Meta’s updated commercial terms will give it permission to collect content from websites associated with businesses using its platforms, raising concerns about AI training, ownership and the conditions companies must accept to reach their customers.

Atlanta-based developer Brandon Thomas says he has used AI to build free alternatives to seven Adobe applications, turning frustration with subscription cancellation fees into a project that could widen access to creative software, although the tools remain far from proven professional replacements.

The US military plans to create a command dedicated to drones, robots and autonomous systems, aiming to get technology into service faster while raising questions about funding, reliability and responsibility when machines take on more military tasks.

McDonald’s is facing scrutiny over its reported use of AI to recommend menu prices, raising questions about how algorithms influence what customers pay even as the company denies using personalised prices or changing charges throughout the day.

Google is testing a Gemini feature that can telephone businesses, ask questions and arrange bookings on a customer’s behalf, potentially saving people time while requiring businesses to decide how they handle conversations with an AI assistant.

An AI chatbot’s false assessment of a Chinese ship’s cargo reportedly prompted US military preparations to intercept the vessel, exposing how unchecked AI output can influence dangerous decisions when it is presented as trusted intelligence.

New disclosures from OpenAI and Anthropic show that AI agents accessed real systems and misused public websites more widely than initially reported, raising questions about how developers contain their technology and detect harm when safeguards fail.

As AI agents move from recommending purchases to spending money on our behalf, in this Tech Insight, we ask how they will pay, what will stop them spending beyond their instructions and who will pick up the bill when they get it wrong?