IT innovation, research and development

CTO interview: Greg Lavender, Intel

Computer Weekly caught up with Intel's chief technology officer to find out the semiconductor giant’s plans for the European market Continue Reading

Atos selected for UEFA Euro 2024 IT contract

IT services company Atos will deliver on-site and remote IT services for next year’s international football event in Germany Continue Reading

Human augmentation tech requires dual use oversight

Researchers investigating human augmentation technologies must acknowledge the potential military applications of their work, and military bodies cannot be allowed to dismiss ethical concerns in their pursuit of national security interests, says NGO Drone Wars UK Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

Government sets out AI training framework for business

The Alan Turing Institute’s AI Skills for Business Competency Guidance for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is now live Continue Reading

Aerodyne taps AWS to power drone platform

The Malaysia-based startup is running its Dronos platform on AWS to expand its footprint globally and support a variety of drone use cases, from agriculture seeding to cellular tower maintenance Continue Reading

Making artificial intelligence fit for all our human futures

Lord Chris Holmes explains why he has introduced a Private Member's Bill on AI regulation for discussion in Parliament - and the important precedents he hopes it will set Continue Reading

Datacentres or green belt? Why the UK has to choose

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we examine the minefield around datacentre planning permission across the UK, after government blocked a major development next to the M25 motorway. The metaverse is making inroads into the indus-trial world – is this the real future for the technology? And we analyse the trends changing the application software market. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Nominations open for Computer Weekly Innovation Awards APAC 2024

Computer Weekly is looking for nominations for its 2024 Innovation Awards to honour digital transformation initiatives that have transformed organisations in six industries Continue Reading

NCSC publishes landmark guidelines on AI cyber security

The NCSC and its US counterpart CISA have brought together tech companies and governments to countersign a new set of guidelines aimed at promoting a secure-by-design culture in AI development Continue Reading

UK police plan national roll-out of facial-recognition phone app

UK police chiefs plan to expand use of facial-recognition technology through a nationwide roll-out of mobile-based tools and increases in retrospective facial-recognition, but oversight problems persist Continue Reading

DWP to surveil bank accounts of benefit claimants for fraud

The UK government has outlined how it plans to tackle benefit fraud by giving the Department for Work and Pensions new powers compelling banks to collect and share data on claimants’ bank accounts Continue Reading

China Telecom, China Unicom, ZTE unveil digital twin-based network assurance

Leading Chinese communications technology firm teams with local operators to apply the industry's first digital twin-based smart operation for the co-construction and sharing network during the 19th Asian Games, providing network assurance for users Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

Autumn Statement reveals more AI and quantum initiatives

With the government keen to position the UK as pro-innovation, the chancellor used the 2023 Autumn Statement to discuss more plans to support that ambition Continue Reading

Executive interview: TechUK CEO Julian David on 10 years of change in UK IT

It’s 10 years since the UK technology trade association relaunched as TechUK – its chief executive looks back on a dramatic decade, and discusses what’s next for the UK tech sector Continue Reading

JPMorgan Chase tops bank AI ranking

Report reveals that JPMorgan Chase is the world's top bank for AI, along with Capital One and Royal Bank of Canada, but Europeans are lagging behind Continue Reading

AI productivity gains could result in four-day weeks for millions

Autonomy think tank publishes paper on potential for artificial intelligence-driven large language models to shorten people’s work weeks Continue Reading

Outgoing police tech watchdog warns of declining oversight

The outgoing biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner for England and Wales discusses police deployment of powerful new surveillance technologies, and the declining state of oversight in this area Continue Reading

Luxembourg-based cloud provider aims to transform the AI landscape in Europe

Gcore runs cloud services worldwide, which gives the company a front-row seat to observe global computing trends. Now the company expects to lead one of the major trends in Europe Continue Reading

Interview: Dan Huddart, CTO, Homeprotect

After building up experience in the insurance sector, Homeprotect’s chief technology officer sought the freedom to innovate being offered at the rapidly scaling company Continue Reading

DPU 101: What are DPUs, what do they do, and who supplies them?

We look at data processing units, the latest in a line of hardware offload devices that emerged in the era of composable infrastructure. They come as hardware and even in the cloud Continue Reading

Million Brits could lose access to bank branch if closure rate continues

Even people in urban constituencies could lose access to a local bank branch, according to research Continue Reading

AMD survey finds AI hardware lacking in many IT departments

Global survey finds that IT leaders are finding it hard to keep up with the pace of change in AI Continue Reading

Francis Maude calls for GDS and CDDO to merge

Review into the civil service by the former Cabinet Office minister says the two organisations should become one entity to avoid sending mixed signals around accountability and leadership Continue Reading

What’s the smart way of moving forward with artificial intelligence?

Don’t try to use AI to solve everything at once – be clear about what specific use cases you want Continue Reading

UN disarmament body calls for global action on autonomous weapons

UN draft resolution highlighting the dangers of autonomous weapons passes with overwhelming majority Continue Reading

Ex-Coca-Cola VPs debut ChatGPT-like AI tool to help enterprises solve their sustainability woes

The Ubuntoo AI tool is already in use within several Fortune 500 companies to help these firms hone their sustainability strategies Continue Reading

Visa launches artificial intelligence advisory service

Visa is giving its customers the opportunity to tap into its global network of AI experts through its AI Advisory Practice. Continue Reading

Heineken lets the data flow

In this month’s CW EMEA ezine, we find out about Heineken’s mission to make the most out of the data it holds through an enterprise-wide data ecosystem. We also look at how the UK has turned its back on the German government-funded Gaia-X data platform, why cyber experts are urging the EU to rethink vulnerability disclosure plans, and how the IT industry is responding to the software developer skills shortfall. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

Interview: Paul Scully, minister for technology and the digital economy, DSIT

The technology minister speaks to Computer Weekly about the government’s semiconductor strategy, how to solve the digital skills challenge in the UK and moving towards the country’s net-zero target Continue Reading

AI Safety Summit review

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

How ExxonMobil is leading with data

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the leader of ExxonMobil’s data organisation, about the energy giant’s strategy to establish enterprise-wide principles for the use of data. As the UK’s Online Safety Act comes into force, we examine the tech sector’s concerns over the laws around end-to-end encryption. And we look at the software tools available to HR teams to help improve staff retention. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

NatWest taps IBM skills for generative AI

NatWest and IBM are developing generative AI capabilities to expand the capabilities of the bank’s virtual customer assistant Continue Reading

Netherlands starts building its own AI language model

Dutch government allocates €13.5m to develop an open artificial intelligence language model according to national values and guidelines. Continue Reading

UK science minister announces quantum tech funding and collaboration plans

Science minister George Freeman announces £14m in funding for quantum technology projects as government signs collaboration agreements with Australia and the Netherlands Continue Reading

Executive interview: Sergio Gago, Moody's

Why should companies invest in quantum computing? We speak to Sergio Gago, managing director for AI, machine learning and quantum at Moody’s Continue Reading

Bristol and Cambridge to host 2024 AI supercomputers

Dell and HPE are working on supercomputers with the two universities as part of the government’s artificial intelligence funding drive Continue Reading

CDDO publishes digital roadmap update

The CDDO envisions that by 2025, digital services will exceed public expectations, civil servants will be equipped for a digital future, and government efficiency and security will be enhanced Continue Reading

Pension changes set to boost UK tech

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

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 Continue Reading

Banking should start testing out quantum ideas

The finance sector should not ignore quantum computing, even though the technology is not yet ready Continue Reading

Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson on her AI Safety Summit goals

As the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park takes place, Computer Weekly caught up with Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson to find out what one of the UK’s most prominent AI advocates wants from proceedings Continue Reading

The world's most advanced Arabic LLM is now available on open source

On 30 August 2023, Abu Dhabi-based Inception, a subsidiary of G42, announced the release of an Arabic large language model to open source Continue Reading

UK government AI Summit already branded ‘missed opportunity’

The dominance of big tech firms, a focus on speculative risks over real-world harms, and the exclusion of affected workers, mean the AI Safety Summit is a wasted opportunity, say civil society groups Continue Reading

‘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 Continue Reading

Google launches bug bounties for generative AI attack scenarios

Google expands its bug bounty programme to encompass generative AI and takes steps to grow its commitment to supply chain security as it relates to the emerging technology Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

Facebook pins future on Quest 3 and AI development

Parent company Meta has focused on establishing Twitter rival Threads and its new augmented reality headset Quest 3 Continue Reading

Finland shows off its new 20-qubit quantum computer

Anybody who scoffs at Finland’s lofty ambitions in the field of quantum computing should remember that not only is the country home to one of Europe's most successful companies (Nokia), but it also houses Europe’s most powerful supercomputer (LUMI). Continue Reading

Research team tricks AI chatbots into writing usable malicious code

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have demonstrated that so-called Text-to-SQL systems can be tricked into writing malicious code for use in cyber attacks Continue Reading

Government puts £75m into innovation hubs

Eight innovation ‘launchpads’ will each get a share of the funding for projects covering sectors such as agri-tech, digital healthcare, renewable energy and technologies for the creative industry Continue Reading

OCBC to roll out GenAI chatbot

Singapore’s OCBC Bank is rolling out a GenAI chatbot powered by Azure OpenAI to assist employees with writing, research and idea generation Continue Reading

Brewing data insights at Heineken

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how brewing giant Heineken is building a data ecosystem to share insights and tap into AI capabilities. The UK is conducting a formal investigation into AWS and Microsoft’s cloud dominance – what will it mean for users? And we examine how generative AI could be used to improve customer experience. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How Ensign is leading the charge in cyber security

Lee Fook Sun, chairman of Ensign InfoSecurity, traces the company’s journey and how it is leading the charge in cyber security by doing things differently, investing in R&D and engaging with the wider ecosystem Continue Reading

Fixing developer AI fear is a team effort

A study by Pluralsight has looked at the risks of building a team of “star developers” and instilling a competitive culture Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

The Most Influential Women in UK Technology 2023

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we announce this year’s list of the 50 most influential women in UK technology. We talk to Suki Fuller, who topped the list, about her journey in IT and the importance of diversity and inclusion. And we meet our rising stars – the women on a trajectory to influence the UK tech community. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How APAC organisations are tapping generative AI

Organisations in the region are deploying and experimenting with generative AI in healthcare, citizen services and other use cases amid cost-related concerns and other challenges Continue Reading

UAE makes significant contribution to AI computing power

UAE technology holding company G42 recently began a partnership with US-based Cerebras Systems to build a cluster of supercomputers and a set of accompanying technologies that will speed up the training process for large language models Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

CW EMEA: Prepare for AI explosion

In this month’s CW EMEA, we look at generative artificial intelligence, which Accenture claims is the next big thing in enterprise IT. The IT services giant says GenAI will transform 40% of all working hours – and it is putting its money where its mouth is with plans to invest $3bn in AI and create 40,000 AI-focused roles. Part of the huge investment has already been assigned to the creation of an AI and generative AI lab in Brussels focused on the public sector in Europe. We also look at a Deutsche Telekom-led consortium’s demo of multi-supplier non-real-time RAN optimisation, how last month’s Ryder Cup tested out technology to improve how fans digitally consume the event, and find out how Zurich Insurance has cut the time it takes to complete development of ServiceNow applications. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Scottish biometrics watchdog outlines police cloud concerns

Police Scotland’s response to the biometrics commissioner’s formal information notice ‘did not ameliorate’ his concerns about the sovereignty and security of the sensitive biometric information being uploaded to cloud infrastructure that is subject to intrusive US surveillance laws Continue Reading

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust uses RealWear headsets for training

NHS trauma and orthopaedic department deploys head-mounted cameras to livestream surgeon’s view footage of operations to classroom Continue Reading

Preparing IT security for the age of quantum computing

We look at what progress is being made to ensure digital communications remain secure as quantum computers make an entrance Continue Reading

Teeing up tech at the Ryder Cup

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we go behind the scenes at golf’s Ryder Cup to see the tech firsts introduced to improve the fan experience. UK tech leaders explain why they feel ‘betrayed’ by the government’s net-zero policy changes. And we examine the governance challenges behind immerse technologies such as VR and the metaverse. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government launches £60m Regional Innovation Fund

The £60m fund aims to support universities in areas with lower R&D investment, while the government is also pumping £8m towards AI scholarships Continue Reading

IR35: HMRC completes first phase of CEST upgrades with Ocelot platform migration

HMRC has confirmed that its online IR35 status checker tool has completed its migration to a new platform, as the government tax collection agency’s revamp of the service continues apace Continue Reading

Lloyds Bank launches digital identity app

Lloyds Bank has launched a digital identity app with tech startup Yoti, after it invested £10m in the firm Continue Reading

Visa to invest $100m in generative AI startups

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

Will computational storage meet data processing demands?

Computational storage promises performance for workloads that can benefit from dedicated oomph, but it’s not a cure-all. It may come at a cost, and with added application complexity Continue Reading

Cyber experts urge EU to rethink vulnerability disclosure plans

The European Union’s proposed cyber security vulnerability disclosure measures are well-intentioned but ultimately counterproductive, as making unmitigated vulnerabilities public knowledge increases the risk of their exploitation by various actors, experts claim Continue Reading

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 Continue Reading

Where next for quantum computing?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we talk to the head of Amazon’s Braket quantum computing services about how the technology is progressing. We go behind the scenes at an ethical hacker event to find out how bug bounty programmes work. And we analyse the offerings of the major players in software-defined storage. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How the Australian government is approaching AI

The Australian government is experimenting with AI use cases in a safe environment while it figures out ways to harness the technology to benefit citizens and businesses Continue Reading

Government hands over £12.5m to farming tech innovators

Some 19 projects focusing on automation and robotic technology will get funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to boost the agricultural sector Continue Reading

Government to hire 2,500 people for digital roles by 2025

Government is aiming to ramp up digital skills in Whitehall with a promise to recruit 2,500 new tech and digital roles through apprenticeships and talent programmes Continue Reading

Government launches £65m space tech fund

The funding from the UK Space Agency is part of the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), and aims to support and accelerate innovation in the sector Continue Reading

Scottish watchdog urges wider biometric oversight

Scotland’s biometrics watchdog urges Scottish Parliament to extend oversight of biometric information to include the entire criminal justice system, not just police Continue Reading

As India takes off to space, the stardust will fall on IT

India's progress in space technology will yield benefits not only for its burgeoning space industry but also propel IoT and telephony applications Continue Reading

UK government quietly disbands data ethics advisory board

The government has disbanded its Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation’s advisory board in favour of pulling the relevant artificial intelligence (AI) and data knowledge from a pool of external experts Continue Reading

How ready does the world need to be for the quantum era?

Great use cases may exist for quantum computing, but no one knows for sure how long they will need to wait for a production-ready machine Continue Reading

Lords begin inquiry into large language models

Lords will examine the risks and opportunities of large language models and look at how government can effectively manage them in the coming years Continue Reading

Quantum reality check

One day, all-powerful quantum computers will be used by rogue states and powerful crime syndicates to render all secure communications on the internet obsolete. Governments and major organisations ... Continue Reading

Multi-agency pilot aims to help innovators navigate regulatory landscape

Regulators join forces in pilot scheme to help businesses deploy new technologies in a way that complies with cross-industry regulations Continue Reading

38TB Microsoft data leak highlights risks of oversharing

An accidentally disclosed SAS token with excessive privileges enabled researchers to access nearly 40TB of Microsoft’s data, highlighting the risks of privilege mismanagement and oversharing Continue Reading

UK wants international collaboration on AI for development

Foreign secretary James Cleverly uses speech at United Nations General Assembly to set out vision for potential of AI technology to speed up development in the world’s poorest nations Continue Reading

Security Think Tank: A user’s guide to encryption

The Security Think Tank assesses the state of encryption technology, exploring topics such as cryptographic techniques, data-masking, the legal ramifications of end-to-end encryption, and the impact of quantum Continue Reading

How India is driving tech developments at G20

India’s G20 presidency marks an important stride towards establishing a global regulatory framework for the crypto industry, among other tech developments discussed at the global forum in New Delhi this year Continue Reading

UK space sector needs more people with AI skills, according to survey

Space sector survey shows machine learning and artificial intelligence skills are highly sought after, as the industry struggles to recruit and retain people with the necessary talent Continue Reading

Singapore firefighters don smartglasses for equipment inspections

Firefighters from the Singapore Civil Defence Force will employ smartglasses equipped with computer vision and 5G capabilities to perform visual inspections of their equipment Continue Reading

Bristol Uni to host one of Europe’s most power supercomputer clusters

A high-performance computer system being built at the University of Bristol will run thousands of GPUs to support research in artificial intelligence and scientific discovery Continue Reading

CIO interview: Petra Tesch, Vizrt

Straight-talking when it comes to getting her messages across to the wider company, Vizrt CIO Petra Tesch revels in transformation and communication Continue Reading

ExtraHop open sources 16 million rows of threat domain data

NDR specialist ExtraHop says making its entire machine learning dataset available for anybody to view will help organisations better defend against cyber attacks originating from malicious domains generated by algorithms Continue Reading

How DocuSign is extending its capabilities beyond e-signatures

DocuSign is harnessing large language models to help individuals make sense of agreements and employing AI-based biometrics to verify the identity of signers, as part of its broader efforts to expand its capabilities beyond electronic signatures Continue Reading

Whitehall only capable of ‘piecemeal’ digital transformation, says PAC

The Public Accounts Committee is unconvinced government will achieve its digital transformation ambitions as progress is thwarted by staff shortages and a lack of senior leadership engagement Continue Reading

European enterprises to spend more on generative IT to close gap on US

European organisations are upping their spending on generative AI innovation, but face challenges recruiting the right people to support this Continue Reading

University of Glasgow launches Centre for data science and AI

Scottish university will apply artificial intelligence and data science to help solve some of the world's biggest challenges Continue Reading

Salesforce and Zoom embrace ethical hackers. You should, too

Software companies Salesforce and Zoom discuss their successful bug bounty programmes, what they learned at a recent in-person hackathon in which they participated, and why others shouldn’t be scared of hackers Continue Reading