Karl Hampson

Cost-centre discipline is one of the most overlooked challenges in NHS IT hardware procurement - but it has a huge impact on visibility, reporting accuracy, budget control, and governance. Read the HCSA article exploring why mis-coded IT spend continues to cause problems across Trusts and ICBs, and how better structure at the point of purchase supports transparency under the Procurement Act 2023: https://lnkd.in/ezya9mPD

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Welsh SMEs are quietly revolutionising their operations with AI automation. One local manufacturing firm cut admin costs by 68% using custom AI agents to handle customer queries and automate invoicing. Another reduced their marketing spend by £2,800/month while increasing conversions by 41%. The data shows Welsh businesses implementing AI solutions are saving an average of 23 hours weekly per employee. This isn't about replacing jobs—it's about eliminating the mundane tasks nobody wants to do anyway. Want to see what AI automation could save your business? Book a free analysis call: https://phonetronics.uk/go #WelshBusiness #AIAutomation #SMEgrowth #BusinessEfficiency #UKtech #AIWales #SmallBusinessTips #phonetronicsAI #KhurramKhan #AIagency #aiautomations #technews #aiupdates

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Poor Quality Software Costing UK Public Sector Millions – New Report. New research warns of rising risks, staff strain and erosion of public trust. https://lnkd.in/eKTHe6Kk #publicsector #software Tricentis Andrew Power #ai

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Yesterday I attended The Times CEO Summit, sponsored by ServiceNow, together with over 100 business leaders to discuss how we tackle some of the UK’s most pressing challenges—skills, investment, and the real-world application of AI.   What stood out wasn’t just the scale of innovation needed, but the urgency for implementation. What became clear throughout the day is that #AI is no longer optional, it’s becoming foundational to how organisations operate and evolve.    But there's a difference between adoption and impact. Rather than chasing AI for AI’s sake, we need to reframe the conversation- it’s a mindset shift. From optimisation to empathy, from faster to fairer. That’s the kind of transformation that will truly last.

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Another nugget from the CGT supply chain technology survey. AI is top of mind, of course - but everyone should be careful to understand what "AI" means in their software and stack.

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I recently had the pleasure of speaking with UKTN about the growing gap between AI ambition and the foundations needed to realise it at scale. SAP's research with Oxford Economics shows that UK companies are already investing significantly in AI – yet only 7% are doing so as part of a strategic, enterprise-wide plan. We also explored the human side of AI – from equipping people with the skills and tools to thrive alongside this transformative technology, to implementing clear guidance on secure AI use.​ What's clear is that UK businesses have the ambition and talent to lead in AI. The organisations setting the pace are taking a strategic, business-wide approach – with a unified AI strategy across functions, powered by strong data foundations and a continued focus on people, skills, and governance. ​ 💬 If you're thinking about how to close the gap between AI ambition and AI impact in your organisation, I'd love to hear your perspective. ​ 👉 You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gk_tqT2U​ ​ #BusinessAI #SAPUKI Paul Clements Renaud Heyd Rob Geddes Michael Towers Sonya Domanski Lawrie Benfield Lisa Marcucci Sarah Steedsman Sonia N. James Bates Georgia Tangalakie

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Latest blog post - exploring how our AI technology understands the wonderful diversity of UK regional accents and dialects. As someone with a detail-oriented, analytical mindset, diving into the performance data behind our voice assistant technology was fascinating. The numbers tell a compelling story: across 1.68 million calls to UK councils, we've achieved a 98.7% regional term recognition rate and a 94.8% dialect categorisation accuracy. What I found most interesting was seeing how our continuous learning approach delivers measurable improvements over time. The real-world examples are equally impressive - our system correctly interpreting phrases like "Ey up! Me rubbish still sat there full as owt..." and responding with a missed bin collection action, demonstrates the power of AI that learns from actual community language patterns. If you're interested in how technology can make public services more accessible for everyone, I encourage you to check out the full article - https://lnkd.in/e56p3Xn3 #AIInnovation #InclusiveTechnology #DataDrivenInsights #PublicSectorTransformation

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There's no two ways about it - AI is transforming the way technology companies such as ourselves will deliver solutions and services. We're seeing a massive opportunity for our clients to get more from their existing data platform investment by using AI to wrangle unstructured data (PDFs, xls, reports) and integrate it with transactional data. We're keen to show you a few examples to get the creative juices flowing - get in touch per below! https://lnkd.in/ep_G4Z_m

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How can UK businesses unlock greater value from AI? New research from SAP and Oxford Economics highlights that UK businesses anticipate significant return on their AI investments, with ROI forecast to almost double from 17% in 2025 to 32% in 2027… yet 70% of businesses say they are unsure whether AI is delivering to its full potential. With the right strategy, data foundations, and people investment, AI can help UK businesses move beyond efficiency gains to real growth and competitiveness. 👉 Discover how you can drive greater returns from your AI investments, and deliver lasting value for your organisation: https://imsap.co/604278ViK

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𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘃𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁. When vendors spray feature lists and transformation promises without stopping to ask what problem you're actually trying to solve. I've been in 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟯𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. The agentic AI pitch is the most intense I've seen. And some of it is genuinely exciting - we're living through the most significant tech shift of my career. But here's what I tell my team: Before the vendor meeting, do the unglamorous work. ↳ What do you call this data element? ↳ Where does it originate? ↳ Who owns it? ↳ What are the rules for how it moves through your processes? I had a conversation yesterday where a colleague and I talked past each other for five minutes about "bookings" - same word, completely different meanings. That's where your AI agent will make confidently wrong decisions. Not because the tech failed, but because nobody documented what things actually mean. Gartner says 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by 2027. The difference between success and failure isn't the technology - it's the preparation. Get clear on your data. Have the arguments about what things mean. Then bring in the AI. Full article below 👇 #AgenticAI #DataManagement #EnterpriseArchitecture #TechnologyLeadership #AI #CTO #CIO

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The AI auditing space is about to get a major shake-up. The UK's BSI just announced they're launching the first international standard for companies that audit AI systems. And it's desperately needed. Here's why: There are currently hundreds of companies offering AI audits, and the quality varies dramatically across the industry. It has become a bit of a wild west situation - not exactly what you want when you're deploying AI in high-stakes situations that require robust governance. The article mentions how boutique AI companies have sprung up to meet growing demand, competing alongside the Big Four accountancy firms. From my experience in this industry, the boutique players have brought much-needed specialization and agility to AI auditing. The new BSI standard (launching July 31st) should help businesses distinguish between rigorous AI assurance and superficial offerings. As AI adoption accelerates and regulations like the EU AI Act kick in, having trusted, independent verification isn't just nice-to-have. It's essential. What's your experience with AI auditing? Have you seen the wild west effect in action? https://lnkd.in/ekukQ25N

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🚀 Exciting news for digital innovation and societal impact The Bristol Digital Futures Institute, at the University of Bristol partnered with Fujitsu to create the world's first research hub of its kind: the Reality Emulator. This secure, powerful data centre environment is accelerating scientific discovery and real-world problem-solving through digital twin modelling, VR, and cross-sector collaboration. Discover how this pioneering collaboration is shaping the future of research and innovation, read the full case study here: https://okt.to/PoEKWm #DigitalTwins #VR #Innovation #Research #Collaboration #SocietalImpact #CaseStudy #UniversityOfBristol #Fujitsu #BDFI

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Why do AI models overuse em dashes? I asked Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini the same question. All three gave surprisingly similar answers that converge on: AI writing optimises for perceived quality over actual quality. Key reasons: > Cognitive efficiency - Em dashes let models add nuance without committing to stricter punctuation rules (semicolons, parentheses, new sentences) > Training data bias - High-quality writing in our training sets (journalism, essays, long-form content) overuses them compared to casual human writing > RLHF pressure - During training, humans rated "sophisticated-sounding" responses higher. Em dashes = sophistication signal, so models learned to use them liberally > Safe hedging - They allow nuance and personality without the risk of jokes falling flat or opinions causing offense > Information density - They're perfect for nesting secondary explanations without breaking sentence flow The irony - All three models used em dashes heavily while explaining why they overuse em dashes.

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Launched last week during our SAP NOW AI Tour event this research is well worth a read. As we heard from our attendees last week whilst investment and interest in AI continues to grow many companies have yet to define a clear strategy to leverage the benefits. How much are UK businesses investing in AI, and where are they focusing their spend? New research from SAP and Oxford Economics reveals that UK businesses, on average, are spending £15.94 million on AI this year, with companies expected to increase their AI investments by an average of 40% over the next two years. But it’s not just about the amount being invested, it’s about how it’s invested… With 42% of UK businesses describing their AI investments as piecemeal, and only 7% pursuing a strategic, enterprise-wide approach, the opportunity is clear: to drive real transformation, AI investment must be aligned with a long-term, holistic business strategy, with AI embedded throughout the organisation. 👉 Explore our full report 'The Value of AI in the UK: Growth, People & Data’ to learn more: https://imsap.co/604678ABn #AI #BusinessTransformation #SAPUKI

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‘As the UK’s largest listed tech company, Sage is committed to working with government, universities, and local partners to grow a thriving AI ecosystem, build digital skills, and create high-quality jobs.’ - Steve Hare, CEO, Sage.

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Our government (yes they belong to all of us!) need feedback for a proposed #AIGrowthLab - a publicly funded AI innovation/regulatory sandbox. For the doubters: 1. We (TIKOS®) have been engaged with the AI Security Institute in the last month regarding a research project. They have moved FAST with real energy and a pragmatic approach. (The AISI are a UK publicly funded body focused on AI safety and security research). 2. AI regulatory sandboxes, if done well, can help move 'risky but important' use cases along much faster. AI Verify Foundation in Singapore is a good example and the Financial Conduct Authority has long experience too - along with providers such as NayaOne. The #EUAIAct mandates member states to stand-up their own AI regulatory sandboxes by 2nd August 2026 (Article 57). So you'll soon see similar initiatives popping up all over the Europe. In summary - good idea. Get involved. #AIGrowthLab #AIRegulation #TrustworthyAI #ResponsibleAI #AIInnovation #UKTech #GovTech #EUAIAct

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Last week marked a significant milestone in our journey at Embridge Consulting. I’m incredibly proud to announce our strategic partnership as an exclusive Unit4 reseller for the UK #PublicSector. This is more than a partnership, it’s a shared commitment to redefining how transformation is delivered. At a time when only a small proportion of transformation programmes truly succeed, organisations are telling us they need something different: ✔️ Less complexity ✔️ More certainty of outcomes ✔️ A partner who understands both the technology and the human journey of change Together with Unit4, we are uniquely positioned to deliver just that. By combining world-class ERP technology with our people-powered #ElasticChange transformation approach, we will help public sector organisations accelerate digital maturity, reduce risk, and unlock real, measurable value. This partnership also strengthens our vision to become the UK’s leading provider of continuous, people-led business transformation, scaling long-term impact through solutions like BTaaS, Leo from Embridge and industry-specific accelerators. Most importantly, this is about our clients. It’s about helping them navigate complexity with confidence, modernise critical services, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for the communities they serve. Thank you to Simon Paris Johan Reventberg Mark Gibbison Vera Batyalova and James Arvin for your partnership. But the big thank you has to go to our combined teams across Embridge and UNIT4 who have made this possible. This is just the beginning! Read more about the partnership: https://lnkd.in/ezZzPFTF Lucy Fox Alex Ashley-Roberts Faye O'Connell Daniel Chilton Jane Dobson ACMA #BusinessTransformation #ERP #PublicSector #DigitalTransformation #Leadership #Partnership #UNIT4 #ElasticChange

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I've been thinking a lot about the Amazon pulling out of Google Shopping without looking at many opinions first, mainly to keep my own thoughts unpolluted from the noise. My gut instinct at what might be the situation - *AI search is changing the discovery pathways to conversion This is not just about GPT search, which is a risk factor to Google, but also Google's own positioning in promoting AI search. With AI search at the top of the page and the AI Mode native option, shopping may start to take more a backseat during the discovery stage. At that point, the value of buying Shopping inventory becomes less compelling real estate. I'm sure Amazon is instead shifting more of its investment toward ranking higher in AI search—whether through improving its own listings, investing in video content, or even in platforms like Reddit that fuel AI search algos. I'd be really interested to see if there's any data to support them investing in YouTube which i've been hearing is influential in AI search.. **Amazon is becoming more of a validation engine across omnichannel pathways Anyone on an Amazon storefront knows that placements and reviews are digital real estate. More and more consumers come to Amazon first not only for initial discovery, but as a price shopping and validation mechanism. We've first-hand seen that this is even more true when it comes to sales in offline context as even Amazon Ads is highly correlated to offline sales (with supporting anecdotal evidence from customers that this behavior is consistent with their view that customers are checking reviews and prices before buying in store). Google Shopping may still serve as a validation angle as well for similar purposes but lacks the extra layer of reviews that serves as Amazon's digital moat. ***Amazon is making further bets on its retail media network Amazon Ads is a big business, but Amazon DSP is also gaining steam. Amazon's proprietary first party data moat, mixed with its partnerships with the likes of Roku is an effort to move full funnel and bring people to and back to its ecosystem. As it relates to Google Shopping, I mostly see this as strategic reallocation to make bets on its own targeting technology where they may be seeing clear signs of better returns. - Overall the fun part of my job is that I get to see a more live-time view of how theories actually will play out for brand spend and efficiency across online and offline channels. It's the benefit of having an always on model that is constantly learning which allows brands to adapt to opportunities like these (even is this ends up as a temporary decision on Amazon's part).

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