China family creates AI clone to comfort elderly mum after only son dies in car accident
After a man in China was killed in a road accident last year, his family hired an artificial intelligence (AI) technology team to create a digital version of him to comfort his elderly mother. The AI creation is able to chat with his octogenarian mother online and help her live with the reality of her only child’s death. The incident was exposed by the AI team leader Zhang Zewei, who is based in eastern Jiangsu province, according to the media outlet Litchi News. The family, who live in Shandong...
Health secretary urged not to bow to Zack Polanski's demand to cancel 'transformative' NHS technology over tech giant Palantir's links to Donald Trump
Health secretary urged not to bow to Zack Polanski's demand to cancel 'transformative' NHS technology over tech giant Palantir's links to Donald TrumpBy GLEN OWEN POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 00:17, 12 April 2026 | Updated: 00:20, 12 April 2026 e-mail View comments
Mats Wieffer doubles up as Brighton push Burnley closer to the drop
Scott Parker has spent much of the season bemoaning the “fine margins” of the Premier League and after witnessing Burnley lose to Brighton and having two of their own disallowed for paper-thin offsides, he might be looking forward to the prospect of the Championship.The assistants called the offsides after Jaidon Anthony and Bashir Humphreys netted but lengthy video assistant referee delays offered hope and the technology had to work hard to spot the illegalities. Ultimately, it was Mats Wieffer...
AI could be coming for your wine as experts turn to technology for industry overhaul
Scientists have created an AI-powered "grape ripeness detector" designed to make wine production more efficient — combining the use of technology with vineyard expertise in pursuit of the best wine for consumers.The new portable handheld sensor provides instant and accurate data about whether grapes are ready to harvest, scientists in the U.K. say.Given that harvesting grapes is extremely time-sensitive, researchers at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have invented a portable optical senso...
Innovative ‘water stove’ delivers clean, efficient flame using just electricity
A groundbreaking clean-energy innovation from India is set to transform everyday cooking with the water stove — a compact, plug-and-play hydrogen cooking system that generates its own clean fuel on demand using only electricity. This advanced technology integrates a high-efficiency proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer directly into the cooking unit. With a simple turn of the knob, the system produces hydrogen gas instantly through electrolysis. The resulting flame burns cleanly, releasing...
Starbucks’ game plan to roll out AI chatbots at cafés could serve as a ‘litmus test’ for the industry, analyst says
Starbucks is betting on AI to give its baristas some extra help behind the counter. The Seattle-based coffee chain is implementing “Green Dot Assist,” an AI-powered virtual assistant intended to simplify baristas’ jobs and fulfill orders faster. First announced in June 2025, Starbucks will pilot the technology created with Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform at 35 locations and is being rolled out more widely this year. The AI assistant will pull recipe cards of drinks to show baristas how to ma...
How the Gulf conflict recast risks for Asian investors in Dubai
Asian digital entrepreneurs that once saw Dubai as a safe, well-connected base for global expansion are now reassessing that view after the US-Israel war on Iran exposed vulnerabilities in the city’s appeal as a financial and technology hub. For many investors and founders from India, China and Southeast Asia, the strain is not just about physical security but also about what disruption around the Strait of Hormuz has revealed about liquidity, credit and market confidence. Dubai has in recent...
Ukraine can play useful role in Strait of Hormuz, Britain says
KYIV: Ukraine can play a useful role in international efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz, Britain’s armed services minister said, praising its drone technology as among the best in the world. Britain has organized discussions this month among more than 30 nations on how to reopen the strait, amid an Iranian blockade that has choked oil supplies to the global economy following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said this week Kyiv had participated in cons...
Hong Kong’s listing reform 2.0: can it outshine global rivals for innovative firms?
Fang Liu, a partner at global law firm Clifford Chance, counts among his clients many technology companies that are keen to list in Hong Kong, but find the current requirements cumbersome. Clifford Chance has helped more than a dozen innovative companies raise funds under the new listing regime since 2018, when Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) introduced reforms for pre-revenue biotech firms and companies with weighted voting rights (WVR), where one class of shareholders carries more...
20 percent say AI has taken over parts of their job: Survey
More than one in four Americans who use artificial intelligence at work said it has replaced some of their daily tasks, as a new survey shows more employees are turning to the technology in everyday life. The Epoch AI/Ipsos survey released Thursday found that half of U.S. adults reported using AI tools in the past…
Android Circuit: Galaxy S27 Pro Emerges, Honor 600 Pre-Order Offers, Pixel 11 Display Leaks
This week’s Android headlines: Galaxy S27 Pro emerges, Galaxy S26 FE specs, Honor 600 pre-launch offers, Pixel 11’s new display, Moto Edge 70 Fusion power, 2026’s defining technology, and more...
Record 25 countries take part in Russian Venture Forum in Kazan
Damir Galiev, Director of the Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan, emphasized that invitations were also extended to representatives from EAEU, BRICS, and SCO member states, as well as international technology and investment organizations
Stalking victim sues OpenAI, claims ChatGPT fueled her abuser’s delusions and ignored her warnings
After months of conversations with ChatGPT, a 53-year-old Silicon Valley entrepreneur became convinced he’d discovered a cure for sleep apnea and that powerful people were coming after him, according to a new lawsuit filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco County. He then allegedly used the tool to stalk and harass his ex-girlfriend. Now the ex-girlfriend is suing OpenAI, alleging the company’s technology enabled the acceleration of her harassment, TechCrunch has exclusively le...
TechCrunch is heading to Tokyo — and bringing the Startup Battlefield with it
SusHi Tech 2026 is zeroing in on four technology domains reshaping society: AI, Robotics, Resilience, and Entertainment. Expect live demos of humanoid robots, sessions on autonomous driving's software revolution, deep dives into cyber defense and climate tech, and candid conversations about how AI is rewriting the global music and anime industries.
Sindh approves Karachi Safe City Phase-II
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday approved Phase-II of the Karachi Safe City Project, aimed at strengthening urban security, surveillance and the operational capacity of law enforcement agencies. Chairing a meeting of the Sindh Safe Cities Authority at the Chief Minister's House, he said ensuring public safety through modern technology remained the government's top priority. The meeting was informed that a total of 2,314 smart surveillance cameras would be install...
China telecoms face US exit risk as FCC deepens crackdown on data centres
The latest US restrictions on Chinese telecoms operators could ultimately force them out of the American market, analysts said, marking an escalation in Washington’s multi-year crackdown on Chinese technology. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday that it was considering broader measures to bar Chinese telecom carriers from operating data centres in its territory, further restricting Chinese telecoms carriers’ access to US networks and infrastructure. China Mobile,...
France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech
France is trying to move on from Microsoft Windows. The country said it plans to move some of its government computers currently running Windows to the open source operating system Linux to further reduce its reliance on U.S. technology. Linux is an open source operating system that is free to download and use, with various customized distributions that are tailored and designed for specific use cases or operations.
Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M
Over the last several years, fusion power has gone from the butt of jokes — always a decade away! — to an increasingly tangible and tantalizing technology that has drawn investors off the sidelines. The technology may be challenging to master and expensive to build today, but fusion promises to harness the nuclear reaction that powers the sun to generate nearly limitless energy here on Earth. If startups are able to complete commercially viable fusion power plants, then they have the potential t...
Dancer with ALS uses brainwaves to perform again through avatar
Dancer with ALS uses brainwaves to perform again through avatar21 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMark LobelandLiv McMahon,Technology reporterDentsuBreanna Olson's live performance in Amsterdam saw her guide the movements of a mixed-reality avatar with her brainwaves, through using an EEG-based device, alongside other dancersA ballerina with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) says she was able to dance again after her brainwaves were used to power an avatar live on-stage in A...
xAI sues Colorado over new AI law
Billionaire Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is suing Colorado over a new state law that seeks to regulate the rapidly evolving technology. The company, xAI, filed a lawsuit against Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) on Thursday, seeking to block enforcement of a 2024 law that requires developers of “high-risk” systems to protect consumers against…