In 2009, two bookshops a week were closing in the UK and the days of physical books seemed numbered. Now, indie stores are booming. What explains the turnaround – and can it be sustained?When Sarah Mullen was asked to set up a children’s book festival in a leafy suburb of Birmingham in 2012, she couldn’t find an independent bookseller to run the bookstall. “So we all rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves,” she says. Pregnant with her third child, she had recently given up her job as a solicitor to work for the Bournville Village Trust. Mullen’s task was to set up the Bournville...

A new Cambridge University institute will try to harness the good and anticipate the bad effects of artificial intelligenceStephen Cave has considerable experience of well-intentioned actions that have unhappy consequences. A former senior diplomat in the foreign office during the New Labour era, he was involved in treaty negotiations which later – and unexpectedly – unravelled to trigger several international events that included Brexit. “I know the impact of well-meant global events that have gone wrong,” he admits.His experience could prove valuable, however. The former diplomat, now...

Android maker’s first foldable has sleeker design, simpler software and top camera, but wallet-busting priceGoogle’s first folding phone-tablet hybrid is finally here to give Samsung’s leading Z Fold a run for its money, with different ideas of how such a cutting-edge device should work and a serious camera upgrade.The Pixel Fold costs a colossal £1,749 ($1,799), which is £100 more than the already eye-wateringly expensive rival from Samsung, and more than twice the price of Google’s top regular phone, the £849 Pixel 7 Pro. That puts the Pixel Fold in the rarefied company of ultra-...

Digital Storytelling, its new exhibition, shows how interactive technology has changed – and expanded – the way we tell storiesWhen you walk into the British Library, the first thing you’ll see – apart from people sitting in every available free space, writing on laptops or in notebooks – is a glass tower encasing rows upon rows of books, stretching up to the ceiling. It’s fair to say that this place has a lot of experience when it comes to displaying stories. For digital, interactive stories, though, the classic glass case doesn’t really work. These tales often invite the reader...

A new wave of sex toys is designed to combine orgasmic joy with relief from dryness, tension and painAt first glance, it could be mistaken for a chunky bracelet or hi-tech fitness tracker. But the vibrations delivered by this device will not alert you to a new message or that you have hit your daily step goal. Neither are they strictly intended for your wrist.Welcome to the future of vibrators, designed not only for sexual pleasure, but to tackle medical problems such as vaginal dryness, or a painful and inflamed prostate gland in men. Continue reading...

Greg Rutkowski is among the artists calling for more protection from artificial intelligence tools.

Extra oversight for powers to scan encrypted messages for child abuse images passed by peers.

Concerns over the impact of AI are partly behind the first Hollywood actors' strike in 43 years.

West Midlands Fire Service says the owner of the footage allowed it to be shared to flag the dangers.

The manufacturers of a popular diabetes app have removed it from the App Store after it broke.

As actors strike in Hollywood, unions say they want more protection from artificial intelligence.

US regulators are asking the maker of ChatGPT about protections for privacy and reputational risk.

Quick to produce and easy to transport modular homes are being developed for homeless Ukrainians.

It is the latest attempt by the parent company of Facebook to make its VR business profitable.

Many people are using AI like ChatGPT to improve their language skills but learning that way has drawbacks.

The warning comes ahead of the European Parliament voting on rules to regulate artificial intelligence.

The deal to buy the Call of Duty publisher would be the largest in the history of the video games industry.

Chief executive Linda Yaccarino says the company aims to "drive civilisation forward".

The regulator says information about firms and employees has been affected by a cyber-attack.

BBC Click had exclusive access to a trial exploring the impact of using AI in breast screenings.

One of the most common swear words will no longer be automatically changed when you type out a message.

The Reality Pro headset, with a two-hour battery life, is unveiled at an Apple developer conference.

The online giant is also penalised for allowing Ring doorbell workers access to customer recordings.

Footage of potential human rights abuses may be lost after platforms delete it, the BBC has found.

Investors excited about the possibilities for artificial intelligence have sent the US chipmaker's value soaring.