DCMS chair Damian Collins calls for crackdown on fake news spread by ‘wealthy people’ October 10, 2019 A top MP has called for a crackdown on campaign groups funded by “wealthy people” that spread disinformation on social media. Damian Collins, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee, warned that much of the discourse on social media was not spread organically but rather promoted by shady backers. Read more: [...]
World Mental Health Day: How can an app boost your wellbeing? October 8, 2019 This Thursday is World Mental Health Day. Now before you roll your eyes at yet another article discussing the importance of our mental wellbeing, it is worth remembering the massive cost of mental ill-health to society. According to the OECD, the direct and indirect costs of it – such as absences from work and decreased [...]
Lack of clarity over AI definition ‘will confuse’ regulators October 8, 2019 The lack of clarity over what technology is classed as artificial intelligence (AI) poses a major challenge to future regulation in the financial services industry, a new report has warned. Read more: UK must adapt to automation or firms will suffer, MPs warn Research by the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) found that the lack [...]
Number of deepfake videos online almost doubles October 7, 2019 The number of “deepfake” videos – which use artificial intelligence technology to superimpose images onto existing footage – on the internet has surged over the last nine months. Researchers at cyber security firm Deeptrace found 14,698 deepfake videos online last month, compared to 7,964 in December last year. Read more: The threat of deepfake videos [...]
UK energy boss conned out of £200,000 in ‘deep fake’ fraud October 6, 2019 A top energy executive has been conned out of £200,000 by cyber scammers who used artificial intelligence to mimic his boss’s voice. The UK boss of an unnamed energy firm was tricked into transferring the money following a phone call from that appeared to come from his boss at the German parent company, the Mail [...]
Marketing trends 2019: Interactive content and voice search are in, annoying chatbots are out September 28, 2019 Marketing is an industry undergoing seismic changes. New technology, changing consumer attitudes and shrinking budgets mean marketers are constantly having to adapt. But while many large advertisers have tightened the purse strings, marketing remains a key way for businesses to drive growth. A recent report by marketing consultancy Lewis, which looked at the world’s 300 [...]
Ex-communication: Pope warns Silicon Valley against ‘barbarous’ AI September 27, 2019 Monks worried about losing their jobs to robots got a new champion today as the pope urged tech giants to ensure they do not lead the world into a new “form of barbarism” when developing artificial intelligence. Francis called for “open and concrete” discussions on the future of technology. Read more: Two thirds of adults [...]
Death of a sales tradition: Tomorrow’s sellers can’t rely on the gift of the gab September 25, 2019 Over the course of the last decade, the art of selling has undergone a radical transformation. A key factor in this has been a shift in the buyer-seller dynamic. Buyers are changing substantially faster than sellers, with younger generations increasingly self-educating – a CSO Insights study found that 70 per cent of them now fully [...]
Wealthy families flock to safe assets as recession fears mount September 24, 2019 The world’s wealthiest families are increasingly flocking to safe assets amid fears of a market downturn next year. Executives at family offices are advising their rich clients to take cautious measures to safeguard against turbulence throughout the global economy in 2020. Read more: The UK leads the forex market Almost half of all family offices [...]
Facebook’s London accelerator programme expands to startups outside UK September 23, 2019 Facebook has announced the third edition of its London accelerator programme, which will be open to startups from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for the first time. The scheme is open to high-growth startups and aims to support those that are “harnessing the power of technology to have a positive impact on the [...]