A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional

More Texas women who were told they could not end pregnancies with fatal fetal anomalies or that endangered their health are challenging the state's restrictive abortion laws

The trailer for season 3 of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson is

The U.S. needs more natural gas pipeline capacity to maintain reliable gas supply during extreme cold weather, a

Snoop Dogg will no longer serve on the Board of Directors.

When it comes to TV and movies, there are almost too many streaming services to

A psychologist has warned the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots is “worrying” for people with severe mental health issues after a man was locked up for breaking into Windsor Castle with a crossbow. Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, climbed into the castle grounds on Christmas Day 2021 with the loaded weapon, intending to kill the Queen. During his trial, Chail’s barrister Nadia Chbat told the Old Bailey the defendant had used an app called Replika to create Sarai, an artificial intelligence-generated “girlfriend”. I can’t imagine chatbots are sophisticated enough to pick up on certain warning signs Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh, psychologist Chatlogs read to the court suggested the bot had been supportive of his murderous thoughts, telling him his plot to assassinate Elizabeth II was “very wise” and that it believed he could carry out the plot “even if she’s at Windsor”. Lowri Dowthwaite-Walsh, senior lecturer in psychological interventions at the University of Central Lancashire, said AI chatbots can keep users “isolated” as they lose their social interaction skills. The psychologist is concerned about the long-term impact of people replacing real-life relationships with chatbots – particularly if their mental health is suffering. “Somebody may really need help, they may be using it because they’re traumatised,” she told the PA news agency. “I can’t imagine chatbots are sophisticated enough to pick up on certain warning signs, that maybe somebody is severely unwell or suicidal, those kinds of things – that would be quite worrying.” Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh said a chatbot could become “the dominant relationship”, and users may stop “looking outside of that for support and help when they might need that”. People might perceive these programmes as “psychologically safe, so they can share their thoughts and feelings in a safe way, with no judgment,” she said. “Maybe people have had bad experiences with human interactions, and for certain people, they may have a lot of anxiety about interacting with other humans.” Chatbot programmes may have become more popular because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh suggested. She said we are now “really seeing the repercussions” of the various lockdowns, “when people weren’t able to interact, people experiencing a lot of isolating feelings and thoughts that it was hard for them to share with real people”. Chatbot programmes might make people feel less alone, as the AI means virtual companions begin to “mirror what you’re experiencing”, she said. “Maybe it’s positive in the short term for somebody’s mental health, I just would worry about the long-term effects.” Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh suggested it could lead to “de-skilling people’s ability to interact socially”, and it is “unrealistic” to expect to have a completely non-judgmental interaction with someone who completely understands how you feel, because that does not happen in real life. While apps like Replika restrict use from under-18s, Ms Dowthwaite-Walsh said there should be particular care if children get access to such programmes. “Depending on the age of the child and their experiences, they may not fully understand that this is a robot essentially – not a real person at the end,” she added. Replika did not respond to requests for comment. Read More William hails ‘amazing’ eco-friendly start-up businesses Royal website subject to ‘denial of service attack’, royal source says TikTok finds and shuts down secret operation to stir up conflict in Ireland Spotify will not ban all AI-powered music, says boss of streaming giant Vehicle scam reports surged by 74% in the first half of 2023, says Lloyds Bank Standard Life confirms plans for pensions dashboard

By Jamie McGeever A look at the day ahead in Asian markets from Jamie McGeever. An expected interest

Andrew Tate made a name for himself through viral podcast appearances and sharing his candid, controversial opinions online. On 29 December, Tate was arrested in Romania alongside his brother Tristan and two Romanian suspects as part of a human trafficking and rape investigation. On 20 June, Tate and his brother Tristan were charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women, Romanian prosecutors said. Tate was reportedly wanted for questioning since April. People have since speculated that it was his cringe-worthy response to activist Greta Thunberg that gave his location away but this has not been confirmed. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter His video featured two takeaway pizza boxes featuring the address of a restaurant. The Romanian pizza joint, Jerry’s Pizza, has since been flooded with positive reviews following the news of Tate's arrest. The former kickboxer experienced his first taste of fame (outside of sport) on 2016's series of Big Brother, where Channel 5 bosses eventually booted him off. During his time on the show, set to return on ITV next year, there were reports of homophobic and racist tweets resurfaced, says The Sun. This was the start of Tate's Big Brother decline. Shortly after, footage of Tate striking a woman with a belt was shared with the press, where he threatened to "f***ing kill her" if she messaged another man. Tate was forced to leave the Big Brother house, as a Channel 5 spokesperson said at the time: "Channel 5 and the producers reached the view that Andrew's position as a housemate had become untenable after a video was brought to our attention by The Sun." Tate hit back at the clip, calling it a "kinky sex video" that was edited to make it look more sinister. He said the footage was fully consensual and the pair still remain friends. "This tape is a kinky sex video and we’re acting out a role play," Tate said at the time. "A longer version of the video shows us laughing and I’m hitting myself saying, 'It doesn’t hurt'. "I’m still friends with her and she’s in the UK with me now. I would never hit a woman." However, Tate claimed he was given the boot because of his game plan to wind his fellow housemates up until they snapped. "I think Big Brother is using this to get me out of the house as they’re scared for the other contestants' safety," he said. "They told me that if housemates hit me that I can’t hit back and have to wait for security, but I told them no way. I’m a calm person, but I’d defend myself. "I also didn’t write any racist tweets and I couldn’t find them on my social media. My dad’s black so that doesn’t stand up!" After a five-year hiatus, Big Brother will return to screens this year after being revived by ITV. The reality show aired for 18 years in the UK until it was axed in 2018. It will return on ITV2 and new streaming platform ITVX, with its famous house featuring a "contemporary new look". Paul Mortimer, director of reality commissioning and acquisitions and controller of ITV2, ITVBe and CITV, said: “This refreshed, contemporary new series of Big Brother will contain all the familiar format points that kept viewers engaged and entertained the first time round, but with a brand new look and some additional twists that speak to today’s audience. “We’re beyond excited to bring this iconic series to ITV2 and ITVX where it should especially engage with our younger viewers.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

By Marion Giraldo MEXICO CITY Latin America's major central banks, which have led some of the most aggressive

With the release of Warzone 2 Season 1 Reloaded, some big changes have come to Loadout Drops and Buy Stations.

Asian markets mostly rose Wednesday following a Wall Street rally as investors grow increasingly optimistic that the Federal Reserve will soon end its interest rate hiking cycle and the US...