News
- HR and finance aren't seeing great results from AI, report finds
- Only 11% are seeing tangible gains from most of their AI initiatives
- A unified data strategy with improved integration and analytics is needed
New research has claimed AI investment in UK businesses still isn't translating into consistent or measurable returns, suggesting many firms are yet to evolve from their experimentation to implementation phases as they struggle to work out effective use cases.
This comes as many sectors still struggle to see any real results from AI tools, with 37% of HR and 30% of finance businesses surveyed by Qlik stating they see the least tangible benefits.
This is compared with the four in five (81%) IT and cybersecurity departments which have seen improvements.
AI investments don't directly translate into resultsQlik also found most companies are still stuck in pilot phases, lacking the tools and skills to scale AI impact.
Only one in 10 (11%) companies report that most (75%+) of their AI initiatives have delivered tangible gains, with around one-quarter (23%) acknowledging that the majority of their AI use case are still in the experimental phase.
Nearly half (44%) also admitted that there's a disconnect between perceived and actual productivity gains from AI, with a similar number (51%) evaluating AI using KPIs tied directly to business performance, instead of evolving their metrics to the shifting tech landscape.
"This gap between hype and reality is a wake-up call. Businesses need to focus on measurement, alignment, and building the data infrastructure that enables AI to deliver at scale," Qlik Chief Strategy Officer er James Fisher explained.
A lack of internal skills is affecting nearly one in two (49%) businesses, with technical issues like incompatible tools and platforms (36%) and a lack of real-time data integration (37%) also proving troubling. Evidently, architecture and data foundation are still holding many firms back, while budget is becoming less of an issue.
Looking ahead, 89% agree a unified data strategy is essential for assessing ROI. Many also agreed that improved data integration and analytics (57%), greater visibility into how AI models make decisions (55%), strong collaboration across departments (49%) and outcome-focused KPIs (46%) are impotent to deliver real AI impact.
"That means scalable tools, integrated strategies and collaboration across every function," Fisher concluded.
You might also like- These are the best AI writers around today
- We've rounded up the best productivity apps on offer for your business
- AI usage for workers is skyrocketing – and its actually doing everything it promised
Prime Video wouldn’t be one of the best streaming services around if it didn’t have a new original movie topping the streaming charts. Luckily for them (and us), July’s big release is a slam dunk that’s become its number one most-watched movie this week… and an absolutely stupid one at that.
Don’t be fooled, though. In this context, stupid is the best compliment I could give. New action movie Heads of State is streaming on Prime Video now, and you’d be a fool to miss this explosive riot. Indeed, not every critic agrees with its 67% Rotten Tomatoes score, with Empire Magazine calling it “a really good, dumb comedy”.
Once again, we’re spoiled for choice with everything new on Prime Video in July 2025. Heads of State isn’t the only new title that’s got everyone’s tongues wagging: we can also sing along to Cynthia Erivo’s infamous vocal riff in Wicked, and get stuck into more insatiable teen drama in The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3.
Why I recommend watching Prime Video’s Heads of StateLet’s set the scene. Idris Elba is in the position of power he’s always deserved to have, playing British Prime Minister Sam Clarke. His natural rival is US President Will Derringer (John Cena), and they’re not shy of making their hatred of one another incredibly public. But when an Air Force One plane is shot down over enemy territory, they’ve got no choice but to work together.
On paper, Heads of State is a new movie that should be written off as a total failure, filed away in the same cheap and mediocre cabinet as Another Simple Favor and G20. But third time’s the charm here, with Elba and Cena’s natural chemistry giving us the throwback to the pinnacle of great 2000s action we didn’t know we needed.
There’s nothing to take seriously in Heads of State – everything you see is stupidly bonkers. But in a world where we don’t have enough time to laugh or let our guard down, Prime Video’s new movie is a welcome reprieve. Watching two action heroes running around with guns trying to save the world is enough to take our minds off anything, especially given how well it’s all put together.
Clearly, Amazon has spared no expense with this release. Where something like G20 suffered from its visuals, Heads of State has the glossy Hollywood look we’ve come to expect from big-budget studios. At the same time, it’s not lost its own sense of identity, standing out from Amazon’s other action features with its own signature sense of humor, light-heartedness and lack of fear. Being dumb is fun, people!
Everybody involved in Heads of State is clearly letting their hair down and having a blast, so why shouldn’t we? A good time at the movies doesn’t have to be baked in serious subject matter, transformational perspectives or unique visuals we’ve never seen before. Sometimes, the best approach is to take a simple, fun concept and do it well, and you’re not going to regret carving out time to watch Elba and Cena do exactly that.
- OpenAI reportedly boosting both its cyber and physical security
- DeepSeek model could be a distillation of an OpenAI model
- The ChatGPT maker is already funding further AI security research
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has reportedly intensified its security operations to combat corporate espionage, amid rumors foreign companies could be looking to the AI giant for inspiration.
The move follows Chinese startup DeepSeek's release of a competing AI model, which reportedly uses distillation to copy OpenAI's technology.
Distillation is where a third-party transfers knowledge from a large, complex 'teacher' model to a smaller, more efficient 'student' model, allowing the third-party to create a smaller model with improved inferencing speed.
OpenAI boosts protection against rival AI companiesOpenAI has reportedly introduced new policies to restrict employee access to sensitive projects and discussions, similar to how it handled the development of the o1 model – according to a TechCrunch report, only pre-approved staff could discuss the o1 model in shared office areas.
Moreover, proprietary technologies are now being kept on offline systems to prevent the chances of a breach, while offices now use fingerprint scans for access to strengthen physical security. Strict network policies also center around a deny-by-default approach, with external connections requiring additional approval.
The reports also indicate that OpenAI has added more personnel to strengthen its cybersecurity teams and to enhance physical security and important sites like its data centers.
Being at the forefront of AI innovation comes with added cost for OpenAI – its Cybersecurity Grant Program has funded 28 research initiatives that explore the concepts of prompt injection, secure code generation and autonomous cybersecurity defenses, with the company acknowledging that AI has the power to democratize cyberattackers' access to more sophisticated technologies.
TechRadar Pro has asked OpenAI for more context surrounding the reports, but the company did not respond to our request.
You might also like- New judge’s ruling makes OpenAI keeping a record of all your ChatGPT chats one step closer to reality
- Protect your digital footprint with the best business VPNs
- Check out our roundup of the best firewall software
- Developer Virtuos believes it would be easy to port an Xbox Series S game that runs at 60FPS to the Nintendo Switch 2
- Eoin O’Grady, technical director at Virtuos' subsidiary Black Shamrock says the GPU capabilities of both consoles are "comparable overall"
- However, CPU-wise, the Switch 2 is closer to the PlayStation 4
Port studio Virtuos believes that it would be easy to bring an Xbox Series S game to the Nintendo Switch 2, considering their technical similarities.
In an interview with Wccftech, Alex Heise, director of business development at Virtuos North America, and Eoin O’Grady, technical director at Virtuos' subsidiary Black Shamrock, discussed Nintendo's new hardware and its technical capabilities.
According to O'Grady, both consoles' GPUs are similar in power despite the Switch 2 performing lower than the Xbox Series S and offering Nvidia's Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), but believes it would still be an easy task to port a Series S game that performs at 60fps to the latest console.
"GPU-wise, the Switch 2 performs slightly below the Series S; this difference is more noticeable in handheld mode," O'Grady said. "However, the Series S does not support technologies like DLSS, which the Switch 2 does. This makes the GPU capabilities of the two consoles comparable overall.
The technical director noted, however, that CPU-wise, there is a "clearer distinction between the two consoles," and the Switch 2 is closer to the PlayStation 4 in that respect since it has a slightly more powerful CPU.
"Since most games tend to be more GPU-bound than CPU-bound when well optimized, the impact of this difference largely depends on the specific game and its target frame rate," O'Grady explained.
"Any game shipping at 60fps on the Series S should easily port to the Switch 2. Likewise, a 30fps Series S game that’s GPU-bound should also port well. Games with complex physics, animations, or other CPU-intensive elements might incur additional challenges in reaching 30 or 60fps or require extra optimization during porting."
Cyberpunk 2077, which can only hit 60fps on Xbox Series S but not consistently on the PS4, just received an official Switch 2 port. However, this version doesn't offer 60fps the same way the Series S does, and instead features two modes to choose from while docked, including a 40fps performance mode and a 30fps quality mode.
You might also like...- The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s least ambitious console to date, but its improvements are astronomical
- I’ve spent 40 hours exploring Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and it’s an incredible sequel that builds upon its unique predecessor to become a masterpiece
- I’ve spent 150 hours with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and the Switch 2 Edition is an incredible upgrade
- Foundation season 3 will see Gaal Dornick sacrifice everything to stop The Mule
- Hari Seldon's protégé really steps up this season, actor Lou Llobell says
- It remains to be seen if she'll succeed in thwarting this season's main villain
Lou Llobell has indicated Gaal Dornick will stop at nothing to ensure The Mule doesn't become the new galactic tyrant in Foundation season 3.
Speaking to TechRadar, Llobell, who has portrayed Dornick since the Apple TV+ sci-fi series began, says her character is willing to "sacrifice everything" to defeat this season's primary antagonist.
First teased in last season's finale, The Mule is an incredibly dangerous Mentalic – people who possess superhuman psychic abilities – who wants to bring the entire galaxy under his iron fist. You can read my Foundation season 2 ending explained article and/or exclusive chat with Pilou Asbaek, who says The Mule needs to be seen as "a big threat" to The Foundation and The Imperium, for more details.
However, Dornick, who's also a Mentalic, has had visions of The Mule since Foundation season 2. Alongside mentor and psychohistorian Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), Dornick has spent the past 152 years in and out of cryosleep to prepare a secret Ignis-based community of Mentalics – also known as Second Foundation – for The Mule's arrival.
Gaal has spent the past 152 years preparing for The Mule's arrival (Image credit: Apple TV+)With the unhinged and ambitious villain finally showing his face in one of the best Apple TV+ shows' third season, it's time for Dornick to fully step up and prevent him from achieving his goal of becoming the galaxy's latest authoritarian.
To combat the demonstrably evil character played by Asbaek – the Game of Thrones alumnus replaced Mikael Persbrandt as The Mule in a season 3 cast shake-up, FYI – though, Dornick will have to put everything else aside, including her own happiness, to thwart his rapid and successful conquering of Foundation's fictional universe.
"Gail has grown so much," Llobell told me, "And you see her really take a massive leap into this new role as a leader and someone who's going to sacrifice everything to make sure the plan stays on track and that The Mule is stopped.
"It's beautiful to see her with all these different people [on Ignis] and the relationships that she has [with them]," Llobell continued. "But, her one goal is still to deal with The Mule. She's ready to take this on, even though things might not go according to plan as the season unfolds."
Find out what I thought about the first half of the show's latest chapter by reading my Foundation season 3 review. Be sure to read the below section, too, for more coverage, exclusive or otherwise, of the Apple TV Original before season 3 arrives on July 11, too.
You might also like- 'It cracks me up': Foundation actor Lee Pace teases Brother Day's The Big Lebowski-like transformation in season 3 of the Apple TV+ show
- 'We're the last to find out': Foundation stars don't know if it'll return for season 4 – but they haven't given up hope for the Apple TV+ show's renewal
- Foundation season 3 trailer reveals the Apple TV+ show's most dangerous villain yet – and an unexpected alliance