The Beatles…football…Eurovision 2023…crypto…That’s right, I’m talking about Liverpool! But you must have guessed that already. According to a recent study by Openreach, Liverpool is the crypto capital of the UK, with 13% of respondents saying they regularly invest in cryptocurrency and check stocks. The survey reveals which UK cities top the charts for particular online activities, such as TikTok (Sheffield), Instagram (Manchester) and Facebook (Leeds). London topped the chart for online dating, with 24% of respondents saying they regularly use dating apps at least three days a week. Southampton is the capital of online shopping, with Cardiff rules in the streaming stakes. The survey also found that many people were unhappy with the way they use the internet, with 43% of respondents feeling they wasted their time online, 37% being uncomfortable with the hours they spent doom-scrolling, and 33% saying they would feel more relaxed if they were online less.
The former CEO of 23andMe is set to regain control of the beleaguered company after the non-profit she controls made a bid of $305 million dollars at a bankruptcy auction. Very Homes Under the Hammer. The previous month, Anne Wojcicki’s non-profit made a $146 million bid for her former genetic testing firm, only to be gazumped by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with their bid for $256 million. But now it seems like she’s going to be reunited with 23andMe, with the backing of a Fortune500 company. And what’s she getting for that money? Well, a lot fewer customers than she had before. Around 15% of the customer base has requested the closure of their accounts due to its bankruptcy and the imminent threat of the sale of their genetic information and other sensitive data. On top of that, the company has just been hit by a £2.31 million fine by the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK over a ‘profoundly damaging breach’ in 2023 which exposed personal data, family histories, and health conditions. The purchase of the company by the former CEO apparently comes with binding commitments to enhance customer data and privacy protections.
There is still time to get tickets for our upcoming webinar exploring Responsible AI at Arts Council England. Dr. Oonagh Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths University, and Owen Hopkin, Director of New Technologies and Innovation at Arts Council England, will discuss how Arts Council England has been on a 12-month journey to develop policies and practices that support the responsible use of AI technologies. The webinar takes place on Thursday 26 June 12:00-13:00, so book your free tickets now!
And finally…visitors to the Isle of Wight Donkey Sanctuary will soon be able to identify their favourite jack or jenny using AI and their smart phones. Researchers at the University of Southampton have collected a library of the donkeys from every angle, and use AI to tell them apart. The app is called Ask ELVIS (Equine Long-range Visual Identification System) after a former resident. I don’t think he was actually called Equine Long-range Visual Identification System, it’s not a particularly catchy name for a donkey. Or anything. Probably just Elvis. And the app’s success rate? 50% at the moment. Researchers admit they are “trying to bridge the gap between the experimental accuracy and the real-world accuracy.”
David and Jo
