Industry news

Staff at OpenAI have called on the board of the company to resign after the shock dismissal of former boss Sam Altman.

In a letter, they question the board's competence, and accuse it of undermining the firm's work.

They also demand Mr Altman's reinstatement.

The sacking on Friday of a man who is one of the leading figures in artificial intelligence (AI), shocked the tech world.

Natwest and IBM are enhancing the bank’s virtual assistant, Cora, with generative AI to enable customer access to a wider range of information through conversational interactions.

The move is part of the bank’s wider strategy “to help customers achieve financial wellbeing through personalised support”.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

The long-awaited Procurement Act 2023 (“the Act”) has finally received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023.

This will see the UK adopt its own bespoke set of rules to govern public procurement from October 2024.

The new regime will not only move away from the universal language of the EU Directives but will also consolidate the currently separate sets of regulations governing public sector contracts more generally and those specific to utilities, defence and concessions.

Read the full article on TLT here.

Capita has won a three-year extension to operate Eircode, its contract with Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) to develop, rollout and operate the National Postcode System in Ireland. Capita first won the contract back in 2013 in what has become one of its highest profile and most significant public sector contracts in Ireland.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

As we gear up for the UK AI Safety summit this week, where numerous tech companies and international governments will be attending to discuss how to control and govern the development of AI, the U.S clearly did not want to give the UK all the limelight. Yesterday, President Biden issued an Executive Order outlining a host of new U.S. standards for AI safety and security.

Within the order there are a large number of actions outlined across; new standards for AI safety and security, protecting Americans privacy, advancing equity and civil rights, supporting workers, protection for consumers, patients and students, promoting innovation and competition and ensuing responsible and effective government use of AI.

Read the full article on TechMarketView here.

Berkshire-headquartered Arvato CRM Solutions the business process operations specialist, has won a three-year contract to provide financial analysis and due diligence services for the Crown Commercial Services (CCS).

The new contract will see Arvato CRM Solutions help CCS assess the financial strength of companies competing for government contracts as part of its due diligence process. Arvato will receive relevant financial information, supporting documents and commentary, checking the data’s accuracy before assessing whether each business is financially capable of delivering the work they are tendering for, and then making a recommendation to CCS.

Read the full article on TechMarket View here.

Cognizant has announced the official launch of its Synapse training initiative which aims to equip more than one million individuals with digital technology skills by 2026. Working in collaboration with governments, academic institutions, businesses, and other strategic partners, Cognizant will leverage AI technology and its tech services capabilities to help prepare individuals for the future workforce. Cognizant also intends to build a consortium of partners for training and jobs which then will employ individuals who are upskilled through the Synapse program.

Read more on TechMarketView here.

Recently Frost & Sullivan analysed the customer experience outsourcing services industry, and based on its findings, recognizes Webhelp with the 2023 Americas Nearshore Company of the Year Award. The company designs, delivers, and optimizes game-changing customer journeys to enhance experiences in a business-to-consumer and business-to-business environment.

Webhelp adopts the right mix of people, processes, and technology to bring reliable and agile transformation capabilities to its clients, and partners with companies to speed up their time to market and provide continuous process enhancement rooted in ongoing innovation initiatives

As part of efforts to empower girl child, a non-governmental organisation, Women Connect, organized a digital training in Lagos for young girls between the ages of 7-16, in commemoration of this year’s International Day of The Girl Child.

The Founder, Women Connect, Oyinlola Sale, stated that the platform was established to inspire, empower and inform women. “Like the saying goes, you train a girl child and you train a nation. Girls are the future of the world and we need to train them to be independent leaders that will make the world a better place. That is what inspired us to create the Girl Child Empowerment Programme in partnership with Devnaija Academy Ltd.

Read the full article on Vanguard here.

NMSDC finds that companies with diverse supplier bases show 133% greater return on procurement investments.

Investing in supplier diversity programs can also impact a company’s talent recruitment and retention. In a survey conducted by Hootology on behalf of UPS, 52% of respondents said they consider a company’s supplier diversity and inclusion programs when seeking employment.

Corporate leaders with diverse supplier bases, like Microsoft, Target, and UPS, have more efficient procurement processes and higher supplier retention rates.

Read the full article on Supply Chain Management Review here.