[LINKS]: Links of the week

See all the links and our weekly headline roundup here.

Google’s Updated Privacy Policy Allows Data Scraping for AI: Google’s revised privacy policy states the company’s right to scrape user-generated content online to build AI tools. Read More
OpenAI’s Code Interpreter Poised to Revolutionize Finance: OpenAI’s Code Interpreter has the potential to transform knowledge work in finance by facilitating data-driven analysis. Read More
New Method Enables Image Reconstruction from Brain Activity: A novel diffusion model (DM) can reconstruct high-resolution images from human brain activity obtained through fMRI scans without complex deep generative models. Read More
Water Companies Plan Bill Increases, Says Regulator: Water companies are considering raising bills from 2025 to fund service improvements, according to Ofwat. Read More
Energy Firms Warned Against Paying Dividends: Ofgem cautions energy suppliers against paying dividends until they meet financial stability requirements to prevent company collapses. Read More
NatWest, Lloyds, Barclays, and HSBC to Face Questions Over Low Savings Rates: Regulators question the bosses of major UK banks regarding concerns over low interest rates on savings. Read More
Mastercard’s AI Tool Assists UK Banks in Combating Payment Scams: Mastercard introduces ‘Consumer Fraud Risk’ technology to identify and prevent real-time payment scams before funds leave victims’ accounts. Read More
12.8 Million People Struggle to Pay Bills: Approximately 12.8 million individuals in the UK face difficulties in paying their bills. Read More
Centrica CEO Foresees Prolonged High Energy Bills: The CEO of Centrica warns that energy bills will remain high for the foreseeable future. Read More
UK House Prices Rise Unexpectedly in June, but Annual Rate Falls: UK house prices exhibit a slight increase in June, although the annual rate experiences the sharpest decline since 2009 due to rising mortgage costs. Read More
More Than Half of UK Broadband Customers Face Connection Problems: Over 50% of UK broadband customers encounter issues with their internet connections, with telecoms providers facing criticism for inflation-busting price rises. Read More
Stubborn UK Inflation May Lead to 7% Interest Rates: Economists suggest that the Bank of England might need to raise interest rates as high as 7% to combat persistent inflationary pressures, risking a potential recession. Read More
Authors File Lawsuit Against OpenAI for Unauthorized Use of Books: Authors file a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of unlawfully utilizing their works to train ChatGPT, seeking monetary damages for alleged copyright infringement. Read More
JWST Captures Stunning Image of Saturn’s Glowing Rings: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) captures a remarkable image of Saturn, providing insights into its smaller structures and objects. Read More
UK Banks and Fintechs Urged to Embrace Open Banking’s Potential: NatWest calls for a transformative shift in banks and fintechs’ approach to Open Banking to unlock its untapped potential beyond regulatory requirements. Read More
UK Broadband Customers Express Dissatisfaction with Connection Quality: UK broadband customers express frustration with connection problems, attributing them to telecoms providers’ actions. Read More
Regulator Warns Energy Firms Regarding Finances: Ofgem reminds energy suppliers to act responsibly, protect consumers, and avoid financial instability as market conditions change. Read More
Intrum Exits the Baltics and Romania: Intrum announces its exit from the Baltic and Romanian markets. Read More
Chatbots Amplify Social Media’s Influence: Chatbots, akin to social media on steroids, entangle users in a more complex web, enabling permissionless innovation but posing challenges. Read More
UK’s Broadband Connection Issues Impact Customers: A report reveals that over half of UK broadband customers face connection problems, leading to dissatisfaction and criticisms of telecoms providers. Read More