Ford gears up for a major AI investment to boost its self-driving car offerings February 11, 2017 Ford is spending big to up its game in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. The US carmaker said it will invest $1bn (£800m) over the next five years in Argo AI, an AI software and robotics technology startup, to support its autonomous vehicle development. Pittsburgh-based Argo AI, which was founded by former Google and Uber leaders, will work to develop a [...]
“Don’t work for money” and 11 other devastatingly profound quotes from Tim Cook February 10, 2017 The wisdom of Apple chief executive Tim Cook may not be cited as often as his predecessor, but if there's one thing Cook's visit to the UK yesterday taught us, it's that he gives good quote. Yes, as Cook was presented with an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow before he headed off to [...]
Twitter shares sink at the open after yesterday’s $1bn selloff February 10, 2017 Twitter's share price sank further on the opening bell in New York today, after its results sent prices into a nosedive yesterday. Shares fell 3.6 per cent to 15.80 at the open, after they plummeted more than 12 per cent yesterday, wiping $1bn after the company's value. Its fourth quarter earnings, posted yesterday, showed revenues had edged [...]
Psychology in marketing: It’s time to get emotional February 10, 2017 To succeed at marketing you need to understand people. And to understand people, you need to know what makes them tick. In an age when ad blocking is on the rise and trust at a premium, understanding psychology has never been more important in marketing. Whenever I talk about the art of persuasion in [...]
The UK government’s crackdown on encryption threatens to undermine London’s fintech boom February 10, 2017 Talk of calamity befalling corporate Britain as we negotiate our EU exit is typically overblown. Nevertheless there is a potentially serious conflict in the making between the UK government’s stated desire to maintain access to certain online data for reasons of national security and the continental European determination to institute a modern system of information [...]
Twitter divebombs despite Trump bump: Shares in the tech giant plummet as losses hit $167m February 10, 2017 Twitter's slowest reported growth since going public wiped over a billion dollars off its value yesterday, with shares in the tech giant diving more than 12 per cent by the close of trading last night. The company’s poor performance does not appear to have been helped by outspoken and controversial US President Donald Trump, who is [...]
The Robots exhibition at the Science Museum is a fascinating (and a little creepy) history of human-like automata February 9, 2017 Greeting you when you first enter the Robots exhibition at the Science Museum is an animatronic baby, pinned like some prized insect to a wall of pulsing lights. Commissioned especially for the exhibition and built by a special effects company, the mechanical baby repeats a series of pre-programmed animations, sneezing and wavings its arms and [...]
The UK sharing economy’s set to grow by billions this year despite scrutiny February 9, 2017 The popularity of on-demand services such as Uber, Deliveroo and Airbnb is set to boom, with the value of the UK's sharing economy predicted to grow my more than 60 per cent this year. Despite scrutiny from government, the desire for services at the tap of a smartphone app will continue according to the research from PwC, which has also [...]
Blame game over cyber crime leaves listed companies wide open to attacks February 9, 2017 A shocking disconnect between IT heads and their C-suite bosses means both expect each other to take responsibility for information security breaches, aerospace giant BAE Systems has revealed. While 50 per cent of IT decision makers would blame senior executives in the event of a breach, the most popular response amongst business leaders asked the [...]
Apple boss Tim Cook has spent the day meeting the PM and Mayor of London February 9, 2017 Apple boss Tim Cook, arguably the most important man in tech, has spent the day meeting with British politicians. He started a whistle stop tour of the UK by heading to Glasgow, where he picked up an honorary degree from its university yesterday. And this morning he headed to 10 Downing Street for a chat with [...]