Marketing trends 2019: Interactive content and voice search are in, annoying chatbots are out September 28, 2019 Marketing is an industry undergoing seismic changes. New technology, changing consumer attitudes and shrinking budgets mean marketers are constantly having to adapt. But while many large advertisers have tightened the purse strings, marketing remains a key way for businesses to drive growth. A recent report by marketing consultancy Lewis, which looked at the world’s 300 [...]
Ex-communication: Pope warns Silicon Valley against ‘barbarous’ AI September 27, 2019 Monks worried about losing their jobs to robots got a new champion today as the pope urged tech giants to ensure they do not lead the world into a new “form of barbarism” when developing artificial intelligence. Francis called for “open and concrete” discussions on the future of technology. Read more: Two thirds of adults [...]
Death of a sales tradition: Tomorrow’s sellers can’t rely on the gift of the gab September 25, 2019 Over the course of the last decade, the art of selling has undergone a radical transformation. A key factor in this has been a shift in the buyer-seller dynamic. Buyers are changing substantially faster than sellers, with younger generations increasingly self-educating – a CSO Insights study found that 70 per cent of them now fully [...]
Microsoft issues emergency security fix for Internet Explorer September 24, 2019 Microsoft has released an emergency patch for its ageing Internet Explorer browser to fix a bug that hackers have used to exploit web users. Read more: Microsoft invests $1bn in Elon Musk’s Open AI The US tech giant warned users that cyber thieves could use the bug to take over people’s devices and install malware. [...]
Frozen Woodford fund falls 13 per cent since since June September 23, 2019 Neil Woodford’s frozen flagship Equity Income Fund (EIF) substantially underperformed its industry benchmark in September and will remain under lock and key as expected, the firm managing the suspension said. The fund has dropped 12.83 per cent since its suspension on 3 June, while the benchmark FTSE All Share total return rose 4.29 per cent, [...]
Facebook’s London accelerator programme expands to startups outside UK September 23, 2019 Facebook has announced the third edition of its London accelerator programme, which will be open to startups from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for the first time. The scheme is open to high-growth startups and aims to support those that are “harnessing the power of technology to have a positive impact on the [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown founder slams Neil Woodford for not being ‘truthful’ about frozen fund September 22, 2019 One of the founders of Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) has slammed beleaguered asset manager Neil Woodford for apparently not being “truthful” about the performance of his flagship fund in the run up to its suspension. Peter Hargreaves, who founded the financial services firm alongside Stephen Lansdown in 1981, also criticised HL for not having realised that [...]
UK must adapt to automation or firms will suffer, MPs warn September 18, 2019 MPs have warned that British businesses could lose out to foreign competitors if the country fails to quickly adopt new technologies such as automation, and have called on the government to take action. Read more: Robot rollout: Number of businesses using automation doubles in 2019 Parliament’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee said the [...]
Ranked: The most popular employers for UK tech talent September 17, 2019 Monzo, Skyscanner and the BBC are the most desirable companies to work for among UK tech talent, according to a survey published today. The survey, compiled by recruitment firm Hired, revealed fintech firms remain among the most attractive employers for techies, with Transferwise, Starling Bank and Revolut all making it into the top 10. Read [...]
Benevolent AI’s valuation halves to $1bn in further blow for Neil Woodford September 15, 2019 Benevolent AI, the tech startup backed by troubled stockpicker Neil Woodford, is set to lose half its value as it announces a major new investment. The London-based firm, which is led by former Facebook executive and government minister Baroness Joanna Shields, has secured a cash injection from Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek. Read more: Fresh [...]