This Week's Top Five Stories in Technology
1. Why Tesla Might Be in Trouble After Erratic Robotaxi Debut
US regulators have contacted Tesla after social media footage showed its newly-launched autonomous vehicles breaking traffic laws during Austin trial runs
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been in contact with Tesla following the emergence of social media footage that appears to show the company’s newly-launched 'robotaxis' violating several traffic regulations.
The EV manufacturer’s long-awaited autonomous taxi service made its public debut on Sunday in Austin, Texas, in a moment that was touted as a significant milestone in CEO Elon Musk’s vision for Tesla's future.
However, videos circulating online suggest that the vehicles — which operated with safety drivers in passenger seats — were exhibiting erratic driving behaviours during their inaugural runs.
“The NHTSA is aware of the referenced incidents and is in contact with the manufacturer to gather additional information,” the safety regulator said in a statement.
2. Analysis: Where will £500m UK Gov Investment in Quantum Go?
The UK Government’s Industrial Strategy includes £500m for quantum technologies in the next four years – but what does this mean for tech innovators?
The UK government announces plans to invest more than £500m in quantum computing over the next four years, as part of its broader Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.
This forms part of a £670m commitment over the next decade, to accelerate the impact of quantum computers across industries from healthcare and energy to telecommunications and cybersecurity.
The ambitious Digital and Technologies Sector Plan will help deliver UK Government’s Industrial Strategy and drive national renewal as part of its Plan for Change.
But what are quantum technologies and where will this investment go?
The UK Government's quantum investment “will be dedicated to the application of this revolutionary technology”.
According to Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology at UK Government, innovators will be able to tap into the investment funds to drive future technologies like life-saving medicines and semiconductors capable of powering next-generation mobile phones.
3. Behind Salesforce’s Landmark Agentic AI Deal With PepsiCo
PepsiCo becomes first major food company to deploy Salesforce Agentforce AI agents at scale, transforming customer service and sales operations
The summer of 2025 has belonged to Agentforce. The cutting-edge agentic AI platform has been on a world tour this year, as Salesforce has taken its roadshow around the world to promote its new flagship product.
The events have been a remarkable exercise in marketing, with stops in Tel Aviv, London, Zurich, Seoul and Melbourne already bringing together thousands of business leaders and practitioners.
After the success of the Salesforce tour, the timing seems right for the company to announce a new landmark partnership — one which demonstrates the effectiveness of Agentforce at scale.
PepsiCo is that partner. Its adoption of Agentforce makes it the first major food and beverage company to implement Salesforce’s agentic AI system across its entire operations.
The deal is not a speculative or exploratory one either. PepsiCo is going all in on Agentforce, deploying it in areas ranging from customer support to sales.
Ramon Laguarta, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, frames the move as part of a broader transformation for the drinks giant, which is valued at more than US$92bn.
“AI is reshaping our business in ways that were once unimaginable,” he says.
“This collaboration with Salesforce is another step toward a more connected and adaptive PepsiCo — deploying AI to unlock smarter and faster decision-making, fuel innovation and power sustainable growth.”
4. BBC vs Perplexity: How AI Can Raise Copyright Concerns
The BBC has threatened legal action against Perplexity for alleged unauthorised use and reproduction of BBC news content in its AI chatbot responses
The dynamic adoption of AI technologies in today’s industries is punctuated by critical debates about the data training processes for large language models (LLMs) and potential copyright infringements.
Now, the BBC has threatened legal action against Perplexity AI over alleged unauthorised use of BBC content in the answers provided by Perplexity’s chatbot.
The corporation has written to Perplexity, urging for it to cease using its material immediately, remove any BBC content the company possesses and address financial compensations for materials previously utilised.
The BBC asserts that Perplexity's chatbot duplicates its content “verbatim,” thereby contravening intellectual property protocols.
This is the first time the BBC has taken such action against an AI company, reflecting the growing tensions between content creators and AI firms over copyright and licensing arrangements.
5. Together We Engineer: Why Women in Engineering Day Matters
Technology Magazine proudly supports Women in Engineering Day, a day that commits to calling for women and young girls to enter the engineering world
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is celebrated each year on 23 June.
Dedicated to highlighting the achievements of women in engineering — particularly within fields such as digital transformation, AI and cloud computing — this year's theme is #TogetherWeEngineer.
Initiated by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in 2014, INWED celebrates its 12th year in 2025.
The day serves as a platform to elevate the profiles of women engineers worldwide, who remain underrepresented in the tech industry.
In the UK, women constitute only 16.5% of engineers. Globally, the numbers dwindle even further, with sectors like data centres often seeing less than 10% female representation.
These statistics underscore the importance of encouraging more women and girls to embark on engineering careers.
“Conversations about women in engineering tend to focus on recruitment. But the bigger issue isn’t getting women into the sector - it’s keeping them,” explains Aurore Knight, Associate Director at Black & White Engineering.
“That usually comes down to whether the job allows people to stay in the profession during periods of change, particularly around family. This isn’t a theoretical concern, it’s something many women face, and it has a real impact on retention, particularly mid-career.”
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