The government’s tapping up Lloyds, Barclays and Google for digital skills March 1, 2017 The government is turning to private business, including Lloyds, Barclays and Google, to help the UK become skilled for the modern age with ambitious new plans. It has announced partnerships with the well known institutions to offer training in digital across the UK, to push forward the country's march towards a digital economy, putting these skills on a par with literacy [...]
It’s pure rubbish to claim a low tax, low regulation Britain would be a disaster March 1, 2017 Dame Minouche Shafik, deputy governor of the Bank of England, is leaving to become director of the London School of Economics. Last weekend, she gave her final interview wearing her Bank hat. Shafik issued what was described in the media as a “thinly-veiled warning” to the chancellor Philip Hammond. She stated that it was an [...]
Google Home is about to launch in the UK February 28, 2017 Hey Google! Google Home, the smart home speaker launched by the tech giant last year, is about to become available in the UK. The voice controlled assistant powered by artificial intelligence and which is a rival to the Amazon Echo is scheduled to be available for UK buyers in the second quarter of the year, it's been [...]
What we want from the government’s long-awaited digital strategy February 28, 2017 The tech industry on both sides of the Atlantic has been united in opposition to restrictive immigration policies, with advocates, entrepreneurs and investors making it clear that access to talent is crucial to building a healthy technology ecosystem. But a global tech sector also requires access to home-grown talent, and a system of training and [...]
Who are Grand Theft Auto’s new contenders on the block? February 27, 2017 Imagine inventing an awesome digital game. It then reaches global domination in sales. The fruits of becoming a billionaire might even be incidental to the sheer satisfaction of creating a global best-seller. And especially so when you work hard and play even harder. £4.2bn in UK consumer spend The UK game industry is booming: According to the Association for [...]
Why artificial intelligence is about to get real backing in the government’s Digital Strategy February 27, 2017 Artificial intelligence (AI) has long captured people’s imaginations. It has been a theme of science fiction novels and films for more than half a century and, while reality has always seemed a long way behind the fiction, that is now changing. AI is finally living up to its promise and has the potential to improve almost [...]
Watch out Alexa: Google’s AI assistant’s been released into the wild at MWC integrating with Nokia, Samsung, Huawei and more February 26, 2017 Google's voice assistant has been released into the wild, making an appearance in several blockbuster smartphones unveiled at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The Siri-like assistant will feature in the latest flagship phones from Nokia, Samsung, Huawei LG, Sony and HTC. It's the first time the artificial intelligence (AI) powered Google Assistant has featured in any non-Google [...]
Editor’s Notes: Snapchat woos London investors, Venezuela’s vice president reaches a new low and Channel 4’s Jon Snow needs to get a grip February 24, 2017 Are you a Snapchatter? Do you even know what I’m talking about? Snapchat is a social media app that allows users to send images and videos to each other, often augmented by the addition of creative filters or effects. It’s also increasingly used as a platform for viewing and sharing news content. You may not [...]
Bring on the robots: We should welcome the demise of the human machine February 22, 2017 In decades to come, people will reflect on the present day with bewilderment and say: “they had humans doing what?” In the blizzard of noise around a looming acceleration in technological unemployment we need to balance our fears of the rise of the robots with excitement around the impending demise of the human machine. The [...]
Survive the age of robots with lifetime soft skills learning February 21, 2017 Never has the attention of global leaders and business titans been more focused on the importance of employee training as a facilitator for positive change. Theresa May’s industrial strategy encouraged employers to “explore ambitious new approaches to encouraging lifelong learning”, aiming to boost the amount of time and resources dedicated to career development and advancement. [...]