Ahead of Black Friday 2015, are you ready for a truly digital Christmas? October 30, 2015 One look at Hamley's top 10 toys for Christmas 2015 and it’s hard not to think this year’s toy requests have been beamed in from Mars, with various intelligent robots powered by artificial intelligence, such as Clever Keet, an electronic bird that repeats and ‘learns’ phrases you say. In fact, it seems computing and interactivity [...]
Nissan unveils concept vehicle ahead of 2020 driverless car launch – and it can communicate with pedestrians October 29, 2015 Nissan has launched an autonomous driving "concept vehicle" as part of its plans to launch its own driverless car by 2020. The Japanese motor company is planning to roll out its autonomous car technology in stages. The company unveiled a concept vehicle that "embodies Nissan's vision of the future of autonomous driving” – Nissan Intelligent Driving [...]
Social media could soon bring your dead relatives back to life, scientist claims October 28, 2015 Our dead relatives could soon be brought back to life in virtual form, according to an animation scientist. Simon McKeown from Teeside University in the UK predicts that in 50 years, relatives will be kept alive through a combination of social media histories, voice synthesis and big data streams – so that we “never have [...]
Google splashes $60m on Chinese AI startup Mobvoi signalling return to China after five years October 20, 2015 Google has splashed a reported $60m on a Chinese startup specialising in Artificial Intelligence, taking a minority stake in the company. Mobvoi, founded in 2012 by former Google employees, makes Chinese language voice recognition software which is available on Android, Android Wear, and Google Glass devices as well as iOS and Wechat. While the exact amount has not [...]
Stephen Hawking: It’s super-wealthy technology-owners, not robots, that we should really fear October 9, 2015 Robots stealing your job are the least of your worries, Stephen Hawking has said – it's the humans who own them that pose the biggest threat. Hawking, who has in the past warned against the emergence of Artificial Intelligence, claims that "automated machines" are not in themselves the biggest problem facing a cohesive society and healthy [...]
Why mobile ad blocking is good for the advertising industry October 7, 2015 Over the last few weeks it has been impossible to read any trade publications without encountering an article on ad blockers. With the introduction of iOS 9 last month, mobile ad blocking risks rising, as users receive the opportunity to opt out of advertising. Rather than descend into a blind panic about ad blockers and [...]
Tech giants warned of second digital revolution over next decade October 6, 2015 The world's biggest companies face a rising threat over the next decade, as new technologies and innovations open the way for agile start-ups and entrepreneurs to steal market share. The digital economy is set to become a £3.2 trillion market by 2025, according to research from consultancy Ovum, a 29 per cent climb on today’s [...]
VC fund targets £83m space sector shake-up October 5, 2015 A VENTURE capital fund that aims to nurture start-ups disrupting the UK space industry will kick off a roadshow this week to close an £83m fundraising. Seraphim Capital’s Space Venture Fund wants to speed up the commercialisation of space by investing in small to medium-sized businesses developing cheaper and more accessible technologies. It will also [...]
Why we need to stop countries developing killer military robots before it’s too late October 2, 2015 The prospect of human-killing robots walking among us on our streets is a very scary one, and while it was once stuck firmly in the realms of science fiction, it is now becoming a distinct possibility. It's no wonder, then, that thousands of scientists and artificial intelligence researchers signed an open letter calling for [...]
Immigrants are fuel for the UK tech sector – but slow-moving bureaucracy is keeping them out September 27, 2015 The UK’s tech star is certainly rising. From the growing number of unicorn valuations, to the ever-larger venture capital cheques, British entrepreneurs are now commanding global attention. Yet much has been said about the UK’s poor track record in harnessing technology and science talent. This is now being addressed – Britain recently became the [...]