Google and DeepMind are playing fast and loose with society’s trust November 20, 2018 Last week, we were greeted by the disturbing news that DeepMind, an artificial intelligence subsidiary owned by Google’ s parent company Alphabet, is moving some of its healthcare activities into the newly formed Google Health. This isn’t the first time that one of the tech giants has been accused of making misrepresentations to consumers, using [...]
All I want for Christmas… is for retailers to get real and rethink their festive ads November 20, 2018 TV has long been a staple of Christmas advertising, highlighted by the millions of people who look forward to the annual John Lewis spot. This year, the retailer reportedly spent millions of pounds on a cameo from Elton John, though it is being tight-lipped about exactly how much. However, while the department store’s festive offering [...]
The UK’s technology startups are raising the bar in European venture capital November 20, 2018 The UK's share of the European venture capital industry has grown exponentially over the last decade, as investors turn towards larger and later-stage deals in a focus on the country’s growing startups. Data compiled by Octopus Ventures has today revealed that the UK now receives 42 per cent of all venture capital funding in Europe, [...]
Draper Esprit and Barclays back London fintech Form3 in $13m funding round November 20, 2018 Payments technology fintech startup Form3 will today reveal the close of a $13m (£10.1m) series B fundraising round, led by Graze and Perkbox-backer Draper Esprit. Existing investors Barclays Bank, Angel Cofund and several other individual backers also participated in the round. Established in 2016, the Monument-based startup builds payments-processing technology for banks and fintech firms [...]
Apple cuts production on all three new iPhone models November 19, 2018 Apple suppliers are yet again feeling the squeeze, after the tech giant is said to have cut production orders for a third time in recent weeks. Lower-than-expected demand for Apple's three new iPhone models, the XS, XS Max and XR, has made it difficult for the company to accurately anticipate how many phones to produce, according [...]
Lexus and IBM debut the world’s first TV advert entirely scripted by artificial intelligence November 19, 2018 Luxury carmaker Lexus has teamed up with IBM's Watson and several London agencies to make the world's first car advertisement entirely scripted by artificial intelligence. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, who is known for films such as The Last King of Scotland and this year's Whitney Houston biopic, the advert was created to showcase Lexus' [...]
DEBATE: Netflix consumes 15 per cent of global net traffic – will an online traffic jam break the internet? November 19, 2018 Netflix consumes 15 per cent of global net traffic – will an online traffic jam break the internet? Carl Erik Kjaersgaard, chief executive of Blackwood Seven, says YES If the current internet infrastructure remains the same, this could be a risk. Netflix’s current consumption is only the tip of the iceberg. This statistic – published [...]
Cyber committee urges government to do more to combat security risks November 19, 2018 The UK government is in dire need of political direction on responding to national cyber security threats, as current efforts have left the country's infrastructure and businesses "wholly" unprepared for another attack. The joint committee on the national security security strategy warned today that the UK's critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, health services and water, face a [...]
London tech scene must shape up as it lags behind FTSE 100 on gender diversity, business group claims November 18, 2018 London’s technology scene is woefully far behind the FTSE 100 on gender diversity, a group representing tech leaders, entrepreneurs and experts is expected to say. Tech London Advocates, which has over 6,000 members, will on Tuesday call on the capital’s technology companies to hire more women and ethnic minorities. The group is launching the TLA [...]
Google appoints former Oracle executive Thomas Kurian as new chief of its cloud business November 17, 2018 Google is set to appoint former Oracle executive Thomas Kurian as the new chief executive officer of Google Cloud. Kurian will join the company on November 26 and take over Google's cloud business in January, when current CEO Diane Greene is due to depart. Greene announced on Friday that she would be leaving the role after [...]
