The age of AI: Top Voices predict where machines are headed and how to harness their abilities

Welcome to the ninth issue of the Tech Wrap-Up Europe newsletter.

Every fortnight, we'll be sharing interesting stories and expert insights from LinkedIn members.?

In this issue, Sam Shead and Orlando Crowcroft look at who are the Top Voices in AI, where Europe's AI engineers reside, and how IBM wants to work with startups on quantum computing.?

By Sam Shead

Artificial intelligence is advancing at a clip and it can be hard to keep up with all of the latest breakthroughs and what they mean for humanity. Should we be worried about AI rising up and taking over? Or excited about AI curing cancer? Or a bit of both???

This week, LinkedIn News has identified some of the Top Voices in AI across the UK and Europe. These people are sharing valuable insights on everything from what industries will be the most and least impacted and big tech's pursuit of God-like AI, to the rise of potentially harmful deepfakes and how regulators are trying to get on top of the technology.?

Former Google DeepMind employee Aleksa Gordi? told LinkedIn News that powerful artificial general intelligences, which boast human-level performance across a range of tasks, could exist within the next five years.?

"The usual suspects for the companies that will probably be the first ones to build an AGI are OpenAI , Google DeepMind , Meta , Anthropic , etc," said Gordi?, who has recently founded his own startup called Runa AI .

In terms of which industries are likely to be affected, AI could hit industries and jobs as varied as Wall Street traders to doctors to journalists. And the least affected? Well, those with a trade that a machine cannot do, for example: plumbers, bricklayers, carpenters, welders and construction workers.??

Read more and follow the UK Top Voices here and Europe's Top Voices here. We'd also like to know whose AI content you enjoy seeing and engaging with on LinkedIn.

By Sam Shead

Artificial intelligence is being hailed as a life-changing technology that will change the world, but which cities in Europe should companies turn to when trying to hire people that can build AI??

There are several key AI hubs, according to a new report from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital , but London is the biggest by far, with 12.3% of the continent's overall talent share.?

The UK capital is home to Google DeepMind, a world leading AI lab that employs over a thousand people, as well as dozens of AI startups and outposts for US big tech firms.?

Sequoia's so-called Atlas research ranks Paris as the second biggest hub, with 3.8% of talent share, while Zurich, Berlin and Madrid are also in the top five.?

But how does Europe compare to tech heavyweights like the US and China in the global AI race??

Zoe Jervier Hewitt , talent director in Europe at Sequoia, told LinkedIn News that the continent has a high concentration of AI experts.

"Of the total software engineering talent pool that resides in Europe, when we look at the per capita concentration of AI experts here, it's about 30% higher than in the US," she said.?

Hewitt added that AI talent is "really important" to the startups in Sequoia's portfolio, noting that a platform shift is currently underway in tech similar to the mobile and cloud revolutions that have occurred in the last two decades.?

"If we believe the biggest companies (or the most legendary companies) that are being built right now, a lot of them certainly look like they are using AI to build their solutions and their products," she said. "Overall, for any founder building a company right now, I imagine it's going to be an increasingly important talent pool."

But can startups realistically compete with trillion-dollar tech giants for the best AI talent? Some of the top researchers in the field are on salaries of over $1m a year and many are earning six figures. Then there are the bonuses and the stock options.?

Hewitt says startup founders and recruiters should identify and speak to people inside the big tech firms who would "thrive and find it a more rewarding career experience to be inside a company that is smaller, faster paced and having a more direct impact."?

She added: "One of the huge advantages in joining an early stage company that is still private is that most of the time you're a shareholder, and you get meaningful pieces of equity."??

Why are so many of Europe's top AI people in London? Join the conversation by commenting on the posts below.

By Orlando Crowcroft

On June 14, IBM announced a scientific breakthrough in quantum computing which revealed that quantum computers could soon beat classical computers at useful tasks, such as synthesising revolutionary new materials or massively expanding artificial intelligence.?

While classical computers solve problems using bits, zero or one, quantum computers use qubits, effectively zero and one, vastly expanding what a classical computer can do. Just 13 qubits are worth 8,192 bits, and a task that would take a quantum computer seconds would take a classical computer more than 100 years.?

But until very recently, advocates of quantum technology – which applies Albert Einstein's theory of quantum mechanics to computing – have struggled to prove its practical applications. Even the most liberal estimates suggest that a quantum computer would need 350,000 qubits to perform useful tasks. IBM's, the largest in existence, has just 433 qubits.?

One of the problems is that qubits are massively unstable and extremely susceptible to 'quantum noise', particularly heat, and need to be kept in very insulated – and very cold – conditions. As such, getting quantum computers to carry out simple tasks — let alone solving climate change or developing wonder drugs — remains in its relative infancy.?

That hasn't stopped the money pouring in, however. McKinsey & Company reported earlier this year that worldwide investment in quantum technology startups reached their highest levels in 2022, at $2.35bn, and that about 68% of total investment in quantum technology has come in the past two years, demonstrating growing investor confidence in its commercial applications.?

But while startups have been a major focus, tech companies are the ones that have been responsible for the headline-grabbing breakthroughs in recent years. In 2019, Google claimed to have solved a problem in 200 seconds that would take a classical computer 10,000 years. Microsoft, LinkedIn's parent company, and IBM both have substantial quantum computing arms.?

So what are the chances of a quantum computing startup getting there first? Unlikely, Jay Gambetta , vice president of IBM Quantum Research, told LinkedIn News Europe, noting that it will be difficult for startups to compete directly with the big players in an industry that's very capital intensive.?

Instead, Gambetta said that the most successful quantum computing startups are going to be those that provide both the software and hardware that will be needed as quantum computing is gradually integrated into the world of classical computing.?

"When you create a full stack there is value at multiple levels. As we scale to larger and larger systems, exactly like classical computing, many components inside the system will be built by different vendors," he said.?

"Over the next 10 years, startups [need] to find where their IP is critical in the stack so that they become a key player in this industry as it builds."?

For more information on quantum computing and a recent ranking of the top 10 quantum startups in Europe, check out this previous issue of Tech Wrap Up Europe.?

1. Inside the AI factory. A secret army is being paid a pittance to label data that's used to train some of the world's most advanced AI systems.?
2. Intel's European expansion. Intel is setting up new factories in Germany, Poland and Israel as it expands across Europe but the UK appears to have been given the cold shoulder.?
3. Can 'Concorde's heir' take off? A startup called Boom Supersonic, trying to build a successor to Concorde, announced several new manufacturing partners at the Paris Air Show.
4. Meta's VR subscription service. Meta has launched a subscription game service for its virtual reality headsets, calling it "a great way to get more bang for your buck."
5. AI causes teens to rethink futures. An increasing number of jobs are undergoing transformations due to recent advancements in artificial intelligence, leading young individuals to reconsider their future career choices.?

Aleksa Gordi? – Aleksa recently left Google DeepMind to build his own startup, Runa AI . He also runs the AI Epiphany YouTube channel.?

Barry Scannell – Barry is a legal and commercial specialist advising on the adoption and implementation of AI technologies.

Charlotte Ledoux – Charlotte is a data and AI governance expert, helping companies better manage their data assets across sectors.

George Jojo Boateng – George is the CEO and co-founder at Kwame AI, an edtech startup, and a postdoctoral researcher of wearable AI at ETH Zurich.

Henry Ajder – Henry advises companies on how they can get the most out of AI in a safe and ethical way. He also sits on Meta 's European Advisory Council.?

Kieran Flanagan – Kieran is the chief marketing officer at Zapier , an automation startup, as well as an angel investor and startup scout for Sequoia Capital .

Luiza Jarovsky – Luiza is the co-founder of AI, Tech & Privacy Academy and the author & host of Luiza's Newsletter , a newsletter and podcast focused on privacy, tech and AI.

Maria Luciana A. – Maria is head of responsible AI at 普华永道 and a leading authority when it comes to regulating the next phase of the internet.?

Nathan Benaich – Nathan is a venture capitalist at Air Street Capital with a focus on AI. He also co-authors the annual State of AI report with fellow investor Ian Hogarth .?

Nina Schick ? – Nina is an expert on generative AI and the author of the book Deepfakes: The Coming Infocalypse.?

Get Hired UK – A fortnightly update dedicated to advice and insights on landing your next role and progressing in your career.

Get Hired Europe – A newsletter focused on helping you land your next job.

A bi-weekly digest of news, views and insights from the world of tech written by Orlando Crowcroft and Sam Shead.