Technology

How the right won the internet | Robert Topinka

In the second part of our series on digital politics, we look at how online provocateurs have advanced extreme political ideas – and watched them seep into the mainstreamRobert Topinka is a reader ...

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Electric cars go mainstream as adoption surges across rich and developing nations

A wave of affordable Chinese-made EVs is accelerating the shift away from petrol cars, challenging long‑held assumptions about how transport decarbonisation unfolds• Don’t get Down to Earth deliver...

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The slopaganda era: 10 AI images posted by the White House - and what they teach us

Under Donald Trump, the White House has filled its social media with memes, wishcasting, nostalgia and deepfakes. Here’s what you need to know to navigate the trollingIt started with an image of Tr...

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Cairn review – obsession, suffering and awe in a climbing game that hits exhausting new heights

PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox; The Game BakersA punishing, beautiful survival game that turns mountaineering into an intimate test of endurance, fixation and emotional resolve – you’ll be in tears by the...

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South Korea’s ‘world-first’ AI laws face pushback amid bid to become leading tech power

The laws have been criticised by tech startups, which say they go too far, and civil society groups, which say they don’t go far enoughSouth Korea has embarked on a foray into the regulation of AI,...

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A poor surprise reveal for Highguard leaves it fighting an uphill battle for good reviews

In the fiercely competitive market of the online multiplayer game, Highguard’s rocky start means it now has a lot to prove• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereIn the ...

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‘This train isn’t going to stop’: shocking Sundance film shows promises and perils of AI

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, co-directed by Daniel Roher, delves into the world of AI through the lens of personal anxietyAre we barreling toward AI catastrophe? Is AI an existent...

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Pikachu and pals go wild: Pokémon theme park opens in Tokyo

From rhino-sized Rhyhorns to worm-like Diglett, visitors to PokéPark Kanto will roam a forest populated by lifelike Pokémon statues when the attraction opens next weekIn Japan, February is normall...

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‘I didn’t have anything to prove’: what Traitors finalist Jade Scott learned about survival from video games

Accused, isolated and constantly under scrutiny, The Traitors contestant drew on years of social deduction gaming to stay calm under pressureThe latest series of The Traitors, which ended last week...

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Why I’m launching a feminist video games website in 2026

I’ve been a games journalist since 2007, but still there isn’t much video games coverage that feels like it’s specifically for people like me. So I’m creating a home for it: MothershipWhether you’r...

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Life after Molly: Ian Russell on big tech, his daughter’s death – and why a social media ban won’t work

Molly Russell was just 14 when she took her own life in 2017, and an inquest later found negative online content was a significant factor. With many people now pushing for teenagers to be kept off ...

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Sam Altman’s make-or-break year: can the OpenAI CEO cash in his bet on the future?

Altman’s campaigning for his company coincides with its use of enormous present resources to serve an imagined futureSam Altman has claimed over the years that the advancement of AI could solve cli...

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How the ‘confident authority’ of Google AI Overviews is putting public health at risk

Experts say tool can give ‘completely wrong’ medical advice which could put users at risk of serious harm• AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site, study suggestsDo I have the flu or C...

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The influencer World Cup: Fifa and the TikTok deal targeting an avalanche of posts

Partnership with tech giant speaks to push to engage younger fans but also has wider strategic goals in mindIn this World Cup year, Fifa has come out of the blocks quickly. In the past few weeks an...

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The Guardian view on toddlers and screens: more reasons to be fearful of big tech | Editorial

Growing concerns about the impact of smartphones on the youngest children must be addressedThe first UK government guidance on young children’s use of tablets, smartphones and other screens, expect...

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How screen time affects toddlers: ‘We’re losing a big part of being human’

In the UK, 98% of two-year-olds watch screens on a typical day, on average for more than two hours – and almost 40% of three- to five-year-olds use social media. Could this lead to alarming outcome...

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TR-49 review – inventive narrative deduction game steeped in the strangest of wartime secrets

PC; InkleThe UK game developer’s latest is a database mystery constructed from an archive of fictional books. Their combined contents threaten to crack the code of realityBletchley Park: famed home...

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Animal Crossing’s new update has revived my pandemic sanctuary

After years away revisiting my abandoned island uncovers new features, old memories and the quiet reassurance that you can go home again• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign u...

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My analogue month: would ditching my smartphone make me healthier, happier – or more stressed?

When I swapped my iPhone for a Nokia, Walkman, film camera and physical map, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But my life soon started to changeWhen two balaclava-clad men on a motorbike mounted the p...

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My friends in Italy are using AI therapists. But is that so bad, when a stigma surrounds mental health? | Viola Di Grado

State provision for psychological health services is lamentable. Until things improve, let’s not judge those who turn to an app for helpIt’s a sunny afternoon in a Roman park and a peculiar, new-to...

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Ed Zitron on big tech, backlash, boom and bust: ‘AI has taught us that people are excited to replace human beings’

His blunt, brash scepticism has made the podcaster and writer something of a cult figure. But as concern over large language models builds, he’s no longer the outsider he once wasIf some time in an...

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