Instagram for kids: Boss defends plans for new under-13s app May 26, 2021 The boss of Instagram has defended his company’s plans to develop a new version of the app for under-13s, saying it could help protect children from online harms. Earlier this year it emerged Facebook was working on a spin-off version of the popular photo-sharing app targeting a younger demographic. Currently the platform does not allow [...]
Europe’s place in the global AI race May 26, 2021 | City Talk History is a good predictor of the future. In the Eighteenth Century the industrial revolution led to technological, socio-economic and cultural changes that eventually transformed not just our quality of life, but also our expectations from life. The early adopters of technological change have compounded their progress ever since, and the earliest industrialized nations continue [...]
Airbnb boss banks on long-term shift to remote working May 26, 2021 Airbnb is “not just a travel company anymore”, boss Brian Chesky has said, as he threw his weight behind a long-term shift to home working. The rental booking chief has unveiled a string of changes to the platform aimed at capitalising on new travel habits in the post-pandemic age. Chesky said Covid-19 had sparked the [...]
Paysend raises $125m Series B round as it eyes further global expansion May 26, 2021 Global payments platform Paysend has secured a $125m Series B round to help further fund its global expansion plans. Paysend, which launched four years ago, allows customers and businesses to send money online from anywhere in the world in any currency. It boasts more than 3.7m customers in over 60 countries since its launch. “Our [...]
Ready, set, go: Britain is bound for the next space race May 26, 2021 The UK is bound for a seat in the next space race, the transport secretary has said today, as the government preps for Virgin’s commercial Orbit mission – the UK’s first space-bound flight. The National Space Agency (NSA) confirmed on Monday that spaceflights will soon be a reality as the government has funded spaceports that [...]
Mitie: Covid and hybrid work prompted a makeover for cleaning tech – a mop and bucket won’t cut it May 26, 2021 The pandemic has given society the breathing space to redesign what a workplace should offer and in the age of the invisible virus, the humble mop and bucket won’t cut it. After a socially starved year, offices will likely become more collaborative and social in the future, adopting measures like ‘hot desking’. But these [...]
Contentsquare secures $2.8bn price tag after Softbank-led funding round May 26, 2021 Data analytics platform Contentsquare has secured a valuation of $2.8bn (£1.9bn) following a funding round led by Japanese investment giant Softbank. The digital experience firm, which helps companies understand how people interact on their website or app, nabbed the price tag after raising $500m in a Series E round. The cash injection was led by [...]
How AI is transforming drug discovery May 25, 2021 | City Talk 12 June 2007 marked a day in history that grow in significance in the coming decades. On that day a robot named ‘Adam’ ended the monopoly of humans over the discovery of scientific knowledge by identifying the function of a yeast gene. By searching through public databases, Adam generated hypotheses about the genetic codes for [...]
McAfee forced to refund customers following auto-renew probe May 25, 2021 Antivirus software giant McAfee will be forced to refund some customers whose contracts were automatically renewed following an investigation by the competition watchdog. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into the anti-virus software market in 2018 amid concerns about unfair practices. A super-complaint filed by Citizens Advice warned that UK customers could [...]
Stage and stream: Amazon inks broadcast deal for National Theatre productions May 25, 2021 Amazon Prime has inked a deal to stream four productions filmed by the National Theatre this summer, including the original stage version of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag. The tie-up will also include Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Hamlet, which also features the Sherlock star, filmed at the Barbican in 2015. Amazon [...]