Stephen Hawking: Artificial intelligence could end the human race December 2, 2014 The robot revolution could bring about the end of humanity as we know it, professor Stephen Hawking has warned. In an interview with the BBC he warned that "the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race". He was responding to a question about the artificial intelligence technology which he uses [...]
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is hosting a Q&A tonight and will answer questions from the public November 6, 2014 Famously private tech top dog Mark Zuckerberg is opening up to the public for the first time in a question and answer session online. The Facebook founder, and more recently Chinese language student, is taking an hour out of his busy schedule to field questions from, basically, anyone who asks. Much like Reddit’s famous AMAs [...]
PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel talks quarter-life crises and how to tackle the state November 2, 2014 It's not every day that you get to speak to Silicon Valley royalty. And Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal, first outside investor in Facebook, fund manager, and leader of multiple firms, is a dynasty heavyweight. Having just published his new book, Zero to One, he’s keen to talk about some of his latest ideas. [...]
Elon Musk: “We need to be careful with artificial intelligence” October 27, 2014 Elon Musk may have made millions from technology, but that doesn't mean he doesn't worry about it bringing about a Terminator-style end to humanity. During a talk to students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the SpaceX-Tesla-PayPal tycoon warned that "we should be very careful" about how we use artificial intelligence, adding it could be humanity's [...]
London is no Silicon Valley – here’s why that may be a good thing October 20, 2014 Geeks and startup types are again gathering today in Billingsgate for TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference, a celebration of London’s tech sector. There’s a lot to celebrate: the sector hasn’t been this hot since the days of the dot-com boom. Investors are toasting two billion-dollar exits this year: games designers Natural Motion and artificial intelligence wizards Deep [...]
Why PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel thinks luck will get you nowhere October 13, 2014 Harriet Green explores the tech billionaire’s contentious views on setting up a business. Co-founder of PayPal, first outside investor in Facebook and seasoned venture capitalist, Peter Thiel is Silicon Valley royalty. His new book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, offers a series of insightful – and often [...]
Apple share price rises after Carl Icahn tweets about letter to Tim Cook October 8, 2014 Billionaire investor Carl Icahn boosted Apple’s share price again yesterday after publishing a cryptic tweet signalling further agitation towards the US tech giant Icahn, who boosted the value of Apple’s market cap by $17bn in August 2013 after tweeting about his holding in the company, said he would publish more details in a letter [...]
Four of the best business books released in 2014 September 23, 2014 From the digital economy to Richard Branson, Liam Ward-Proud lists this year’s top reads. It's been a bumper year so far for business reads, with releases from the likes of Virgin founder Richard Branson, as well as several books tracing crucial trends in the fast-changing global economy. With judging panels due to start drawing [...]
London’s tech boom is more than just hype – and the City is at its heart September 18, 2014 WHILE London Technology Week may not yet rival London Fashion Week for glamour, there is real substance to the capital’s tech boom. This is why, for the first time, TechCrunch is bringing its Silicon Valley conference to London this October. A number of things are driving this tech boom. London has long acted as a [...]
Robots are after your job in the City September 1, 2014 And you thought you were irreplaceable? If you're a banker or analyst in the City, watch your back. You’re about to be replaced – by a robot. Not the walking, talking, C-3PO Star Wars kind, but by artificial intelligence, or computer programs which think for themselves – more HAL in 2001 a Space Odyssey. Within [...]