M&S and Microsoft launch strategic partnership June 21, 2018 Marks & Spencer is teaming up with Microsoft in a bid to shake off its reputation as a digital laggard. A strategic partnership between the two companies will focus on testing the integration of Microsoft artificial intelligence (AI) tech into M&S stores and wider operations. Today’s announcement comes a day after a former M&S digital [...]
Match Group makes move on dating app Hinge in buying majority stake in millennial favourite June 21, 2018 Match Group, the owner of some of the world’s leading dating apps and websites, has bought a majority stake in millennial-favoured app Hinge. The owner of Tinder, OKCupid and Match.com said its 51 per stake would allow it to acquire all the remaining Hinge shares within the next year, while declining to give any more [...]
With 99 per cent of wealth managers incorporating AI, here are the top six areas where robots could completely replace humans in the next five years June 18, 2018 Wealth managers across the world are speeding towards digitisation, as we learn which sectors are in line for a robotic takeover by the end of 2023. While only a third of wealth managers have already started using artificial intelligence within their firms, 99 per cent plan to deploy the technology within the next three years, [...]
To beat the techlash, insert humans into the AI equation June 18, 2018 Looking for a change to the corporate grind? Fear not, in 2025 you’ll get one when the keyboard becomes obsolete and your voice takes over. At least this was the prediction of a technologist I interviewed last week, who made the point that voice recognition is going to transform the way we communicate. Read more: [...]
Do brands benefit by using AI Systems? June 13, 2018 Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the most popular topics among brands and marketers. This is because it is proven to make everyone’s life easier. Brands have chunks of data they need to process and make the best out of them, and AI proved to be very helpful with such tasks. Most people tend to [...]
Without ethics at its core, big tech will provoke its own destruction June 13, 2018 Don’t be evil. In 2000, this Google mantra made us smile, smirk, and print a T-shirt or two. These were headier days, when our love of tech was still in the early bloom of romance. At the time, the three-word maxim was so important to Google that it entered the company’s official code of conduct [...]
The focus on tech stocks is too narrow – it’s time to get creative June 12, 2018 Tech is a no brainer for investors. But a simple investment theme for the sector is being badly executed. Investors are too narrow in their focus, chasing Nasdaq and FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google) stocks, in a similar way to how they tend to play emerging markets. That is, in a simple fashion. Investor [...]
AI-powered language learning startup Memrise raises $15.5m in series B funding June 11, 2018 Memrise, a language learning app powered by machine learning, has closed a $15.5m (£11.5m) series B funding round, led by Octopus Ventures and Korelya Capital. Additional participation came from existing investors Avalon Ventures and Balderton Capital, which was recently listed as one of the top 10 unicorn-making funds in Europe. Its valuation is still under [...]
The UK has been crowned the tech unicorn capital of Europe, home to over a third of the continent’s billion dollar startups June 11, 2018 The UK has established itself as Europe's tech powerhouse, playing home to 37 per cent of Europe’s unicorn-status tech firms and topping the list of global destinations for tech talent. With London Tech Week kicking off today, new figures show the UK claims 13 of Europe’s 34 unicorns – referring to companies with a $1bn [...]
London-based artificial intelligence firm looks to expand after raising £13m in a Series A funding round June 11, 2018 Research-driven artificial intelligence (AI) company Eigen Technologies aims to expand after raising £13m in its first significant round of venture capital financing. The London-based tech firm, which has obtained the money in a Series A round co-led by Goldman Sachs and Temasek, takes unstructured qualitative data and turns it into information which companies can then [...]