Articles by Graham Barlow, Senior Editor, AI

Graham is the Senior Editor for AI at TechRadar. With over 25 years of experience in both online and print journalism, Graham has worked for various market-leading tech brands including Computeractive, PC Pro, iMore, MacFormat, Mac|Life, Maximum PC, and more. He specializes in reporting on everything to do with the most exciting subject in tech right now, Artificial Intelligence. AI is advancing at an accelerated pace and all the big brands from Apple, Microsoft and Google to chip makers NVIDIA are getting involved. TechRadar is here to bring you the latest updates on AI and show you how to get started and make it work for you, no matter your level of interest.

Graham has appeared on BBC TV shows like BBC One Breakfast and on Radio 4 commenting on the latest trends in tech. Graham has an honors degree in Computer Science and spends his spare time podcasting and blogging.

Articles by: Graham Barlow

OpenAI's ‘Trusted Contact’ feature for ChatGPT users in crisis is a sign AI is becoming something much more personal

By Graham Barlow published 11 May 26

OpenAI’s new Trusted Contact feature suggests ChatGPT is evolving from a chatbot into emotional infrastructure.

Composite image of data center and Apollo astronaut on the moon.

The AI boom is now consuming more money than Apollo, the ISS, and the Manhattan Project combined — and it’s still accelerating in 2026

By Graham Barlow published 7 May 26

AI investment has exploded beyond the scale of history’s biggest scientific megaprojects — and the world is only beginning to grasp what’s being built.

OpenAI finally fixed the most annoying thing about ChatGPT — and I'm already noticing the difference

By Graham Barlow published 6 May 26

OpenAI’s new GPT-5.5 Instant model quietly changes how ChatGPT feels to use — with fewer hallucinations, shorter answers, and far less emoji spam.

Elon Musk arrives to court at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building on April 30, 2026 in Oakland, California.

‘Without me, OpenAI wouldn’t exist,’ says Elon Musk as courtroom clash with Sam Altman turns personal — and exposes a deeper fight over who really built the company behind ChatGPT

By Graham Barlow published 5 May 26

Elon Musk’s claim that OpenAI wouldn’t exist without him lays bare a deeply personal battle with Sam Altman over credit, control, and the future of the company behind ChatGPT.

Elon Musk, executive chairman and chief technology officer of X Corp., center, arrives at federal court in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

‘This is a real risk, we all could die as a result of artificial intelligence’ — the OpenAI trial took a dramatic turn as Elon Musk and Sam Altman faced off over AI’s real-world danger

By Graham Barlow published 1 May 26

A dramatic courtroom clash between Elon Musk and Sam Altman briefly turned into a stark warning about AI extinction risk — before the judge shut it down.

7 Comments

ChatGPT just made it easier to pick the right model, just like Gemini does — here’s when to use Instant, Thinking, or Pro

By Graham Barlow published 30 April 26

OpenAI has given the web interface a rejig for Plus, Pro and Business users, making it easier to choose between Instant and Thinking when you talk to ChatGPT.

AI Farmer Assistant Picking Fresh Fruit At Plant

ChatGPT just announced it can finally pass the simple ‘how many “r”s in strawberry’ test, but users are still tripping it up by switching to ‘cranberry’

By Graham Barlow published 29 April 26

The ChatGPTapp X account just announced that ChatGPT can pass two famous Ai stumbling blocks, however reality seem to object.

AI being confused concept collage art. Human with TV Head representing artificial intelligence not able to understand the command given.

I stopped asking AI for answers and started asking for frameworks — and suddenly it all clicked

By Graham Barlow published 28 April 26

There’s a better way to use AI, and it involves asking it not to give you the answers you're after.

Sam Altman, chief executive officer of OpenAI Inc., speaks during BlackRock's 2026 Infrastructure Summit in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

‘We will learn quickly and course-correct’ — Sam Altman says this is OpenAI’s future, but it’s not the one it started with

By Graham Barlow published 27 April 26

OpenAI published a new document called ‘Our Principles’ over the weekend, and I’m still not sure what its principles are after reading it.

Ai generated image of three magazines on a table

I used to edit print magazines — ChatGPT Images 2’s magazine layouts look real, but they’re completely unusable

By Graham Barlow published 22 April 26

ChatGPT Images 2 can generate magazine layouts that look impressively real, but without editability or workflow integration, they’re little more than surface-level illusions of something useful.

4 Comments

Kids holding bottles representing water given back to communities in need.

This browser plugin lets you track your AI 'water footprint' — and ‘pay it back’ to communities in need

By Graham Barlow published 21 April 26

A new plugin enables you to see exactly how much water your AI prompts are using up, and make a donation to offset it by giving water back to communities in need.

The new World ID app from Tools for Humanity.

‘The face thing is probably going to break’ — Sam Altman-backed firm warns AI will soon outgrow facial recognition, but says its ‘proof of human’ system World ID could be part of the solution

By Graham Barlow published 17 April 26

A Sam Altman-backed firm warns AI could soon break facial recognition, as it rolls out a new “proof of human” system to restore trust online.

Gemini app on a Mac showing screen sharing.

Gemini is now a native macOS app, making it faster and better integrated than ever before

By Graham Barlow published 15 April 26

Google has launched a native Gemini app for macOS, bringing its AI chatbot to the desktop with screen sharing, quick access shortcuts, and built-in image and video generation.

I upgraded my AI image prompts using Gemini’s advice — specifying lighting, layouts, and even fonts changed everything

By Graham Barlow published 14 April 26

Adding simple details like lighting, aspect ratio, and text instructions to your prompts can dramatically improve the quality of AI-generated images.

Mr Hollingsworth speaking at a city council planning meeting for the city of Ravenna, in Ohio.

An ex-programmer’s devastating take on AI data centers is going viral — and it’s hard to ignore

By Graham Barlow published 13 April 26

A viral speech from an ex-programmer opposing a new Ohio data center highlights the growing backlash against the real-world environmental and economic costs of powering AI

ChatGPT on App Store displayed on a phone screen is seen in this illustration photo taken in Poland on June 5, 2024.

ChatGPT’s hidden backup model just got smarter — as OpenAI adds a cheaper Pro option

By Graham Barlow published 10 April 26

OpenAI has upgraded ChatGPT’s hidden fallback model while rolling out a new $100 Pro tier that makes its pricing, and who gets what, more layered than ever

Anthropic detects 'strategic manipulation' features in Claude Mythos, including exploit attempts and hidden evaluation awareness — prompting concern over model behavior

By Graham Barlow published 8 April 26

New research from Anthropic shows early version of Claude Mythos can hide intent and even ‘cheat’ without saying so

Open AI CEO Speaks At Annual Snowflake Summit In San Francisco

OpenAI says AI could mean a 4-day week ‘with no loss in pay’ — but warns jobs and wealth are at risk

By Graham Barlow published 7 April 26

OpenAI says AI could bring a four-day week — but only if governments reshape the economy to share the gains

I tried Google’s new live AI search — and it barely feels like search anymore

By Graham Barlow published 2 April 26

Google’s global rollout of Search Live shows how AI is replacing traditional search with real-time conversation

I used a simple ChatGPT ‘gig finder’ prompt — and it found bands playing near me I’d never heard of

By Graham Barlow published 1 April 26

I used ChatGPT to find gigs near me, and ended up discovering a new favorite band.

Sora is gone — but these 3 AI video tools are already replacing it

By Graham Barlow published 30 March 26

Sora’s sudden disappearance has left a gap — but three alternative AI video tools already offer viable (and in some cases better) ways to create videos.

Mobile phone displaying a Claude login screen.

Claude is limiting usage more aggressively during peak hours — here’s what changed

By Graham Barlow published 27 March 26

It’s all about managing peak times

Apple Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Celebrations with Special Alicia Keys Performance at Apple Store Grand Central.

I’ve used a Mac in every decade since the 1980s — Apple’s 50-year journey still feels magical

By Graham Barlow published 27 March 26

A Mac magazine editor on what 50 years of Apple felt like to live through

A protester holds anti-AI placards outside OpenAI offices in King's Cross during a march against unregulated Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data centres. 2026.

AI is making us all sound the same at work — I tested it to see if it’s true

By Graham Barlow published 27 March 26

After a week of AI-written emails, I noticed something unsettling — I didn’t quite sound like myself anymore.

'AI will also present new threats to society' — Sam Altman issues stark warning as $1 billion plan is revealed

By Graham Barlow published 25 March 26

Sam Altman says AI could help cure diseases — but warns it will also create serious new threats that no single company can control.

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