Don’t be afraid of bad reviews, they are good for business April 12, 2019 It is human nature to find negative feedback uncomfortable. It’s the same whether it’s personal – such as memories from that mean teacher, or having to face that critical relative at a family gathering – or in business, when a boss doesn’t rate something that you believe in, or having to go through the dreaded [...]
Banking’s data revolution needs ethics as well as innovation April 11, 2019 With 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created every day, the exchange of information has become integral to the way we live. The opportunities data analytics can create for consumers are vast – as is the commercial potential. There are now more than 4,000 data brokers worldwide. Governments across the world are grappling with questions over [...]
Softbank’s spinoff AI fund injects £1m into London identity startup Pixelpin April 11, 2019 Japanese investor SBI has led a pre-series A funding round into London startup Pixelpin through its artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain fund. SBI has plugged £1m into the Shoreditch-based startup while angel investors rounded out the investment with an additional £500,000. The financial services firm span off from mega investor Softbank in 2006. Read more: Softbank unveils $500m [...]
With the AI genie firmly out of the bottle, what impact could this have on accountants? April 10, 2019 This month, the British Film Institute celebrates the late Stanley Kubrick with a retrospective of his work. One of Kubrick’s most celebrated films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was ground-breaking in its depiction of space – and it’s extraordinary to think that all the special effects created for it were achieved entirely without CGI, over 50 [...]
Scientists capture the very first image of a black hole April 10, 2019 The very first image of a black hole was published today after scientists across the world worked together to capture a picture of the celestial object from which no light can escape. Read more: Back to the future: UK scientists build an AI-powered driverless Mars robot The milestone means the world finally has visual evidence [...]
Crowdsourcing platform Limitless secures £5m in series A funding April 10, 2019 Brand ambassador platform Limitless Technology has secured £5m in funding as it looks to develop its machine learning technology. The company, which uses crowdsourcing to help businesses turn their customers into brand ambassadors, said it has bagged the funds in a series A round led by Albion VC. Read more: Grab looks to raise further $2bn [...]
HSBC banker killed in Alps snowboarding accident April 9, 2019 A British banker has been killed in a snowboarding accident in the Alps. HSBC contractor and artificial intelligence (AI) entrepreneur Stuart Thurlow, 50, was killed in the French ski resort of Avoriaz on Friday while boarding off piste. According to his Linkedin profile, Thurlow was a senior project manager at HSBC who had been working [...]
EU pips Google to the post as it unveils AI ethics strategy April 8, 2019 The EU has outlined its guidelines for ethical AI development just days after Google was forced to scrap its controversial ethics board. The European Commission today unveiled its recommended steps for achieving “trustworthy” AI as it looks to set up a framework to ensure the new technology is used responsibly. Read more: Google scraps AI [...]
Anti-social media: Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark on social media harm after the Christchurch terror attacks April 8, 2019 I Interrupt the former leader of my native New Zealand, Helen Clark, in the middle of a Twitter and Facebook purge. “Social media management” she says, dictating a response to one of the provocateurs or well-wishers. It’s all part of overseeing a social media following of more than 200,000, I’m sure, but especially fitting since [...]
Google scraps AI ethics board after just a week amid controversy over board member April 5, 2019 Google has scrapped its AI ethics board only a week after forming it following a controversy over its choice of board members. The tech giant last week unveiled its newly-formed Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) to oversee the ethical development and use of its AI research and products. Read more: Here's how much Google [...]