“This week, Google announced Willow, a new chip that in five minutes was able to compute something that our current fastest supercomputer would have taken more time to do than the universe has existed. So immediately, of course, everyone thought, oh no, my Bitcoin. Fortunately though, this new quantum chip is not any good at guessing your wallet seed phrase, and it would apparently take a whole bunch of them specifically programmed to mine Bitcoin, or really to do anything practical so far anyway. But at some point, theoretically, they’re going to be able to steal your Bitcoin, right? Or … Continue reading Google Willow

By Emma Dunkley Peter Hargreaves does not mince his words. Shortly after arriving at Cafe Murano, a stylish Italian restaurant on St James’s Street in the West End of London, he tells me that he rarely ventures this far for business meetings, preferring instead to make Zoom calls from the comfort of his home in Bristol. “People would say, ‘Peter why don’t you come to London and have lunch in our boardroom?’” He pauses, then says emphatically, “Why the bloody hell do I want to do that? I’d say if you want to see me, come and see me.” I’m honoured … Continue reading ‘I never see the point of spending money for the sake of it’

Over 11,000 new publications were launched in 2024! Here are a few that particularly resonated with our readers this year: Active pubs These publications are dependable resources every day. They are inspiring examples of what Medium communities can offer, especially if you are thinking about launching a pub of your own! Continue reading New pubs on Medium

Becoming an #AI bank is no longer a question of if but of how. McKinsey has just released one of the best reports on how to do it. Here are my main take-aways: —  Reimagining the customer experience (personalization, frictionless journeys)—  Using AI to help with decision making—  Modernizing core #technology—  Setting up a platform operating model —  Set a bold, bankwide vision for the value AI can create—  Transform entire domains, processes, and journeys rather than just deploying narrow use cases—  Build a comprehensive stack of AI capabilities powered by multiagent systems—  Sustain and scale value by setting up critical enablers of the AI transformation —  A business-led … Continue reading TSource: McKinsey & Company, link in the comments

2024 was a big year for artificial intelligence on several fronts. The use of the technology has become more widespread, and we encounter its applications on a daily basis. A Canadian researcher, Geoffrey Hinton, shared the 2024 Nobel Prize in physics for his contributions to machine learning and artificial neural networks. While celebrating his win, Hinton cautioned — as he has been for a few years now — against the misuse of AI, and called for responsible and transparent AI development. At The Conversation Canada, we’ve published many articles on AI and its applications in several fields, written by academics … Continue reading News and analysis from Canadian academic experts