China has proposed strict new rules for artificial intelligence (AI) to provide safeguards for children and prevent chatbots from offering advice that could lead to self-harm or violence. Under the planned regulations, developers will also need to ensure their AI models do not generate content that promotes gambling. The announcement comes after a surge in the number of chatbots being launched in China and around the world. Once finalised, the rules will apply to AI products and services in China, marking a major move to regulate the fast-growing technology, which has come under intense scrutiny over safety concerns this year. BBC Octopus Energy’s tech arm Kraken has been valued at nearly $9bn (£6.4bn) after the energy giant offloaded a significant stake to a group of American backers. The UK’s biggest energy supplier on Monday said investors led by D1 Capital Partners and Fidelity International would sink about $1bn of fresh money into Kraken in return for an undisclosed stake. Some of the funds will also be invested in Octopus Energy. An arm of Canada’s Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and Durable Capital Partners are also taking part in the fundraising round, Octopus said. Telegraph Despite mounting fears about an ‘AI bubble’, Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) is on course to deliver a market-beating stock price return this year. As I write (29 December), the share is up 40% versus a 17.8% rise for the S&P 500. However, the pound has strengthened against the US dollar in the past year, meaning UK investors would have seen some currency drag. Nevertheless, barring a spectacular end-of-year meltdown, Nvidia will produce a positive return for the sixth time in seven years. Yahoo! Finance hen Elon Musk vowed late last year to lead a “department of government efficiency” (Doge), he claimed it would operate with “maximum transparency” as it set about saving $2tn worth of waste and exposing massive fraud. Today, with Musk out of the White House, Doge having cut only a tiny fraction of the waste it promised, and dozens of lawsuits alleging violations of privacy and transparency laws, much of what the agency has done remains a mystery. The Guardian Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s political dalliances, idiotic antics and eyebrow raising hand gestures over the course of 2025 absolutely (and quite understandably) will have contributed to the decline in sales the brand has been seeing. But Musk isn’t the only reason the company could be in big trouble, he may not even be the biggest. There’s no denying Tesla remains one of the most influential, innovative and important companies in the world. But the Cybertruck has been an unmitigated flop, while here in Europe, Tesla cars simply no longer have an edge over the competition. AutoExpress Samsung clearly couldn’t wait for CES 2026 to reveal its new soundbars coming out next year: it’s just announced two new models, though, sorry if you’d like to see what they look like, because the company didn’t bother to release any images of them. However, we have additional details, and I’ll be on the ground at CES, where I’m sure I’ll hear them in action and see them, so watch this space. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know: two new high-end soundbars are coming: the Samsung HW-Q990H and the Samsung HW-QS90H. Tech Radar