What will it take to control AI?

The Economist brought together Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman to grapple with the biggest technological revolution of our times. They debate the impact of AI on our immediate futures, how the technology can be controlled and whether it could ever have agency.

The West Fights Back!

When the Biden administration passed the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips and Science Act for clean energy and tech last year, Americas trade allies in Europe and Asia were surprised. Now they are scrambling for ways to catch up. 

Are western economies in a war of subsidies with each other and China over technology and green infrastructure?

The future of war

New technology is transforming the way wars are fought, and not just in Ukraine. 

As tension increases between China and America over Taiwan, what does the future of war look like?

War in Ukraine: Tracking the fighting with satellites

With Ukraine’s counter-offensive shrouded in secrecy and Russian-controlled territory impenetrable, can satellite data help you see into a war zone? The Economist’s Senior data journalist, Sondre Ulvund Solstad, breaks down how he uses fires to track the fighting.

Project Rosalind: building API prototypes for retail CBDC ecosystem innovation

The BIS Project Rosalind develops a prototype application programming interface layer for retail CBDC systems and explores ecosystem innovation.

The Rise and Fall of Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is one of the most successful and high profile businessmen in the world. But his recent business ventures; Virgin Galactic, Virgin Orbit, and Virgin Hyperloop have become disasters.

Cheating With ChatGPT: Can OpenAI’s Chatbot Pass AP Lit?

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s new artificially intelligent chatbot, can write essays on complex topics. WSJ’s Joanna Stern went back to high school AP Literature for a day to see if she could pass the class using just

What would happen to Financial Services if we put engineers in charge?

On this episode of Fintech Insider expert host David M. Brear is joined by some great guests to ask: "What would happen to financial services if we put the engineers in charge?" 

The whole fintech industry is built on top of complex tech stacks, constructed and maintained by engineers. Their value has never been in doubt, but where they sit in the business structure changes from company to company. 

We've put together a panel of experts to discuss how the role of engineers has changed in financial services, the challenges they have to contend with and what the future of financial services would look like if we put the engineers in charge.

How will businesses use the metaverse?

The metaverse could offer multi-trillion-dollar opportunities for businesses in the long term, with the potential to transform many aspects of daily life.

Tech Leaders Discuss the Metaverse’s Future

It’s one topic that came up again and again at WSJ Tech Live: the metaverse. While Mark Zuckerberg is spending billions on the virtual platform, tech leaders from Snap CEO Evan Spiegel to Oculus creator Palmer Luckey explain why they’re metaverse fans or skeptics.

Banking on the cloud

The bank getting ahead of the game with hiring in order to move to the cloud.

Fintech Trends That Will Change Banking

As banking ecosystem continue to evolve, there are several emerging themes that will play significant roles in the transformation of both new and traditional financial services businesses. These trends should provide the foundation for strategic planning and for the prioritizing of investments in the near term.

Over the past decade, fintech firms have leveraged technology, innovative cultures and access to data and advanced analytics to transform the banking ecosystem. While the success of individual fintech firms varied widely, the solutions have impacted payments, infrastructure, distribution, access to financial services and components of sustainability.

Read the full story on The Financial Brand. Click HERE to access.

What is the biggest challenge for traditional banks? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 9

From 11:FS. Banks are facing a lot of challenges compared to their fintech rivals. From issues of organisational structure to culture, it's a race against time to adapt and survive.

Digital geopolitics - Russia is trying to build its own great firewall

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has portrayed his aggression toward Ukraine as pushing back against Western advances. For some time he has been doing much the same online. 

He has long referred to the internet as a “CIA project”. His deep belief that the enemy within and the enemy without are in effect one and the same means that if Alexei Navalny, Mr Putin’s foremost internal foe, uses YouTube—his video of the president’s seaside palace was viewed more than 120m times—then YouTube and its corporate parent, Google, are enemies, too.

Faced with such “aggression”, Mr Putin wants a Russian internet that is secure against external threat and internal opposition. He is trying to bring that about on a variety of fronts: through companies, the courts and technology itself.

Jointly with China, Russia has stalled UN talks aimed at defining responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, instead insisting on “information sovereignty”—code for doing what ever it pleases.

Read THE ECONOMIST's full analysis HERE.

How to make computers less biased

You might think technology is the great leveler. But as AI and other data-driven innovations race farther and faster ahead, the automation of racial bias is causing growing concern.

How does lending work? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 4

From 11:FS. Lending has been around for thousands of years and is one of the cornerstones of banking. Although ledgers aren't made out of clay anymore, the principles have largely stayed the same. Curious to know more about lending? We get into how it works and what's in it for the banks.

How do card networks operate? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 3

From 11:FS. Mastercard and Visa are the two biggest credit card networks in the world. But what is a card network? How did they begin? How do they operate?

What are payments rails? - Decoding: Banks - Episode 2

From 11:FS. Ever wanted to know what’s going on behind the scenes every time we make a payment? We break down what a payments rail actually is, the different types, and why achieving real time payments is so difficult.

5G Service Launches Amid Flight-Safety Uncertainty

Airlines canceled some flights before a new 5G wireless service rolled out, even after Verizon and AT&T agreed to limit the signal around U.S. airports. The FAA says the service could affect airplane safety systems, a claim the wireless industry refutes.

How to keep innovation moving

Managing the risks and rewards of emerging technologies is a tricky balancing act. How is it possible to maximise the upsides of innovation while minimizing the potential downsides? Read more here: https://econ.st/327bXxU