New EU AI strategy focuses on ethics

New EU AI strategy focuses on ethics

AIThe European Commission has put forward a strategy to promote the development of AI and robotics while putting people first and defending European values and rights. The strategy acknowledges that AI can open up new opportunities for businesses and bring solutions to challenges such as climate change. However, it aims to address the social, legal and ethical impact of new technology. More →

Firms doing too little to tackle employee data breaches

Firms doing too little to tackle employee data breaches

data breachesInsider data breaches are a major concern for 97 percent of IT leaders, according to new research. About three quarters believe that employees have put data at risk in the past 12 months accidentally (78 percent) or intentionally (75 percent). When asked about the implications of these breaches, more than two in five said financial damage would be the area of greatest impact. More →

Curiosity killed the stat: why we should avoid becoming slaves to data

Hands up. How many of you spend much/most of your time peddling data, charts and other fact-based information? And how much time do you spend challenging yourself, learning new ideas, indulging your curiosity and feeling a sense of surprise and fulfilment? And finally how much of the inquisitive, itchy child do you feel your job appeals to rather than the “only- 30-more-years-of-wage-slavery-if-I’m-lucky” mindset?

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Europe must do more to bring discoveries to market

Europe must do more to bring discoveries to market

discoveriesAlthough Europe has much scientific research to be proud of, the region falls worryingly short when it comes to commercialising its discoveries, a study has concluded. A fifth of the world’s leading 100 research organisations – as determined by factors such as the number of articles published in academic journals – are based in Europe, experts from IESE Business School, the European Commission and Oxford University, among others, claim. Yet researchers often lack the resources required to find the right market for their discoveries. More →

Workplace leaders must adapt to a new technological reality

Workplace leaders must adapt to a new technological reality

workplaceI speak with senior workplace leaders daily and those conversations, coupled with our research and that of other people, offer us a striking perspective on the trends and changing nature of the workplace and in particular the impact of technology. Some themes are cropping up time and time again in these conversations and research and point to a new technology-led reality that we must all address. More →

Public sector must be more open on AI, says watchdog

Public sector must be more open on AI, says watchdog

AIThe public sector must uphold high standards of conduct when adopting AI, a report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life has concluded. The committee does not believe a new AI regulator or major legal change are necessary but it does have concerns about lack of openness, lack of accountability and data bias. More →

Digital sector worth £400 million a day to UK economy

Digital sector worth £400 million a day to UK economy

According to new government figures, the country’s digital sector contributed £149 billion to the UK in 2018, accounting for 7.7 percent of the economy. This is up 7.9 percent on the previous year, meaning growth in the sector is nearly six times larger than growth across the economy as a whole, which increased by 1.4 percent. More →

Bridging the gap between the reality and perception of engagement

Bridging the gap between the reality and perception of engagement

engagementOrganisations are currently operating against a backdrop of environmental, social, political and technological upheaval. Changes in the way people work, buy, communicate and live their lives abound while the communications narratives become ever more complex. The zeitgeist dictates how an organisation’s purpose and communications should match the growing expectations placed on it by its identity and need to address its engagement with staff and the outside world. More →

Flexible working and an always on culture can be bad for health

Flexible working and an always on culture can be bad for health

flexible workingEmployees believe flexible working allows them to do their best work yet they also feel permanent connectivity is damaging their health, an international survey of more than 1,000 workers has suggested. In the study conducted by Quartz Insights in partnership with Citrix Systems, Inc, respondents ranked flexible working as the third most important factor – behind salary and leadership – enabling them to do their best work. However, two thirds also believed the “always on” mentality has a significant negative impact on their health. More →

AI will transform financial services in two years

AI will transform financial services in two years

AINearly two-thirds of financial services leaders expect to be mass adopters of AI in two years compared to just 16 percent harnessing it today, a survey from the World Economic Forum and the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) claims. This is despite fears around AI, with 58 percent of the 150 senior executives surveyed expecting it to worsen discrimination in the sector and the same number expecting privacy breaches to increase. More →

Failure to put employees at heart of data strategy costs UK firms £10bn in lost productivity

Failure to put employees at heart of data strategy costs UK firms £10bn in lost productivity

data strategyA new report from Qlik and Accenture, titled “The Human Impact of Data Literacy” and conducted on behalf of The Data Literacy Project, claims that while most organisations understand the incredible opportunity of data, a gap has emerged between organisations’ aspirations to be data-driven and their employees’ ability to create business value with data. The report argues that data is a ‘gold mine’ that can fuel a culture of innovation and growth as part of a data strategy. However, when employees struggle to make sense of data, productivity and business value can be affected.

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Over half of UK small firms lack high speed internet

Over half of UK small firms lack high speed internet

high speed internetUK SMEs are facing a serious digital dilemma, with three in five operating their business without a high speed internet connection. This finding, from Bionic’s Business Efficiency Index (registration), is part of an overall picture of the UK’s small business community struggling to keep pace with tech acceleration; small minorities have modern payment methods or access to e-commerce channels. 57 percent of SMEs do not have high-speed internet, and under one in ten businesses (9 percent) plan to invest in access in the near future. More →