Meta’s Llama: the strategic play behind the promise to democratise AI July 15, 2025 Meta has long promised to democratise AI, with Mark Zuckerberg frequently doubling down on his vision to make it “open and accessible” so that “everyone in the world benefits”. Yet instead, it’s been executing one of the most strategic power plays in Silicon Valley – wrapping its race for AI supremacy in the language of [...]
Mortgage brokers on chopping block as AI overhaul gains pace July 14, 2025 Mortgage brokers could be the latest roles to be swallowed up by the spread of AI as homebuyers deploy modern tech in the space of cumbersome traditional homebuying services. AI has taken a dominant role for buyers with over a third using the tech to explore their options. Early adopters cited AI as streamlining product [...]
AI disrupts UK hiring for tech and entry level roles July 14, 2025 UK employers are significantly scaling back hiring roles at risk of being disrupted by artificial intelligence (AI), adding signs of a broader labour market slowdown. New data from McKinsey & Co revealed that online job postings fell 31 per cent in the three months to May, compared with the same period in 2022. Yet the [...]
Labour’s pre-loved tech charter won’t fix the UK’s digital divide, say experts July 11, 2025 The UK government’s new ‘IT reuse for good’ charter has drawn corporate backing, and a chorus of applause from Whitehall to Vodafone HQ for tackling major issues of digital exclusion and electronic waste. But donating devices is not a digital inclusion strategy – and certainly not enough to fix a broken, unequal system. The charter, [...]
London claims number two spot in global ranking of AI hubs July 11, 2025 London has claimed the number two spot in a new global ranking of tech talent hubs, second only to San Francisco, as the capital continues to ride the wave of AI innovation. However, behind the headlines, the race for digital skills is intensifying, and the UK still faces significant challenges if it wants to maintain [...]
MPs slam Online Safety Act as ‘not up to scratch’ July 11, 2025 The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) is failing to protect the public from the spread of harmful misinformation and must be urgently overhauled, MPs have warned in a damning new report. In findings published Tuesday, Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (SITC) said the OSA – which began to take effect earlier this year – [...]
Meta launches UK hub for AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses July 9, 2025 Meta has opened a new £12m audio research lab in Cambridge, aimed at improving the sound capabilities of its AR and AI glasses, including the Ray-Ban Meta and the newly announced Oakley Meta. The move strengthens Meta’s focus on wearable technology that responds intelligently to users’ surroundings. The lab is built to simulate a wide [...]
Morrisons taps Google’s Gemini AI to solve the supermarket scavenger hunt July 9, 2025 Morrisons has rolled out a generative AI-powered tool, backed by Google Cloud and Gemini, that helps customers find products in store, part of its ongoing digital revamp and data infrastructure overhaul, City AM can reveal. The feature allows users to type in queries for items, ranging from ‘tahini’ to ‘that tomato puree in a tube’, [...]
OpenAI’s security crackdown signals new AI battle July 8, 2025 Silicon Valley’s $300bn crown jewel, OpenAI, is shifting focus from building artificial intelligence to protecting it. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT and arguably the most scrutinised name in AI, has imposed a sweeping internal lockdown. From biometric fingerprint scans, to offline ‘tented’ R&D zones, the San Fransisco-based firm is tightening security across the board amid [...]
Meta nabs Apple AI chief – a win for Zuckerberg or a sign of Apple’s weakness? July 8, 2025 Meta has reportedly secured another coup in the escalating race for AI dominance, poaching Apple’s head of AI models, Rooming Pang, in a deal said to be worth tens of millions of dollar a year. While Pang’s defection might be viewed as a clear win for Mark Zuckerberg’s much-hyped ‘super intelligence’ project, it also casts [...]