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3 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
An Edinburgh health tech firm has launched a platform that can pinpoint risk genes linked to life-limiting diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s 98 per cent faster than traditional industry tools.
It is claimed, bioXcelerate’s new tool can cut processes that take days to minutes, allowing patients to access treatment sooner.
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3 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
Pollsters were “duped” by the SNP’s campaign of “misinformation”, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said after his party’s surprise win in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
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3 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
First Minister John Swinney has said Scotrail is “fixing” its AI train announcement system after claims it used a Scottish artist’s voice without consent.
The train operator used Scottish voiceover artist Gayanne Potter’s recordings to create its AI announcer, Iona, but Potter insisted she never gave her permission.
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3 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
The UK information commissioner’s office (ICO) is set to step up its scrutiny of AI and biometric technologies amid growing concerns over human rights and data protection.
Facial recognition technology (FRT) and automated decision-making (ADM) systems are amongst the tools set to face harsher supervision by the ICO, to ensure they remain fair and transparent.
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3 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
Professor Rupert Hugh has been appointed the director of digital transformation at The James Hutton Institute.
Under his new role, Hugh will be responsible for exploiting the opportunities presented by emerging technologies and promoting a culture of innovation and efficiency across the institution.
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3 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
A total of £5bn will be invested in warfare technology to equip frontline defences for modern conflict, the defence secretary has revealed.
Drones and cutting-edge laser technology will be deployed to cut costs, speed up attacks, and reduce collateral damage.
John Healey said: “These investments will mean the most significant advance in UK defence technology in decades”.
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4 weeks ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
What was the first record that you ever bought?
Down to Earth by Rainbow. It would’ve been around 1979 when it came out, so I was in my early teens. I was a bit of a rocker at that point.
What record would always get you on the dance floor?
Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.
Do you have a karaoke song?
If you had ever heard me sing, you wouldn’t allow me anywhere near a karaoke machine. So, it’s something I always avoid despite everybody else’s best efforts to get me up.
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1 month ago | 
publictechnology.net | Sofia Villegas
The UK’s new deal with the European Union provides for an artificial intelligence collaboration that will link UK innovators to the continent’s top supercomputers. Under the new plans, the UK would work with the EU-based “AI factories” to tackle pressing challenges including climate change and disease. Access to such compute power – the high-performance processing capability needed to handle vast data and complex models – is considered the “the engine of progress in AI”, the UK Government said.
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1 month ago | 
holyrood.com | Sofia Villegas
The UK Government will set up a new cyber command to tackle “daily” and “increasing” cyber-attacks from foreign states, the defence secretary has said.
Ministers will also invest £1bn in a ‘digital targeting web’. The tool, to be in operation by 2027, will introduce new artificial intelligence and software and better connect weapon systems to allow the army “strike further and faster”.
John Healy announced the changes, during a visit to the UK military’s cyber headquarters in Wiltshire.
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1 month ago | 
publictechnology.net | Sofia Villegas
Russian military intelligence has carried out a “malicious campaign” against a raft of key western logistic and tech companies for years, an investigation by the UK government and its allies has concluded. The inquiry carried out by the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in partnership with ten international allies, found the state-sponsored cyber operation has been live since 2022.
