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Consumers are wary of AI shopping agents handling money online. ACI Worldwide research found 60% of UK consumers would stop using an AI shopping agent after one mistake.
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BAT cuts jobs as AI reshapes global tobacco operating model. The Fit2Win transformation programme is expected to reduce about 5,500 roles globally and move a further 3,500 roles to strategic partners.
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The UK skills gap is widening as workplaces change faster. Arden University research and Acas dispute data point to a labour market under pressure from technology, retraining gaps, and weak conflict-resolution capability.
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Central banks have warned that market resilience is becoming thinner. The BIS says AI investment, fragile bond-market liquidity, inflation risks, and strained public finances are creating a tougher policy environment for governments, investors, and companies.
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AI agents are gaining authority faster than enterprise controls inside. Kore.ai says most enterprises report unmanaged risk as agents move into data, decisions, customer interactions, and financial activity.
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Entry-level work is being redrawn rather than simply removed outright. Cognizant and Pearson say HR leaders expect AI to create new early-career roles while exposing weaknesses in training models.
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KPMG’s withdrawn AI report raises professional services governance questions again. The episode has sharpened scrutiny of citations, case studies, verification, and AI use in high-trust advisory work.
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NatWest has put AI job redesign squarely into view now. Paul Thwaite said some existing banking roles will be delivered by AI as the group’s workforce shifts towards technology, oversight, and orchestration.
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AI scale is being blocked by data infrastructure weakness. Confluent research finds 72% of global IT leaders say poor real-time data foundations are slowing AI growth, with agentic adoption particularly exposed.
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Email attacks are accelerating beyond traditional inbox defences. Barracuda has launched Integrated Email Protection, using AI and cross-domain signals to detect, explain, and remediate threats across Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and MSP environments.