James Farrell

James Farrell is the former editor-in-chief of Chiang Mai CityNews, where he wrote and managed daily news, features, op-eds and blogs on a diverse range of topics. Prior to this, in the same city of Northern Thailand where he lives, he was the longstanding deputy editor of the monthly magazine Citylife. He has written on culture, politics, travel, tech, business, human rights, for local, national, and international news services and magazines. He has a keen interest in the role technology is playing in the transformation of society, culture and politics, especially in developing nations. This is reflected in his not-so-successful first novel.

Latest from James Farrell

Social media giants head to court in landmark addiction trial

The world’s largest social media firms are in court this week in an unprecedented series of trials that could determine whether their platforms are responsible for harming young people’s mental health. With more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including more than 350 families and 250 school districts, companies such as Meta Platforms Inc.-owned Facebook and Instagram, Google ...

Anthropic CEO warns humanity may not be ready for advanced AI

Anthropic PBC Chief Executive Dario Amodei today released an essay on the many risks associated with developing powerful artificial intelligence systems and how we might counteract them. “I believe we are entering a rite of passage, both turbulent and inevitable, which will test who we are as a species,” Amodei (pictured) wrote in the introduction ...

That was a long wait, but TikTok US is finally a done deal

After years of high drama, the joint venture to keep the TikTok in the U.S. has been finalized. In a public announcement, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC said the 200 million Americans and 7.5 million businesses that use TikTok in the U.S. can rest easy. The deal is done. The announcement comes on the cusp ...

Palantir CEO says AI will eliminate the need for mass immigration

Palantir Technologies Inc. Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp said he believes that when the world hits peak artificial intelligence, there will be so many jobs on offer that mass immigration will be obsolete. “There will be more than enough jobs for the citizens of your nation, especially those with vocational training,” Karp (pictured) said at ...

UK mulls social media ban for kids under 16

In an effort to protect children online, the U.K. is considering initiating a social media ban in line with a similar ban already in place in Australia. Ministers were originally opposed to such a ban, but with pressure from backbenchers and campaigners, Prime Minister Keir Starmer (pictured) has softened on the ban and launched a ...

After backlash, X restricts Grok from generating sexualized images of real people

Elon Musk’s X Corp. today responded to a wave of international criticism over the company’s Grok chatbot, saying the bot will no longer generate artificial images of real people in a state of undress where it is illegal. This follows a barrage of concern from all corners of the world. In California, Attorney General Rob ...

TikTok just signed the deal to hand US operations to Oracle-led investor group

TikTok’s chief executive told employees today that the company has signed agreements that will ensure it can continue operating in the U.S. In a memo, Shou Zi Chew said that parent company ByteDance Ltd. and TikTok have signed binding agreements. Oracle Inc., private equity firm Silver Lake Partners LP, and Emirati-backed investment firm MGX will ...

Trump administration takes aim at EU over treatment of US tech giants

The Trump administration today issued a warning that the U.S. may strike back against European service providers for what it called “discriminatory” actions against U.S. Big Tech. “If the EU and EU Member States insist on continuing to restrict, limit and deter the competitiveness of U.S. service providers through discriminatory means, the United States will ...

Trump is recruiting tech personnel for government Tech Force

The Trump administration today announced it’s in the process of hiring an “elite corps of engineers” to join federal agencies and work on artificial intelligence infrastructure and other technology projects. The corps of about 1,000 engineers and other tech specialists will form the “U.S. Tech Force.” Throughout the two-year program, they will work in collaboration ...

Trump pushes back against states regulating AI with executive order

President Donald Trump today signed an executive order that will limit the ability of states to regulate artificial intelligence while attempting to address state AI laws already in place. “To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation,” the order says. “But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative.” In order ...