price tag.

Meta is testing a change that could limit how many links some users can share on Facebook. According to a screenshot shared by social media strategist Matt Navarra, creators who were part of this test received a notification recently from Meta stating: “Starting December 16, certain Facebook profiles without Meta Verified, including yours, will be limited to sharing links in 2 links in two organic posts per month.”

Image credit: Matt Navarra

Anything more than two links would require a Meta Verified subscription, which starts at $14.99 per month.

On paper, this looks like a simple experiment. In reality, it cuts right to the heart of how many creators use Facebook as a traffic engine. Affiliate marketers, small business owners, coaches, and writers often rely on frequent links to drive sales or leads elsewhere. Limiting those links forces a rethink of how, or even whether, Facebook still works for them.

A Meta spokesperson has framed the test to Engadget as a way to understand “whether the ability to publish an increased volume of posts with links adds additional value for Meta Verified subscribers.”

That explanation fits a broader pattern. Platforms are under pressure to monetise creators more directly, and one of the easiest levers to pull is access. Once free features become gated, especially when they encourage users to leave the app.

This test comes at a very interesting time, as Meta recently released its Transparency report for Q3 2025, which states, “98.1% of the views in the US during Q3 2025 did not include a link to a source outside of Facebook. For the 1.9% of views in posts that did include a link, they typically came from a Page the person followed.” That data suggests links are not central to most people’s Facebook experience, which makes it easier for Meta to treat them as a premium feature rather than a default one.

For creators, the impact could be dire. Fewer links mean fewer chances to test offers, fewer campaign touchpoints, and more pressure to compress everything into one or two posts. It also creates a clear fork in the road: pay for Meta Verified, drastically limit how you use Facebook, or start investing more heavily in platforms where linking is still unrestricted, or better still, build your own community.

This isn’t a Meta-only instinct. In 2023, X removed headlines from news links, arguing that it improved aesthetics while quietly reducing the emphasis on outbound clicks. Across the industry, the signal is consistent. Platforms want users to stay put, scrolling longer, and interacting inside the app, not leaving it.

Whether Meta rolls this test out widely is still uncertain. But even as an experiment, it signals how creators are increasingly viewed: not just as users, but as revenue opportunities. If link limits become normalised, Facebook may shift from being a traffic hub to a gated space where reach and flexibility depend on how much you’re willing to pay.

For creators who built their businesses on free distribution, that would be a fundamental change, and one that forces hard decisions about where their time, content, and money are best spent.

Facebook News is being scrapped as Meta scales back news and political content

According to Meta, the number of people using Facebook News in Australia and the U.S. dropped by over 80% in 2023.

Updated

December 18, 2025

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Chris VallanceSenior technology reporter

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One in three adults in the UK are using artificial intelligence (AI) for emotional support or social interaction, according to research published by a government body.

And one in 25 people turned to the tech for support or conversation every day, the AI Security Institute (AISI) said in its first report.

The report is based on two years of testing the abilities of more than 30 unnamed advanced AIs – covering areas critical to security, including cyber skills, chemistry and biology.

The government said AISI’s work would support its future plans by helping companies fix problems “before their AI systems are widely used”.

A survey by AISI of over 2,000 UK adults found people were primarily using chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional support or social interaction, followed by voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa.

Researchers also analysed what happened to an online community of more than two million Reddit users dedicated to discussing AI companions, when the tech failed.

The researchers found when the chatbots went down, people reported self-described “symptoms of withdrawal”, such as feeling anxious or depressed – as well as having disrupted sleep or neglecting their responsibilities.

Doubling cyber skills

As well as the emotional impact of AI use, AISI researchers looked at other risks caused by the tech’s accelerating capabilities.

There is considerable concern about AI enabling cyber attacks, but equally it can be used to help secure systems from hackers.

Its ability to spot and exploit security flaws was in some cases “doubling every eight months”, the report suggests.

And AI systems were also beginning to complete expert-level cyber tasks which would typically require over 10 years of experience.

Researchers also found the tech’s impact in science was also growing rapidly.

In 2025, AI models had “long since exceeded human biology experts with PhDs – with performance in chemistry quickly catching up”.

‘Humans losing control’

From novels such as Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot to modern video games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, sci-fi has long imagined what would happen if AI broke free of human control.

Now, according to the report, the “worst-case scenario” of humans losing control of advanced AI systems is “taken seriously by many experts”.

AI models are increasingly exhibiting some of the capabilities required to self-replicate across the internet, controlled lab tests suggested.

AISI examined whether models could carry out simple versions of tasks needed in the early stages of self-replication – such as “passing know-your customer checks required to access financial services” in order to successfully purchase the computing on which their copies would run.

But the research found to be able to do this in the real world, AI systems would need to complete several such actions in sequence “while remaining undetected”, something its research suggests they currently lack the capacity to do.

Institute experts also looked at the possibility of models “sandbagging” – or strategically hiding their true capabilities from testers.

They found tests showed it was possible, but there was no evidence of this type of subterfuge taking place.

In May, AI firm Anthropic released a controversial report which described how an AI model was capable of seemingly blackmail-like behaviour if it thought its “self-preservation” was threatened.

The threat from rogue AI is, however, a source of profound disagreement among leading researchers – many of whom feel it is exaggerated.

‘Universal jailbreaks’

To mitigate the risk of their systems being used for nefarious purposes, companies deploy numerous safeguards.

But researchers were able to find “universal jailbreaks” – or workarounds – for all the models studied which would allow them to dodge these protections.

However, for some models, the time it took for experts to persuade systems to circumvent safeguards had increased forty-fold in just six months.

The report also found an increase in the use of tools which allowed AI agents to perform “high-stakes tasks” in critical sectors such as finance.

But researchers did not consider AI’s potential to cause unemployment in the short-term by displacing human workers.

The institute also did not examine the environmental impact of the computing resources required by advanced models, arguing that its task was to focus on “societal impacts” that are closely linked to AI’s abilities rather than more “diffuse” economic or environmental effects.

Some argue both are imminent and serious societal threats posed by the tech.

And hours before the AISI report was published, a peer-reviewed study suggested the environmental impact could be greater than previously thought, and argued for more detailed data to be released by big tech.

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A who’s who of the nation’s most powerful politicians and tech tycoons are forcing through a proposal for a massive data center in rural Michigan as locals from across the political spectrum have come out in force against it, with one calling it “uniquely evil”.

Saline Township, Michigan, residents fear the $7bn center would jack up energy bills, pollute groundwater, and destroy the area’s rural character. The 1.4 gigawatt center would consume as much power as Detroit, and would help derail Michigan’s nation-leading transition to renewable energy.

Responding to resident pressure, Saline Township’s board of trustees in September voted down the plans, but the data center’s powerful backers – including Donald Trump, Open AI’s Sam Altman, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, utility giant DTE Energy, and Stephen Ross, the real-estate billionaire and Trump donor who owns Related Co – fought back.

A fallen sign on the curb near the site of the soon-to-be-built data center.

Related Digital sued, and, vastly outgunned, the township board quickly folded and reversed its decision over strong resident objections. Now the project’s backers are trying to avoid minimal regulatory scrutiny on energy costs and pollution.

The controversy over the data center is representative of the David v Goliath fights playing out across the US, pitting working- and middle-class residents against the interests of billionaires and the political establishment.

“This is part of an experience that America and the world is having around tech billionaires who are seizing power and widening the gap between those have much too much … and the working and middle classes,” said Yousef Rabhi, a former Democratic state legislative leader and clean energy advocate who opposes the plans.

“That’s what these data centers are symbolic of, and they’re the vehicle for is the furtherance of this divide,” Rabhi added.

Yousef Rabhi speaks at a rally held in Saline Township in opposition to the data center. Photograph: Courtesy of Yousef Rabhi

The proposal is part of the broader “Stargate” project composed of five data centers backed by the Trump administration, which granted $500bn in federal subsidies for them. It’s the largest project in Michigan history in terms of investment, and it also received subsidies on taxes that could have gone to roads and schools, among other uses, Rabhi said.

The plan’s supporters say the center would provide essential AI infrastructure, in part for national security, and create a few hundred jobs. Huge sums of money are at stake for the tech and utility companies.

Ross’s Related Digital is the data center’s developer, while OpenAI, which produced ChatGPT, and Oracle will use the center to house its AI infrastructure.

In a statement, Related Digital alleged company the township’s decision violated zoning laws, and the spokesperson stressed the suit was filed jointly with three Saline Township property owners who are selling their property to Related.

“Thankfully, we were able to reach a settlement agreement with the township to allow this project to move forward,” the spokesperson said. They noted Related is also making about $14m in donations to local causes.

Saline Township is a small community of about 4,000 just outside Ann Arbor. The Stargate project is one of around a dozen data center proposals in Michigan over the last year that are strongly opposed at the local level. It’s one of four proposed near Ann Arbor – last week, plans for a second a few miles away in a neighboring town surfaced.

Some municipalities have been successful in derailing plans, while others have lost the fight.

A new data center being built along US Route 12 in Saline Township. Photograph: Sarah Rice/The Guardian

In Saline Township, former US marine Kate Haushalter and her husband are raising five children in a farmhouse next to the data center site. They bought and renovated the once-dilapidated home so they could live in a bucolic area, and Haushalter said she was not about to cede ground even though the township did.

“Maybe because I was in the Marine Corps, but I would rather stay and fight,” Haushalter said. “I’m sure the chances are slim, but it’s worth fighting for, and I don’t want to teach my kids to roll over.”

‘We were dealt the cards we were dealt’

Big tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and Open AI, which often own data centers, typically have enough political support at the state and federal levels that inexperienced local leaders who are comparatively poorly resourced are left on their own to defend their town from the centers.

Saline Township supervisor Jim Marion conveyed that challenge when he told angry residents during a contentious November discussion that the township’s “hands were tied”.

“This township doesn’t have the money to fight these big companies. You got to understand that,” Marion told the crowd. “We were dealt the cards we were dealt.”

A sign warns of ‘construction ahead’ on US Route 12. Photograph: Sarah Rice/The Guardian

Some municipalities have utilized zoning laws to block the centers. Beyond that, there’s little local officials can do, and state and federal level regulations on the centers are virtually non-existent.

Still, residents are growing more organized. A first protest on 1 December drew about 200 people, who Rabhi described as “truly a cross-section of American society”. The next week, 800 people participated in a state-level public input session, and organizers are pressuring state environmental regulators to hold up the project’s required wetland permits.

Among residents leading the pushback is Josh LeBaron, whose home sits about 500 yards from the site, where crews have broken down.

He characterized the project as “uniquely evil” because of the environmental risks, and because, he and others allege, the companies and government have been secretive about their plans. In response to questions about accusations of nimby-ism leveled against local residents by the project’s supporters, LeBaron said he would not be opposed to other developments.

A sign protesting against the new data center in Saline Township. Photograph: Sarah Rice/The Guardian

He noted that Michigan is full of former industrial sites that would be more appropriate for the 575-acre property.

“I would be at home reading a book if it were a subdivision,” LeBaron said.

A Related spokesperson told the Guardian the company “explored sites across Michigan before deciding on this site, which is ideal as it’s a contiguous flat area”, and is set close to a major road and transmission lines.

Higher bills and the end of Michigan’s climate laws

Local opponents’ best hope for holding up the project lies in the arcane utility regulatory process on the massive amount of power the data center would require.

DTE Energy claims the data center’s power demands and need for expensive new infrastructure will not increase residential electricity prices.

But it doesn’t want to show its math.

DTE filed a petition with the Michigan Public Services Commission (MPSC), the state agency that regulates utilities, asking the MPSC to fast-track the plan’s approval. DTE’s request for an “ex parte” case requires limited scrutiny of its claim that the center won’t destroy the climate laws, or increase electricity bills.

In response, Michigan attorney general Dana Nessel and consumer advocacy groups filed a legal petition with the MPSC, calling for a “contested case” that would require much closer regulatory review of DTE’s claims.

The MPSC is helmed by Whitmer appointees, and the governor has strongly backed the project, raising suspicions among opponents that the agency will approve the ex parte request.

Studies from across the country have shown data centers often increase rates, and DTE and regulators “cannot claim transparency while shutting the public out of the only process that requires DTE to support its claims with actual evidence”, said Bryan Smigielski, Michigan campaign organizer for the Sierra Club, which is intervening in the regulatory battle.

In a statement, a DTE spokesperson said: “To be clear, these data center customer contracts will NOT create a cost increase for our existing customers.”

Saline Township is a small community of about 4,000 just outside Ann Arbor. Photograph: Sarah Rice/The Guardian

DTE has said the project won’t derail Michigan’s transition to clean energy, but state data and DTE’s plans suggest otherwise.

Michigan, in late 2023, passed nation-leading climate laws that require utilities to transition to renewable energy by 2040. But the law included an “off-ramp” that allows utilities to continue running or building fossil fuel plants if renewable sources cannot handle the energy grid’s load.

At its peak, DTE’s grid already demands about 9.5 gigawatts of power, while the grid’s capacity is 11gw.

In July, DTE told investors it is in negotiations with big tech companies to provide 7gw of power for several proposed data centers.

The Saline center’s 1.4gw may not cause an exceedance of the 11gw threshold, especially because DTE is planning to build battery storage. But the Saline center along with any of the other proposed centers likely would trigger the off-ramp.

DTE appears to be planning for that likelihood: DTE Energy executives said the company would likely need to build new gas plants to accommodate the data centers’ demand.

Saline Township ‘will never be the same’

Haushalter’s kids were born in the renovated farmhouse and are homeschooled there.

She and her husband try to teach the kids to respect nature. The family manages beehives, watches the geese and plant trees for wood to use in their wood-burning stove. At night, they take the kids outdoors for bonfires to look at the stars. “We’re not a big screen family,” Haushlater said.

Kate Haushalter photographed in her family’s home. Photograph: Sarah Rice/The Guardian

The noise, light and air pollution is already disrupting the life the family built over 13 years. The center, if it is fully built, would fully destroy it, Haushalter said.

“We are really passionate about nature and teaching our kids about it and I can’t believe the biggest construction project in Michigan is landing literally in my backyard, and there’s no recourse for the little guy,” she said. “It’s going to crush us.”

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As retailers hype what they claim are the hottest Christmas toys of 2025, I turned to a far more honest expert: my three-year-old daughter.

My daughter, Amelia, tested each toy the way only a toddler can, without instructions, without expectations and with zero interest in whether it was supposed to be popular.

I, however, scoured lists of must-have toys for this holiday season, meticulously reading reviews and watching product videos to see which ones were expected to top wish lists.

While the toys had to be fun and colorful, they also had to spark imagination. 

Studies show that simple, open-ended, imagination-driven toys like blocks, dolls, and pretend-play sets boost children’s brains by improving memory, self-control, spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and language skills. 

They also enhance social-emotional growth, support neural development, activate areas linked to empathy more than screen time, and lay the foundation for future learning.

During the review, Amelia kept asking the same question: ‘You want to play with that?’ 

By the end, it became clear that the toys were not just the trendiest ones, but were the ones that invited her to imagine, invent and play alongside me 

CONNETIX magnetic tiles lets the imagination run wild, coming with 102 pieces. They easily attach, are sturdy, light-weight and beautifully colored

CONNETIX Rainbow Creative Pack 102 pc

Price: $169 

I had seen other children playing with CONNETIX magnetic tiles and always thought they would be perfect for Amelia.

The moment we opened the box, her imagination ran wild. She built a dollhouse one minute and a castle the next. 

With squares, triangles, and a mix of bright colors, the possibilities for creations seem endless. 

While building, Amelia practiced fitting pieces together and imagining the layout of her castle, which really stretched her problem-solving and planning skills.

I joined her for a while, and it was nearly impossible to get her to stop for bed because she wanted to keep playing.

The next morning, she woke up early, grabbed the box and picked up exactly where she left off. 

The tiles are lightweight yet sturdy, snap together easily, and are perfect for travel. 

Since Amelia is not allowed screens yet, these tiles will be a lifesaver for keeping her entertained when we are out to dinner or even on an airplane.

While building, Amelia practiced fitting pieces together and imagining the layout of her castle, which really stretched her problem-solving and planning skills

The Bluey Supermarket Playset comes with over 15 pieces, including a grocery cart, pretend food and other fun items

Bluey Supermarket Playset 

Cost: Up to $49.99

Amelia, like most children her age, loves the cartoon Bluey. 

On my hunt for the hottest toys, the Bluey Supermarket Playset seemed to appear on every list. 

When we opened the box, Amelia’s eyes lit up, and she immediately began exploring the multi-level supermarket, loading tiny carts, riding the escalator and announcing her own grocery adventures over the built-in intercom.

The expansive playset includes more than 15 play pieces, along with exclusive Bluey and Bingo figures, and is packed with 24 sounds and phrases.

The interactive sound effects, detailed shelves and exclusive Bluey and Bingo figures kept her engaged for hours, sparking creativity and encouraging imaginative storytelling. 

When we opened the box, Amelia’s eyes lit up, and she immediately began exploring the multi-level supermarket, loading tiny carts, riding the escalator and announcing her own grocery adventures over the built-in intercom

She was not just pretending to shop, but she was recreating scenes from the show, inventing her own adventures, and even practicing problem-solving as she navigated the store’s different levels.

Amelia also pretended that Bingo and Bluey were shopping at the Hammerbarn.

I appreciated the thoughtful design, which supports cooperative play, hand-eye coordination and imaginative thinking. 

Micro Maxi Foldable LED Scooter

Cost: $169.99

I was looking for a scooter for Amelia and stumbled upon M-cro. The scooter has adjustable handles, allowing Amelia to ride it until she’s at least 12 years old

We live in a city, and it feels like every kid has a scooter, so I knew this would be a hot toy for Christmas. 

Amelia will be four in a few months, so I initially thought the Micro option would suit her perfectly.

However, Kris, who works for the company, suggested we go a level up.

The Micro Maxi can grow with her and be used all the way up to around 12 years old. 

The adjustable handlebar means she will not outgrow the scooter anytime soon, and the three-wheel design gives her extra stability as she learns to balance.

Other scooters were cheaper, but the Micro Maxi immediately felt sturdier and higher quality than the budget options. 

To test it, Amelia scooted around my office, easily gliding through the halls and kicking off with confidence.

 It’s solid, lightweight, and folds up easily, making it convenient to carry and store.

And even more, the wheels light up. 

Little Live Pets Ouchies Retriever 

Cost: $59.00 

The sweet playful walking pup has developed a limp. Inside the plush pup’s carrier is a ‘magic cast’ for kids to apply to help Cooper heal back to his happy self – they can even personalize the cast with their own designs.

Although the dog’s official name is Cooper, Amelia quickly renamed her Lucy

It took us a few minutes to figure out how the Little Live Pets Ouchies Retriever works, so I’d recommend reading the instructions first. Once we did, Amelia was instantly hooked.

Although the dog’s official name is Cooper, Amelia quickly renamed her Lucy. 

The interactive toy encourages nurturing play, giving children the chance to care for their very own ‘pet.’

Lucy arrived with an injured paw, and Amelia eagerly got to work wrapping it in bandages, gently petting her while the cast dried. 

The moment the cast came off, Lucy barked happily and began strutting around the room.

As Amelia watched Lucy parade about, it was clear how proud she felt of helping her new friend heal.

While Lucy is a robotic toy, she’s covered in a surprisingly soft coat and is about the size of a small puppy, making her easy for little hands to hold and cuddle.

The interactive pooch sounds and reacts like a real puppy, barking when she’s happy, whimpering when she’s sad. 

At six inches tall for Bluey and just under that for Bingo, the figures are the perfect size for little hands 

Each figure talks when its nose is pushed, delivering 10 fan-favorite phrases

Bluey and Bingo Chat Mates

Cost: $15.00 each

The Bluey and Bingo talking figures were an instant hit.

With just a push of the nose, each character comes to life, repeating familiar phrases from the much-loved animated series, and Amelia immediately recognized them.

Hearing Bluey say lines like ‘I’ve got an idea’ and ‘Beep twice if we can be friends’ made the figures feel just like the show, turning playtime into a mini episode of Bluey at home. 

Amelia especially loved pressing the noses over and over to hear what they would say next.

At six inches tall for Bluey and just under that for Bingo, the figures are the perfect size for little hands. 

They’re sturdy, easy to use, and simple enough for toddlers to play with independently, making them a fun and engaging choice for young Bluey fans this Christmas.

GUI GUI

Cost: Starting at $9.99

Amelia, like most kids, is a huge fan of making slime

The multi-step ‘get ready’ routine starts with unboxing to reveal the slime, then ‘get glowing’ by mixing in the booster, decorating with the included charms and beads

While GUI GUI is primarily marketed toward tweens and teens, Amelia is a huge fan of slime, so we couldn’t resist putting this kit to the test.

When we first opened it, the slime was extremely sticky, but after mixing in the included booster, it quickly transformed into a soft, dough-like consistency that was much easier for little hands to manage. 

Amelia loved watching the texture change, which made the process feel like part of the fun rather than a setup step.

The kit follows a multi-step ‘get ready’ routine that starts with unboxing the slime, then ‘getting glowing’ by mixing in the booster.

From there, kids can decorate the slime with the included charms and beads, reveal the adorable mini figure hidden inside, and finish things off with a final sparkle using the glitter mix.

Although designed for older kids, the hands-on, sensory play kept Amelia fully engaged, making it a surprisingly fun option for younger slime lovers with adult supervision.

Tin Can

Cost: $75 

It’s a thoughtful option for families looking to introduce communication without screens, distractions or scrolling

Amelia loves talking on the phone with her grandparents, so I thought the Tin Can would be a fun and age-appropriate way for her to stay in touch with family.

While she’s still a bit young to fully appreciate everything it offers, I see Tin Can as a clever bridge between toy and technology, one that delays the need for a smartphone while still allowing real communication. 

The WiFi-based, screen-free device is designed specifically for kids and comes with a parent app that allows for easy contact management, quiet hours, and built-in 911 support. 

Parents can also choose between plans that allow calling only other Tin Can devices or standard phone numbers.

Beyond the functionality, there’s something delightfully nostalgic about it. 

Using Tin Can brought back memories of my own childhood, answering calls on a landline and feeling very grown-up in the process. 

It’s a thoughtful option for families looking to introduce communication without screens, distractions, or scrolling.

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