Artificial Intelligence will destroy jobs – but technological pessimism is wrong September 4, 2013 DEVELOPMENTS in Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be among the most exciting advances of this century. No longer the preserve of science fiction, from driving our cars to managing our health, the products of AI research are already quietly revolutionising our world. But warning bells are ringing. John Maynard Keynes coined the term “technological unemployment” to [...]
Geeks and hackers are transforming healthcare and saving our economy July 23, 2013 THE future of healthcare is taking shape. But it’s not being invented in drug company labs or planned by the NHS. Amateurs, obsessives and hackers are leading the charge. It’s a movement that will help us live longer – and could save the economy. It’s all happening through a combination of new gadgets, the power [...]
Three technological earthquakes are breaking up businesses for the better February 7, 2013 WE LIVE in extraordinary times. Robots are cleaning floors, accompanying soldiers into battle and just starting to drive our cars. Artificial intelligence is turning phones into personal assistants. The internet is connecting more of us than ever, in more ways than ever. For all the economic gloom, remarkable technologies are transforming our lives for the [...]
Two technologies that will create jobs and change the world October 15, 2012 PLEASE don’t fall off your seats, dear readers. Rather than focusing on what is wrong with the world, today’s column is about two positive, ground-breaking technologies with the potential to create jobs and prosperity and revolutionise the way we live. One such area is driverless cars: Google is one of the main forces behind this [...]
Where savers should turn to protect their wealth August 24, 2011 MANY in the UK look upon the peripheral economies of Europe – living on borrowed money and reliant on the kindness of tourists to keep them from falling back into the dark ages – with disdain. However, the UK’s facade of economic power is also crumbling – the East is in the ascendancy, with India [...]
TRADER OF THE YEAR June 21, 2011 They are far less visible than their counterparts in corporate finance or in the capital markets, but traders play a crucial role in many organisations. For this year’s selection we have chosen two traders for big banks, one hedge fund founder and one hedge fund trader. And then there’s a man from Glencore. Don’t miss [...]
A glossy sci-fi sequel with few thrills December 16, 2010 Film TRON: LEGACY Cert: 12A ALMOST three decades after he first got sucked inside a luminescent software programme to do battle with some evil artificial intelligence, Jeff Bridges is back – and this time there’s three of him. His character from the 1982 original film, genius hacker Flynn, has been trapped inside the computer programme [...]
Three fired as Apprentices enter final straight December 15, 2010 THE penultimate episode and the welcome return of a familiar face. For the interview challenge, Lord Sugar prised Margaret Mountford from her scrolls (she’s completing a Ph.D in Papyrology) to interrogate the final five. Her steely glare and raised eyebrow were as effective as ever, though other interviewers favoured a less subtle approach. “I’m going [...]
Facebook couldn’t have been British October 18, 2010 IT is simply untrue that Britain doesn’t produce any wealth and job creating entrepreneurs any more. Take some of the stories in today’s City A.M.; they demonstrate that Britain retains a vibrant start-up and growth culture. Hugh Willis, 50, and Mark Poole, 49, who founded BlueBay in 2001, are today each £82m richer after they [...]
When experiments go wrong… July 22, 2010 Film SPLICE Cert: 15 Rhys Griffiths A CONTEMPORARY morality tale, this horror thriller pushes topical science controversies – stem cell tinkering, genetic cloning – to nightmarish extremes. Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) are superstar genetic engineers. Endowed with great scientific talent but seriously lacking in common sense, the pair cross ethical boundaries like [...]