A global advisory council has been set up by Google.
The council will offer guidance on ethical issues relating to artificial intelligence, automation and related technologies. The Council’s panel consists of eight people. It includes former US deputy secretary of state and a University of Bath associate professor. Google says the group will “consider some of Google’s most complex challenges.” The announcement came at MIT…
Biggest Broadband providers not always the best.
According to a new survey by consumer group Which? the biggest suppliers of broadband and the “most likely” to give the worst deals. The survey places the big providers at the bottom of rankings for service. The consumer group’s latest broadband satisfaction survey places the big providers at the bottom of rankings for service. Customers complained…
£1.28 billion fine for Google from EU Commission.
The European Commission has fined Google 1.49 billion euros. That’s £1.28 billion, for breaching antitrust rules for its online advertising services. Google had abused its market dominance said the Commission. Exceeding 85% for most of the analysed time period – for favouring its own price comparison results for searches through its AdSense for Search platform….
Breakthrough in search for ‘Galileo satellite navigation system’ replacement.
Brexit is in disarray and uncertainty hangs over Britain. This is not just true of the economy and business but many things that will affect all our lives. One much talked about concern has been over our GPS system and access to the Galileo satellite navigation system. The UK is currently dependent on the US…
Starling, UK challenger Bank has raised £75 million investment.
Starling, the UK challenger Bank has raised a further £75 million investment. The funding is for expansion plans in Europe. Starling raised £15 million from an unknown existing investor and £60 million in a Series C round led by Merian Global Investors, including the Merian Chrysalis Investment Company. Last month, Starling revealed its plans…
UK aiming high in AI sector.
The Government has announced up to 200 AI Masters places will be made available at UK universities. They will be funded and supported by high-profile UK tech firms. These include names like DeepMind and Nvidia, startup Amplyfi, old firms like Cisco and BAE Systems, along with Accenture. There will also be five five-year fellowships at…
No-deal Brexit rejected by UK tech firms
In a survey Tech UK conducted n December last year, over 50% of UK technology companies have declared their support for a second Brexit referendum in a survey Tech UK conducted in December last year. In their own words, techUK represents the companies and technologies that are defining today the world that we will live in tomorrow. More…
Tech Nation – competition for talent.
Tech Nation’s CEO, Gerard Grech says both government and businesses need to grow their vision. Tech Nation’s story began in Shoreditch in East London in 2011, launched by David Cameron, then prime minister. The idea was to support the tech cluster known as London Tech City or Silicon roundabout. Since then it has spread to…
Government should create more visas for tech talent.
Revolut CEO, Nik Storonsky, has called on the government to create specialist visas for technology professionals. Revolut, the London based fintech company announced its plans to double its workforce in the UK in the next few months. The risk to the ever-growing tech sector is the threat of the lack of talent coming into the…
Hidden microphone in Google Nest Guard.
Google has admitted that it was an error not to disclose that one if its home alarm products contained a microphone. The Nest Guard which has been available since 2017 did not mention in the product specifications that it had a listening device. On Twitter, concerned Nest owners were told the microphone “has not been…
Harnessing the power of the Sea.
Fossil fuels emit damaging CO2, wind and solar are variable, nuclear generates radioactive waste, while biomass, depending on the source, can encourage deforestation. On paper, tidal and wave power would appear to be the best solution, using the ferocious force of the oceans to deliver clean, abundant and consistent energy. Yet despite the fact the…
Robotic process automation or RPA is transforming working practices.
RPA was first seen around 4 years ago and has been quickly utilised by banks, financial services and other businesses. Now local government and the NHS have launched tests using the technology. Increasing productivity and releasing scarce clinical capacity is a strategic imperative, says Mike Donnellan, UK executive BPS leader at DXC Technology. “Without fundamental…
Two leading fact-checking agencies stop their work with Facebook.
Earlier this month it was reported that Facebook had engaged the services of UK fact checking charity, Full Fact. Facebook said they had fact-checking services across 20 countries. Now, two leading fact-checking agencies have stopped their work with Facebook, striking a blow to the network’s efforts to fight fake news. The social network had paid…
New Fund to boost productivity of small tech businesses.
Small Business Minister, Kelly Tolhurst confirmed the new fund this week. Technology projects and pilots across the country – including digital dairy farming, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots and cloud computing technology – are among those to benefit from the new fund A total of 15 projects from all parts of the UK have won a…
Concerns over lack of skilled workers in tech sector.
The UK tech sector is leading the way in Europe, but concerns over Brexit and a lack of skilled workers is worrying say leaders in the industry. Last year the government announced that healthcare professionals will no longer be counted against the capped number of tier 2 visas which are issued to skilled workers. This…
Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook messenger merger plans.
Facebook has plans to merge its messaging services. At the moment, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook messenger are all used as stand-alone apps. While there are no plans to change this Facebook plan to link them at a deeper level. This would mean messages could travel across all three services. However, Facebook has said that it…