Tech

The war between businesses and hackers enters a perilous new phase

CYBER-SECURITY IN the age of artificial intelligence in some ways resembles modern warfare. It is asymmetric: small bands of attackers armed with the latest technology can penetrate the most powerful defences. And the weaponry is increasingly autonomous. As Nikesh Arora, boss of Palo Alto Networks (PAN), a big cyber-security firm, puts it, “AI has to fight AI.” The good guys do not always win.

Maths enters its AI era

Not long ago, AI models struggled with basic arithmetic. Now, they’re solving complex mathematical conjectures. But researchers want to go further. They think AI could help them organise the mathematical literature into a common language—thereby finding connections between hitherto-disparate fields and, perhaps, even making completely new discoveries in one of the most fundamental areas of human inquiry.

Is AI putting graduates out of work already?

“There’s no sign in the data that AI is costing anybody their job right now,” Kevin Hassett, a White House adviser, said on May 11th. Someone should tell America’s class of 2026. “It’s grim,” one professor says of the market for graduate jobs. Artificial intelligence is the popular villain. At a recent commencement ceremony in Florida a speaker was booed for mentioning it. And not without reason: our analysis suggests AI may indeed be harming some graduates’ job prospects.

FT ranking: Europe’s leading start-up hubs 2026

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

What Leaders Get Wrong About the ROI of AI

Companies have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in AI. But if you ask most executives about AI right now, the conversation quickly turns to one question: Where is the return?

How a Robot (Sort of) Made Me Lunch

Earlier this week, I visited a lunch spot in London where several 20-somethings were busy toiling behind a counter. To their left sat a less ordinary sight: a food assembly robot that might one day put them out of work.

In more good news for Amazon, Snowflake signs $6B deal with AWS for AI CPU chips

Snowflake has signed a new, enormous five-year deal with Amazon to secure chips for AI usage. Nvidia is once again being put on notice.

Cognition raises $1B at $26B valuation for AI coding agent

Cognition AI has raised more than $1 billion at a $26 billion valuation for Devin, its AI coding agent. Revenue grew from $37 million to $492 million in 12 months, with Goldman Sachs, Mercedes-Benz, and the US government among its customers.

Nvidia bets $150B on Taiwan as Trump's plan to make US an AI hub backfires

Nvidia will invest $150 billion a year to make Taiwan an AI “epicenter.”

Some users may be giving Google's AI search the bird, and DuckDuckGo is benefiting

DuckDuckGo says installs surged after Google's AI search overhaul, hinting some users may want less AI in search.

Payroll startup Remote says it grew revenue 50% per employee without adding headcount

Payroll service provider Remote recently surpassed $300 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and became cash-flow positive, thanks to a 50% increase in revenue per employee resulting from AI adoption.

Meta Launches AI Chatbot Subscriptions at $7.99 and $19.99

Meta is selling subscriptions to its AI chatbot for the first time, with Meta One Plus at $7.99/month and Meta One Premium at $19.99/month. The rollout begins in Singapore, Guatemala, and Bolivia alongside new paid tiers for Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and business users.