A computer algorithm designed by NHS Blood and Transplant to make liver transplant allocation fairer, is causing younger patients to wait longer for surgery, highlighting the complexities of designing a system that is viewed as fair for everyone. According to a BBC Health report, figures show younger people are currently waiting 156 days longer on average for a transplant than patients over 60. Due to a shortage of liver donors, a computer algorithm – introduced by NHS BT in 2018 as part of the division’s ongoing digital transformation process – now decides who to prioritise on the waiting li ..read more

ONS data has revealed tech employment has seen one of the fastest growth rates in the last decade, indicating that hiring freezes and layoffs in the sector may be rebounding. A rise of around 85,000 UK tech jobs between Apr-Jun 2023 almost completely offsets massive cuts in the sector made to the tune of around 87,000 between Oct-Dec 2022. Whilst the UK, and London in particular, remains a hub for tech activity, the rest of Europe shows promising signs of growth too. The number of active job postings in tech related fields across the region increased by 11.4% since March 2023. However, this s ..read more

As the digital renaissance starts to unfold, it is connectivity such as 5G that provides a foundation to almost every emerging digital technology. Smart sensors, robotics, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, to name a few, all depend on the low latency of 5G to uphold a better quality experience with limited lag. However, energy consumption of cellular networks is concerning. The telecoms industry uses around 3% of the energy consumed globally according to the GSMA. Comparably, the aviation industry uses about 2%. With digital technologies growing, cellular energy consumption is only ex ..read more

The UK government is to invest £4 million into artificial intelligence projects aimed at helping industries cut their carbon emissions. The investment will see 12 green AI initiatives receive a share of £1 million to go towards decarbonising and boosting the generation of renewable energy. The projects range from solar energy improvements that will use AI to improve its forecasting of when it will best produce energy for the grid, to the decarbonisation of dairy farming through the use of AI robots monitoring crop and soil health. Alongside this, the government will invest £2.25 million into ..read more

Musk’s X social media platform cancels promoted accounts ad business   Formally known as Twitter, Elon Musk’s social media company X is banning the promotion of accounts by advertisers within the platform’s timeline. Advertisers mainly rely on promoted follower ads to steer business on the platform and target specific audiences, and promoted accounts, or “Follower Objective” ads, generate more than $100 million annually in global revenue for X. CEO Linda Yaccarino, former advertising chief at NBCUniversal, has been on a mission to rebrand the company’s image since she started as CEO on Ju ..read more

While remote work has undoubtedly helped workers recalibrate the balance between work and life, it has also contributed to increased loneliness. A new report authored by the British Red Cross and Campaign to End Loneliness for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Tackling Loneliness and Connected Community found that over 10% of British workers often or always experience aspects of loneliness at work, while nearly half of workers feel lonely some of the time. The statistics are even more stark for disabled workers or those with long-term health conditions (24%), and ethnic minorities in parti ..read more

While the smartphone market begins to heat up again with launches of all sorts of foldable devices, the network side seems lethargic in comparison. Now that 5G signals are established as a standard component throughout newly launched devices, operators need to look to new ways to promote their network. The avenue of choice? Events, I hear you scream. Yes, the fields of competition, music, and culture – if you can call falling over in wellies culture – have become the battlefield for the networks to gain kudos, a bit of brand exposure, and a handful of new customers. Some may say that this is ..read more

The UK governments Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally given the okay to US-based UnitedHealth’s proposed £1.2bn purchase of healthtech firm EMIS. UnitedHealth is a healthcare and insurance company based in the US with a healthtech branch called Optum. Currently, Optum supplies software used by general practitioners (GP) when prescribing medicines, as well as data analytics and advisory services. With this, UnitedHealth is looking to acquire EMIS, which already supplies data management systems to the NHS, including the electronic patient record system used by most NHS GP ..read more

South Korean telco giant SK Telecom (SKT) is injecting $100 million into San Francisco’s AI research company Anthropic to develop a large language model (LLM) for telecoms companies. This follows previous investment from SK Telecom Venture Capital, the Silicon Valley-based investment arm of SKT. According to SKT, the model will be multilingual supporting languages including Korean, English, German, Japanese, Arabic and Spanish. It will be based off Anthropic’s AI model Claude and fine-tuned to telco use cases, including industry specific customer service, marketing, sales, and interactive con ..read more

Ofcom, techUK, Currys, UK Finance, and around 30 other UK-based organisations have formed a committee aiming to help end digital poverty in the UK by 2030. The National Delivery Committee (NDC), as launched by member organisation the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA), aims to provide guidance and counsel on the DPA’s actions towards the 2030 goal. With around 30 organisations, the committee will also grant observer status to national government representatives as well. Elizabeth Anderson, Interim CEO at DPA commented: “[The NDC] brings together key organisations who will take actionable steps to ..read more