Nick Fallon

L&G report reveals potential £220 billion investment prize for UK economy Legal & General (‘L&G’) commissioned research, produced by Oxford Economics, shows that a suite of six policy changes has the potential to deliver an up to £220 billion boost in UK investment over the next decade, permanently adding 0.7% to UK GDP by 2035. Full Report Reforms could drive £220 billion in UK investment over the next decade, permanently adding 0.7% to UK GDP by 2035…...

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My thoughts from sunny and insightful Cannes: Julia Glidden, president and head of public affairs, Ipsos North America, took part in a panel discussion about nation brands and talked about how its research shows the brand opportunity because distrust in organisations has never been higher. “The need for connection has never been stronger,” she said. Unsurprisingly, she acknowledged that brand America has taken a substantial hit – Ipsos research found 37% of people said they would buy US brands – making it the least likely (it was 60% for EU). She said the US brands that were seen as international vs American fared best – brands such as Google, Amazon and Apple – while Tesla, Levis and Bud Light were firmly fixed in people’s minds as US brands. Whitney Krause James Susie Ruston McAleer Mark Minevich R "Ray" Wang John Boerstler Clifford Young Darrell Bricker Mallory Newall Karla Langham Mary Ann Packo Lindsay Franke Nick Mercurio Greg Clayton

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A quick tip for PRs pitching to the Daily Express: The best time to send me a press release is before 8.30am (or ideally the afternoon before). I often get FANTASTIC pitches as late as 3.30pm (!!!) with midnight or 10.30pm embargoes for that same day. Sure, we can often still get a good story in print, but I think it's more likely to get a better showing if it comes in before our editors have their first news conference of the day at 9am. That meeting is when they start getting an idea of what could go on each page of the paper. They also start deciding how much space to give articles. Every publication will be different but early sight of a press release helps journalists sell the story to editors better (and helps us clarify things well before the editors start asking us questions)! *It's just happened! It's 3.30pm and a STRONG story has landed in my inbox with a 00.01am embargo for the 4th of July. Online? No problem. Paper? Errrr.

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Great interview with my former boss Edward Roussel covering many of the big journalism topics du jour - subscriptions, content curation, AI and how it can (and can't) help newsrooms plus immersive storytelling

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While a huge amount of energy is being put into considering the long-term impact of GenAI on journalism and short-term FOMO issues like whether we're using the latest models, this video illustrates the immediate crucial issue: do journalists have a key grasp on the most basic ways LLMs work? This entire segment is rooted in an understandable but catastrophic anthropomorphism. A probabilistic model cannot 'confess', 'lie' or 'gaslight'. Training staff to know how to ask these machines questions should be the priority https://lnkd.in/eDphDW_k

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🚨 New BCS research: Women in Tech 2025 The proportion of women in the UK tech workforce has risen by 1% this year, reaching 22%, still far below what the UK needs to meet its AI and digital skills targets. Key findings: 🔹 There are 441,000 female IT specialists in the UK. 🔹 If gender representation matched the workforce norm (49%), there would be *530,000 more women in IT roles*. 🔹 Female IT specialists are more than four times more likely to work part-time than men (13% vs 3%). 🔹 Median hourly earnings for women in IT are £23 per hour which is 12% less than men. Great to have MPs including Allison Gardner MP and Samantha Niblett MP supporting this work. Completely agree with Allison Gardner's perspective: “British AI must draw from the fullness of British talent if it is to reach its potential.” The report is available in the comments. #Tech #AI

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Nicholas Thompson of The Atlantic is a consistent source of interesting developments in tech. His storytelling is vivid and succinct and the insights he shares are complemented by his provocative inferences. This post, on censorship in AI models, is a fine example of his special talent.

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Some great research and insight into public attitudes to news and journalism here, from Newsworks: The majority of people agree that human editorial judgement is becoming even more important (84%), journalists play a vital role in tackling misinformation (88%), and professional journalists are more trusted than social media voices (55%). 

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How can PRs develop working relationships with journalists in the digital age? Take them out for lunch. Call me old fashioned (and hungry) … Other top tips here, too, in the second of three mini clips for Spark Communications (UK) …

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"Data suggests soft skills more than quantitative competency equal success in a rapidly changing labour market". A reassuring and grounded perspective, naturally backed up by the stats, for many of us as we kick off a new work year 👉 https://lnkd.in/dxXxV6Gk

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"If I had to pick the biggest challenge at the moment, I'd say skills...We need more people coming through the pipeline, and we need them fast." A very interesting interview with Andrew Baldwin about public policy and projects by Dods Political Intelligence. The points about skills challenges feel particularly timely considering the UK government's newly unveiled skills reforms. Definitely a worthwhile read for anyone with a stake (or a general interest) in government project delivery, in the UK and internationally. #projectmanagement #skills #publicpolicy #politics

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Terrific piece by Amanda Rottier in The Media Leader UK today. Against the backdrop of AI driven disintermediation in this industry this particularly stood out: “However, an increasing factor in fostering audience loyalty, trust and engagement is the adoption of direct-to-consumer strategies. Too often, going direct to consumer is framed purely in monetary terms, with streaming and paywalls seen as the answer to offset declines in traditional sources of revenue. But the changing economics of news is only part of the equation. Going direct to consumer offers much more beyond building a complementary business model. It can help news organisations win in a highly fragmented news environment by incentivising them to foster deeper connections with an engaged audience that is opting in to their product.” Full version here: https://lnkd.in/ezpNZt3b

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The UK government is giving free AI training to Brit workers. But are we too far behind the US and China already? Newspage spoke to experts Rohit Parmar-Mistry Colette Mason Kate Underwood https://lnkd.in/eqnF-BnM

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I've written a Times (of London) column today on Keir Starmer's bold - and impressive - leadership on deploying AI throughout the British public sector. Within days of entering No10, he moved the conversation from AI “safety” to AI “opportunity.” Since then, his government has committed more than half a billion pounds to projects across health, education and planning. Starmer’s argument is refreshingly human: AI isn’t just about productivity. It’s about giving frontline workers — nurses, teachers, social workers, police officers — the “precious gift of time” by removing the dullest parts of their jobs and letting them focus on what matters most. It’s a bold bet. But if it pays off, Starmer won’t just modernise the state — he’ll reshape how millions of people experience public services. Link to article in comments...

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It should be the dream... if AI = efficiency, surely we should get some time back to think and be creative? In her latest Research Live column, Louise McLaren looks at some of the ways you can think better: pausing, making an effort (handwriting!), and getting outside.

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Working in advertising and looking for guidance on how to use GenAI responsibly? Good to read this piece from Mark Lund OBE in Campaign UK today which talks about the eight principles of our AI Best Practice Guide. Aimed at helping everyone in advertising, the guide is an important part of our work with the Government's Online Advertising Taskforce. 👉 https://lnkd.in/efzQeCGN

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The UK is well-positioned to become a global leader in the responsible use of AI, but only if it can harness private sector innovation, argues Martin Taylor, co-founder and deputy CEO at Content Guru.

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Fun talking to John Rahim at the Media Stack and answering the question (politely put!): "What is it that you actually do all day in your role as the Chief AI Officer?" I could have added that almost every day now begins with trying to figure out whether Today's New Thing is actually a thing worth paying attention to or not, but I guess that's what keep it all so very interesting ...

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