Retail in 2025: The year of personalisation, AI, wellness – and no more barcodes December 24, 2024 2024 has been a tough year for retail. From companies sounding the alarm on business rates in the first half of the year to low consumer confidence and footfall proving stickier than expected, the festive period has now been overshadowed by stark warnings about further cost rises next year. Restructuring partner at RSM UK, Gordon [...]
The Notebook: Labour’s Data Bill could open the floodgates to AI. Why is no one talking about it? December 9, 2024 Enough with 'AI innovation', Labour's Data Bill threatens our privacy and deserves proper scrutiny, writes Silkie Carlo.
AI investor FOMO: Has AI supply outstripped demand? December 8, 2024 Investors are pouring billions into AI, but has supply now outstripped demand? Mike Smeed looks at how AI funding has become misbalanced.
AI will empower the heroes who serve us December 5, 2024 AI won’t just transform business, it will help public services do more with less and empower the private sector to help solve some of society’s most important challenges, says Shmuel Chafets The GenerativeAI revolution is quickly becoming a driving force for business transformation around the globe. Industries from healthcare to finance are moving to adopt AI [...]
Could a chatbot groom your child? November 26, 2024 Generation Alpha are already growing up in a very different digital landscape to their predecessors and their lives will be fundamentally shaped by AI, says Eliza Filby In all the surveys, books and discussions about modern parenting, there’s one thing on which we are all in agreement. Parenting today is harder than it was for [...]
AI in recruitment: Levelling the playing field or entrenching bias? November 25, 2024 AI in recruitment aims to reduce hiring biases and streamline candidate selection. But do these tools truly make hiring fairer, or are they reinforcing hidden biases? Asks Paul Armstrong The AI hiring wave has arrived, promising to tidy up recruitment’s inefficiencies with sleek algorithms and predictive analytics. Job descriptions are optimised for clicks, CVs sifted [...]
Beware of the big promises of AI – we’ve been here before November 18, 2024 AI hype is everywhere, but we've been here before. Ian Whittaker prescribes a healthy dose of scepticism in today's Notebook.
Will an algorithm generate the next big Christmas ad? November 18, 2024 Christmas is coming and algorithms are at work, pushing the boundaries of creativity to ensure the tills keep ringing. But can AI tools ever really craft an ad that resonates on a deep, human level? Asks Paul Armstrong The Christmas ads have arrived, including a fake – and viral – John Lewis one, flooding our [...]
British AI start-up lands $750m valuation nine months after creation November 14, 2024 British AI start-up Tessl has landed a $750m valuation just nine months after being created, it is understood, as it looks to revamp how computer programmers create software.
Entrepreneurs are the ‘real heroes’ and AI is already here, says Xero’s UK managing director November 12, 2024 Alexander Von Schirmeister is not just the UK managing director of Xero, a New Zealand-based online accounting software for small businesses, he is also one of the most well-travelled people one could meet. Alex – he said he prefers to be called – grew up culturally rich. The managing director was raised in Mexico by [...]