EU imposes tougher AI and data rules to curb tech giants’ power February 19, 2020 The EU has today proposed a raft of new artificial intelligence (AI) rules to curb the power of US tech firms, forcing them to share their data with smaller rivals. The white paper, which is part of a wider digital programme released today by the European Commission, set out ways to limit the perceived dangers [...]
Softbank set to invest $100m in AI startup Behavox February 19, 2020 Softbank is reportedly close to investing $100m (£77m) in a startup which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help financial firms monitor employees’ behaviour. Softbank’s second Vision Fund is on the verge of signing the deal with Behavox, Sky News reported, which could be finalised as soon as next week. Behavox, which was founded in the [...]
OTB Ventures launches $100m fund for tech investment in Europe February 19, 2020 OTB Ventures has announced the launch of its early growth technology fund with $100m in commitments. The investment vehicle, which specialises in investments in tech companies in Central and Eastern Europe. It focuses on early stage, post-product, start-ups in region and is targeting investment in a total of 16 companies to comprise its portfolio by [...]
New Cenkos appointment is second female chair of a UK stockbroker February 18, 2020 Cenkos has today announced the appointment of Lisa Gordon as its new chairman, the second female to be appointed as chair of a UK stockbroker. Gordon was the youngest woman to be made director of a listed company when she joined the board of media group Chrysalis at the age of 28. She is currently [...]
Responsible innovation: how can European asset managers lead? February 18, 2020 By Alejandro Hiniesto, CFA, Fabrizio Palmucci, CFA and Rhodri Preece, CFA Technology, regulation, and competition, as well as macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds, mean the investment industry stands at a pivotal juncture. Pressure on profit margins and evolving client expectations serve to underscore that ‘business as usual’ is no longer sufficient. How can firms and practitioners adapt? Responsible [...]
Who do you think you are? A conscious AI workforce could lead to a world of slaves February 18, 2020 With artificial intelligence (AI) promising to make huge numbers of people redundant across a swathe of industries, there’s been much discussion of “the world without work”. Some see in that a utopia, in which automation provides us all with limitless free time; others, a nightmarish end to human dignity. But if the machines do take [...]
Fighting shadows: Each technology advance puts new weapons in the hands of cyber-criminals February 13, 2020 US Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, talking about the benefits of openness and transparency, famously said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. And, conversely, we are all rightly suspicious of anything that hides in the shadows and conceals identity and motive. Global cybercrime is able to exploit technology to create anonymity and avoid accountability as [...]
If artificial intelligence is going to revolutionise the NHS, people need to be educated on its uses February 12, 2020 As Boris Johnson tries to reposition the Tories as the party of the NHS, with a £34bn-a-year long-term funding bill, the health service’s future will be in the minds of many. Its workforce is under relentless strain as it seeks to deliver world-class healthcare to the population, and many staff are overwhelmed. As the debate [...]
FTC demands merger data from tech giants February 11, 2020 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued special orders to Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft to provide information on mergers that were too small to report to antitrust regulators, the FTC said today. The queries occur as the Justice Department, the FTC, state attorneys general and the House Judiciary Committee are investigating the big [...]
Don’t dismiss the apprenticeship levy — it could fix the UK’s productivity puzzle February 11, 2020 The UK economy is not what it was 50 or even 20 year ago. We are an economy driven by services, data, and technology. As such, we need skilled managers to run the teams and operations that keep UK businesses at the forefront of innovation and change. The apprenticeship levy is a brilliant tool for [...]