Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this month.
AI Stylist
In a bid to improve its online shopping experience and boost sales, fashion retailer ASOS is trialling a new AI-powered styling tool. Called Styled for You, the feature is trained using over 100,000 curated outfits and uses machine learning to recommend products and styles that align with customers’ purchase histories and search intent.
Designed to make product discovery easier for users, the AI personalisation tool relies on well-organised product data, consistent tagging and properly structured media files.
At the same time, ASOS has also started using AI to speed up its in-house design process. Here, generative AI tools are deployed to create new product variations and on-model images. Aside from bringing new products to market quicker, the use of AI is helping to bring down design costs while providing designers with new creative technologies.
Cyber Hygiene
According to recent research from AI security firm Swimlane, 92% of firms that experienced a cyber breach believe they could have avoided disaster with more effective cyber hygiene. While over half of companies saw human error as their main vulnerability, only a third of leadership teams prioritise hygiene and resilience. This failure made them vulnerable to easily avoidable breaches, particularly with the increase in attacks and ongoing supply chain threats.
While the research showed companies are improving in some areas, such as auditing user access privileges every quarter, over half still neglect to keep track of their vendors’ and suppliers’ security status, despite the rise in supply chain incidents.
With cyber hygiene being an ongoing process rather than a one-time checklist, significant improvements could be made using AI, especially in large, complex settings. Swimlane noted that automation can assist firms with routine tasks like access reviews, log monitoring and compliance checks, thus minimising the risk of errors and reducing the burden on security teams.
AI Xmas
While buying presents has long been a Christmas tradition, it appears that AI has started to become a staple part of seasonal shopping, with many people now using it for tasks like finding gift ideas and keeping control of their spending.
Surveys commissioned by marketing automation company, Omnisend, found that over 80% of consumers in the UK, US, Canada and Australia were planning to use AI for Christmas shopping in 2025, and that more than two-thirds were comfortable letting AI handle their purchases.
Commonly used tools included ChatGPT and Google Gemini, built-in search engine tools like Google’s AI Mode and Microsoft’s Copilot, and website and mobile app AI assistants like Amazon’s Rufus. The main benefits for customers were the ability to reduce the stress of Christmas shopping, increased convenience, easier product comparison and the opportunity to save money and track spending.
Coventry Drone Project
Coventry City Council has launched a new project to explore how drones and electric air taxis can help public services and transportation in the borough. The Urban Ascent initiative will investigate how unmanned aircraft could be used safely for tasks like delivering urgent medical supplies between hospitals, surveying roads and bridges, and providing aerial assessments during emergencies.
The project is part of a larger national effort aimed at getting ready for the safe introduction of urban air taxis. These will be eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft that are more efficient, greener and less expensive to operate than human-piloted helicopters.
Urban Ascent is funded through the Future Flight program, which works together with local authorities, industry and universities to assess how new aviation technologies can be safely put into practice. The project’s findings are expected to help create guidelines that regulate urban air mobility while making sure future services meet the needs of the community.
AI Copbot
Two police forces, Thames Valley and Hampshire & Isle of Wight, are trialling an AI assistant designed to help them manage routine, non-emergency inquiries and reduce the workload on call centres.
The chatbot, which has been aptly named Bobbi, has been trained with the same information as call handlers and digital desk teams. This enables it to quickly respond to common questions that come through calls to the 101 service or from online forms. The tool will also be updated regularly to make sure it stays in line with changes in laws, policies and community needs.
The police forces say their call centres can receive up to 5,000 calls a day, making it difficult for staff to prioritise emergency 999 calls that need prompt, expert human handling. By automating the response to simple non-emergency questions, the AI tool frees human operators to focus on urgent and complex issues. Importantly, users can always request to speak to a member of staff, and any issue that the chatbot cannot solve is automatically passed on to a human.
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