Londoners can now use an AI chatbot instead of the NHS 111 number January 5, 2017 Londoners in some areas of the capital will now be able to turn to a chatbot for health advice from the NHS with a new smartphone app powered by artificial intelligence. London startup Babylon Health has partnered with one of the capital's NHS Trusts for a six month trial of the technology which is being pitched as an alternative to [...]
Is your business ready to cheat Stephen Hawking’s AI prediction? January 5, 2017 Scientist Stephen Hawking: Artificial intelligence research crucial to the human race. Maybe so, but not this year. We are, however, going to witness another step change in the way we do business. Artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the internet of things will move along the hype curve and become everyday life. Game-changing bots will [...]
This study says Uber-style ride-sharing and carpooling could dramatically reduce city traffic January 3, 2017 London's roads – and the millions of people who travel on them – have reached an unprecedented gridlock. Congestion is estimated to be costing businesses in the capital £237m every year, while Londoners are wasting a week each year, on average, stuck in traffic jams – not to mention the impact on people's health of high [...]
Reform visas to make Britain the tech leader of the twenty-first century December 20, 2016 In my career, I have been privileged to work in some of the world’s greatest universities – Imperial, UCL, Harvard – on some of the world’s most interesting problems. Most recently, we used quantum systems to sense individual electrons, a billion times smaller than had been possible before, helping to transform what humans can understand and effect [...]
Uber eyes even more expansion as it announces partnership with Indonesia’s second biggest taxi firm December 19, 2016 Uber's showing no sign of slowing up in its expansion. The ride-hailing app company has announced a partnership with Indonesia's Express Transindo Utama, the country's second biggest taxi operator. The deal will give Uber access to some of Express's 11,000-strong fleet of taxis and 17,000 drivers. It should also help the firm meet regulations on [...]
KPMG boss: Let’s get my successor in place then it’s time to shoot for the global job December 18, 2016 KPMG’s UK boss will throw his hat in the ring for the firm’s global top job, with winning back public trust in business at the top his to-do list. Simon Collins surprised fellow partners during the firm's annual conference in December by revealing he would not be seeking re-election as the UK chairman. And speaking to [...]
California regulator wants Uber to put the brakes on its self-driving cars as it doesn’t have a permit December 15, 2016 Uber's self-driving car service might be driven off-track, after the California highways regulator ordered it to pull the service hours after it was launched. Uber had started giving passengers the option of a self-driving car with a safety driver when booking a journey. Regulators said the ride-hailing app firm had to stop immediately and get [...]
Apple bought 9 startups in 2016. Here’s what they do December 8, 2016 Apple buys a lot of companies, but it doesn't talk much about them, making it hard to keep track. So we put together nine of its acquisitions reported this year. This list is not exhaustive, we know for sure some purchases have never been revealed. As expected, artificial intelligence companies remain the dominant category, but [...]
Top tech firms have formed a virtual reality supergroup December 8, 2016 Several of the biggest names in technology are joining forces to push forward innovation in the burgeoning world of virtual reality. Facebook, Google and Samsung are among the top tech companies to form the Global Virtual Reality Association (GVRA), tasked with promoting the global growth of the industry, which is expected to be worth $162bn by [...]
Google’s DeepMind is using “blockchain related” technology to increase data transparency December 5, 2016 DeepMind is using technology "related to blockchain" in an effort to become more transparent in the way it handles patient data in a tie-up with NHS health trusts which has caused concerns over privacy. Co-founder Mustafa Suleyman said the British artificial intelligence company owned by Google is working on a "general transparency architecture" for monitoring [...]