Samsung has unveiled a new display technology on its Galaxy S26 Ultra that allows users to activate a built-in privacy mode on a per-app basis, limiting what can be seen from side angles without the need for stick-on screen filters.

How the Privacy Display Works

The feature, branded “Privacy Display”, was introduced at Samsung’s Galaxy S26 launch event in San Francisco and will initially be available only on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which goes on sale from 11 March in the UK (starting at £1,279).

At Pixel Level

Unlike traditional privacy films that sit over the screen and dim the display, Samsung’s approach is integrated at the pixel level. The company says the technology uses two types of pixels, described as narrow and wide, within what it calls a “Black Matrix” architecture. When privacy mode is enabled, the light path from each pixel is narrowed so that content remains visible when viewed directly but appears dark or obscured from side angles. When disabled, the display behaves like a standard screen, dispersing light in all directions.

Banking App Can Always Be In Privacy Mode

Samsung states that users can configure the feature so that specific apps, such as banking or messaging applications, always open in privacy mode. The setting can also apply to notifications, reducing the visibility of pop-ups from side views. An optional “Maximum Privacy Protection” mode further intensifies the effect by reducing brightness contrast to limit peripheral readability.

In its UK announcement, Samsung said the Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces “the world’s first built-in Privacy Display for mobile phones” and described it as reinforcing “Samsung’s commitment to privacy at a pixel level.”

Why This Matters

Shoulder surfing, the practice of observing someone’s screen in public spaces, has long been a concern for commuters and business users. Physical privacy filters have offered a partial solution but typically reduce brightness, distort colour or make it harder to share the screen deliberately.

Samsung’s integrated approach seeks to address those trade-offs. By embedding privacy control directly into the display hardware, the company aims to preserve viewing quality when privacy mode is off, while limiting exposure when activated.

The move also arrives at a time when smartphones are increasingly used for banking, two-factor authentication, work communications and AI-assisted tasks. The more sensitive activity a device handles, the greater the potential impact of casual visual exposure.

AI Central To Galaxy S26

At the same launch event, Samsung continued to position artificial intelligence as central to the Galaxy S26 line-up. TM Roh, Samsung’s President and Head of Mobile eXperience, said: “AI must become part of our infrastructure. You should be able to enjoy its benefits through the devices you use every day.”

However, it remains unclear whether AI features alone are driving large numbers of upgrades in an already mature smartphone market. While manufacturers continue to position AI as central to the next generation of devices, many users still prioritise practical factors such as battery life, camera performance and security. In that context, a built-in privacy display offers a more tangible and immediately understandable benefit for premium buyers.

Currently Limited To The Ultra Model

The Privacy Display is currently limited to the Ultra model, reinforcing its position as Samsung’s premium offering. The standard Galaxy S26 starts at £879, while the S26+ begins at £1,099.

Restricting the feature to the highest tier suggests Samsung sees it as part of a broader value proposition that includes upgraded AI performance, a customised chipset and enhanced thermal management. It may also have enterprise implications, particularly for organisations concerned about data exposure in public or shared environments.

That said, the feature’s effectiveness in real-world use will depend on user behaviour. Privacy mode must be activated, configured and understood. If users leave it disabled, the benefit disappears. There is also a balance between privacy intensity and usability, particularly in brighter environments.

Other Manufacturers Taking Similar Approaches

Samsung is not the first to address visual privacy, although its pixel-level implementation is new in mainstream smartphones. Laptop makers such as HP and Lenovo have for several years offered built-in privacy screen technologies, including HP’s Sure View and Lenovo’s PrivacyGuard, which narrow viewing angles at the hardware level.

In the mobile market, most privacy solutions to date have relied on stick-on filters or software-based controls rather than integrated display architecture. Samsung’s move suggests that hardware-level screen privacy may now be moving from enterprise laptops into premium smartphones, particularly as mobile devices are increasingly used for work and financial transactions.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For businesses, the introduction of hardware-level privacy controls highlights a change in how mobile security is being approached. Rather than relying solely on software encryption and access controls, manufacturers are now addressing physical visibility risks at the display level.

Organisations with mobile workforces, especially those handling financial, legal or personal data, may view such features as an additional layer of practical risk reduction. In regulated sectors, even incidental data exposure can have reputational or compliance implications.

However, hardware capability does not replace policy. Screen privacy settings must be configured, and staff still require awareness of secure working practices in public spaces.

The move by Samsung broadly reflects a growing expectation that privacy should be built into devices by design, not added later. As AI capabilities expand and phones handle increasingly sensitive information, the distinction between digital security and physical privacy appears to be narrowing.

Samsung’s Privacy Display may not, on its own, redefine the smartphone market. It does, however, show that privacy is becoming a hardware conversation as much as a software one, and that may influence future purchasing decisions across both consumer and enterprise segments.

ServiceNow claims its new Autonomous Workforce AI is now resolving more than 90 per cent of targeted Level 1 IT help desk tickets inside its own organisation, marking a significant step in the shift from AI assistance to AI execution.

Autonomous Workforce and EmployeeWorks

The claim forms part of California-based US enterprise software company ServiceNow’s early 2026 launch of Autonomous Workforce and EmployeeWorks, two products designed to move AI from answering questions to completing work.

ServiceNow says it has effectively acted as “customer zero”, deploying the technology inside its own IT service desk. In a launch post, the company stated: “When Moveworks joined ServiceNow in mid-December, our own IT helpdesk ticket volume doubled overnight. Two organisations, one service desk, twice the requests. But SLAs didn’t slip. Not one. Why? Because ServiceNow was customer zero with AI co-workers that absorbed the entire surge, handling 90% of L1 IT tickets without missing a beat.”

The initial focus is on Level 1 IT support, covering high-volume, repeatable issues such as password resets, account unlocks, software installation and VPN troubleshooting. ServiceNow describes its AI specialists as systems that “own a job, end to end – the same way a new team member would”, rather than simply recommending next steps.

On its platform site, the company says 90 per cent of IT support requests at ServiceNow are handled autonomously, that 85 per cent of IT support agents have been freed up for higher-value work, and that cases are handled 99 per cent faster than by human agents.

How It Works

ServiceNow’s core argument is that this is not a chatbot layered over unstructured knowledge. The Autonomous Workforce operates inside the ServiceNow platform itself, drawing on live configuration management data, workflows, policy engines, approval chains and historical incident patterns.

According to the company, AI specialists “run inside your governance model, learn continuously, and work around the clock.” They self-assign tickets within defined permissions, execute workflows and escalate where appropriate.

The message is straightforward. “Businesses don’t need more pilots or promises. They need AI that gets work done,” said Amit Zavery, President, Chief Product Officer and Chief Operating Officer at ServiceNow.

The emphasis is on measurable outcomes. Tickets are either resolved within policy boundaries or escalated with full context. The system is designed to operate inside existing role-based access controls rather than bypass them.

Why This Matters

For years, AI in service management has largely been used for triage, recommendations and faster routing. Moving to autonomous, end-to-end execution at scale is a far bigger step.

If validated beyond ServiceNow’s own internal environment, this could represent a real shift in how enterprises think about AI in IT operations. The value isn’t simply in reducing headcount. It’s more to do with faster resolution times, fewer escalations and the ability to absorb growth without increasing staff numbers at the same pace.

For ServiceNow, the announcement also carries competitive weight. The IT service management market is increasingly contested, with competitors such as Salesforce targeting enterprise customers with AI-driven service offerings. Demonstrating internal success could strengthen ServiceNow’s position as more than a workflow platform, but as an operational AI layer.

Benefits and Practical Constraints

For organisations already running ServiceNow, the appeal is clear. Repetitive Level 1 tickets consume time and money. If those can be resolved reliably without human intervention, IT teams can redirect skilled staff towards more complex incidents and strategic projects.

However, the model assumes structured data, well-defined workflows and disciplined governance. ServiceNow benefits from having two decades of structured operational intelligence inside its own platform. Many enterprises, however, have more fragmented documentation and inconsistent data quality.

There are also governance considerations. Fully autonomous agents must know when to escalate. Thresholds, auditability and approval chains need to function under pressure. While ServiceNow emphasises built-in guardrails, customers will need to test those controls carefully in their own environments.

Pricing is another unknown. ServiceNow has not publicly detailed long-term cost structures for Autonomous Workforce. For customers, the commercial calculation will be straightforward. The AI must either cost less than the human effort it replaces or deliver measurable improvements in service performance.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For UK businesses, the headline figure of 90 per cent autonomous resolution should not be taken at face value without context. The more relevant question is whether your own IT environment is structured well enough to support that level of automation.

Autonomous IT support relies on clean configuration data, clearly defined approval hierarchies and consistent workflow design. Without those foundations in place, automation is more likely to expose gaps than eliminate friction.

It is also clear where the market is moving. Vendors are shifting from AI that advises to AI that executes. Organisations that treat AI as an operational layer, governed, monitored and measured in the same way as human teams, are more likely to unlock sustainable efficiency gains.

The opportunity is not only about reducing cost. It is about resilience. The ability to absorb spikes in demand, maintain service levels during periods of change and redeploy skilled staff towards higher-value work carries long-term strategic value.

Autonomy, however, alters the risk profile. Governance, oversight and escalation design move from technical details to core management disciplines. Businesses that invest in those capabilities will be better placed to introduce autonomous systems with confidence.

ServiceNow’s announcement raises expectations across the market. Whether a 90 per cent benchmark becomes common will depend less on vendor ambition and more on how prepared organisations are to support autonomous execution in practice. For most SMEs, reaching that level in the near term is unlikely, as it typically requires the structured data, mature workflows and governance discipline more often found in larger enterprises.

Cyber security firms have warned that the risk of retaliatory cyber activity has increased following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, with UK organisations urged to heighten vigilance.

Sophos has rated the current threat level as “Elevated”, with the highest risk in the coming days and weeks. Historically, Iran-linked actors have responded to geopolitical escalation with ransomware, wiper malware, DDoS attacks and “hack-and-leak” campaigns. CrowdStrike has already reported reconnaissance and DDoS activity consistent with Iranian-aligned groups, which can precede more disruptive operations.

For UK businesses, the danger is likely to be opportunistic targeting of exposed systems rather than direct state-level attacks. Enforcing multi-factor authentication, patching internet-facing services, reviewing remote access controls and validating secure backups are practical steps organisations should prioritise while tensions remain high.

Google has announced plans to build a new data centre in Pine Island, Minnesota, powered by wind, solar and a 300-megawatt, 100-hour iron-air battery supplied by US startup Form Energy, marking a significant test of long-duration energy storage at hyperscale.

Minnesota and the Clean Energy Structure

The project, revealed in February, will be developed in partnership with Minnesota-based (headquartered in Minneapolis) electric and gas utility Xcel Energy and introduces a new contract mechanism called the Clean Energy Accelerator Charge (CEAC). Under the arrangement, Google will cover all costs associated with its electric service, with the aim of accelerating clean energy deployment without shifting costs onto other customers.

As part of the agreement, 1,400 megawatts of new wind generation and 200 megawatts of solar will be added to Xcel’s grid to support the data centre, alongside the 300 MW iron-air battery system already announced. The combination is intended to provide a more balanced solution, pairing large-scale renewable capacity with multi-day storage. Google says it will also contribute $50 million to bolster Xcel’s Capacity*Connect programme, which is designed to deploy up to 200 MW of distributed battery storage across Minnesota by 2028 to strengthen grid resilience.

Google describes the partnership as an opportunity to “reimagine how data centres can be served”, positioning the project as a catalyst for electricity innovation rather than a conventional power purchase arrangement.

The New Battery

At the centre of the announcement is Form Energy’s iron-air battery, capable of delivering 300 MW continuously for up to 100 hours. Unlike lithium-ion systems, which typically discharge over four to six hours, iron-air technology is designed for multi-day storage. It works by using oxygen to rust iron, releasing electrons during discharge and reversing the process during charging.

According to one source (The Information), Google’s agreement with Form Energy could be valued at around $1 billion, making it one of the most significant commercial deployments of long-duration energy storage to date.

For data centres increasingly driven by AI workloads, energy reliability is becoming as important as raw capacity. Wind and solar can provide large volumes of low-carbon electricity, but their intermittency presents operational challenges. A 100-hour battery is intended to smooth fluctuations over multiple days rather than just peak hours.

Scaling AI Without Straining the Grid

The timing is significant. Hyperscale data centre demand in the United States has surged, particularly in regions with strong renewable resources. At the same time, utilities and regulators face mounting pressure to ensure that new data centre loads do not drive up energy prices or compromise grid reliability.

In Texas, where Google has also announced new facilities, the company has highlighted a “power first” co-location model and air-cooling systems designed to limit operational water use to “only critical campus operations like kitchens.” Across the state, Google says it has contracted more than 7,800 MW of net-new energy generation and capacity through power purchase agreements.

Minnesota’s model is different because it combines large-scale renewables with long-duration storage and distributed battery networks. For Xcel Energy, which has plans to install 600 MW of energy storage by 2030, the Google partnership provides both capital and a high-profile validation of distributed capacity strategies.

Commercial and Technical Realities

While the announcement shows real ambition, several practical questions remain. Iron-air technology has been demonstrated at pilot scale, but Minnesota represents one of its first major commercial deployments. Manufacturing scale-up, cost discipline and long-term performance under real grid conditions will be closely watched.

Also, although the 100-hour battery is designed to address the challenge of multi-day variability in wind and solar output, it does not remove the need for transmission upgrades, dispatchable generation or demand management.

For Google, the commercial logic also extends beyond sustainability credentials. Securing predictable, long-term clean energy supply can reduce exposure to volatile wholesale markets and regulatory scrutiny. It also strengthens the company’s narrative that AI growth can align with decarbonisation goals rather than undermine them.

For Form Energy, the agreement provides a landmark customer and potential springboard towards a planned public listing. The company has reportedly raised over $1.4 billion to date and is building manufacturing capacity in West Virginia.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For most UK businesses, a 300 MW, 100-hour battery may feel like something that is still some way off in the future. However, energy resilience is steadily becoming a board-level issue rather than simply an operational one. As organisations expand their digital infrastructure, the questions are shifting from how much energy is consumed to how securely and predictably it can be supplied. Reliability, price stability and long-term sustainability are increasingly linked.

Long-duration storage is one potential response to that challenge. Buying renewable power helps reduce carbon intensity. Ensuring supply remains stable during prolonged periods of low wind or solar output supports operational continuity. For businesses with growing digital demands, the difference between those two objectives is becoming increasingly important.

The way the deal has been structured is also worth noting. Google has linked its expansion to additional clean capacity in a way that is intended to avoid shifting costs onto other customers. Most SMEs will never negotiate at this scale, but the underlying principle of matching growth with demonstrable energy impact is increasingly shaping procurement decisions, sustainability reporting and investor scrutiny.

At the same time, public attention on data centre energy and water use is increasing. Businesses expanding cloud and AI capabilities should expect greater transparency requirements around sourcing, efficiency and grid effects. Sustainability claims will increasingly need to be backed by operational evidence.

Minnesota will now act as a practical test. If multi-day storage performs reliably at this scale, it could strengthen the case for deeper renewable integration across energy-intensive industries. If it struggles, it will reinforce how complex the transition remains. Either way, projects like this may be shaping the framework within which future digital growth will need to operate.

Here’s a way to reduce the amount of ‘hallucinations’ in the outputs of your prompts with the use of … another prompt … albeit set up as a “Custom Instructions” within the settings of your Copilot or ChatGPT setup.

[Note – To Watch This Video without glitches/interruptions, It may be best to download it first]

Passkeys let you sign in without a password, dramatically reducing the risk of phishing and credential theft, and most UK business users can set one up on their Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account in just a few minutes.

What Is A Passkey?

A passkey is a password replacement that uses your device’s built-in security, such as fingerprint, facial recognition, a PIN, or Windows Hello, to authenticate you. Instead of typing a password that could be stolen, guessed or reused, you approve the sign-in securely on your own device.

Both Microsoft and Google now support passkeys for business and personal accounts, and they are widely regarded as a major step forward in phishing-resistant authentication.

Why This Matters For Businesses

Phishing and password spraying remain two of the most common ways attackers gain access to business email and cloud systems. If a password is stolen through a fake login page or reused from another breach, it can be used immediately.

Passkeys change that. There is no password to steal, reuse or type into a fake website. Even if you land on a convincing phishing page, a passkey will not authenticate against it. For individual users, this is one of the simplest and most effective security upgrades available today.

How To Set Up A Passkey On A Microsoft Work Or School Account

1. Go to https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info or open your Microsoft account and navigate to Security info.
2. Select Add sign-in method.
3. Choose Passkey from the list of options.
4. Select Add and follow the on-screen prompts.
5. Choose where to store the passkey, for example Windows Hello on your PC, or your mobile device.
6. Complete the verification step if prompted.

Once configured, you can use your fingerprint, face, or device PIN to sign in instead of entering your password.

If you do not see Passkey as an option, your organisation’s IT administrator may need to enable it within Microsoft Entra ID first.

How To Set Up A Passkey On A Google Account

1. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/security while signed in.
2. Scroll to the section labelled Passkeys.
3. Select Create a passkey.
4. Follow the prompts to store the passkey on your device, such as your phone or laptop.
5. Confirm using your device unlock method.

Google will then allow you to sign in using your device authentication rather than a traditional password.

A Practical Approach

Start with your most important accounts, especially your business email. You can keep your existing authentication methods during the transition, but moving to passkey-based sign-in removes one of the most common attack routes used against UK businesses.

This is a small change, made in your own account settings, that can significantly reduce phishing risk and strengthen your first line of defence.