The UK needs tech talent quickly and it doesn’t matter where it comes from (for now) October 11, 2016 The UK digital industry is one of the most successful in Europe. It now employs 1.6m people and contributes 10 per cent of GDP – that's the highest proportion of any country in the world. Crucially, tech has benefited hugely from a range of smart government interventions. The Tech Nation Visa Scheme; tax credits for research [...]
The biggest announcements from Google’s Pixel event October 4, 2016 After some hefty leaks last week, Google has just officially unveiled a new collection of devices with Google Assistant — the tech giant's artificial intelligence engine — at their core. Pixel Chief among Google's announcements was the reveal of its new phone, called Pixel. The iPhone rivalling handset is available in two sizes, Pixel and Pixel XL, with the former sporting a 5-inch 1080p screen and [...]
Paranoid about androids: Brits fear AI October 2, 2016 Brits are increasingly fearful of the impact robots could have on our society in the future. New research reveals over half of UK adults (58 per cent) are worried about the impact of robots, with two fifths (41 per cent) believing robots will destroy humanity as we know it. The survey, commissioned by Sky, echos [...]
Meet the five startups joining London’s newest corporate fintech lab September 29, 2016 Five up-and-coming startups have been chosen by a London investment firm to join its newly created fintech lab. The new cohort joining Octopus Labs' 12 week programme include companies working on artificial intelligence powered financial news and financial management platforms aimed at investors and financial advisors. The director of the accelerator run by Octopus Investments, the group behind the venture capital firm [...]
This is how Deutsche Bank is getting in on the fintech scene, with the launch of a digital factory in Frankfurt September 29, 2016 After a string of bad news stories for Deutsche Bank, the German giant has today announced a new initiative to boost its digital edge. The bank's digital factory in Frankfurt will act as a centre for creating digital products for the lender, currently housing 400 software developers, IT specialists and financial experts from around the world. [...]
Top tech firms have formed an AI supergroup to make sure robots are good September 29, 2016 The world's top tech firms, including Google's DeepMind, Facebook and Amazon, have formed the tech equivalent of a musical supergroup, joining forces to ensure the ethical development of artificial intelligence and "advance public understanding" of the technology which is increasingly working its way into our lives. The group, Partnership on AI, will connect academics, policy experts, and non-profits [...]
From server rooms to boardrooms: Cyber crime issues must become top priority for UK bosses September 29, 2016 Cyber crime is big business. Attacks can come from opportunists, commercial rivals, terrorist groups, bored teenagers, organised crime and nation states. The goal could be anything from online vandalism to data theft or destabilisation. Faced with such threats, a new industry has emerged promising an array of state-of-the-art systems to keep your data and commercial [...]
EU funds for 600 startups have been unfrozen after Brexit pause September 25, 2016 Millions of pounds in funding for startups from the European Union that were put on hold after the vote to leave Europe have been unfrozen. Cash from the EU Regional Development Fund was paused by the Treasury almost immediately following the vote for Brexit putting at risk a shot in the arm for the country's tech [...]
Return on equity for the top global investment banks is falling. Here’s how they’re dealing with it September 23, 2016 Delegates from firms making their way to Geneva next week for the 2016 financial services Sibos conference will undoubtedly have a lot on their minds. Over the past few years the industry has been facing challenges on many fronts: continued and increasing structural costs, fast-changing regulatory reform, conduct issues and capital requirements, to name but [...]
Barristers need to keep tabs on what tech means for their profession, warns chairman of the Bar September 22, 2016 Legal eagles need to think long and hard about what exactly technology means for the future of their profession, the chairman of the Bar has cautioned. Speaking yesterday at the International Bar Association conference in Washington, Chantal-Aimee Doerries QC warned certain aspects of the modern working world, including commercial pressures, red tape and political problems as well as technology, risked undermining [...]