Dr Ben Goertzel: The crusade against the oligopolies February 18, 2021 SingularityNET CEO Dr Ben Goertzel explains how, once AGI is achieved, it must not fall into the hands of individuals with their own agendas.
Labour’s top priority is ‘financial responsibility’, says Starmer February 17, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer will tomorrow say Labour’s priority will “always be financial responsibility” in a speech expected to reveal the party’s future economic direction under his leadership. Starmer will also say there can be “no return to business as usual” post-Covid, while outlining policies that he says will provide “long-term security to the economy, support for [...]
UK to announce secretive £800m science research agency called Aria February 17, 2021 The government is set to announce a new £800m research facility that will invest in high-risk military projects. It will be called the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (Aria) and is based on the US’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), which has overseen the creation of experimental military technologies. Darpa and its predecessor agency [...]
Illegal drugs worth £11m seized by Royal Marines in Arabian Sea February 17, 2021 The Royal Navy have seized more than 2.6 tonnes of illegal drugs in an operation lasting 10 hours. In total 2.4 tonnes of heroin, crystal methamphetamine and hashish were seized, adding to the 275 kilograms of heroin confiscated two days previously. All up, the haul had a street value of £11m. Sailors on board the [...]
Labour should become the party of AI and tech under Keir Starmer February 16, 2021 Sir Keir Starmer has had a rough start to 2020. The Labour leader has taken a battering in the past few weeks for a perception that Starmerism has no impetus or direction, leaving some pundits to question whether he has cut through beyond the SW1 bubble. While much of this criticism should be dismissed when [...]
Adapt and thrive: There’s a £200bn prize for British firms willing to embrace new ideas February 16, 2021 After the toughest of years, many businesses are still reeling from the impact of Covid-19. Shuttered high streets and closed forecourts are the visible scars from a bruising year. But alongside this, some businesses are swimming against the tide, with strong profits reported at firms like Next and Jaguar Land Rover. Covid-19 shone a spotlight [...]
Debate: Should AI become a regulated technology? February 15, 2021 It’s set to transform most aspects of our lives, but AI is still barely understood – and barely regulated. Is it time? Prasad Ramakrishnan, CIO of Freshworks says YES AI has always been important, but we’re moving from theory and setup to practice as we deliver practical and actionable recommendations – and that’s really exciting. [...]
London and UK trade bodies slammed for talks with Chinese tech linked to Uighur surveillance February 12, 2021 City Hall and trade department slammed for talks to Chinese firm linked to Uighur Muslim surviellance
MasterCard plans to follow PayPal with crypto receipts for merchants, Cardano launching Native Tokens February 11, 2021 Crypto at a Glance The markets slowed yesterday, with Bitcoin and Ethereum both seeing small retraces after hitting new all-time highs earlier in the week. The rumour mill continues to grind though, with new reports quoting a ‘source familiar matter’ that MasterCard is planning to give merchants the option to receive payments in cryptocurrency later [...]
Best of travel: Beijing and its surprising contemporary art scene February 9, 2021 To tide us over until we’re able to travel again, we’re republishing classic travel stories from our archives. This week we revisit Laura Millar’s exploration of Beijing’s contemporary art scene. Read more: Jaguar XF P300 review: revitalised luxury at a surprisingly low price ••• Picture the likes of London’s White Cube, the Saatchi Gallery, and the [...]