Monday newspaper round-up: Retail jobs, online chatbots, Meta, Zopa

Nearly 15,000 British retail jobs have already been cut since January in a “brutal start to the year” for the high street. A total of 14,874 retail job losses have been announced by companies so far, according to analysis from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). – Guardian

Online chatbots such as ChatGPT will be regulated under new internet legislation, the Government has confirmed. Lord Parkinson, a junior minister in the department for culture, media and sport, said artificial intelligence bots would be covered by the Online Safety Bill, which is currently going through parliament. – Telegraph

Facebook’s parent company Meta has launched a paid-for subscription service for the first time as it struggles with falling advertising revenues. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive, said Meta Verified will cost users $11.99 (£9.96) a month and include extra features such as verified accounts and increased security. – Telegraph

Zopa does not need to focus on profitability “at all costs” in pursuit of an initial public offering, an investor and former board member of the bank has said. The digital-only lender has long said that reaching profitability would be a precondition for floating the business, and it was on track for that target during the final quarter of last year. – The Times

HM Revenue & Customs “prioritised” payouts under a high-risk tax credit scheme to boost small businesses during the pandemic before having to pause claims due to abuse and fraud. The £6.6 billion research and development (R&D) tax credit scheme forms a key part of the government’s industrial strategy by supporting innovative companies, but an investigation by The Times last year revealed that businesses were putting in “spurious” claims for projects such as vegan menus and staff performance reviews. – The Times