6 Months In: a 2023 tech news roundup!

With the end of June rapidly approaching us, there is no better time than now to look back on the exciting tech headlines that dominated the news over the past 6 months! From AI to outer-space discoveries, we’ve covered all aspects of the industry you may have missed.

 So, if you’ve not had a chance to keep up to date with the world of tech, keep reading to enjoy our roundup of some of the most fascinating tech stories of 2023 (so far!).

Microsoft pours billions into AI.

In January it was announced that Microsoft was moving into a new phase of its partnership with OpenAI (the creators of Chat GPT). The tech giant extended its agreement with the AI firm, forming a longstanding multibillion dollar investment plan aimed at accelerating AI breakthroughs that will benefit businesses globally. The agreement allows both Microsoft and OpenAI to individually reap the commercial benefits of advanced AI technologies. 

In the words of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the initial and ongoing foundation of the partnership is ‘ a shared ambition to responsibly advance cutting-edge AI research and democratize AI as a new technology platform’.

Hefty fines for Meta.

Just last month it was reported that Meta were facing hefty fines totalling €1.2bn due to a breach of European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The fines were brought by an Austrian privacy campaigner, Max Schrems, over concerns that European users’ data is not adequately protected from US intelligence agencies when transferred across the Atlantic.

Whilst smaller businesses would not be set to face such enormous fines, the news demonstrates the necessity of abiding by GDPR regulations.

Will robots take over the world?

People have long anticipated the rise of the robots, but it’s now looking increasingly likely thanks to the developments made at Boston Dynamics. You may recognise their ‘Atlas’ robot, a humanoid creation that is able to run and jump over complex terrain. The robot has now become even more humanlike, due to the addition of rudimentary ‘hand’ grippers. As the Bost Dynamics ‘Atlas’ is a research platform, the robot is not available for purchase - but will continue to be used to advance the world of robotics. 

On a smaller scale, Emirates airline recently introduced the world’s first robot check-in helper - an assistant named ‘Sara’. Whilst the robot helper is currently only available in Dubai’s International Finance Centre, it demonstrates how novel robot technologies can be applied in an everyday setting.

A new challenge for artists?

Generative AI has been a hot topic in 2023, namely for its potential impacts upon the work of artists and photographers. Earlier this year Adobe unveiled its latest Photoshop offering, the generative fill ‘Firefly’ feature. The image generation service enables you to alter an image based on automatic generation or user prompts; users are able to expand the borders of their images, add in new elements, or distort the images into unrecognisable new scenes.

If this topic sounds fairly familiar, then you may be remembering the contentious outcome of this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. The prestigious photography competition was won by a German photographer who actually generated his ‘photographic’ entry. The artists, Boris Eldagsen, refused the award - sharing that his entry was intended to provoke debate.

Out of this world tech…

For anyone who’s interested in the universe of technology outside of the office, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may have come as exciting news. The JWST is a NASA led collaboration between a number of countries from around the globe, aimed at advancing our knowledge of the universe and astronomy. The space-based telescope is the most powerful in existence, and can view objects 100 times fainter than those visible through the Hubble Space Telescope. The JWST is situated around 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth, representing an incredible feat of engineering and technology - one that is barely comprehensible from down here!

What's to come?

If you’ve enjoyed this half-yearly roundup of the best in tech news, then keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming blogs detailing all the latest in industry news. Additionally, make sure to check out our monthly LinkedIn newsletter - ‘The Informant’. We use this newsletter to provide a monthly snapshot of the tech headlines you may have missed, keeping our readers in the know when it comes to the ever-changing world of technology!

If you have any tech queries or needs that you’d like to discuss with one of our expert team, then don’t hesitate to contact us today.