Posts Tagged ‘UK’
UK Will Host World’s First AI Summit
During his recent visit to Washington in the US, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that the UK will hosts the world’s first global summit on artificial intelligence (AI) later this year. Focus On AI Safety The UK government says this first major global summit on AI safety will bring together key countries, leading tech…
Read MoreThe Online Rip-Off Tip-Off
In this insight, we look at the new online form where customers can report online rip-offs that’s been developed as part of the new government campaign “The Online Rip-Off Tip-Off” to help shoppers spot and avoid misleading online practices. The Online Rip-Off Problem According to a recent poll of over 2,000 UK adults by the…
Read MoreMicrosoft Miffed: Monumental Gaming Merger Muzzled by UK’s CMA
The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of US-based video game holding company Activision Blizzard over fears of stifled competition in the cloud gaming market. What Happened? Back in January 2022, Microsoft entered a £68.7 billion deal to buy Activision, one of the most popular video games publishers globally. This…
Read MoreWhat’s All the Fuss About A National Alarm?
With the UK government’s new ‘Emergency Alerts’ system now live, we take a look at what it is and how it will work. What Are ‘Emergency Alerts’? The UK government’s Emergency Alerts service, managed by the government’s Cabinet Office, enables the government to send important public safety messages directly to people’s mobile phones in specific geographic…
Read MoreThrottling And The “Big Switchoff”
With OpenReach now ‘throttling’ broadband speeds and limiting phone calls as measures designed to gently “nudge” customers to upgrade as the “Big Switchoff” approaches, we look at exactly what’s happening, why, and when. What Is The Great Switchoff? The “Big Switchoff” refers to the switch from the old copper phone network to a new ‘Digital Voice’ alternative. Back…
Read MoreWhy AI Systems Can’t Patent Inventions …Yet
Following a recent Intellectual Property Office (IPO) consultation, it has been decided that AI will not be allowed to patent inventions. What’s The Issue? As highlighted by a legal battle dating back to 2018, some people believe that if AI systems invent something, they should be granted the status of being listed as the inventor…
Read MoreFewer Cookie Pop-Ups – But At What Cost?
A government Bill has laid out a new UK data protection regime (which diverges from EU regulations) and which the government says will ease the burden of compliance on businesses. Data Reform Bill The government says that the ‘Data Reform Bill’, announced in this year’s Queen’s Speech, and outlined as part of London Tech Week,…
Read MoreUK Not Adopting EU’s Universal Charger
Following the recent news that the EU plans to introduce a single, universal charger for all devices, it has been reported that the UK has said that it is not currently considering copying the idea. Just One Universal Charger Cable A week ago, the EU parliament announced that by autumn 2024, USB Type-C will become…
Read MoreWhat’s All the Fuss About The Digital Switchover?
In this article, we look at what the digital switchover is, why it’s needed, what the challenges are, and why it’s now been paused. The Switch To ‘Digital Voice’ Back in April 2021, BT Openreach announced that starting from the end of the year and finishing in 2025, it would be “switching off the UK telephone…
Read MoreSelf-Powered Mobile Masts Could Beat Remote Off-Grid Challenges
Vodafone’s announcement that it aims to deploy self-powered ‘Eco-Tower’ mobile masts across the UK could mean connections for remote areas as well as environmental benefits. Wind and Solar Powered The new masts will be self-powered, using wind turbine technology, combined with new solar and battery technologies developed through Vodafone working with renewable energy technology specialist Crossflow…
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