"Last year we tracked 30 billion phishing emails," says Vasu Jakkal, vice president of security at the US-based tech giant. "There's no way any human can keep up with the volume." In response, the company is launching 11 AI cybersecurity "agents" tasked with identifying and sifting through suspicious emails, blocking hacking attempts and gathering intelligence on where attacks may originate. With around 70% of the world's computers running Windows software and many businesses relying on their cloud computing infrastructure, Microsoft has long been the prime target for hackers. Unlike an AI assistant that might answer a user's query or book a hair appointment, an AI agent is a computer programme that autonomously interacts with its environment to carry out tasks without direct input from a user. In recent years, there's been a boom in marketplaces on the dark web offering ready-made malware programmes for carrying out phishing attacks, as well as the potential for AI to write new malware code and automate attacks, which has led to what Ms Jakkal describes as a "gig economy" for cybercriminals worth $9.2trn (£7.1trn). She says they have seen a five-fold increase in the number of organised hacking groups - whether state-backed or criminal. "We are facing unprecedented complexity when it comes to the threat landscape," says Ms Jakkal. The AI agents, some created by Microsoft, and others made by external partners, will be incorporated into Microsoft's portfolio of AI tools called Copilot and will primarily serve their customers' IT and cybersecurity teams rather than individual Windows users. Because an AI can spot patterns in data and screen inboxes for dodgy-looking emails far faster than a human IT manager, specialist cybersecurity firms and now Microsoft have been launching "agentic" AI models to keep increasingly vulnerable users safe online. Read more from Sky News:Trump lashes out over portraitPM says minister for men 'not the answer' But others in the field are deeply concerned about unleashing autonomous AI agents across a user's computer or network. In an interview with Sky News last month, Meredith Whittaker, CEO of messaging app Signal, said: "Whether you call it an agent, whether you call it a bot, whether you call it something else, it can only know what's in the data it has access to, which means there is a hunger for your private data and there's a real temptation to do privacy invading forms of AI." Microsoft says its release of multiple cybersecurity agents ensures each AI has a very defined role, only allowing it access to data that's relevant to its task. It also applies what it calls a "zero trust framework" to its AI tools, which requires the company to constantly assess whether agents are playing by the rules they were programmed with. A roll-out of new AI cybersecurity software by a company as dominant as Microsoft will be closely watched. Last July, a tiny error in the software code of an application made cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike instantly crash around 8.5 million computers worldwide running Microsoft Windows, leaving users unable to restart their machines. The incident - described as the largest outage in the history of computing - affected airports, hospitals, rail networks and thousands of businesses including Sky News - some of which took days to recover.

It's the first time anywhere in the world that a sheep is known to have been infected. It just happens to have been in Yorkshire. But the H5N1 virus is also found quite widely in US dairy cattle. And Sky News revealed in December that horses can harbour the virus too. These are 'spill-over' infections, with the bird virus jumping species. That's a concern, particularly if the virus shows signs of adapting to mammalian cells. And the close contact that humans have with domesticated animals is an extra worry because the virus has more opportunities to jump species again. The UK is in another wave of H5N1, with large areas now part of avian influenza prevention zones. Millions of poultry have been culled in recent months. Wild mammals are also being affected. Most recently the virus has been detected in dead seals in north Norfolk. But foxes, otters, dolphins and porpoises have also been found to have the virus. The Animal Plant Health Agency is closely monitoring the situation. Ever since the outbreak in US dairy cattle, it has started routine testing of livestock on UK farms with infected poultry. That's how this ewe was detected, with H5 antibodies in her blood and genetic material from the virus in her milk. Fortunately, all the other sheep on the farm were negative, but the animal was culled. Read more:What you should know about bird flu in the UKBird flu restrictions in place in England and Scotland Swift action like that reduces the chances of the virus evolving genetic changes and spreading. US authorities were too slow to act when the virus was detected in cattle. It's now in at least 950 herds in 16 states, and harmless fragments of the virus have been detected in milk on supermarket shelves. Further tests are being carried out on the virus that infected the Yorkshire sheep. Scientists will look at whether it had any genetic changes compared to the variants found in birds. Read more:Why is egg smuggling on the rise in the US? The UK Health Security Agency says H5N1 is still primarily a bird disease and the risk to the general public is still very low. But it tops the list of viruses likely to cause a pandemic, so authorities are on high alert.

Department of Government Efficiency head and business owner Elon Musk visited the Pentagon on Friday, which according to defence secretary Pete Hegseth was to talk about "efficiencies" and "innovations". It was not, as President Trump insisted, to brief Musk on the US military's plan for any theoretical war that might break out with China. On day 62 of the Trump presidency, US correspondents James Matthews and Martha Kelner discuss why Musk was at the Pentagon, and if his work presents a conflict of interest for the administration. Plus, James has been to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, where there's a new self-appointed chairman - Donald Trump - and the artists aren't happy. If you've got a question you'd like James, Martha, and Mark to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk. Help us understand more about our listeners by taking our survey! 👉 This form 👈 should only take a few minutes to complete, and Sky anonymises the responses as much as possible. Thank you. Don't forget, you can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

The single case was identified in Yorkshire during a routine check of livestock on a farm where the H5N1 virus, also called avian influenza, had previously been confirmed in captive birds. No further infection of the virus was detected in the remaining flock, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said. "While this is the first time this virus has been reported in a sheep, it is not the first time influenza of avian origin has been detected in livestock in other countries," it added. "There is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation's livestock population." DEFRA said it has been introducing livestock surveillance on infected premises following the outbreak of avian influenza in dairy cows in the US. The infected sheep has been humanely culled to enable extensive testing, it said. Livestock farmers are being urged to remain vigilant to any signs of bird flu following recent outbreaks. The UK's chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: "We have confirmed the detection of influenza of avian origin in a single sheep on a farm in Yorkshire. "Strict biosecurity measures have been implemented to prevent the further spread of disease. "While the risk to livestock remains low, I urge all animal owners to ensure scrupulous cleanliness is in place and to report any signs of infection to the Animal Plant Health Agency immediately." Read more:What you should know about bird flu in the UKBird flu restrictions in place in England and Scotland Dr Meera Chand, of the UK Health Security Agency, said: "Globally, we continue to see that mammals can be infected with avian influenza. "However, current evidence suggests that the avian influenza viruses we're seeing circulating around the world do not spread easily to people - and the risk of avian flu to the general public remains very low." The Food Standards Agency has said properly cooked poultry and associated products, including eggs, remain safe to eat. Bird flu poses a very low food safety risk to UK consumers since the virus is not normally transmitted through food, it added.

Sky News has obtained a joint letter from UK Finance, the main lobbying group for UK lenders, and Which? to three cabinet ministers including Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, and home secretary Yvette Cooper. Sent earlier this month, it argued technology and telecoms companies risked missing a government-imposed deadline to provide an update on their efforts to curb online fraud, and demanded more action was urgently needed. Money latest: Pubs warn on pint cost milestone They argued voluntary anti-fraud initiatives had so far "had no meaningful impact on the scale of fraud", citing data showing that nearly three-quarters of authorised push payment (APP) fraud - which involves criminals tricking people into transferring them money - originated online, with 16% starting on telecommunications networks. "While some firms are making efforts, it's clear that not all of them are taking the problem seriously enough," the letter said. "Before the election the Prime Minister highlighted the role the financial services sector plays in supporting customers who've been defrauded, including through the Payment Systems Regulator's (PSR) newly introduced mandatory reimbursement scheme for APP fraud victims. "He also outlined the need for big tech to step up and do more, calling for these firms to have a 'clear obligation' and 'financial incentive' to work with banks and law enforcement agencies to identify and stop fraudsters from targeting UK consumers. "Which? and the banking sector wholeheartedly agree." The groups referred to statistics showing that nearly £1.2bn was stolen through payment fraud in 2023 - equivalent to more than £2,000-per-minute. UK Finance and Which? called on ministers to ensure the cost of dealing with fraud was shared with tech and telecoms companies, and to "accelerate the publication of a Fraud Strategy in which it sets out its plans to close gaps in consumer protections, especially in relation to online advertising outside of the scope of the [Online Safety Act], and to improve consumer protections from scam calls and texts". Pressure has been growing for companies such as Meta - owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp - to contribute financially to the growing cost of online fraud, but the latest demand comes at an awkward time for ministers, with suggestions that big tech companies are to be spared an £800m digital tax amid negotiations aimed at staving off US President Donald Trump's tariffs on UK companies. "The problem isn't just a financial one," the joint letter said. "Fraud is a pernicious crime that can cause severe psychological and emotional harm to victims. "Which? research from 2023 calculated the impact on the wellbeing of consumers who've fallen victim to online scams as equivalent to the cost of £7.2bn per year. "Some victims have reported changes in their behaviour and a loss of trust in the online world. In the long run, this is likely to have knock-on effects on consumers' willingness to try new products and services, which is compromising economic growth." The two groups argued that while the Online Safety Act would prevent some online fraud being committed, ministers needed to go further. "It is deeply concerning that the regulator [Ofcom] previously announced it was delaying the implementation of the codes for paid-for fraudulent advertising by over a year, meaning that the Act will not be fully enforced until 2027 at the earliest. "The government must ensure Ofcom not only swiftly implements these codes, but that the codes themselves are sufficiently robust to effectively reduce the volume of fraudulent advertising online. "We ask that you publicly call for these provisions to be in place as soon as practically possible to provide much needed reassurance to consumers."