UK unicorn Improbable finally makes profit after pivot to venture building

Jul24
by on July 24, 2024 at 2:25 pm
Posted In: Insider


After 12 years in business and several strategic pivots, British unicorn Improbable has achieved profitability for the first time. Improbable credited the milestone to yet another business shift. After numerous attempts to create virtual worlds, the company has reinvented itself as a venture builder. “Venture building has proven to be the optimal model for both Improbable and the metaverse, as experimenting with various use cases is key to achieving adoption,” said Herman Narula, Improbable’s founder and CEO. A new financial report substantiates his claim. In 2023, Improbable’s revenues increased by 37% to reach £66mn. With a total profit of £11…

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Researchers detect deepfakes with the same tools used to survey galaxies

Jul23
by on July 23, 2024 at 4:15 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


It’s a common saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Now, researchers claim that they can also reveal deepfakes with the help of tools that study galaxies  — by looking at eyeballs.  According to the research by Adejumoke Owolabi, master’s student at the University of Hull in the UK, it’s all about how the light is reflected in the eyes. Working together with Kevin Pimbblet, astrophysics professor and director of the Centre of Excellence for Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Modelling, Owolabi compared real images with AI-generated deepfakes. To analyse the reflections of light in they eyes of…

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Dutch founder raises $1M for app he built for his deaf parents

Jul22
by on July 22, 2024 at 2:34 pm
Posted In: artificial intelligence


Growing up, Jari Hazelebach was a full-time interpreter. Both of his parents are deaf, and from a young age he helped them communicate in a world largely oblivious to the struggles of the 430 million people suffering from disabling hearing loss.    “While my parents could lip-read, their hearing disability made group conversations almost impossible,” Hazelebach told TNW. Even family Christmas gatherings were a struggle. That’s what drove Hazelebach to found Speaksee: so people suffering from hearing loss could carry an interpreter in their pocket, everywhere they go.   The Speaksee microphone kit links to a mobile app. Credit: Speaksee The young…

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Dutch students cross North Sea in hydrogen boat — but you won’t ride one anytime soon

Jul19
by on July 19, 2024 at 2:49 pm
Posted In: Insider


A team of students from the Technical University of Delft have made history by crossing the North Sea in a fully hydrogen-powered boat.   TU Delft’s Hydro Motion team set off from Breskens, Netherlands on July 11, with 160km of rough ocean ahead of them. Shortly into the trip, however, the vessel suffered a failure in its cooling pump and had to dock in Belgium for repairs. After a bit of tinkering, the issue was resolved and the crew set sail once more. They arrived at Ramsgate, UK, 12 hours later. The boat, which cruises at 40km/h, made the trip using…

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Businesses are harvesting our biometric data. We need new protections

Jul19
by on July 19, 2024 at 2:28 pm
Posted In: Future of Work


Imagine walking through a bustling railway station. You’re in a hurry, weaving through the crowd, unaware that cameras are not just watching you but also recognising you. These days, our biometric data is valuable to businesses for security purposes, to enhance customer experience or to improve their own efficiency. Biometrics are unique physical or behavioural traits and are part of our everyday lives. Among these, facial recognition is the most common. Facial recognition technology stems from a branch of AI called computer vision and is akin to giving sight to computers. The technology scans images or videos from devices including CCTV cameras…

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