Meet the magical computing that puts the human into artificial intelligence August 3, 2014 Think Artificial Intelligence and the first thing that comes to mind is probably robots. Thanks to popular culture, AI is considered distinctly un-human, and can prompt people to worry about the role of technology in our daily lives and who is really in control. However, there’s a new wave of technology fighting to put the [...]
World Gold Council summit set to reform shaky gold fix process June 18, 2014 Gold industry experts will meet next month to discuss reforms to the gold fix, after a series of setbacks for London’s historical price-setting organisation. The World Gold Council announced the sector’s summit yesterday, with a first meeting scheduled for 7 July. The group said that bullion banks, refiners, central banks, exchange-traded fund and miners would [...]
This robot can understand feelings and goes on sale next year June 5, 2014 Japanese tech group Softbank has unveiled the world's first robot capable of recognising human emotions. Named Pepper, the 120cm tall humanoid robot can read into the tone of its owner's voice to understand its temperament. However, Pepper's abilities are not set in stone. Pepper will use cloud-based AI to gather what Softbank calls "collective wisdom". The [...]
This new technology could give you 4pc of your life back April 28, 2014 In Mountain View, California, Google's top dogs are working on what could be one of the most important labour-saving devices of the century. Speaking to The Atlantic Cities, Google's Chris Urmson says that the typical American now spend 52 minutes of each day commuting. That's four per cent of the average American's lifetime – "If [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 12 March 2014 March 11, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Brent crude contract underpinning Slowing output from the North Sea may require IntercontinentalExchange to add oil grades from beyond the offshore European fields to underpin its flagship Brent crude contract. The comments from David Peniket, president of the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange, echo growing industry concern that the global crude oil benchmark [...]
Why robots are finally breaking into business – but sadly not our kitchens March 10, 2014 ROBOTICS is now the fastest growing industry in the world, according to a recent report from Littler Mendelson, and could well become one of the largest within a matter of decades. Yet for all the hype, and fears of autonomous machines replacing human jobs, this is a comparatively recent development. The fields of robotics and [...]
Why robots are finally breaking into business – but sadly not our kitchens March 10, 2014 ROBOTICS is now the fastest growing industry in the world, according to a recent report from Littler Mendelson, and could well become one of the largest within a matter of decades. Yet for all the hype, and fears of autonomous machines replacing human jobs, this is a comparatively recent development. The fields of robotics and [...]
Google snaps up UK artificial intelligence company DeepMind for $400m January 27, 2014 Google has agreed to buy London-based artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepMind for a reported $400m (£242m). The price was first reported by technology news website Re/code. The deal represents Google's largest European acquisition. DeepMind was founded in 2012 by 37-year-old chess prodigy and neuroscientist Demis Hassabis, along with Shane Legg and Mustafa Suleyman. The AI [...]
Ignore the pessimists, equities are going up. Here’s why January 24, 2014 Peter Garnry of Saxo Bank is very optimistic when it comes to the future. Innovation is making things better for humanity, and Garnry thinks it's also makes things better for investors, because it pushes up the equity-risk premium "significantly". The chart below shows the S&P 500 performance (excluding dividends) since 1927. Performance is on a [...]
How to stay sane in the workplace November 27, 2013 Jonathan Trott’s dramatic surprise departure from the Ashes tour reminds us that stress is a serious problem TEST cricket, the gentleman’s game with emphasis on the gentle, is the last sport you’d envisage being a rigorous mental challenge. But just one test into the Ashes tour, the out-of-form batsman Jonathan Trott followed Marcus Trescothick and [...]