ChatGPT-maker wants to buy Google Chrome

BBC Tech • April 23, 2025 • Technology

The company OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, said it would like to buy Chrome from Google. Chrome is the web browser that most people use. However, Google says it doesn't want to sell Chrome.

Key Facts:

• OpenAI, the company that makes a tool called ChatGPT, said they might want to buy Chrome.
• Chrome is a web tool, called a browser, that most people use to explore the internet.
• Google, the company that owns Chrome, says it won't sell.
• This came up during a big trial where the U.S. government says Google is too powerful.
• It is estimated about two out of three people use Chrome to go online.
• The second most popular browser is Safari by Apple, used by about one in five people.
• The trial is about how big tech companies like Google may be controlling too much of the market.
• Last year, OpenAI tried to work with Google to improve ChatGPT, but Google said no.

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BBC Tech

Musk to reduce Doge role after Tesla profits plunge

BBC Tech • April 23, 2025 • Technology

Elon Musk, the boss of Tesla, has decided to lessen his involvement in the Department for Government Efficiency (Doge) after Tesla has experienced a decrease in earnings and sales. He aims to spend more time improving Tesla, but he will not completely leave his responsibilities in Doge.

Key Facts:

• Elon Musk is the head of Tesla, a company that makes electric cars.
• Musk has also been leading a group called the Department for Government Efficiency, or Doge, that aims to cut down spending in the US government and find ways to work more efficiently.
• Recently, Tesla has been making less money and selling fewer cars.
• Because of this, Musk has decided to reduce his work hours at Doge and dedicate more time to Tesla.
• Some people have protested against Musk's political role and stopped buying Tesla cars. This also affected Tesla's earnings.
• Musk has given a lot of money to support the re-election of President Donald Trump.
• President Trump would like Musk to stay on in his political role for as long as possible.
• Tesla's business is also affected by changes in the trade policy with China because some parts of the car are made there.
• Elon Musk and Peter Navarro, a trade adviser, have had disagreements over trade.

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BBC Tech

Tech Life

BBC Tech • April 22, 2025 • Technology

Artificial Intelligence (AI), or machines and software that can think and learn, is being used to help figure out how dolphins communicate.

Key Facts:

• The main focus is on understanding dolphin communication.
• AI is the tool being used for this study.
• This information was released on 22nd April 2025.
• The content provided is available for over a year.
• The source of this news is BBC Sounds, under the "Tech Life" section.
• The length of the content is 26 minutes.
• The news comes in the form of an audio or radio program.
• 'Weighing the world's forests', another related program, talks about how forests influence climate change.

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BBC Tech

Cyber attack on M&S leads to click and collect delays

BBC Tech • April 22, 2025 • Technology

Marks and Spencer (M&S), a UK shop, had some computer problems which meant customers had trouble ordering stuff for pick up and using their gift cards. The company apologized and said they're trying to fix the issues.

Key Facts:

• M&S said they were attacked by people online, affecting several store services like pick-up orders and contactless payments.
• Customers complained on the internet about delays and problems using their gift cards.
• CEO Stuart Machin apologized to customers and mentioned the store had to make little changes to protect everyone.
• The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), a UK group that looks after data and information, knows about what happened and is looking into it.
• M&S are also working with computer security experts to investigate and manage this problem.
• The technical problems are still but they're working on sorting out the hold-ups to their pick-up service.
• The problems with computer systems are not unique to M&S. Other big companies like Morrisons and Barclays have had similar troubles in the past.
• The incident is a reminder that businesses need to take actions to protect their computers from attacks.

Source Information

BBC Tech

Gamers shocked as Elder Scrolls IV revealed and launched on same day

BBC Tech • April 22, 2025 • Technology

Bethesda, a video game company, recently surprised everyone by announcing and releasing a remade version of its old popular game, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, on the same day. This version has upgraded graphics and a new way for players to make their characters better.

Key Facts:

• Bethesda is a company that makes video games.
• They just announced and launched a new version of a game called Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
• The new game is an updated version of an old game that first came out in 2006.
• This version has better graphics, and new ways for players to improve their characters.
• Lots of people were excited about this surprise. Over 600,000 people watched the announcement on YouTube.
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was first launched on PC and the Xbox 360 console.
• The game's story is set in an empire that is about to fall apart due to a mystery involving the death of its emperor.
• The last major game in the Elder Scrolls series to come out was Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in 2011.
• Bethesda is also known for another popular game series called Fallout.

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BBC Tech

Films made with AI can win Oscars, Academy says

BBC Tech • April 22, 2025 • Technology

Films made with the help of computers that think like humans, or artificial intelligence (AI), can win top awards at the Oscars, says the group that runs the Oscars. This rule does not change whether a film can or cannot get nominated, and the group will still think about how much people were involved in making the film when deciding who wins.

Key Facts:

• Films made with AI can win top awards at the Oscars.
• The group that runs the Oscars, called the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, says using AI neither helps nor hurts the chances of a film getting nominated.
• AI that can create text, images, sound and video helped make some films that won top awards.
• The group will still think about how much people were involved when picking the winners.
• Other new rules say that the group's members have to watch all nominated films in each category to vote on the winners.
• Some films, like The Brutalist and Emilia Perez, used this kind of AI.
• Some actors and writers worry about losing work to AI and how it might be used in wrong ways.
• Some people don't think AI is good enough yet to make award-winning work on its own.

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BBC Tech

Why Pope's death leaves Argentines 'orphaned' in more ways than one

BBC • April 22, 2025 • Technology

Pope Francis, who was originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, has passed away. This news has made many people in Argentina very upset because he was loved by many, but he had never returned to Argentina after becoming Pope.

Key Facts:

• Pope Francis was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina before he became Pope.
• After being chosen as Pope, Francis never went back to Argentina and this made some people sad.
• Francis was Pope for 12 years.
• When Francis died, Argentina said they would be sad for seven days all over the country.
• Pope Francis came from Buenos Aires but he had followers all over the world.
• Some people in Argentina were not happy with Francis because they believe he did not stand against bad things the government did in the 1970s and 1980s.
• A study showed that less people in Argentina liked Pope Francis in 2024 than they did in 2013.
• Francis never visited Argentina even though he went to four of the five countries that share a border with Argentina.

Source Information

BBC

US sets tariffs of up to 3,521% on South East Asia solar panels

BBC Tech • April 22, 2025 • Technology

The U.S. government is planning to place high fees on solar panels that are coming from four countries in South East Asia. This move is in response to claims that these countries are getting help from China and selling the panels in the U.S. at very low prices. The final decision about these fees will be made in June.

Key Facts:

• The U.S. Commerce Department plans to place fees, or tariffs, on solar panels brought in from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
• This decision comes after a year-long investigation triggered by complaints from several big solar equipment companies in the U.S.
• These companies claim that Southeast Asian countries are selling too many cheap products in the U.S.
• The highest tariff, 3,521%, is planned for some solar panel sellers in Cambodia.
• The products that Chinese company Jinko Solar makes in Malaysia have a much lower expected tariff of about 41%.
• China-based company Trina Solar may see a tariff of 375% on their products from Thailand.
• In 2023, the U.S. imported nearly $12 billion worth of solar equipment from these four Southeast Asian countries.
• These additional tariffs could make solar panels more expensive in the U.S., impacting businesses and users who relied on cheaper products.
• A 10% tariff is already placed on all items coming from other countries until July.

Source Information

BBC Tech

I won't put my relationships online again, says Lilly Sabri

BBC Tech • April 19, 2025 • Technology

Lilly Sabri, a fitness expert with lots of followers on YouTube, will return to Instagram after not using it for a while. She stopped using it when a podcast suggested her then-boyfriend cheated on her, causing lots of hurtful comments online. She suggests everyone should be careful what they share online.

Key Facts:

• Lilly Sabri is a fitness influencer with six million followers on YouTube.
• She stopped using Instagram in 2023 when a podcast hinted her partner was unfaithful.
• The podcast led to many people making videos online about Sabri's relationship.
• Lilly decided to leave social media to protect herself and her family.
• Lilly's relationship ended, and she had to raise money to pay off her ex-partner who was also her business partner.
• She let go most of her staff and moved back to the UK with her family.
• Despite trying to avoid social media, she had to keep using it for business reasons but tried not to read hurtful comments.
• She hadn't posted anything on her personal Instagram since 2023.
• Lilly admits that she might not have had so much interest in her relationship if she hadn't shared so much online.
• Though she didn't share everything, she says there's pressure to share more and more.

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BBC Tech

Artists push back against AI dolls with their own creations

BBC Tech • April 19, 2025 • Technology

Artists are making their own action figures by hand because they don't like how machines are making them. They are worried that machines could take their jobs and believe their hand-made creations are unique and special.

Key Facts:

• Some artists are upset because machines are being used to make toy images.
• This new trend started in April and many people are making images of themselves as toys.
• Nick Lavallee, a toy maker, is worried his handmade toy business might suffer because of the machine-made toys.
• He makes toys of famous people which he sells for around $250 on his website. He is planning to open a shop soon.
• Other artists are also worried and have started a movement called #StarterPackNoAI.
• Maria Picassó Piquer, another artist, thinks lots of machine-made images look the same but human-made ones are all different.
• Some artists have already lost work because of machine-made design.
• The artists think you only need simple things like a pencil and paper to make art.

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BBC Tech

Designed in US, made in China: Why Apple is stuck

BBC Tech • April 18, 2025 • Technology

Apple designs its devices in California, but most of them are made in China. However, because the US government might put more charges on goods coming in from China, Apple might have issues in the future.

Key Facts:

• Apple is a company from America, but a lot of their goods are made in China.
• iPhones are one of Apple's main goods, and nine out of every ten iPhones are made in China.
• The US President might introduce more charges on goods from China, which includes electronic parts.
• Apple started making things like iPods, iMacs, and iPhones in China in 2001.
• Apple's partner for making all these items is Foxconn, a firm from Taiwan.
• Apple's first store in China was opened in Beijing during the year 2008.
• The biggest iPhone factory in the world is in Zhengzhou, China. It's run by Foxconn.
• The advanced chips that give iPhones their power are made in Taiwan by the world's largest chip manufacturer, TSMC.

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BBC Tech

Nvidia: The AI chip giant caught between US and China

BBC Tech • April 18, 2025 • Technology

Nvidia, a company that makes important chips for artificial intelligence (AI), is in the middle of tension between the United States and China. The United States has placed new restrictions that require Nvidia's H20 AI chip exports to China to have special licenses. This decision aims to protect US national and economic interests.

Key Facts:

• Nvidia is a successful company that designs advanced chips for artificial intelligence. These chips help computers think and create new things, kind of like how our brains work.
• Nvidia is so important because their chips are needed for major improvements in AI, causing the U.S. government to watch their relationship with China carefully.
• The U.S. hopes these new rules will slow down China's development of advanced AI chips and help the U.S. be the leader in AI.
• Since 2022, there have already been restrictions on Nvidia selling certain kinds of chips to China.
• The H20 chip, one of Nvidia's creations, was designed to follow these existing restrictions.
• DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, uses less advanced chips in a way that could lead to major technology progress. This made the U.S. worried.
• Companies like TikTok's parent company, Alibaba, and Tencent in China are currently waiting for orders of Nvidia's H20 chips, but because of the new rules, they may not get them.
• In response to these new rules, Nvidia could lose $5.5 billion (£4.15 billion) from these orders it can no longer fulfill.
• Despite the restrictions, China is still a big market for Nvidia. Last year, 13% of Nvidia's total sales were from China.

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BBC Tech

Google has illegal advertising monopoly, judge rules

BBC Tech • April 17, 2025 • Technology

A judge in the United States has decided that Google, a big tech company, isn't playing fair with online advertising. This means the company controls too much of the technology that decides where and which ads show up online. Google doesn't agree with the ruling and plans to fight back.

Key Facts:

• Google was taken to court by the US Department of Justice and 17 US states. They believed Google was unfairly controlling online ad technology.
• This is the second time Google has been told off for having too much control. The previous time was for online searches.
• Google doesn't agree with the judge’s decision and will try to change it.
• The judge explained that Google's unfair behavior hurt other businesses, the way things are supposed to work, and ordinary people searching the web.
• The judge's decision is seen as a big win for people trying to make sure tech companies are playing fair.
• Other big tech companies, like Amazon, were also mentioned in the case.
• Google also makes a lot of money from its ad business.
• The next part of this case will look at what should happen to Google now. Some people think the company is too big and should be split up.
• Last year, a UK group also found that Google was playing unfairly with online ads.

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BBC Tech

Discord's face scanning age checks 'start of a bigger shift'

BBC Tech • April 17, 2025 • Technology

Discord, a popular social media site, is testing a new system that uses face scanning to check the age of users in the UK and Australia. These checks are in response to new laws that require websites with content for adults to have reliable ways to confirm the age of their users by July.

Key Facts:

• Discord is testing age checks through face scanning in the UK and Australia.
• Discord started for gamers, but now hosts different kinds of groups, including ones for adults.
• The law in the UK says websites with adult content must have good ways to check users' ages by July.
• Privacy campaigners, however, think these checks won't work and could cause privacy problems.
• The new system asks users to scan their face or upload their ID card photo to prove their age the first time they come across adult content.
• Discord says it will not collect or keep the users' face scans or ID card photos.
• A group called Big Brother Watch warns the age check technology could lead to issues like security breaches and privacy violations.
• Australia plans to ban social media for children under 16 years old this year.

Source Information

BBC Tech

Tesla whistleblower wins latest legal battle in fight against Musk

BBC Tech • April 17, 2025 • Technology

Cristina Balan, a former Tesla engineer, won a legal battle against Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk. This took place after she claimed that the company had hurt her reputation. Balan was fired from Tesla after pointing out a safety problem with the cars. Now, the case might start over, and Balan wants to go to court against Musk and Tesla.

Key Facts:

• Cristina Balan is a former engineer at Tesla who was fired after noting a safety problem with the cars.
• She started a legal battle against Tesla and Elon Musk, claiming they ruined her reputation.
• A judge initially agreed with an arbitration decision that ended her court case, but this decision was later reversed by another group of judges.
• Balan now wants to restart her lawsuit and face Elon Musk and Tesla in court.
• Balan was a very important engineer at Tesla, her initials are even on the batteries of some cars.
• Tesla has previously accused Balan of secretly using its resources for her own benefit, but she has always denied this.
• The court originally decided that Balan's case should be settled through arbitration due to a contract she had signed with Tesla.
• The majority of legal experts consulted by BBC believe this legal battle is not over yet.

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BBC Tech

'Scammers used fake app to steal from me in person'

BBC Tech • April 17, 2025 • Technology

People have been tricked by fake online banking apps being used by thieves to pretend to pay for items in person. After showing the seller that the payment has been "successful" on their app, they take the goods but the money never arrives in the seller's bank account.

Key Facts:

• A man named Anthony Rudd lost £1,000 worth of tools to a scam using a fake banking app.
• The scam involves people pretending to pay for items with a bank transfer using a fake app.
• About 500 reports of these types of scams have been reported to Action Fraud in the past three years.
• Some of these fake banking apps used to be on the Google Play store, but have now been removed.
• The BBC found that some of these apps can still be downloaded from other places on the internet.
• Anthony invited a man to his workshop to buy the tools, the man pretended to pay, and then left with the tools.
• Anthony quit his job because the scam made him feel very upset.
• The police have not been able to find the man who scammed Anthony.
• A man named John Reddock also got scammed the same way while trying to sell a gold bracelet.

Source Information

BBC Tech

Spotify 'back and functioning normally' after global outage

BBC Tech • April 16, 2025 • Technology

There was a problem with Spotify that stopped people from being able to listen to music using the app. They fixed the problem and everything is working normally again.

Key Facts:

• Spotify is an app people use to listen to music.
• The app stopped working properly for a while.
• Many people around the world could not use Spotify during this time.
• It wasn't because of a "security hack."
• Over 20,000 people reported the problem at the same time.
• People couldn't search for music or view artists on the app during the problem.
• Spotify has fixed the problem.
• Some people said they might start using other music apps, like YouTube or Apple Music, because of the problem.

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BBC Tech

The monthly AI or real quiz: April 2025

BBC Tech • April 16, 2025 • Technology

Some celebrities, like Jack Black, Aimee Lou Wood and Usher, are part of this month's quiz game. The game challenges you to know which pictures are real and which ones are made by "AI" (which is kind of like a smart computer program).

Key Facts:

• Celebrities Jack Black, Aimee Lou Wood, and Usher are in this month's game.
• The game is about guessing if pictures are real or made by a smart computer program called "AI".
• You can try to earn the highest score in the game.
• To make sure the game is fair, you are encouraged to look up where the pictures and videos are from.
• You're also asked to make sure real, trustworthy news sites have talked about these pictures or videos.
• This game happens every month.

Source Information

BBC Tech

Tech Life

BBC Tech • April 15, 2025 • Technology

The topic of AI discrimination is being discussed, and there's an exploration on whether it can be resolved. The use of artificial intelligence in comprehending dolphins' communication is also being looked at.

Key Facts:

• The article addresses AI (Artificial Intelligence) discrimination
• AI discrimination is the unintentional bias in the output of AI systems
• The article questions if this AI discrimination can be fixed
• The use of AI in understanding dolphin communication is discussed
• The time released for the audio content on AI discrimination is 26 minutes
• The release date of the AI discrimination content is 15 April 2025.

Source Information

BBC Tech

Finland's bid to win Europe's start-up crown

BBC Tech • April 14, 2025 • Technology

Finland is working on making the largest start-up area in Europe, named Maria 01. It's being built to give a place for new and growing tech companies to work and share ideas.

Key Facts:

• Finland is building a large area for start-ups called Maria 01. "Start-ups" are new, small companies.
• This area is being set up on an old hospital site of 20,000 square meters (think of it as 3 soccer fields together).
• There are already about 240 start-ups working in the existing area.
• Maria 01 is partly funded by the city of Helsinki. The city has donated over €6m ($6.7m; £5.2m) since 2016.
• The plan is to become the biggest start-up area in Europe by 2028 with the addition of three new buildings.
• A new program to help fast-growing start-ups is planned to start later this year.
• Finland has already created 12 successful businesses, each worth a billion dollars or more, including game makers and a food delivery platform.
• Finland's start-up ecosystem was ranked the 7th best in western Europe and 14th in the world last year. This system includes support from the government and universities.

Source Information

BBC Tech