IDC: Half of AI projects fail for one in four companies

Research from IDC has found that half of AI projects fail for one in four companies on average.

Put in such a context, the research offers little comfort for businesses considering AI investments. On the other hand, it means half of AI projects are successful for three out of four companies; a far more incentivising statistic.

The two leading reasons for an AI project failing are:

A lack of required skills.Unrealistic expectations.

IDC’s research found...

9 July 2019 | Enterprise

Research: AI is a ‘welcome boost’ that could add millions to GDP

New research from McKinsey and Quantumblack suggests UK businesses adopting AI could see their value increase by 120 percent within a decade.

AI overall could provide a 22 percent GDP boost worth millions to the UK economy, according to the research.

However, the report warns that firms which do not integrate AI into their day-to-day business risk around 20 percent of their cash flow today.

In separate research last year, McKinsey wrote:

“By 2030,...

11 June 2019 | Europe

Babylon Health’s GP at Hand causes £21.6m funding gap

Babylon Health's AI-powered healthcare service GP at Hand has caused a funding gap in excess of £21 million just as further cuts are being made.

Health secretary Matt Hancock has championed GP at Hand since 2017. The digital service has come into question for providing unsafe recommendations, and for taking money away from surgeries already struggling with cuts.

The service has operated through the Hammersmith and Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) across London....

24 May 2019 | Healthcare

UN: AI voice assistants fuel stereotype women are ‘subservient’

A report from the UN claims AI voice assistants like Alexa and Siri are fueling the stereotype women are ‘subservient’.

Published by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), the 146-page report titled “I’d blush if I could” highlights the market is dominated by female voice assistants.

According to the researchers, the almost exclusive use of female voice assistants fuels stereotypes that women are "obliging, docile and...

22 May 2019 | Society

UK gov is among the ‘most prepared’ for AI revolution

The UK has retained its place among the most prepared governments to harness the opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.

An index published today, compiled by Oxford Insights in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada, places the UK as Europe’s leading nation and just second on the world stage.

Margot Editor, Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, said:

"I'm delighted the UK government has been...

21 May 2019 | Europe

League table shows under 5% of councils are using AI

A league table created by Transformation Network shows that under five percent of councils are using AI for their operations. Furthermore, the ‘vast majority’ have no plans to explore artificial intelligence technology in the future.

The researchers conducted their study due to the dire outlook of councils. According to the Local Government Association, councils in England face a total funding gap of £8 billion by 2025.

A survey by the Local Government Information...

10 May 2019 | Government

IBM causes a stir after releasing Flickr photos it used for AI training

IBM has caused something of a stir after releasing thousands of photos it obtained from Flickr to train its AI.

The computing giant was technically within its rights to obtain and use the photos as they were posted by users under a Creative Commons license allowing free use.

Flickr CEO Don MacAskill sent a couple of tweets on Tuesday about IBM’s use of the photos:

"We love & support photographers and their right to choose their own licenses for their...

13 March 2019 | IBM

Microsoft study indicates US businesses are slow to adopt AI

A Microsoft survey of business leaders from various nations has found US firms are particularly slow to adopt AI technology.

One standout result of the study is that German, British, Russian, Dutch, Swiss, and Italian business leaders are – on the whole – reporting they’re “actively implementing” AI ahead of the US.

In fact, of business leaders from the countries surveyed, only France was behind the US.

The survey did not include all countries and is...

8 March 2019 | Microsoft

Almost half of Europe’s AI startups have no actual AI

A new report highlights many of Europe’s AI startups appear to be cashing in on the hype and have no actual AI to speak of.

The fact you can add ‘AI’, ‘IoT’, or ‘blockchain’ to your company name/description and it will skyrocket your valuation has become something of a running joke in the industry. Shares in Long Island Iced Tea, for example, infamously shot up almost 200 percent after changing its parent company name to ‘Long Blockchain Corp.’

European...

5 March 2019 | Europe

Transhumanism: AI could figure out how to make humans live forever

During a panel discussion on transhumanism at this year’s MWC, one expert predicted AI could figure out how to make a human live forever.

‘If You're Under 50, You'll Live Forever: Hello Transhumanism’ was the name of the session and featured Alex Rodriguez Vitello of the World Economic Forum and Stephen Dunne of Telefonica-owned innovation facility Alpha.

Transhumanism is the idea that humans can evolve beyond their current physical and mental limitations using...

28 February 2019 | Healthcare