Majority of parents believe in smartphone ban for Under 16s, brain chip patient plays chess
Most parents believe the Government should ban smartphones for under-16s, a poll has suggested. More than four in five (83%) parents said they felt smartphones were “harmful” to children and young people, according to a survey. Charity Parentkind is calling on all political parties to put a ban on smartphones for children in their manifestos ahead of the general election. A poll commissioned by Parentkind, of 2,496 parents of school-aged children in England, suggests that 58% of parents believe the Government should introduce a ban on smartphones for under-16s. Independent
Google’s budget lineup of A-series phones has seen significant upgrades over the past few years, bringing the Pixel devices in line with Pixel flagships. The Pixel 7a, for example, was so similar to the Pixel 7 that some wondered whether Google would even release a Pixel 8a this year. Nevertheless, a Pixel 8a is all but confirmed, and a major leak just gave us a bunch of details about the upcoming smartphone. The leak comes from Android Authority, which confirms the display is going to reach flagship quality thanks to the boost to 120Hz and will be brighter, supporting 1,400 nits at peak brightness. Android Central
The Department for Transport has announced that the EV chargepoint grant has now been extended to those owning a property with on-road parking. For a long time, this was restricted only to those who owned or rented a property with a dedicated off-road parking space. However, the latest guidelines published by the DfT as part of the Government’s new ‘Plan for Drivers’ extends the grant to those who have access to “adequate” on-street parking. One can apply for the chargepoint grant via the gov.uk website, however, applicants must own or be the primary driver of an electric car. Autoexpress
The first patient to receive a brain chip from Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has appeared to play online chess. Neuralink released a nine-minute video in which the patient, who is paralysed below his shoulders, appears to move a cursor across a laptop screen with nothing but his thoughts. The video shows him playing chess and turning off the laptop’s music. The patient, who had not been previously identified, said in the live stream video that his name is Noland Arbaugh, 29, who was paralysed below the shoulder after a diving accident. Sky News
— Neuralink (@neuralink) March 20, 2024
Like many artificial intelligence pioneers, Mustafa Suleyman has expressed concerns about a technology he has played an important role in developing. Speaking at the global AI safety summit last year, the 39-year-old Briton said there might have to be a pause in development towards the end of the decade. “I don’t rule it out. And I think that at some point over the next five years or so, we’re going to have to consider that question very seriously,” he said. Suleyman will now be mulling that question as the head of a new AI division within Microsoft. The Guardian
An AI tool tested by an NHS hospital trust successfully identified tiny signs of breast cancer in 11 women which had been missed by human doctors. The tool, called Mia, was piloted alongside NHS clinicians and analysed the mammograms of over 10,000 women. Most of them were cancer-free, but it successfully flagged all of those with symptoms, as well as an extra 11 the doctors did not identify. At their earliest stages, cancers can be extremely small and hard to spot. BBC
