Science and tech has proved a damp squib in the fight against Covid-19 September 2, 2020 Few of us alive today have lived through a year so tumultuous, historic, and (yes, that word again) unprecedented as 2020. We are seeing the biggest health pandemic since 1918’s Spanish Flu; the biggest threat to the world economy since 1929’s Great Crash; and the biggest civil unrest in the US since 1967 — all [...]
AI and Big Data: Can they guide investors through the pandemic? September 1, 2020 The defeat of the top human Go player by the AlphaGo artificial intelligence (AI) in 2017 revealed to the public the world of possibilities that AI scientists had been quietly exploring for years. Driverless cars, AI doctors, and robo-advisers, among other innovations, all seemed within reach. Amid such promise and possibility, Roy Amara’s famous law was [...]
Why digital infrastructure could emerge stronger from Covid-19 August 28, 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to modernise digital infrastructure networks. We expect that this will create new investment opportunities. Surging online activity Whether we like it or not, the Covid-19 pandemic has cemented our addiction to fast and reliable internet access. While speaking to colleagues remotely, food shopping online or monitoring our ‘smart [...]
Apple’s new iOS will be good for consumers but a headache for advertisers August 28, 2020 In weeks to come, Apple will update all its platforms to iOS 14, impacting its apps, home screen and the IDFA (identifier for advertisers). The changes to the IDFA, in particular, has caused uproar among marketers, with commentators claiming that Apple has crippled an $80bn industry. But what are these changes, and what does it [...]
Intralinks INsights August 26, 2020 Welcome to Intralinks INsights SS&C Intralinks is the pioneer of the virtual data room (VDR), enabling and securing the flow of information by facilitating M&A (mergers and acquisitions), capital raising and investor reporting. Over the past 24 years, Intralinks has earned the trust and business of more than 99 percent of the Fortune 1000 and has [...]
Software giant Aveva buys OSIsoft in $5bn mega-merger August 25, 2020 Industrial software giant Aveva today said it has agreed to acquire US tech firm OSIsoft in a $5bn (£3.8bn) deal. Aveva said the tie-up would bring together the two companies’ “complementary product offerings” in industrial software and data management. The FTSE-listed firm said it will fund the takeover through a combination of rights issues and [...]
The Lawyer’s Role in Innovation August 25, 2020 According to the recently published results of the UK Innovation Survey 2019, innovation activities have been on the decline since a peak in 2012-2014, with only 38% of businesses considered “innovation active” in 2016-2018. Notwithstanding this, the phrase “innovation” is near ubiquitously referenced within the legal industry. Which begs the question, how do lawyers actually [...]
DEBATE: Are the life chances of the Covid-19 generation damaged beyond repair? August 24, 2020 Are the life chances of the Covid-19 generation damaged beyond repair? Emma Revell, head of communications at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says YES. Young people have had a rough pandemic. Months of education gone, exam grades tainted by confusion and uncertainty even after the U-turn, the future burden of spiralling public debt against a [...]
A-levels are the tip of the iceberg — biased algorithms are running our lives August 24, 2020 The A-levels debacle has laid bare the stark reality of relying on algorithms to make important decisions. Between the results being announced and the government’s U-turn four days later, public outrage had reached a fever pitch at the idea that an individual could have their life chances limited because of the results other people had [...]
Is facial recognition technology finally being seen for the dystopian threat it is? August 21, 2020 In the end, even Silicon Valley has had to admit that there is something a bit sinister about facial recognition technology. Momentum has been building in recent months. Arvind Krishna of IBM was first. He announced in June that his company would no longer offer automatic facial recognition (AFR) software. He also said it would [...]