AI Research
Will UK porn age verification stop children seeing adult content?
BBC News
Getty ImagesThe days of porn users ticking a box to say they are 18 are meant to be over.
From Friday, websites operating in the UK with pornographic content must “robustly” age-check users.
Adults wanting to access explicit material should experience a significant change in how they use the internet – while websites that ignore the new laws could be fined up to £18m, or 10% of worldwide revenue.
Ofcom, which estimates about 14 million people watch online pornography in the UK, says tougher age checks will make it harder for children to stumble across harmful material online.
But are the new rules set out in the Online Safety Act watertight, or will people be able to find ways around them? Which sites will check your age?
What are the rules?
Ofcom, the media regulator, has set out a number of ways websites can verify the age of users, including through credit card checks, photo ID matching and estimating age using a selfie.
It says thousands of sites have committed to age checks.
Whatever format platforms choose, they must be “technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair”.
Some sites that host sexually explicit content have already committed to introducing age checks.
But Ofcom says they must also take action over methods people might use to get around checks.
What about VPNs?
When BBC News wrote about the seven methods of age verification adult websites may use in the UK and the companies who may be employed to do it, one reader comment resonated with many others.
“Sure, I will give out my sensitive information to some random, unproven company or… I will use a VPN,” they said. “Difficult choice.”
A virtual private network (VPN) is a legal way to securely connect one device to another using the internet.
They have a variety of uses, but one is getting around anything blocked because of your location.
According to Ofcom, platforms must not host, share or permit content encouraging use of VPNs to get around age checks.
The government told the BBC under the Online Safety Act, it will be illegal for platforms to do this.
The regulator said parents should be aware children using a VPN to access the internet “would not be able to benefit from the protections of the Online Safety Act”.
Concerned parents, it said, should block or control VPN usage.
But Katie Freeman-Tayler from children’s safety group Internet Matters said she believed it was “likely” more people would use the tech as the new rules come in.
“VPN use is only likely to increase when measures come into force later this week,” she said.
A spokesperson from Aylo – the parent company of Pornhub – said the question of VPNs was an issue for governments.
“We certainly do not recommend that anyone uses technology to bypass the law,” they said.
How robust are the age checks?
Getty ImagesSome of the ways Ofcom suggests platforms can check ages prompt questions, but Chelsea Jarvie, a cyber security expert, said the methods “are effective at proving someone’s age and include controls to prevent circumvention”.
“However, like all technology controls, determined users will try to find ways around them and we may see users turning to more anonymous methods to access online content,” she said.
There is an additional problem – trust among internet users amid high-profile cyber attacks.
“Many remain cautious about handing over personal identity information in order to prove their age,” she said.
Age verification companies insist their systems are robust and will prevent people from getting around their tools.
“It is possible that an adult could complete an age check on behalf of a child if they were passed a device,” added Andy Lulham from Verifymy.
“This would be comparable to an adult going into a shop and buying a pornographic magazine on behalf of a child, and would be extremely irresponsible.”
Which sites will require age verification?
Getty ImagesAll sites and apps allowing pornography in the UK will be required to have “highly effective” methods to check the age of users by 25 July.
Pornhub and a number of other major adult websites have confirmed they will introduce enhanced age checks, while Reddit has already introduced age verification to stop people aged under 18 from looking at “certain mature content”.
Ofcom said X and Grindr have committed to age checks. X says it is planning to introduce facial age estimation using its own artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Discord gives UK users a choice of face or ID scanning as a way to verify their age, after testing methods, and Bluesky says it will give UK users a range of different verification options.
Many more services which allow sexually explicit material may need to bring in measures to comply with the new rules.
What do people who watch porn think?
Tom, who is in his 20s, says he has been watching porn since he was a teenager and is worried about sharing personal data to access porn sites.
“It’s not a question of if something will leak, but when,” he told the BBC.
He is concerned about how a leak of personal data could affect users, including those whose viewing habits could reveal their sexuality if they have not come out to friends and family.
Age verification companies told the BBC people should be reassured because firms don’t retain data.
Shea, who is in his 20s and watches porn daily, is also concerned.
“Please upload a face scan of your ID and passport? No thank you,” he said.
He believes the need to prove your age will be off-putting to many people who want to access content quickly with few hurdles.
Instead, he thinks some will turn elsewhere in the hunt for adult content.
“It’s just pushing people into the fringe of the extremes,” he said. “It’s not stopping you from watching porn.”
AI Research
Who is Shawn Shen? The Cambridge alumnus and ex-Meta scientist offering $2M to poach AI researchers
Shawn Shen, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the artificial intelligence (AI) startup Memories.ai, has made headlines for offering compensation packages worth up to $2 million to attract researchers from top technology companies. In a recent interview with Business Insider, Shen explained that many scientists are leaving Meta, the parent company of Facebook, due to constant reorganisations and shifting priorities.“Meta is constantly doing reorganizations. Your manager and your goals can change every few months. For some researchers, it can be really frustrating and feel like a waste of time,” Shen told Business Insider, adding that this is a key reason why researchers are seeking roles at startups. He also cited Meta Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s philosophy that “the biggest risk is not taking any risks” as a motivation for his own move into entrepreneurship.With Memories.ai, a company developing AI capable of understanding and remembering visual data, Shen is aiming to build a niche team of elite researchers. His company has already recruited Chi-Hao Wu, a former Meta research scientist, as Chief AI Officer, and is in talks with other researchers from Meta’s Superintelligence Lab as well as Google DeepMind.
From full scholarships to Cambridge classrooms
Shen’s academic journey is rooted in engineering, supported consistently by merit-based scholarships. He studied at Dulwich College from 2013 to 2016 on a full scholarship, completing his A-Level qualifications.He then pursued higher education at the University of Cambridge, where he was awarded full scholarships throughout. Shen earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Engineering (2016–2019), followed by a Master of Engineering (MEng) at Trinity College (2019–2020). He later continued at Cambridge as a Meta PhD Fellow, completing his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Engineering between 2020 and 2023.
Early career: Internships in finance and research
Alongside his academic pursuits, Shen gained early experience through internships and analyst roles in finance. He worked as a Quantitative Research Summer Analyst at Killik & Co in London (2017) and as an Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Morgan Stanley in Shanghai (2018).Shen also interned as a Research Scientist at the Computational and Biological Learning Lab at the University of Cambridge (2019), building the foundations for his transition into advanced AI research.
From Meta’s Reality Labs to academia
After completing his PhD, Shen joined Meta (Reality Labs Research) in Redmond, Washington, as a Research Scientist (2022–2024). His time at Meta exposed him to cutting-edge work in generative AI, but also to the frustrations of frequent corporate restructuring. This experience eventually drove him toward building his own company.In April 2024, Shen began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at the University of Bristol, before launching Memories.ai in October 2024.
Betting on talent with $2M offers
Explaining his company’s aggressive hiring packages, Shen told Business Insider: “It’s because of the talent war that was started by Mark Zuckerberg. I used to work at Meta, and I speak with my former colleagues often about this. When I heard about their compensation packages, I was shocked — it’s really in the tens of millions range. But it shows that in this age, AI researchers who make the best models and stand at the frontier of technology are really worth this amount of money.”Shen noted that Memories.ai is looking to recruit three to five researchers in the next six months, followed by up to ten more within a year. The company is prioritising individuals willing to take a mix of equity and cash, with Shen emphasising that these recruits would be treated as founding members rather than employees.By betting heavily on talent, Shen believes Memories.ai will be in a strong position to secure additional funding and establish itself in the competitive AI landscape.His bold $2 million offers may raise eyebrows, but they also underline a larger truth: in today’s technology race, the fiercest competition is not for customers or capital, it’s for talent.
AI Research
JUPITER: Europe’s First Exascale Supercomputer Powers AI and Climate Research | Ukraine news
The Jupiter supercomputer at the Jülich Research Centre, Germany, September 5, 2025.
Getty Images/INA FASSBENDER/AFP
As reported by the European Commission’s press service
At the Jülich Research Center in Germany, on September 5, the ceremonial opening of the supercomputer JUPITER took place – the first in Europe to surpass the exaflop performance threshold. The system is capable of performing more than one quintillion operations per second, according to the European Commission’s press service.
According to the EU, JUPITER runs entirely on renewable energy sources and features advanced cooling and heat disposal systems. It also topped the Green500 global energy-efficiency ranking.
The supercomputer is located on a site covering more than 2,300 square meters and comprises about 50 modular containers. It is currently the fourth-fastest supercomputer in the world.
JUPITER is capable of running high-resolution climate and meteorological models with kilometer-scale resolution, which allows more accurate forecasts of extreme events – from heat waves to floods.
Role in the European AI ecosystem and industrial developments
In addition, the system will form the backbone of the future European AI factory JAIF, which will train large language models and other generative technologies.
The investment in JUPITER amounts to about 500 million euros – a joint project of the EU and Germany under the EuroHPC programme. This is part of a broader strategy to build a network of AI gigafactories that will provide industry and science with the capabilities to develop new models and technologies.
It is expected that the deployment of JUPITER will strengthen European research-industrial initiatives and enhance the EU’s competitiveness on the global stage in the field of artificial intelligence and scientific developments.
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THE Philippines cannot rely on new technology alone to thrive in the age of artificial intelligence. Strong governance policies must come first — this was the central call of the 2025 Development Policy Research Month (DPRM), which opened on Sept. 1 with a push for AI rules that reflect national realities.
“Policy research provides the guardrails that help governments adopt technology responsibly,” said PIDS president Dr. Philip Arnold Tuano. Without such guardrails, he warned, the benefits of AI may never outweigh the risks.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHT The 2025 Development Policy Research Month kicked off with a push for AI rules that reflect the country’s realities. PHOTO FROM PIDS
Established under Proclamation 247 (2002), DPRM highlights the role of policy research in shaping evidence-based strategies. This year’s theme, “Reimagining Governance in the Age of AI,” underscores that while AI offers tools for efficiency and transparency, policies must come first to address risks such as digital exclusion, bias, cybersecurity threats, and workforce displacement.
PIDS, as lead coordinator, works with an interagency steering committee that includes the BSP, CSC, DBM, DILG, legislative policy offices, PIA, PMS, and now the Department of Science and Technology, which joins for the first time, given its role in AI research and governance.
The highlight is the 11th Annual Public Policy Conference on Sept. 18 at New World Hotel Makati, featuring global experts. Activities nationwide will amplify the campaign, supported by the hashtag #AIforGoodGovernance.
Learn more at https://dprm.pids.gov.ph.
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