AI firm ASI Data Science raises £1.5m investment with backing from Skype founding engineer November 6, 2016 Jaan Tallinn, one of the men behind Skype, has backed a London firm that trains computer scientists in using artificial intelligence (AI). According to the Sunday Times, ASI Data Science, which works with the likes of easyJet and the BBC, has landed £1.5m of new investment, with LocalGlobe another backer. LocalGlobe was set up by [...]
Watch out Siri? Samsung’s next phone will have an AI assistant November 6, 2016 Samsung is following the lead of Apple and Google, revealing it will add a Siri-like personal assistant to its newest smartphone, the Galaxy S8. It's the first time a Samsung phone will have the feature and follows the tech company's acquisition of San-Francisco artificial intelligence startup Viv Labs last month. The open platform will let others [...]
How much did Twitter acquire Magic Pony for? November 2, 2016 Twitter caused a stir last year, buying up a nearly unknown startup from London working on artificial intelligence technology, in a surprise deal that signalled the status of the UK as a leader in AI. Magic Pony was snapped up for a reported $150m, back in June. Twitter reported spending $85.2m on two acquisitions since the start of the year, [...]
Stephen Hawking thinks Brexit is too complex even for him November 1, 2016 Stephen Hawking, perhaps the world's greatest living scientist, has said he wouldn't fancy trying to tackle the UK's exit from the European Union. Speaking last night at the Pride of Britain Awards the 74-year-old professor told Prime Minister Theresa May that Brexit may be too "complex" a situation even for him. The Brief History of Time [...]
Keeping in the loop: City A.M. talks with LoopMe founder Stephen Upstone October 31, 2016 Stephen Upstone, chief executive and founder of LoopMe, is pondering his company's reach. "I think that out of the top 10 global brands, as rated by Interbrand, we work with eight of them,” he says. His business has touched 1.5bn people, handles 500bn bits of data a day, and has opened offices from Los Angeles to [...]
Polls could well be wrong on US election just like they were with Brexit, says Nigel Farage October 29, 2016 Nigel Farage had some words of warning for those dismissing Donald Trump's chances in the US presidential election. Speaking on his LBC show, the former Ukip leader said: "They thought Brexit wouldn't happen." Discussing his appearance in Mississippi alongside the Republican presidential candidate, Farage said: "I was there to talk about Brexit and possible crossover with the [...]
America is embracing the opportunities of AI while the rest of the world frets October 25, 2016 The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to generate concerns. The latest furore emerged at the start of this week. Researchers in the top ranked University College London computer science department claimed that an AI algorithm correctly predicts the outcome of 79 per cent of cases heard at the European Court of Human Rights. The current fear [...]
Meet Ernest: The free financial coach that sits in your Facebook October 24, 2016 When I was at BlackRock, I spent a lot of time on tech that was designed to improve return on investment for people who already had a lot of money,” says Niall Bellabarba, co-founder of Ernest, the intelligent finance coach. “So my starting point was that the man on the street doesn’t have access to [...]
UK law firms still growing but competition from US firms and smaller players puts a squeeze on profits October 24, 2016 Lawyers in the UK risk being left twiddling their thumbs, as US and new firms increase competition and put a squeeze on top and bottom lines, a report out today has found. Only three-quarters (75 per cent) of the Top 100 UK law firms reported revenue growth this year, according to figures from PwC, down from [...]
Financial services leads list of sectors most worried about robo-redundancies October 21, 2016 Are you concerned a robot might be after your job? Well, you may find some comfort in the fact you're not alone: this week alone, City A.M. has reported on how hedge fund bosses are bracing themselves for the rise of the machine and, eek, journalists also appear dispensable in some areas. Those working in financial [...]