The country is one of only a handful in the world – alongside China and North Korea – where Google Maps fails to function as it should

For tourists visiting South Korea, one of the world’s most technologically advanced nations, navigating the country’s urban heartlands can prove surprisingly frustrating for one simple reason: Google Maps just doesn’t work effectively.

But on 11 August that could change, as South Korean authorities are set to decide whether to finally grant Google’s request to export the country’s detailed mapping data to overseas servers. Such a move would open up functionality that allows the app to give detailed directions and show users the best routes to travel.

Mark Sewards has launched a digital assistant but the results of my chat show the real deal have got nowt to worry about

As anyone with even a trace of a regional dialect who has had to pay a parking fine can attest, voice recognition services struggle with accents. Now, people in Mark Sewards’ constituency in Leeds are likely to find the same problem with his AI variant.

A chatbot, billed as the first AI version of an MP, responds in Sewards’s voice with advice, support or by offering to pass on a message to his team – but only if it understands you.

Though GPT-5 model has better coding and writing abilities it is not yet able to ‘continuously learn’

OpenAI has claimed to have taken a “significant step” towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) with the launch of its latest upgrade to ChatGPT, but has admitted there are still “many things” missing in its quest to create a system able to do humans’ jobs.

The startup said its GPT-5 model, the underlying technology that will power its breakthrough AI chatbot, represents a big upgrade on its predecessors in areas such as coding and creative writing – and is also a lot less sycophantic.

Alex Treryth sees the legislation as an excuse to conduct a massive data grab, while Jonathan Coates believes it’s small sites that will suffer

George Billinge says that many age assurance technologies delete their personal data after age has been confirmed, while some providers of virtual private networks (VPNs) sell their data to brokers ( Everything the right – and the left – are getting wrong about the Online Safety Act, 1 August ). But there is a key difference: we can choose which VPN to use, but the choice of which age assurance technology to use is with the platform. When a platform I use to talk to my friends insisted I verify my age, I wasn’t given a choice about which age verification service would get my driving licence. I was expected to trust that the platform had made a good decision with my best interests at heart. That’s a pretty big ask.

Instead, I elected to sign up for a VPN. I then paid for it with a payment processor of my choice, one with a proven security record. I spent several days considering and comparing the numerous options before selecting one that doesn’t keep any data – with audits and court successes to prove it. At every step of the process, I was able to choose who I was trusting with my personal data.

Super bright OLED screen, top tracking accuracy, voice control and calls on your wrist are held back by high price

Garmin’s latest mid-range running and multisport watch has smartened up with a very bright OLED screen, voice assistant and upgraded sensors.

The Forerunner 570 continues the revamp of the company’s running watches, which have all gained more accurate GPS chips and improved heart rate monitors. The new model replaces the popular 265 and sits under the 970. It offers a similar look and feel to the top watch but with a few key features removed for a lower price.

Soundproofing buffers at tunnel mouths to be rolled out on China’s latest magnetic levitation train prototype

Researchers hope they may have solved the “tunnel boom” problem as they prepare to roll out China’s latest prototype magnetic levitation train.

The newest version of the maglev train is capable of travelling at 600km/h (about 370mph). However, the train’s engineers have wrestled with the problem of the shock waves which occur as the train exits the mouth of a tunnel.

Tech giant’s plan to up domestic investment over next four years comes as it seeks to avoid Trump’s threatened tariffs

Donald Trump on Wednesday is expected to celebrate a commitment by Apple to increase its investments in US manufacturing by an additional $100bn over the next four years.

“Today’s announcement with Apple is another win for our manufacturing industry that will simultaneously help reshore the production of critical components to protect America’s economic and national security,” a White House spokesperson, Taylor Rogers, said.

Artificially generated video of Oliver, one of 17 victims of the shooting, addresses Acosta in ‘one of a kind interview’

Jim Acosta, former chief White House correspondent for CNN, stirred controversy on Monday when he sat for a conversation with a reanimated version of a person who died more than seven years ago. His guest was an avatar of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, in 2018.

The video shows Oliver, captured via a real photograph and animated with generative artificial intelligence, wearing a beanie with a solemn expression. Acosta asks the avatar: “What happened to you?”

Hanging on the telephone | Right to buy | Donating your body to science | Uncanny Lehrer | Lee Marvin

Emma Brockes’ article threw open the door to landline memories ( Worried about your child’s screentime? Get a landline, 31 July ). When it rang, the enthusiasm that came with the conviction “it’s for me” v the reluctance when seemingly knowing “it’s not for me”. This was undoubtedly because the phone in a cold hallway meant no one wanted to leave the warmth and TV in the sitting room.
Virginia Ranscombe
Derbyhaven, Isle of Man

• I can’t believe it has taken 40 years and a thinktank to realise the bleeding obvious about the sale of council housing ( Right to buy in England ‘fuelled housing crisis and cost taxpayers £200bn’, 3 August ). Wrong policy from the very beginning – and the fact it continued for so long is nothing short of scandalous.
Margaret Vandecasteele
Cupar, Fife