Nvidia’s $250m UK AI bet sparks warning over ‘foreign dependence’ October 15, 2026 Nvidia’s $250m investment in the UK’s AI safety research risks deepening the country’s dependence on American tech unless ministers ensure researchers retain control over safety standards, analysts have warned. The world’s most valuable company has pledged $50m a year in computing power over five years to support British research into autonomous AI agents, alongside plans [...]
Starling warns UK risks being ‘second in the queue’ on AI October 15, 2026 Britain risks becoming “second in the queue” for AI unless it invests more in domestic infrastructure, a government AI adviser has warned, as Starling Bank becomes the first lender to train an AI model on a UK sovereign cloud. Harriet Rees, Starling’s chief information officer and the Treasury’s AI champion for financial services, warned that [...]
Salesforce offers free AI tools to UK students as graduate job market lags October 15, 2026 As UK graduate vacancies hit their lowest level since 2020, Salesforce is offering free AI tools to six million students to help them meet employers’ growing demand for artificial intelligence skills. The US tech giant announced the scheme on Thursday, giving universities and colleges access to its workplace platform Slack and AI tools to help [...]
Entain and Rank warn Budget tax hikes threaten betting shops and jobs October 15, 2026 Two of Britain’s biggest gambling operators have warned John Healey that further tax increases in this month’s Budget could force betting shops and casinos to close, putting jobs and investment at risk. Entain, the owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, and Rank Group, which operates Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo, issued separate warnings on Thursday despite [...]
OpenAI-backed fintech raises $1.6m to tackle regulation October 15, 2026 A London fintech backed by employees of OpenAI and some of the world’s biggest banks has raised $1.6m (£1.2m) to help financial firms navigate mounting regulatory requirements using artificial intelligence. Relace, founded by a former lawyer and an AI engineer, has secured the pre-seed funding in a round led by Boost Capital, with backing from [...]
Healey told to cut employment taxes and energy bills to boost business October 15, 2026 Britain’s biggest business lobby group has urged John Healey to cut employment taxes and energy bills in his first Budget, warning that further tax rises risk choking off investment and jobs. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) called on the Chancellor to give firms “breathing space” at the Budget on 28 October, as businesses grapple [...]
Khan climbdown: Palantir settles £50m Met row after fears of ‘unlawful’ bias October 14, 2026 Palantir has settled its High Court battle with Sadiq Khan’s policing office over a blocked £50m Metropolitan Police contract, following concerns that the decision had been unlawfully influenced by the US tech giant’s values and ethics. City AM understands the company pursued legal action not only to challenge the decision, but also to make sure [...]
Bailey demands crackdown on ‘downright criminal’ social media fraud October 14, 2026 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has called on social media giants to take greater responsibility for online fraud, warning that the spread of scams and AI-generated content risks undermining trust in the financial system. Speaking at the International Monetary Fund’s annual meetings in Bangkok on Wednesday, Bailey criticised tech platforms for facing little accountability [...]
Oxford AI chip startup raises $125m to tackle data centre power crunch October 14, 2026 Oxford-based chip startup Salience Labs has raised $125m (£94m) from investors, including AMD and Intel, as the race to build AI data centres puts growing pressure on electricity supplies. The funding round, led by Bullhound Capital, is set to help the British firm scale production of its photonic chips, which use light rather than electrical [...]
Ofcom warns X over illegal content despite moderation improvements October 14, 2026 Ofcom has warned Elon Musk’s X it is still failing to effectively tackle illegal hate and terrorist content despite improvements in how quickly the platform responds to reports. The UK watchdog said on Wednesday that X’s first quarterly performance report showed it was meeting agreed deadlines for reviewing suspected illegal material, but raised concerns about [...]
