Foreign Firms Use AI to Impersonate UK Businesses, Deceiving Shoppers

Unscrupulous foreign firms are utilising artificial intelligence to create fake UK businesses, luring shoppers with AI-generated images and fabricated backstories. Customers report feeling "completely ripped off" after purchasing from what they believed were independent boutiques, only to receive cheap clothes and jewellery mass-shipped from East Asian warehouses.

Credit: C'est La Vie

Consumer guide Which? stated that the increasing use of AI tools enables fraudsters to mislead the public on an "unprecedented" scale. More than 500 one-star reviews for these companies appear on Trustpilot, with customers complaining about high prices for cheaply made items and exorbitant return fees. Shoppers described being targeted by advertisements while scrolling on Facebook.

One such website, C'est La Vie, claimed to be a 29-year-old business run by Eileen and Patrick in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter. The company listed a returns address in China, despite its purported UK base. Recent advertisements for C'est La Vie alleged Patrick, Eileen’s "beloved husband", had died, prompting an 80%-off clearance sale.

Credit: C'est La Vie

Customers, drawn in by this narrative, later posted furious reviews on Trustpilot, reporting that they received "lumps of resin", "plastic junk", and "cheap metal rubbish". Sunny Pal, who operates Astella Jewellery in Birmingham, noted these scams damage the Jewellery Quarter’s reputation and undermine local businesses. Within hours of media inquiries, the C'est La Vie website stated all products were sold out, temporarily changed its name to "Alice and Fred", then reverted.

Another site, Mabel & Daisy, appeared to use AI-generated images and claimed to be a mother-daughter owned clothing firm based in Bristol. However, its address was in Hong Kong. Justyne Gough spent £40 on a pink floral dress from Mabel & Daisy, only to discover it was a "complete scam" due to the garment’s poor quality.

Credit: C'est La Vie

Ms. Gough was informed a return would cost £20 and eventually received a £20 refund. Emma, from Birmingham, attempted to return a £50 jacket to Mabel & Daisy that was too large. She realised the business was not Bristol-based when Chinese symbols appeared during her transaction.

Professor Mark Lee, an artificial intelligence expert at the University of Birmingham, observed that the images on these websites looked "a little bit too perfect and staged to be real". Lee explained that while AI previously struggled with realistic details like hands, it is now becoming highly sophisticated. He warned that soon it may be difficult to discern if a real human is involved in online businesses.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) recently banned advertisements for Marble Muse, a Chinese clothing company that falsely presented itself as London-based. The ASA also prohibited ads from another "British" clothing firm that used images of roses and the Union Jack while shipping goods from an Asian warehouse. A spokesperson from the regulator reiterated that other regulators and platforms share responsibility in addressing this issue.

Sue Davies, from Which?, highlighted that trading standards teams are "severely under-resourced" and "not well-equipped" to handle these fraudulent websites, leading to many going uninvestigated. She advised shoppers to check online reviews and company terms and conditions to confirm a business’s UK base. Lee recommended looking for images of people in different real settings with identifiable locations as a protective measure.

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• Foreign firms are using AI-generated images and false backstories to impersonate family-run UK businesses.

• Customers have reported receiving cheap, low-quality goods from East Asia after believing they purchased from independent UK boutiques.

• Examples include C'est La Vie, claiming a Birmingham base with a China return address, and Mabel & Daisy, alleging a Bristol base with a Hong Kong address.

Source: BBC

AI Offers Teacher Workload Cuts, Requires Ethical Guidance, Report States

Estyn, the education watchdog, has reported that artificial intelligence can substantially cut teacher workloads and help pupils learn. However, schools need clearer guidance on using AI "safely and ethically," according to the report.

Credit: BBC

Estyn's report on artificial intelligence indicates some teachers use it for lesson planning and drafting letters to parents and pupil reports. Yet, teachers also voiced concerns about AI potentially harming pupils' skills, along with worries about plagiarism and inappropriate technology use.

The Welsh government stated the importance of balancing AI's effective use with the safety and wellbeing of both pupils and staff.

At Birchgrove Comprehensive School in Swansea, pupils learn to use AI as part of Information and Communication Technology lessons. Staff across the school are encouraged to become more AI-literate, and pupils can use it to research subjects.

"If we see a pupil using it, we encourage them to use it but we encourage them to use it responsibly and that really does have a positive impact," said Ryan Cresswell, the school’s digital and innovation lead. He added that the school's approach is "very positive" because pupils will use it, and they prefer to teach responsible use.

Cresswell acknowledged "absolutely valid concerns" that pupils might use AI as "a crutch as opposed to a learning tool." He addressed staff worries about AI-submitted work, stating, "we know our pupils, we know the work that they’re capable of because we see them day in and day out."

The aim, Cresswell explained, is to use AI to "accelerate" learning and "promote curiosity."

Credit: BBC

The Estyn report found that secondary school pupils were using AI for tasks such as summarising revision notes and creating quiz questions tailored to exam content. However, the report noted significant variations in pupil AI use.

Some pupils were "more fearful, concerned about what use is permissible and worried that teachers will accuse them of cheating if they do use it." Pupils aged 13 at Birchgrove Comprehensive said they used AI for revision and to review lesson content.

Grace, a pupil, said, "I think it’s useful. Teachers can find out if we’re cheating or not but when you use it in the correct way it can help you." Maya added, "If I’m curious about something in the house I might ask AI and they will answer me."

Emilia commented, "If I don’t get anything in class, I’ll search it up and ask it to break it down for me." She also said, "I double check it on lots of other websites to make sure it’s definitely the right answer."

Overall, Estyn found that most schools visited were "in the early stages of exploring the benefits of AI, with pockets of experimentation led by digitally confident and curious staff." However, AI adoption was "ad hoc and usage varied considerably between individuals, phases of learning and departments."

Many staff were "excited by the potential of AI but wary of its use," generally expressing caution about AI's potential issues, such as accuracy, bias, and safeguarding risks. The report highlighted that using AI to draft letters and reports had helped some schools by "substantially reducing administrative workloads," freeing staff to focus more on pupils.

Teachers also informed Estyn that AI could be effective for tailoring resources to individual pupils, particularly those with additional needs.

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• AI can substantially reduce teacher workloads and aid pupil learning.

• Schools require clearer guidance on using AI "safely and ethically."

• Teachers reported concerns including negative effects on pupil skills, plagiarism, and inappropriate use.

Source: BBC

Intel Details Panther Lake Chip, New 18A Manufacturing Technology

Intel announced key details of its upcoming Panther Lake laptop processor, the first chip built on its next-generation 18A production process, aiming to restore its manufacturing edge and convince investors of its costly turnaround plan.

Credit: INTEL

Panther Lake targets high-end, artificial intelligence-enabled laptops and marks a significant test of Intel’s ability to scale its 18A manufacturing technology. The chip aims to reclaim PC market share previously lost to rival AMD.

The integrated graphics and central processors in Panther Lake offer 50% faster performance than its previous generation of chips, Lunar Lake, which was primarily manufactured by rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

The 18A process features a new transistor design and an efficient method for delivering energy to the chip. Panther Lake utilises a "system-on-chip" design, which typically integrates various components like a graphic processor, and a central processing unit, onto a single circuit.

Production for the processor will commence this year, with initial units slated to ship before the end of 2025. The chip will be broadly available from Jan. 2026.

Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at Technalysis Research, stated, "Panther Lake is extremely important to Intel on many different levels." O'Donnell added that it could serve as "confirmation of the company's continued advancements in semiconductor manufacturing and show the kind of chips that their fabs can produce."

Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan has recently scaled back the extensive manufacturing expansion initiated by his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger. In July, Intel warned it would halt development of its future 14A process unless a customer was secured.

Credit: INTEL

After U.S. President Donald Trump called for Tan’s resignation in Aug., Intel attracted new investments from SoftBank Group, and Nvidia. Following Tan’s meeting with Trump and White House officials, the administration converted a planned CHIPS Act grant into a 9.9% equity stake in the company.

Tan remarked on Thursday that the new technologies "are catalysts for innovation across our business as we build a new Intel." The company’s chip manufacturing facility in Arizona, known as Fab 52, is now fully operational.

Fab 52 is set to reach high-volume production using 18A later this year. Intel’s new server processor, Clearwater Forest, also being made at Fab 52, is scheduled for launch in the first half of 2026.

Intel anticipates Clearwater Forest will secure a share in AI data centres due to its power efficiency, even though Intel has not yet gained traction in the AI graphics processor market, which Nvidia dominates.

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• Intel unveiled its Panther Lake laptop processor, built on the next-generation 18A production process.

• Panther Lake aims for high-end, AI-enabled laptops and offers 50% faster performance than previous chips.

• The 18A process includes a new transistor design and improved energy delivery for chips.

Source: REUTERS