Tim Gordon

My letter in today’s FT quoting the late, great Charles Kennedy ft.com/content/30d8bd…

First use of GenAI for deep fakery in legitimate UK political campaigning?

A little known fact is that one of the secondary reasons the US confiscated German patents after WW2 as part of Operation Paperclip - besides the scientific and technological value of the patents themselves ofc - was because the US and other Allied countries had nationalized

Sir Ian McKellen at 86 expertly reciting Shakespeare last night!

I could literally reduce the Crown Court backlog in 9 steps starting tomorrow. And precisely none of it would involve tampering with jury trials.

All looks peachy on Moltbook…

New factories were needed to make engines design by a commercial firm, like Rolls-Royce, or Bristol, the expense of this in required up-front capital was immense and could not be funded by the firms. Thus, new factories were set by, organized by the Air Ministry, and the firms, and paid for by the state. Even the "Ford" factory to make Merlin engines was not really a Ford factory, it was not an existing Ford factory, was a new building, Ford were brought in to administer and run the factory. All this started in 1935, it had to, because it needed about five years to organize, fund and build, then get the production right, hire and train thousands of staff and stockpile vast amounts of special steels. The Hillington Park site, was opened by the Queen, about 3 months before Chamberlain went to Munich. ALL this was built, including accomodation for thousands of staff, before the war. Just to make ONE kind of military aero engine. Imagine the national scale of effort needed for similar preparation across the entire armed services. It happened.

Saddened by the passing of Sir Mark Tully, a towering voice of journalism. His connect with India and the people of our nation was reflected in his works. His reporting and insights have left an enduring mark on public discourse. Condolences to his family, friends and many admirers.

The UK served on the frontline in Afghanistan and often way beyond it!

The Sovereign AI Fund is hiring! Ahead of our launch in April, we are building an investment team with strong commercial experience, and we're looking for a lead Partner to drive the fund's success. This is a truly unique opportunity to support some of the most impactful AI companies anchored in the UK, and set-up what I hope will be a huge asset for the UK taxpayer. See below for more details, and get in touch with Eliza.Cudmore@dsit.gov.uk with your C.V, LinkedIn and short intro for next steps. Managing Partner Job Description:   The Managing Partner role in the Sovereign AI Unit is a pivotal leadership position, critical to the success of the Unit’s mission to strengthen the UK’s sovereign capability in frontier AI. The Managing Partner will sit at the centre of the Unit and lead the investment committee. They will help define the Unit’s investment strategy across the full range of the Unit’s priority areas, and oversee the sourcing, evaluation and execution of the deals that will define how the Unit deploys ~£500 million. It requires a rare blend of deep investment expertise, understanding of AI and strategic leadership, with strong credibility and influence across the AI ecosystem.   Key responsibilities: -      Develop and lead a high-conviction investment strategy for the Sovereign AI Unit, shaping strategic priorities and designing a due diligence process in line with market best practice. -      Lead the sourcing, evaluation and execution of deals across the full range of the Unit’s portfolio from Seed to Growth rounds. -      Act as a central convener between industry, government and investors. -      Attract and retain world-class talent to enhance the UK’s position in AI   Who are we looking for? -      Currently working as an investor either in a VC firm, Corporate venture team or equivalent and has lead notable investment rounds. -      Track record of investments across frontier tech, showing adaptability of investment thesis and a capability to show conviction and win investment deals. -      Exposure to AI industry. Has a strong network and credentials within the UK AI & VC ecosystem and beyond -      Built, or managed, teams before.    Our recruitment team ( kindly supported via @AISI ) have started reaching out to candidates but we would love for interested people to apply by getting in touch with Eliza.Cudmore@dsit.gov.uk. She will share more details and continue the process.

“Every problem in the lawyerly society is worse in the UK.” (Highly recommend Breakneck btw)

The rise of "victims" in political discourse

Some good 🇬🇧news! Jade brings intensity and ambition to whatever she touches. She's consistently made great bets at the frontiers of technology. Great appointment.

Fancy something that goes against the narrative? Then try this puckish piece from Tim Leunig on the left case for Reeves. politicshome.com/opinion/articl…

Jeff McMillan, Chief AI Officer at ⁦@MorganStanley⁩ is interviewed for the *Age of Intelligence* podcast. Very lucid on how corporate execs should approach the technology.

So, if I get this correctly, the answer to 1000+ state level regulatory proposals is to ban all regulation? Because clearly there is no signal that maybe something needs to be regulated? perplexity.ai/page/republica…

The criticisms of the India FTA are based on a series of misunderstandings. 🔴"Easier immigration". No. There is nothing in this deal about migration. Nothing. There is an extension of the CATEGORIES under which people can apply for work permits, but the total number can still be capped. 🔴"National Insurance Exemption". False. There is a general presumtion against double taxation. All employees of foreign companies get a 12-month exemption from paying NI. Britain has reciprocal treaties with several countries to extend that period, and India has now joined their company. Since foreign employees can't claim pensions or related benefits unless they have paid in for 10 years, it seems only fair. 🔴"Cheap competition". Tariff reduction is always good for both sides; but the main beneficiary is the country removing its tariffs. We are not cutting duties on Indian textiles or seafood as a favour to India; we are cutting them as a favour to ourselves. When prices fall, we have more to spend on other things, which drives growth. 🔴Even from a protectionist point of view, it is hard to see what we are losing from cheaper Indian garments. They are in competition, not with British products, but with imported garments from other Asian countries, especially China. 🔴Look at the big mutual gains in services - accounting, auditing, telecoms etc. India has not opened its vast market to anyone else on such terms. 🔴The tariff reductions are also significant, and cover 99 per cent of our traded goods. 🔴This is only the 16th FTA that India has signed, and is vastly more ambitious than the previous 15. We are now closely invested in one another's success. Given that India is the 4th largest economy in the world, about to overtake Germany to become the 3rd, this matters. 🔵In short, instead of carping, Conservatives should take credit for having initiated this important work, and congratulate @jreynoldsMP for completing it. 🇬🇧🤝🇮🇳

London is the second-best city in the world to start an AI startup (and could be #1, in my opinion): - Abundant early-stage capital - High density of exceptional AI talent - Significantly cheaper and more loyal talent compared to the Bay Area - Pro-growth government and regulatory environment Raising from a West Coast VC and then establishing your main office in London is an emerging, proven playbook I've seen repeatedly.

Everyone has written off the London Stock Exchange. The best companies (Revolut, Monzo etc) will not go public in London. Companies that do (Wise, Deliveroo, Darktrace) are punished on price for doing so. Pension reform and stamp duty has destroyed so much economic value for investing in capital markets. Is it too late to turn around? We sat down with Julia Hoggett, CEO @ LSEG: My 5 key takeaways 👇

Time for King Charles to visit Canada, where he is head of state and has every right to go whenever he wants. I have no doubt the welcome would be ecstatic. And very symbolic. Retweet if you agree.