AI regulation needs to be smarter in the UK, urges Deepmind boss June 3, 2025 Demis Hassabis, chief executive of Google Deepmind, has called on UK policymakers and business heavyweights to embrace the “smart regulation” of AI, warning that a failure to do so could prompt unintended harm, or the loss of public trust. He announced at London’s inaugural SXSW event on Monday: “AI is the most important technology humanity [...]
London Tech Week is a chance to take the lead on AI June 3, 2025 Rapid advancements in AI – if matched by agile government policy, infrastructure investment, and responsible adoption across both private and public sectors – presents a transformative opportunity for the UK, says Leon Butler The pace of change in technology is moving faster than it ever has – but slower than it ever will. This presents [...]
Gone phishing: the rise of retail cyber crime in three charts June 2, 2025 In the past month alone, cyber attacks have gone from occasional headlines to near-daily national news fixtures. Marks and Spencer’s, Co-op, Harrods – along with international names like Dior and Coinbase – have all recently fallen victim to cyber incidents. Retailers in particular have found themselves in the cross hairs, and while not every incident [...]
AI watchdog slams government over facial recognition rollout May 29, 2025 An artificial intelligence (AI) search body has criticised the UK government for accelerating the deployment of facial recognition technology without first establishing a comprehensive legal framework. The Ada Lovelace Institute has warned the increasing use of live facial recognition (LFR) by police and retailers across the UK is happening in a “legislative void”, raising urgent [...]
Auto Trader: FTSE 100 giant passes major milestone as profit jumps May 29, 2025 Sales at FTSE 100 giant Auto Trader have accelerated past a major milestone as its profit increased during its latest financial year as it defied a year of high interest rates and economic uncertainty. The Manchester-headquartered group has posted a revenue of £601.1m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, according to new figures [...]
NHS patient data at risk in major cyber attack May 28, 2025 A newly uncovered cyber attack has exposed sensitive information at two major NHS trusts, raising fears that patient records could be at risk. Experts have warned that the hack, linked to a vulnerability in widely used mobile management software, marks a growing threat to critical UK infrastructure. University College London hospitals, NHS Foundation Trust, and [...]
John Lewis gets green light to build hundreds of homes in West Ealing May 28, 2025 Plans by the John Lewis Partnership (JLP) to redevelop Waitrose West Ealing have been given the go-ahead by Ealing Council after a successful appeal by the retail giant. The application, which has been in the planning system for nearly two years, is part of JLP’s long-term strategy to diversify its income streams via build-to-rent. The [...]
Oxford Street rebounds to pre-pandemic occupancy as firms bet on shops May 27, 2025 Shop vacancies on Oxford Street have fallen below one per cent for the first time since the pandemic as brands compete for best-in-class retail space. Overall shop vacancies on Oxford Street fell to 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the first time the figure has fallen below one per cent since [...]
Steven Bartlett: Dragons’ Den star signs the ‘biggest deal of my life’ May 27, 2025 Dragons’ Den star Steven Bartlett has said he’s “signed the biggest deal of my life” after becoming a co-owner of a US technology company. The entrepreneur has agreed a “major, double digit equity investment deal” in LA-based Stan Store. The business is led by chief executive John Hu who set up the firm in 2021. [...]
Retail and graduate job vacancies continue to plummet May 27, 2025 Retail and graduate vacancies fell further in April despite overall improvement in the number of available UK jobs. UK vacancies dipped 0.95 per cent in April to 862,876, but annual growth remained positive at 1.02 per cent, according to Adzuna’s latest jobs report. Average advertised salaries hit a new record of £42,278 – up 0.75 [...]