Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this month.
WordPress Dispute
A conflict between WordPress and major theme and plugin developer WP Engine is causing issues for the many website owners that depend on both of these organisations. WordPress, which is used on over 40% of the world’s websites, has accused WP Engine of not fully supporting its open-source community and banned the developer from accessing essential WordPress tools. WP Engine refutes the claims.
Unable to resolve their differences, legal proceedings are now in progress with WordPress alleging that WP Engine has misused its trademarks. WP Engine, meanwhile, accuses WordPress of extortion and defamation; while claiming it has lost customers because of the ongoing uncertainty.
With both companies entrenched, the problems affecting end users continue. Moreover, as WP Engine also offers WordPress hosting and with WordPress refusing access to its services, many of its hosting customers are experiencing service disruptions that affect their online trading and increase staff workloads.
Drone Nervous System
Researchers at the University of Southampton are experimenting with an innovative drone that uses optical fibres as a kind of nervous system, and which enables it to monitor its own health. The development of this new system will potentially increase flight durations by reducing the need for frequent landings and manual safety inspections while also cutting maintenance costs.
The system works by using a technique called ‘optical speckle.’ Here, if stresses in the drone are detected by the optical fibre, images are created, and these are analysed using artificial intelligence enabling problems to be detected earlier. Previous attempts to do this using electronic systems have been hampered by interference with radio frequencies, however, optical fibre isn’t affected by this issue. The optical fibre technology, which the university hopes will be commercially available next year, promises to transform drone operations across various sectors.
GOV.UK Chatbot
The UK government is piloting a new AI chatbot, GOV.UK Chat, which aims to help small businesses start up and access resources in areas like taxation and trademarks. Using OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the chatbot is currently being tested on the government website and can be accessed on 30 of its business support pages. The initial tests will see how 15,000 business users engage with the chatbot.
According to Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, the chatbot has the potential to streamline processes and improve efficiency. If the tests go well, the intention is then to make it available across the entire GOV.UK platform.
Initial assessments have shown that 70% of users found the chatbot beneficial, however, there have been some issues with accuracy, including AI hallucinations where false or misleading information is presented as fact. To address this, developers are collaborating with HMRC specialists to improve the chatbot’s precision, including ensuring that any information provided in the chatbot’s responses comes directly from GOV.UK.
Google’s AI Coding
According to Google CEO, Sundar Pichai, over a quarter of Google’s internal source code is now generated by AI rather than humans. Pichai claimed that while the use of AI tools enhances the productivity and efficiency of the company’s development teams, engineers still play a crucial role in reviewing and approving the AI-generated code to ensure its accuracy and quality. This move is part of Google’s wider AI strategy, which includes the expansion of its Gemini AI models and tools such as GitHub Copilot.
While research shows there has been a significant increase in businesses using AI coding tools over the last year, with 75% of developers now using AI daily, almost 40% had concerns about the quality and reliability of the code being generated, as well as its security and how easy it can be to fix issues. Human oversight was therefore seen as critical.
AI Decision-Making
Research by TeamViewer has shown that over 60% of company executives are now willing to rely on AI for decision-making without human intervention, while 70% are confident that it can accurately predict business outcomes. This contrasts significantly with IT leaders who are more cautious about the technology’s capabilities: only half trust AI forecasting and just 30% feel comfortable with AI making independent decisions.
However, despite the concerns, three-quarters of IT leaders said that AI enables them to focus on strategic initiatives and enhance their skill sets. Partially, this is due to the 16 hours a week timesaving offered by AI tools, though for respondents in the public sector, this was just 6 hours a week. AI was also seen to help with workplace equality, improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities and offering more opportunities for equal employment. There was also confidence in AI security, however, most IT leaders agreed that additional training is required sooner rather than later.
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