James Fletcher

A product I truly believe is ground breaking! When you see it in action every business needs this tool!

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The Vouchsafe project for digital identities in Scottish public services has moved into its beta phase with the team beginning to explain its operation to the public. The idea of using social vouching in the verification of digital identities has won support on both sides of the border, but seems to be moving much quicker in Scotland. It has obviously been higher on the list of priorities, but it's also notable that the Scottish Government has allowed the small team at Vouchsafe, previously known as Interrobang, really run with the project. https://lnkd.in/epWwq66P #scotland #digitalidentity #publicservices #socialvouching

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While planning an OEB Global Conference workshop with Frances O. I realised we should try to use tools that the two of us have been using since pre-COVID days. So now I'm going to see if the OneNote pages each of us have created to support an intense training session can be complemented by prompts from Copilot for OneNote. We might be able to package inside OneNote all the tasks together with hyperlinks to supplemental content. This would allow participants to see time-coded syllabus items by using their handsets. #bigwin https://lnkd.in/ei3cR2fD

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The UN is closely watching the global race in AI. But has the genie been let out of the bottle and what can be done to secure this powerful technology from being used by nefarious actors? Dr Karen Sutherland (SFHEA) joined me on Ticker to discuss. #ai #tech #innovation #UN #global #project

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I've just ploughed through a 132 page report on AI safety so you don't have to (you're welcome!) and it offers a fascinating snapshot of how quickly the conversation has moved on. When I attended the world's first AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park, in November, I asked whether short-term threats like job losses and bias were in scope for the inaugural discussions between world leaders and tech giants. I was told no, this would be an event focusing on the absolute worst case scenarios: the big, blockbusting, doomsday-style existential threats. Fast forward to May 2024 and the word "safety" has been removed entirely from the title of the gathering, which is now called the AI Seoul Summit (it is being held in S Korea). The latest report, which has just been published by the AI Safety Institute that was set up following Bletchley, says from the get-go that there is an "uncertain" likelihood of any doomsday scenarios. There is "no evidence yet" that gen AI could automate a sophisticated cyber attack or develop a lethal bio weapon, it goes on, and the risk of the complete loss-of-control of an AI system by humans has a "highly contentious" plausibility. I'm slowly climbing back out of my imaginary bunker. That said, the threats the Institute does focus on do rather resonate more with what I was saying six months ago. Issues with bias (the report asks "can AI ever be completely fair?"), copyright and the resulting lack of quality data to train systems on, job losses, and sustainability (AI is a power-hungry beast. The US "may struggle" with the AI sector's demand for electricity, it says). The report, written by AI "godfather" Yoshia Bengio who himself has warned in the past of existential threats, concedes that nobody, including AI developers, really understands why AI generates the output it does. There is currently no good enough way of doing it. It also states that the current go-to process of safety-testing AI tools by "red-teaming" them - that means assembling people to try to force them to do bad things, has no official best practice guidance. Red Team evaluators can display their own bias, it admits. Overall, bias and representation is described as "an unsolved problem" - unfortunately I think we all know that by now. The conclusion of this report isn't exactly a headline writer like mine's dream. The future is uncertain and nothing is inevitable, it basically says. Colour me not surprised! It will be very interesting to see how the conversation is shaped six months from now. Maybe I'll be back in the bunker by then....

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What do you do when your organisation is spread across a lot… like a lot… of areas? The photo of me is at Alexandra Palace from last weekend - a former home of BBC Broadcasts until the 80s… The BBC has a large geographic estate, from local radio and big production centres in all four nations. Partly by need - place resources where they’re are stories for news and all so to create hubs. But as originally posed - what you do? It’s easy when hubs are large and people can move between them - eg London to Manchester. What do you do to a local office with maybe only 10 people? I’ve always loved the BBC in having such a wide range of current/ former locations. How does your organisation manage having many locations - and is there a need driven by the organisations purpose (eg in the BBC’s case)?

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Using Archive Within Documentaries: Save Money, Time and Stress - Use an Archive Producer! "Let's rip it from YouTube and worry about it later!" When 'later' arrives - it's often unpleasant, expensive and involves last-minute re-cutting. I've noticed an uptick in a DIY approach to using archive within documentaries and have seen some disastrous results. I hope to share with you why it's always a good idea to employ an experienced Archive Producer from the beginning of your production - your staffing costs may be higher, but it'll save £'s and trouble later on...everyone will be happier! "We should have employed an Archive Producer from the start, [not doing] this was such a false economy" - Exasperated production member. I had been employed for a week mid-way through a production, and after assessing their current progress, I had to break the news that they: -Were majorly over-budget -Using reams of footage marked up as "strictly no reuse" by the BBC. -Had spent months looking for footage that I was able to provide within 20 minutes -Wasted money on screeners that were accessible to them for free -Had not logged vital info which would mean delays with ordering master footage and licensing. -Had not identified the true copyright holders for much of their footage - they may have been facing multiple copyright claims after TX. The list is longer but characters for this post limited... My intent is not to shame or embarrass, or brag; the production simply didn't have the expertise available to have known about or to have avoided these problems. How can employing an Archive Producer from the start help you? -Have an experienced team member who knows where to go for what you need. Inexperience will take longer and ultimately cost more than employing someone who has extensive knowledge of sources and good contacts. -Receive insights into costs from the get-go and regular cost reports throughout the duration of your production, avoid last-minute £ surprises. -Have anticipatory clearance work happening as your project progresses, minimising rejections and hold-ups when it comes to your Online. -Receive advice on copyright/permissions - just because it's on YouTube or you've seen it in another documentary doesn't necessarily mean "it'll be fine to use" -Have a sound workflow, and organised admin - everything is accounted for and will make your delivery paperwork a doddle. -Know that your archive is coming from legit sources and will be delivered at the best quality possible. -Peace of mind that every bit of archive in your project is either licensed, or has been flagged as requiring further advice from a lawyer. This list is not extensive...some of the horrible situations I've seen productions in over the past couple of years were avoidable with the addition of just 1 member of staff - please do keep us in mind for your next project - you won't regret it!

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In the latest episode of the Radical Moves Ltd Podcast, I spoke again about how streaming services such as YouTube are mimicking the road well trodden by audio services such as Spotify to offer a "leanback experience" with autoplay and suggested next clips. Unlike with physics, in technology adoption: sound typically moves faster than light. VOD-2-Live or VOD-to-Live or Virtual Channels - what has almost happened with FAST. It feels like something that has been discussed on the supplier side for a long time now. Back in 2018 at Vimond we had high fidelity UX designs, but unfortunately we couldn't get the buy-in to take it from the drawing board to prototype. The idea of creating personalised content playlists or channels is something I expect and hope we'll see one day, to combat information overload and analysis paralysis on the sofa. It's something I still speak often about with James Holding Magnus Svensson and Stein Erik Sørhaug - one day we'll get there! Check it out the podcast here https://okt.to/GcR0mT

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ITV will use AI to come up with programme ideas 💡 📺 https://lnkd.in/eazHZsTf The broadcaster is offering £95,000 for an expert who can use the technology to help create ‘shows, films, and digital-first content’. ITV will use artificial intelligence to generate programme ideas in a first for UK television. The broadcaster is seeking to fill a new £95,000 position with an expert who can use AI to help create material for “TV shows, films, and digital-first content”. Their duties will include using generative AI technology to help with “character development” and “ideation”. This will involve the generation of ideas that will be used on the creative side of ITV’s operation. It is not known whether AI will be used on popular series such as Coronation Street. According to the broadcast’s job advert, executives are seeking a “visionary” who will “drive the strategy and execution of AI-driven transformation” of the broadcaster. The successful candidate will “shape the future of content creation” as well as tweaking the streaming service. An ITV spokeswoman said: “At ITV we are using AI tools to enhance and expand our creative and production processes. “While nothing can replace the human creativity of our teams, we are exploring how GenAI can help our staff to work more efficiently and creatively and optimise our content for viewers.” The BBC has not yet used the technology for “ideation”. The corporation has, however, made clear that AI is used by its staff for other purposes, including to spot birds for Springwatch and to alert programme makers about notable species. An AI has been created by the BBC to ensure that its use “will always be in line with its public service values, it will prioritise talent and creativity, and it will be open and accountable”. An earlier ITV experiment with AI produced TV ads for a Swansea-based travel company which can be used in breaks between programmes. The intention was to allow smaller companies to create adverts at a significantly reduced cost before they buy advertising space on the channel. Jason Spencer, ITV’s business development director, said in September: “Too often the cost of making an ad is a barrier for brands looking to breakthrough and test TV. “By expanding our existing creative production services to include making ads with GenAI, we can democratise this further and make the power of TV advertising accessible to all. We are constantly innovating to find better ways to help brands grow.” The use of AI has proven controversial, and union members from the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild went on strike in 2023 over pay and the threat to their livelihoods posed by the technology. Amid the industrial dispute, streaming giant Netflix advertised a vacancy for an AI product manager with a salary ranging from $300,000 (£230,000) to $900,000 (£700,000). Would you watch? #AI #TV #creativitytools

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I try not to be too reactive when it comes to the news, but I do think the situation with Twitter/X is basically irredeemable. It's clear that Mr Musk has a very specific vision for the platform – and that's fair enough, given he spent $44bn to buy it. But the approach now is basically anathema to the imperatives of good journalism. On top of that, it's clear that Musk sees Twitter as competitive with (rather than ancillary to) legacy media. So whatever your thoughts on the content, its role in dis- and mis-information, the curation and privileging of specific points of view...etc, the media needs to wise up to the fact that success, for Twitter, involves cannibalising the media industry. It's also just *dreadful* from a business strategy perspective that the media industry has allowed itself to become so financially indentured to third-party social media platforms. There is nothing to stop Elon Musk from, tomorrow, totally cauterising all external linking on his platform. The impact of that on "traffic" – the sacred metric of digital media – would be catastrophic. That's too much power over your business outsourced to an exogenous body. It's all madness, and the weaning needs to start now.

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The creation of UK startup RANsemi was driven by US-China geopolitical tension. It is unlikely to be the only example. #startup #radioaccessnetwork #ran #memory #picocom #china #energyefficiency #AI #logic #semiconductor #research #chips #manufacturing #power #telecommunications #geopolitics

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Just getting on board with linkedin so slow sharing from me but please do explore this report of some of our recent work Pervasive Media Studio - Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition. Written by my brilliant colleagues Furaha Asani, PhD and Zoe Rasbash featuring gorgeous design by Kofo Ajala. I learned so much from everyone who participated. With special thanks to Dr Erinma Ochu who trusted us and whose work is changing how I think. Check out the findings in this report - large size text available here https://lnkd.in/e76Uvkw7 Summary Over some months, a collective gathered Pervasive Media Studio to understand and enable life-affirming futures at the intersection of creative tech and climate action. With support from Watershed, Digital Cultures Research Centre and Engaging Environments We mapped our findings onto a matrix of nine themes we believe are relevant to responsible R&D in this sector: roots, designing comfort, co-production, communication, intentionality & emergence, wellbeing, esteem & inspiration, legacy, and structure. We've also created a toolkit from our learnings on (1) How to go beyond 'terms of engagement' and actually co-create a contract of care in this type of work, (2) Co-creating nourishing workshop spaces, and (3) Using self-nomination as a process to curate a group. Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition | Pervasive Media Studiowatershed.co.uk

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FREELY, MADLY, DEEPLY: BRITISH BROADCASTERS COLLABORATING (AT LONG LAST) It's interesting and resonant to see the launch of Freely today, the new #streaming service from Everyone TV backed by BBC, ITV, Channel 4 & Channel 5. It involves various of my former C4 colleagues including CEO Jonathan Thompson, Sarah Milton and James Tatam. For the first time viewers can switch between live and on-demand #TV from all the main UK #broadcasters simply and gratis. It offers features like pause and restart, and gives access to additional episodes for free (the clue's in the name). All that's required is a WiFi connection, no dish or aerial. The idea is to offer "a single, unified platform" centred on British TV. It has been billed as "the first time all four of Britain’s public service broadcasters have come together to launch a streaming proposition" - but that's not strictly true. 16 years ago 'Project Kangaroo' bounced onto the scene. It was the secret working title for a #VOD platform combining content from BBC Worldwide, ITV and C4. However Kangaroo fell at the fence of the UK Competition Commission (now Competition & Markets Authority) in 2009. That was arguably the nail in the coffin of UK TV. It was the moment we could have competed against Netflix (just a year old at the time) and the emerging international #streamers. It was perhaps the one time we coulda been contenders. “You don’t understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender, I could’ve been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am.” (Elia Kazan’s classic 'On the Waterfront' has just been re-released in UK cinemas to mark its 70th anniversary.) The Competition Competition looked at the parochial UK situation instead of the Big Picture and in their folly probably killed (certainly severely wounded) the Little Screen in this country. It's still playing out now all these years later. BritBox was a pretty lame attempt to fill the Kangaroo void. ITV and BBC Studios founded this would-be global streaming service in 2017 as a joint venture to showcase British entertainment (original scripted and factual shows, co-pros, etc.) to international audiences. Last month we heard that ITV has sold its 50% stake in BritBox International to partner BBC Studios for £255M, probably a sign that the partners' imperatives had evolved in somewhat different directions. So it's arguable that Freely is 16 years too late. But I hope otherwise and wish them the best of British... #television #globalTV

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I have always been passionate about bridging the gap between technology and the creative broadcast sector to drive adoption and transformation. In most cases, technology companies and creatives speak different languages. Alienating jargon from tech companies is often prohibitive for adoption with creative teams. This is why the involvement of consultancies and specialists to facilitate understanding and awareness of new technologies fast tracks adoption. Something we are purveyors of at Hypothesis Media. A recent review of Zero Density's broadcast virtual production software by Key Code Media is a top example how technology can be demystified for TV creatives. The review offers a visually engaging demonstration, practical creative application of the software, and highlights the benefits of incorporating such technology into TV productions, with previous use cases that are relatable. It's not perfect (still with a little too much jargon) but the presenter is very engaging and similarly to how influencers are used elsewhere to endorse goods and services successfully, not enough of this happens across the emerging tech sector for moving the creative sector forwards technologically and to allow for advanced storytelling as an outcome. This approach of using specialist 3rd parties really helps creatives embrace new technology more readily and can fast track adoption. Don't mind the technology and creative gap, bridge it. P.S If you are an emerging technology company and need help with bridging the gap between your technology and media creatives. Drop me a DM, Hypothesis Media can help! #VirtualProduction #Broadcast #EmergingTechnology #Consultants

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Radio shines through emergencies & natural disasters. The real breakthrough is when your team can facilitate connection & community alongside your technology. https://lnkd.in/eS-BGpvn

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How can we be Altogether Different when it comes to AI? By bringing together under represented voices with tech to see what brilliant creative experiments can result. Excited to see what we learn. Charisma.ai

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2024 - the year of elections everywhere…with impacts on broadcasting. The British Labour Party if it wins next week, plans to “work constructively with the BBC and our other public service broadcasters so they continue to inform, educate and entertain people, and support the creative economy by commissioning distinctively BRITISH content.” Sounds like a sensible policy for the UK. In ireland, political parties must ensure RTE also commissions distictively IRISH Content, especially in its entertainment and popular factual genres, not just news and current affairs. Ents. and popular factual/formats are the most exportable and valuable genres to build capacity for the indie sector. One way to ensure precious Irish tax payers monies are not needlessly exported and opportunities to leverage capacity & sustainability are missed; is to have a public register of shows/formats that are bought in/reversioned (irishified) with the cost of the foreign owned format Licence, its minimum Licence term (1,2,3 season orders) & commercial Holdbacks specified. RTE, in its new iteration, needs to stop short term shoring up of ratings at the expense of coming up with its own original shows in the relevant genre. Reporting this would be revealing as to where spend lies. It shouldn’t have to be, but incentives to innovate original winning IP need to be put in place. It should be core and part of RTE’s DNA and mandate. Otherwise what’s the point and long term future?

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