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Tech

The Pope has declared holy war on AI

The New Butlerian Jihad — In his first encyclical letter, Pope Leo XIV addressed the increasing pervasiveness of artificial intelligence as a threat to the already fragile structures of society. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland makes sense of it all.

  • Activism
  • Emma Garland

OpenAI announces new ‘human powered’ ChatGPT-6

HLMs — It comes as users have reported widespread ‘hallucinations’ in answers from the popular chatbot, with the company believing the move will increase accuracy and answer quality.

  • Tech
  • Al Goritham
Railway station platform with large NHS parasites warning poster and Google search advertisement on brick wall. People waiting below.

100 London advertising sites hacked to protest mass consumerism

Tax wealth — Created by anonymous artist network Brandalism, the action comes ahead of Black Friday, when UK shoppers are expected to spend £6.5 billion as brands run discounted sales of their products.

  • Activism
  • Ella Glossop
Large outdoor mural showing red Mars planet, astronaut figures, and silver rocket with "SEND THEM TO MARS" text. High-vis workers nearby.

Led By Donkeys: “It’s weird when right-wing commentators get outraged by left politics at Glastonbury – what did they expect?”

Send them to Mars — With their installation in Block9 launching the billionaire class into space, we caught up with the art and activism crew to chat about the long intersection of music and politics at the festival, how wrong the tech bros are, and more.

  • Activism
  • Isaac Muk

How the Apple Store union movement came to the UK

Power to the workers — Inspired by successful unionisation efforts among US employees, workers from across the pond are now gearing up to take on the tech giant.

  • Activism
  • Richard Gall

How Tinder became a weapon in the Russia-Ukraine war

Swiping in solidarity — Looking for ways to support Ukraine, people have been turning to the dating app to gather Russian intel and to spread awareness about the war. But just how effective are these tactics?

  • Activism
  • Severija Bielskyte

Body-worn cameras are quietly taking over London

Surveillance nation — FoIs obtained by Huck reveal just how widespread body cams are among police and TfL staff. While promised to increase accountability, the proliferation of the tech raises questions over who it really serves.

  • Activism
  • Will Grimond

Tech workers are fighting back against employee surveillance

Power in numbers — Invasive workplace surveillance has become a reality for many remote workers over the pandemic. Now, tech workers are unionising to lead the resistance.

  • Activism
  • Sian Bradley

‘It’s a wild west’: Inside Margate’s Airbnb crisis

Homes not hotels — In recent years, an influx of visitors to the Kent coast has caused house prices to soar and a sense of community to be lost. While private landlords and lettings platform Airbnb benefit, local people are being forced out of their homes.

  • Activism
  • Sophie Church

The teen ‘finfluencers’ trying to keep hustle culture alive

Crypto kids — On ‘FinTok’, teenagers who’ve hit the crypto jackpot say they want to help their peers do the same – but are they simply perpetuating a broken capitalist system?

  • Activism
  • Chloé Meley

Inside the fight against Uber’s ‘racist‘ facial recognition tech

On strike — This week has seen protests against Uber over its ‘racially discriminatory’ face ID checks. Campaigners say it’s just the latest scandal when it comes to the tech behemoth’s record of treating its workers abysmally.

  • Activism
  • Ben Smoke

The radical student activist group taking on big tech

No Tech for Tyrants — Through a mix of protests, teach-ins and online campaigns, a group of activists are hoping to expose and undermine the links between education and technology companies.

  • Reportage
  • Richard Gall

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