News

Technology startups

• June 10, 2024 10 Jun'24

  AI firms can’t be trusted to voluntarily share risk information

  Workers at frontier AI firms have warned that their employers – including OpenAI, DeepMind and Anthropic – can’t be trusted to voluntarily share information about their systems capabilities and risks with governments or civil society

• June 03, 2024 03 Jun'24

  AI Seoul Summit review

  Dozens of governments and tech companies attending the second global AI Safety Summit have committed themselves to the safe and inclusive development of the technology, but questions remain around whether the commitments made go far enough

• May 22, 2024 22 May'24

  UK government announces £8.5m in grants for AI safety research

  The funding programme will be directed by the UK’s AI Safety Institute, with grants being used to understand and mitigate the impacts of artificial intelligence, including any systemic risks it presents at the societal level

• May 21, 2024 21 May'24

  AI Seoul Summit: 10 nations and EU recommit to safe inclusive AI

  During the latest AI Summit in South Korea, the participating governments reaffirmed their prior commitments to deepening international cooperation on AI safety, and have agreed to launch an international network of ‘safety institutes’

• May 20, 2024 20 May'24

  UK AI Safety Institute to open San Francisco branch

  News of the AI Safety Institute’s expansion to the US follows the first public release of its AI safety testing results

• May 13, 2024 13 May'24

  Maria 01 rolls out ambitious pan-Europe startup plan

  Ten-year plan will see pan-Nordic tech startup ecosystem based in Finnish capital

• May 09, 2024 09 May'24

  Ofcom publishes draft online child safety rules for tech firms

  In the draft codes, Ofcom calls on technology firms to use ‘robust’ age-checking and content moderation systems to keep harmful material away from children online

• May 07, 2024 07 May'24

  Government jumps on Wayve self-drive funding boost

  DSIT says the $1bn of funding announced by UK startup Wayve shows that a pro-innovation approach to regulation works

• April 22, 2024 22 Apr'24

  Fujitsu to cut UK jobs as Post Office scandal fallout hits sales

  Japanese supplier’s role in the Post Office Horizon scandal is beginning to hurt its UK business, with job cuts announced

• April 22, 2024 22 Apr'24

  NCSC announces PwC’s Richard Horne as CEO

  Former PwC and Barclays cyber chief Richard Horne set to join UK’s National Cyber Security Centre as CEO

• April 22, 2024 22 Apr'24

  Interview: IoT enables Dutch-French company to provide bicycle and scooter rental

  Dott’s connected system and mobile app allow users to hire vehicles and ensure safe and compliant rides in 40 cities across Europe and Israel

• April 19, 2024 19 Apr'24

  Tech companies operating with opacity in Israel-Palestine

  Tech firms operating in Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel are falling “woefully short” of their human rights responsibilities amid escalating devastation in Gaza, says Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

• April 12, 2024 12 Apr'24

  Government could still replace Fujitsu in key nuclear contract

  Fujitsu’s first government contract of the year could be just a stay of execution as department says that all replacement options are still being considered

• April 11, 2024 11 Apr'24

  How GenAI use is evolving for Google Cloud customers

  With more than one million developers now using Google Cloud’s generative AI systems to power their tools, Google customers have gone beyond experimentation and are now building their own agents

• April 11, 2024 11 Apr'24

  Fujitsu public sector contracts dry up in Post Office scandal aftermath

  Disgraced IT supplier has won just one public sector contract following public anger over Post Office scandal

• April 08, 2024 08 Apr'24

  MPs will grill Cabinet Office over Fujitsu contract bidding pause

  Parliamentary select committees have their eyes trained on Fujitsu’s response to the Post Office Horizon scandal, with its pause on bidding for contracts under scrutiny

• April 05, 2024 05 Apr'24

  UKtech50 2024 – help us find the most influential people in UK IT

  Computer Weekly’s annual search for the 50 most influential people in UK IT is on – let us know who you would like to nominate for this year's list

• April 05, 2024 05 Apr'24

  Environment Agency dumps Fujitsu as Post Office scandal takes its toll

  Troubled supplier loses flood warnings contract with government department after almost a decade

• March 27, 2024 27 Mar'24

  UK regional science and tech startups grew in 2023

  Globally there is still a post-pandemic funding slump, but UK startups in regions such as Wales and Yorkshire grew private sector investment in 2023

• March 22, 2024 22 Mar'24

  Fujitsu won’t sign any new business in Ireland

  Fujitsu is closing down its Irish business after a review of the operation’s current performance and market outlook

• March 22, 2024 22 Mar'24

  Open Data Institute launches digital policy manifesto

  The Open Data Institute has launched a policy manifesto ahead of the UK general election that outlines policies and issues it believes must be part of the political discussion around digital and data

• March 18, 2024 18 Mar'24

  Spring Budget risks funding legally questionable police tech

  Open legal questions around how UK police are using facial recognition and cloud technology could undermine the £230m investment committed in the Spring Budget to “time and money-saving technology” for police

• March 12, 2024 12 Mar'24

  Industry partnerships and data key to better public services

  Using public-private partnerships and improving the use of data are key to improving public services and the government’s ‘science and technology superpower’ ambitions, says digital secretary Michelle Donelan

• March 04, 2024 04 Mar'24

  Jeremy Hunt to deliver tech-laden Spring Budget

  The chancellor’s 2024 Budget will cover a £800m funding package to boost public sector productivity through technology, with cash for police tech, the justice system transformation programme and the NHS

• March 01, 2024 01 Mar'24

  Scottish government opens Techscaler hub in Silicon Valley

  The Scottish Techscaler programme is piloting its first overseas hub, which will have space for 12 startups wanting to grow their businesses

• February 21, 2024 21 Feb'24

  Co-op signs TCS deal for cloud-first push

  The Co-operative Group has contracted IT service provider Tata Consultancy Services to support its move to a cloud-first IT environment

• February 07, 2024 07 Feb'24

  Government reaffirms commitment to hold off on AI laws

  The UK government reaffirming its commitment hold off on artificial intelligence legislation has been received positively by industry for balancing innovation and safety

• February 06, 2024 06 Feb'24

  UK government responds to AI whitepaper consultation

  The UK government is considering introducing binding legal requirements for companies developing the most powerful AI systems, and has outlined a range of funding to realise the ambitions of its ‘pro-innovation’ framework for artificial intelligence

• January 29, 2024 29 Jan'24

  Proposed changes to investment thresholds highlights lack of funding diversity

  The government is introducing a law to raise the income threshold for potential angel investors, potentially making it harder for people from underrepresented groups to fund startups

• January 26, 2024 26 Jan'24

  GenAI tools ‘could not exist’ if firms are made to pay copyright

  AI firm Anthropic hits out at copyright lawsuit filed by music publishers, claiming the content ingested into its models falls under ‘fair use’ and that any licensing regime would be too complex and costly

• January 26, 2024 26 Jan'24

  UK government consults on age verification tech in alcohol sales

  The government has said it wants to allow the use of digital identities and various age-verification technologies in alcohol sales

• January 17, 2024 17 Jan'24

  Michelle Donelan aims high on tech innovation growth

  The science, innovation and technology secretary wants the UK to match US VC investment as a proportion of GDP

• December 19, 2023 19 Dec'23

  Digital Ethics Summit 2023: The year in AI

  At trade association TechUK’s seventh annual Digital Ethics Summit, public officials, industry figures and civil society groups met to discuss the state of AI regulation and the direction of travel set for 2024

• December 19, 2023 19 Dec'23

  Top 10 Nordic stories of 2023

  Known for its advances in digital technology, the Nordic region continues to pioneer the startup sector while making serious waves in Quantum computing and artificial intelligence

• December 01, 2023 01 Dec'23

  Lords committee urges caution on UK use of autonomous weapons

  UK government must ensure proper democratic oversight of its development and use of AI-powered weapon systems, says Lords committee

• November 22, 2023 22 Nov'23

  Chancellor offers spending boost for IT buyers alongside AI and quantum investments

  In his Autumn Statement, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a range of measures intended to boost investment in innovation and technology

• November 22, 2023 22 Nov'23

  World Wide Fund for Nature signs IT deal with Atos

  Global conservation organisation will harness latest technologies to improve ability to predict risks to natural environment

• November 09, 2023 09 Nov'23

  UK government does not see need for specific AI legislation

  The UK government does not currently see the need for new artificial intelligence legislation, as many regulators are already dealing effectively with AI-related harms

• November 08, 2023 08 Nov'23

  AI Summit not the place for human rights, says French finance minister

  Despite commitments at the UK’s AI Safety Summit to respect and protect human rights, the French finance minister said it was not the right forum to discuss signatories' human rights records

• November 07, 2023 07 Nov'23

  AI Safety Summit review

  Computer Weekly takes stock of the UK government’s AI Safety Summit and the differing perspectives around its success

• November 02, 2023 02 Nov'23

  AI Safety Summit: Day one review

  Computer Weekly breaks down what happened during the first day of the UK government’s AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park

• November 02, 2023 02 Nov'23

  Pension changes set to boost UK tech

  UK technology and science startups could benefit from changes to UK pension funds

• November 01, 2023 01 Nov'23

  AI Summit: 28 governments and EU agree to safe AI development

  In a joint communique at the UK government’s AI Safety Summit, all participating governments agreed to deepen their cooperation around the risks associated with artificial intelligence

• October 31, 2023 31 Oct'23

  Over a quarter of UK adults use buy now, pay later fintechs

  Latest research from UK financial services regulator shows BNPL more likely to be used by people experiencing financial difficulty

• October 27, 2023 27 Oct'23

  ‘Egregious’ to link passport data with facial recognition systems

  The Scottish biometrics watchdog has spoken out against the UK policing minister’s plans to integrate passport data with police facial recognition systems

• October 26, 2023 26 Oct'23

  Sunak sets scene for upcoming AI Safety Summit

  Prime minister Rishi Sunak has outlined how the UK will approach making AI safe, but experts say there is still too big a focus on catastrophic but speculative risks over real harms the technology is already causing

• October 17, 2023 17 Oct'23

  Five Eyes issues five tips on thwarting nation state threats

  Intelligence chiefs from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the US have published guidance on building resilience against nation state cyber threats

• October 13, 2023 13 Oct'23

  UK startups pilot semiconductor funding

  ChipStart is a new initiative from the UK government to help build out the National Semiconductor Strategy by supporting startups

• October 04, 2023 04 Oct'23

  Visa to invest $100m in generative AI startups

  Payments giant investing in startups that focus on applying generative AI to commerce and payments

• October 03, 2023 03 Oct'23

  Public sector needs systemic reform of capacity to innovate

  Improving the public sector’s capacity to innovate requires a culture of innovation underpinned by people, skills and new ways of working with the private sector