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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
AI systems may make mistakes now but are quickly getting smarter: Hinton
TORONTO — If mistakes artificial intelligence make have you doubting it can't ever rival humans, one of the technology's pioneers says you should think again. Geoffrey Hinton says AI keeps getting better at reasoning and has surpassed the skill level many experts expected it to be at by 2025. Yet every time the technology messes up, he says people have an itch to conclude that AI didn't understand what was being asked of it. The way he sees it is that AI can solve simple, immediate problems, but stumbles on anything more complicated like humans do. While improving the technology so it is not tripped up by anything complicated will be a challenge, he says it's more of a stumbling block than a hurdle that can't be overcome. Hinton's remarks were made at the University of Toronto, where he was speaking at one of the 300 events that make up the inaugural Toronto Tech Week. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025. Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Metro
12-06-2025
- Business
- Metro
CEO turned away from London tech event because 'she had her baby with her'
A CEO has called for business events to be more inclusive after being turned away for having her baby with her. Davina Schonle, founder of AI company Humanvantage, was hoping to attend London Tech Week with her young daughter, who was in a pram. But after a three-hour drive to attend the event, she was disappointed to be refused entry because she had her daughter with her. Davina said she limits how long she is apart from her baby, and believes she should be able to 'build my company with her by my side'. Her post about the experience on LinkedIn sparked a discussion about inclusion in the tech industry. A 2023 McKinsey report showed women made up around 35% of entry-level tech roles but only 14% of senior leadership positions, demonstrating a clear gender imbalance. Meanwhile research by Prospects in 2024 found 29% of IT professionals in the UK are female or non-binary. Davina said: 'As someone passionate about innovation, tech and the future of work, I was excited to attend, connect, have meetings and contribute. 'In today's age shouldn't we be more inclusive? 'This moment was more than inconvenient. It was a clear reminder that as a tech industry, we still have work to do when it comes to inclusion beyond buzzwords. 'Parents are part of this ecosystem. Caregivers are innovators, founders, investors, and leaders. 'If major events like London Tech Week can't make space for us, what message does that send about who belongs in tech? 'I don't necessarily mean make it a kid inclusive event in general, or do I? Doesn't our future belong to the kids?' Davina's post on LinkedIn has received more than 3,800 reactions and 1,000 comments in two days. Commenters suggested boycotting London Tech Week unless they change their rules over allowing parents with children to attend. Others thanked Davina for advocating for parents in the tech industry London Tech Week told The Independent: 'We're aware that one of our attendees wasn't allowed to enter with their child yesterday. 'As a business event, the environment hasn't been designed to incorporate the particular needs, facilities and safeguards that under-16s require. 'We want everyone in the tech community to feel welcome at London Tech Week. 'We've reached out directly to the person involved to discuss what happened and use this experience to inform how we approach this at LTW in the future.' Metro has approached Davina Schonle for more information Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Nursery worker accused of hurting babies 'got fed up if she couldn't vape' MORE: This is how much more single people pay to live alone in London MORE: Bridgerton star fights off prolific phone thief as crowds watch on
The Star
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
BP focuses on AI to boost performance
Key driver: The BP oil refinery in Whiting, Indiana. The plant processes large volumes of crude from Canada, and it is working with Palantir Technologies to embed data engineers to optimise processes on site to reduce costs and improve operational uptime. — Reuters LONDON: When engineers prepare to drill for oil, they know the spot deep underground where the well must end and can choose their starting point, but there are many possible routes in between. Optimising that subsurface path – evaluating geological opportunities and challenges to ensure a successful job – has been a time-consuming task for engineers. Now, through British Petroleum Plc's (BP) technology centre in Houston, a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool is dramatically streamlining the process and running thousands of scenarios to determine the best trajectory. 'It basically takes the time it would've taken people to do that from months down to days,' said BP executive vice-president of Technology Emeka Emembolu. 'The technology is a massive game-changer and it's getting us better outcomes in the wells we're drilling.' AI is being used by many companies across the oil industry. Exxon Mobil Corp deployed the technology to help develop its flagship offshore discovery in Guyana. Autonomous drilling has played a role in productivity improvements seen in the Unites State's shale industry. The potential for this technology to deliver significant gains in operational efficiency has particular relevance for BP. Under pressure from unhappy shareholders and aggressive activist investor Elliott Investment Management, the company is seeking to reverse a long period of poor performance by boosting growth and profitability. After several years of focusing on clean energy, oil drilling has renewed importance as BP pivots back toward fossil fuels. The financial targets that underpin chief executive officer Murray Auchincloss's strategy reset all require doing more with less – curbing capital expenditure, cutting costs, raising returns and giving more cash to shareholders. To help achieve these goals, BP is pushing AI into every part of its operations, Emembolu said in an interview in London, where he will be speaking at the Tech Week conference. 'Our technology agenda is central to growing oil and gas, central to helping us focus our downstream business and to invest in the transition with discipline,' Emembolu said. The drilling optimisation tool is already being used in fields from the Gulf of Mexico, a key driver of US oil output growth this year, to Azerbaijan, where BP earlier this month advanced a US$2.9bil natural gas project. In the Eagle Ford shale formation in Texas, Emembolu said an AI-generated 'morning report' is directing field hands to locations most urgently in need of work and reduce the amount of time spent driving between sites. Near Chicago, where BP's Whiting refinery processes large volumes of crude from Canada, the company is working with Palantir Technologies Inc to embed data engineers to optimise processes on site to reduce costs and improve operational uptime. Disruption at the facility can have a significant impact on BP's earnings, such as in the first quarter of 2024 when a storm led to a lengthy shutdown. The technology is also being used outside of core oil and gas businesses – identifying optimal locations for the fastest electric vehicle chargers, helping Indian motorists avoid lines at fuel stations with mobile notifications, and advising German convenience store managers on how many pastries to bake each morning. 'In terms of costs, we're looking at things from all scales,' Emembolu said. 'Nothing is too big or too small for us to look at.' — Bloomberg
Economic Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
UK to boost 'homegrown talent' in new AI skills drive
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged to boost "homegrown talent for the AI age" by teaming up with tech giants to train 7.5 million workers in artificial intelligence skills. Speaking at the start of London's Tech Week, with a line-up of speakers including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Starmer said: "In this global race, we can be an AI maker and not an AI taker." Starmer was due to have a one-on-one conversation with the chief of the star Silicon Valley semiconductor firm whose chips are critical for artificial intelligence applications and of the event bringing together industry giants, Starmer announced a government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills, including in using chatbots and large language models to boost firms including Nvidia, Google, Microsoft and Amazon committed to make training materials freely available to businesses over the next five years. Google EMEA region President Debbie Weinstein called it a "crucial initiative" essential for developing AI skills, unlocking AI-powered growth "and cementing the UK's position as an AI leader". In his opening speech, Starmer said Britain must build "the digital infrastructure that we need to make sure AI improves our public services".The UK has a "responsibility" to "harness this unprecedented opportunity and to use it to improve the lives of working people", Starmer added."We are going to build more homes, more labs, more data centres, and we're going to do it much, much more quickly." Economic growth His government has pledged to fire up the UK's flagging economy, including with "pro-growth" AI regulations to attract tech investment and turn Britain into an "AI superpower"."We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation -- so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it," Starmer said in a press release before the British leader unveiled £187 million ($253 million) in funding to help develop tech abilities including training for one million secondary school students, as part of its "TechFirst" called it a "step change in how we train homegrown talent for the AI age".The investment will "embed AI right through our education system", he said, announcing nearly £150 million in undergraduate and PhD research scholarships in AI and also announced a "commitment from Nvidia to partner on a new AI talent pipeline", including through expanding a Nvidia lab in Bristol, southwest UK's AI sector is valued at £72 billion, employing over 64,000 people, and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035. It was growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, according to government figures from 2023 -- an "incredible" rate, according to speakers at the tech conference include the CEO of Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch, the UK's Science Secretary Peter Kyle and Markus Villig, founder of ride-hailing app Bolt.
Mint
11-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
BP Puts AI at Heart of Efforts to Boost Performance
(Bloomberg) -- When engineers prepare to drill for oil, they know the spot deep underground where the well must end and can choose their starting point, but there are many possible routes in between. Optimizing that subsurface path — evaluating geological opportunities and challenges to ensure a successful job — has been a time-consuming task for engineers. Now, through BP Plc's technology center in Houston, a new AI-powered tool is dramatically streamlining the process and running thousands of scenarios to determine the best trajectory. You may be interested in 'It basically takes the time it would've taken people to do that from months down to days,' said BP Executive Vice President of Technology Emeka Emembolu. The technology 'is a massive game changer and it's getting us better outcomes in the wells we're drilling.' Artificial intelligence is being used by many companies across the oil industry. Exxon Mobil Corp. deployed the technology to help develop its flagship offshore discovery in Guyana. Autonomous drilling has played a role in productivity improvements seen in the US shale industry. The potential for this technology to deliver significant gains in operational efficiency has particular relevance for BP. Under pressure from unhappy shareholders and aggressive activist investor Elliott Investment Management, the company is seeking to reverse a long period of poor performance by boosting growth and profitability. After several years of focusing on clean energy, oil drilling has renewed importance as BP pivots back toward fossil fuels. The financial targets that underpin Chief Executive Officer Murray Auchincloss's strategy reset all require doing more with less — curbing capital expenditure, cutting costs, raising returns and giving more cash to shareholders. To help achieve these goals, BP is pushing AI into every part of its operations, Emembolu said in an interview in London, where he will be speaking at the Tech Week conference. 'Our technology agenda is central to growing oil and gas, central to helping us focus our downstream business and to invest in the transition with discipline,' Emembolu said. The drilling optimization tool is already being used in fields from the Gulf of Mexico — a key driver of US oil output growth this year — to Azerbaijan, where BP earlier this month advanced a $2.9 billion natural gas project. In the Eagle Ford shale formation in Texas, Emembolu said an AI-generated 'morning report' is directing field hands to locations most urgently in need of work and reduce the amount of time spent driving between sites. Near Chicago, where BP's Whiting refinery processes large volumes of crude from Canada, the company is working with Palantir Technologies Inc. to embed data engineers to optimize processes on site to reduce costs and improve operational uptime. Disruption at the facility can have a significant impact on BP's earnings, such as in the first quarter of 2024 when a storm led to a lengthy shutdown. The technology is also being used outside of core oil and gas businesses — identifying optimal locations for the fastest electric-vehicle chargers; helping Indian motorists avoid lines at fuel stations with mobile notifications; advising German convenience store managers on how many pastries to bake each morning. 'In terms of costs, we're looking at things from all scales,' Emembolu said. 'Nothing is too big or too small for us to look at.' (Company corrects name of shale basin in 10th paragraph.) More stories like this are available on
