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When one of Google’s senior researchers asked the company’s LaMDA chatbot whether it was a “philosophical zombie” (exhibiting human-like behaviour without having any inner life, consciousness or sentience) it replied: “Of course not.” Unconvinced, Blaise Aguera y Arcas asked the AI-enabled chatbot how he could know this was true. “You’ll just have to take my

Recent comments on the effectiveness of Ofwat and Ofgem (“Utilities and regulators are ‘not fit for purpose’, says ex-government adviser”, Interview, August 29) reminded me that some years ago the government was urging energy customers to install “smart” meters, and also to change supplier from time to time to keep suppliers on their toes. I

Festivals love to tout their world premieres, but the best of them also know how to channel their local roots. Le Temps d’Aimer la Danse (Time to Love Dance), a yearly event in the French resort of Biarritz, has plenty to work with in that regard. The Basque country, which extends on both sides of

Wall Street suffered the worst sell-off since the early days of the pandemic after official data showed US inflation increased unexpectedly in August, raising the spectre the Federal Reserve will need to act more aggressively to combat rising prices. The benchmark S&P 500 stock index tumbled 4.3 per cent, its worst day since June 2020

It’s been five days since Queen Elizabeth II died. The loss of a monarch, one who has been a source of constancy for so many during the 70 years of her reign, came no doubt as a profound shock for many. Some brands are taking it particularly badly. Take Morrisons. After reports that the supermarket

A top EU official has warned that Amazon’s compliance with the bloc’s incoming tech laws is a “work in progress”, as the regulator opens a Silicon Valley office as part of its preparations to enforce the sweeping legislation. Amazon recently pledged to make several changes to how it handles data on its third-party sellers as

Before launching his latest muscle-pummelling device, Dr Jason Wersland, chiropractor and the founder of Therabody, sought counsel from one of his most trusted patients: Cristiano Ronaldo. Or, rather, one day last year Ronaldo all but begged to try the new vibrating gadget – the “TheraFace PRO”. “I almost couldn’t hide it from him,” says Wersland. “He loves that we’re

Ukraine’s long-term security requires a “multi-decade” investment in its armed forces, and binding pledges from Nato countries to provide military support in the event of an attack, according to a report co-authored by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff. The report, written by Andriy Yermak and former Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is the first

The sight of Russian troops in headlong retreat in Ukraine is stunning — but it should not be surprising. This war has gone badly for Russia from the outset. Vladimir Putin failed to achieve the lightning victory that he was aiming for on February 24. By April, the Russians had been forced into a humiliating

King Charles III will meet some of the United Kingdom’s most loyal subjects when he visits Northern Ireland on Tuesday at a time of deep political crisis and profound demographic change in the 101-year-old region. Mourners on Belfast’s Shankill Road, the centre of the largely Protestant, unionist community that cherishes its British identity, blinked back

Our actions can alter the world around us. The way I treat a clove of garlic does not just change its size but its chemistry: cutting it breaks down cell walls, triggering enzyme reactions. The decision to dice or slice or crush it will shape the entire flavour of the meal I am cooking. And

A subsidiary of the AMTD Group, whose fintech company attracted scrutiny after its shares soared 21,000 per cent following its listing in July, is being sued by a Chinese bank for $264mn in Hong Kong over alleged breach of contract. AMTD Digital’s market value briefly overtook Goldman Sachs when its shares rocketed. The surge put

Russia’s Gazprom has maintained steady revenues from gas sales as soaring prices have compensated for its decision to cut supplies to Europe. The Kremlin this week said it would keep the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which transports gas to Europe via the Baltic Sea, shut as long as the west maintained economic sanctions. This means

Prepare to lose your bearings in Pinocchio, Disney’s regeneration of its 1940 animated landmark. The movie is being sold as live action, or thereabouts at least, with a star turn from Tom Hanks as Geppetto. Hanks is an erratic prospect these days, but if his Mitteleuropean accent ends up back in southern California, he is,

At the end of the month, in supermarkets across Japan, regular staff and a secret army of wholesalers will work the shelves through the night on a project that none of them — from national chains to local stores — are able to talk about openly. When the food retail industry’s collective doors open on

Liz Truss on Wednesday scrapped proposals for a “British bill of rights” following widespread criticism from human rights groups, lawyers and senior Conservatives MPs. The bill was aimed at replacing the Human Rights Act and would have given British courts ultimate authority over rulings issued by the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights. Dropping the

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raged this spring, the billionaire oligarch Mikhail Fridman called Kristina Kvien, then the US’s most senior envoy to Kyiv, with a proposal. Fridman — who grew up in Lviv, in western Ukraine, but has Russian and Israeli passports and made most of his estimated $13bn fortune in Russia — would

M&A fever is burning up the healthcare sector. US drugstore operator CVS is the latest to catch the dealmaking bug. It is splashing out $8bn, including debt, to acquire homecare provider Signify Health. The move fits in with CVS’s efforts to move away from its retail roots. But it is paying a hefty premium to

Record power prices driven by the soaring cost of gas as Russia chokes supply to Europe are presenting European utilities with an existential problem: despite selling electricity at record prices, they are running out of cash because of spiralling collateral requirements. Finland has warned that the energy sector faces a potential “Lehman Brothers” moment if

Liz Truss pledged on Tuesday to “transform Britain into an aspiration nation”, in her first speech as prime minister on the steps of Downing Street. Truss, who earlier in the day was formally appointed as the UK’s 56th prime minister at the Queen’s summer residence at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, outlined her three key priorities