Alphabet earnings: Five key takeaways as Covid-19 hits Google April 29, 2020 Shares in Google parent company Alphabet were up almost eight per cent in after-hours trading last night after the tech giant reported its first-quarter earnings. The closely-watched report was the first in a string of major US tech results set to be published this week, and give a key indication of how the coronavirus crisis [...]
Is Skynet coming? April 28, 2020 This week I saw yet another headline ‘Skynet is near – Google scientists create Artificial Intelligence that evolves on its own” intimating that some sort of humanity destroying AI system is not only an inevitability but on the cusp of reality. Icons such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have long proclaimed the end of [...]
Five ways to retain your wealth management clients in 2020 April 28, 2020 The global wealth management industry is being buffeted by demographic changes among investors, as well as technological advancements such as the arrival of robo-advisers. Recent research commissioned by Bank of America on millennials’ spending priorities in the USA – with millennials defined as those aged 24 to 41 – found that about 25% of those who [...]
British spies urged to use artificial intelligence to fight security threats April 27, 2020 British spooks will need to use artificial intelligence (AI) to fight a range of threats to national security, according to a report published today. Intelligence agencies have been urged to use the technology to detect and block cyber attacks, analyse video and audio evidence, and automate administrative tasks. However, AI is unlikely to predict upcoming [...]
We must understand China to manage the threat of this rising superpower April 24, 2020 Tom Tugendhat MP is Chair of the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Committee As the world gets to grips with Covid-19, it is increasingly clear that this unprecedented crisis will have a huge impact on almost all aspects of our lives. And while some changes may take years to fully appreciate, others are already staring us in [...]
Coronavirus: Healthtech needs a route to market April 23, 2020 In just a few weeks the healthtech sector has made 10 years of progress, underlining why this week’s decision by the Chancellor to create a fund to support our innovative tech startups is necessary. Most entrepreneurs position themselves as problem solvers but in healthtech we are seeing hundreds of tiny companies, often working with world-leading [...]
Coronavirus: Our digital shift has implications for blockchain April 22, 2020 Of the many lessons being learned during the current Covid-19 pandemic, an important one is that many industries are capable of going digital in an emergency. The rapid digital transition has been more agile where blockchain was already in place. Blockchain’s lasting legacy will be its role in the continuation of positive digital change post-crisis. [...]
Coronavirus: British tech firms welcome government’s £1.25bn startup package April 20, 2020 The UK tech sector has hailed a “bold intervention” after the government unveiled a £1.25bn coronavirus support package for startups and research and development firms. The Treasury today announced a new £500m loan scheme for high-growth startups and £750m of grants for small and medium sized businesses focused on research and development. The support package, [...]
London fintech firm Previse secures $11m in funding round April 16, 2020 London-based fintech startup Previse has secured $11m (£8.8m) in fresh funding as the invoice payment platform defied wider economic gloom sparked by the coronavirus crisis. Previse, which was founded in 2016, uses artificial intelligence to help suppliers get invoices paid instantly when no manual intervention is needed. The King’s Cross-headquartered firm currently processes more than [...]
Coronavirus: London’s future remains extremely bright April 9, 2020 In recent weeks, millions of us have begun to work from home for the first time. In the current climate of uncertainty, many wonder about the discrete workforce and supply chain that makes their daily life possible, and realise how we are all deeply interlinked, globally and locally. As millions of us make this transition, [...]