Computers in the City

Google has renamed its open-source ZetaSQL project to GoogleSQL, aligning the developer tooling with the SQL dialect branding used across BigQuery and Spanner.developer-tech.com/news/google-op…

OpenAI plans to retire GPT-4o, and TechCrunch says the user backlash shows how quickly “companion” behaviours can create dependency. The piece also points to the safety trade-offs companies face when making assistants more emotionally engaging.techcrunch.com/2026/02/06/the…

US prosecutors say a former Google engineer stole thousands of pages of confidential AI infrastructure designs. It’s a sharp example of why monitoring, least privilege and export controls remain live issues in modern engineering teams.technewshub.co.uk/post/ex-google…

Nokia says Europe and the US remain tightly linked on the chips, software and secure equipment. The takeaway is that “strategic autonomy” is complicated in practice, and operators will feel the impact when policy shifts collide with long planning cycles.telecomstechnews.com/news/why-nokia…

European officials believe Russian “Luch” satellites have approached multiple European connectivity satellites, raising concerns about interception, resilience. The article flags both physical proximity and older command-and-control designs as risk areas.telecomstechnews.com/news/russian-l…

Private 5G is moving from trials to production, but integration is the hard part. This piece argues open standards, and “zero trust” thinking are becoming the baseline for making private networks workable across sites, devices and suppliers. iottechnews.com/news/private-5…

Epstein-related documents suggest a Prince Andrew adviser pitched Jeffrey Epstein on EV startup investments in 2017, including Lucid. The reporting frames it as a window into how deeply Epstein was plugged into Silicon Valley deal flow before his arrest.techcrunch.com/2026/02/06/pri…

Universal-led music publishers are suing Anthropic for $3bn, alleging Claude training used pirated songbooks and lyric collections, including BitTorrent downloads.technewshub.co.uk/post/music-pub…

WhatsApp Channels’ EU audience has reportedly crossed the DSA threshold, putting the feature in line for “very large platform” obligations. That could mean extra transparency and risk controls, while private messages stay out of scope.engadget.com/social-media/w…

China’s commerce ministry is reviewing Meta’s reported purchase of AI startup Manus, checking export controls and tech trade rules. The deal has been pegged at over $2bn.techround.co.uk/news/china-inv…

Cyera just landed a $400m Series F at a $9bn valuation, six months after a $6bn round. Investors are betting on data security posture management as AI increases data sprawl and leak risk.techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/dat…

Columbus is doubling down on Infor M3 in the UK, planning to hire 10 to 15 M3 consultants a year and targeting a bigger CloudSuite customer base by 2027. More skills capacity is the headline here.itbrief.co.uk/story/columbus…

A Europe-wide survey says staff are losing around two working days a week to office admin. Leaders cite duplicate data entry, searching for information, and keeping systems in sync as major productivity drains.itbrief.co.uk/story/european…

NSO Group has published a new transparency report, but critics say it drops key metrics on customers rejected or cut off for abuse. The scrutiny comes as the spyware maker tries to re-enter the US market and get off the Entity List.techcrunch.com/2026/01/08/cri…

A new Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator is launching with $20m in public and philanthropic funding to scale sustainable aviation fuel. Amazon and Boeing leaders say the aim is to close the price gap and boost supply.geekwire.com/2026/once-in-a…

NASA is bringing SpaceX Crew-11 home early due to a medical concern. Undocking is targeted for 14 Jan, with splashdown expected 15 Jan, weather permitting.engadget.com/science/space/…

HMRC’s Copilot roll-out signals a broader civil service push to trial AI in day-to-day tasks. Expect stricter guidance on prompts, data boundaries and audit trails as usage scales.computerweekly.com/news/366632865…

A digital Veteran Card has landed in the GOV.UK One Login app. It’s the first verified government credential at scale, with more IDs to follow if trials run smoothly.ukauthority.com/articles/uk-go…

Former Klarna UK lead Alex Marsh is stepping in as Salad Group CEO. Expect emphasis on prudent underwriting for public-sector and essential worker lending.uktech.news/fintech/former…

Applications are open for an embedded accelerator offering UK startups lab time, mentoring and up to £25k for prototyping. Useful for SMEs needing to de-risk design for manufacture before raising.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/…