There’s nothing like the real thing and as World Cup fever mounts, AI sleuth KitLegit is playing a blinder protecting football fans and their match must-have gear. With the UK company’s technology they can easily verify that any vintage or second-hand shirt they covet or own is genuine and fairly priced. In a £9 billion global fake goods sector, KitLegit is taking the fight to the counterfeiters. Its proprietary technology and standalone tools with targeted sector apps result in a safer marketplace that serves both consumer and commercial clients. These include fans, resellers, sports clubs and law enforcement agencies such as the police, Trading Standards and customs agents.

In a simple process that ends guesswork, users download the relevant app and upload images of their item. The tech then authenticates it in seconds by analysing details like stitching, badges and design patterns. Each check, costing from £1 and available as a token purchase or as a subscription, provides a digital certificate with a unique code that works as proof for any reselling or refund claim. Chief executive and sports merchandising specialist Alex Protsenko founded the business three years ago with two partners. “There has been rise in demand for retro and sports fashion while the cost of living crisis has fuelled the growth in fake merchandise. We quickly realised what customers wanted was authenticity and the peace of mind that brings. Those factors, underpinned by the availability of advanced technology, created our opportunity,” explains Protsenko who is overseeing a new Version 2 that filters out poor quality images and increases provenance.

“We’re the first AI-based authentication for sports merchandise, can check back to the year 2000. Buying without checking is risky – we’ve found 38 percent of our 25,000 kit checks across 105 countries are fake,” he adds.

As it worked on its proof-of-concept model, KitLegit’s annual turnover was £10,000 but now it expects a 200% uplift following successful club pilots with Brentford, Watford and Sporting Lisbon and tournament boosts like the World Cup. After £50,000 of self-investment it plans to expand its team of seven and launch a pre-seed funding round this year in the region of £250,000 to £450,000.

Angel investor expertise in consumer sports and fashion will also be sought and it has now begun a certification scheme for small independent sports retailers starting with one in Cambridge. Rugby, Formula 1 Racing, American football and baseball leagues offer further applications’ potential and a big partnership with a NFC (Near Field Communications) tag provider of stickers, cards and key fobs is in the pipeline. Overall now “we’re sitting in the middle of the ecosystem connecting it all,” says Protsenko, “we’re very well positioned.” https://kitlegit.com

Administrative tasks that could be automated through AI are draining over £100 billion annually from UK businesses in wasted employee hours. Research involving 2,000 UK adults revealed office workers handling administrative duties – from composing emails to minute-taking and report preparation – reckon they waste approximately five hours and forty-two minutes weekly on manual routine work.

With the average office worker salary amongst respondents sitting at £56,000, this translates to £387 million lost productivity each working day. The research revealed drafting emails is the single biggest drain on time, cited by 26% of workers. This was followed by analysing data (15%) and manually entering information (14%). 

As a result, 57% feel overwhelmed by the amount of admin required in their role, with 46% admitting it has made them consider leaving their job.

Despite the growing availability of automation, 47% have some help from AI tools but could do with more, while 32% rarely or never use any tools to support their role.

The study was commissioned by Fyxer for its Admin Burden Index, which explores the productivity cost of routine tasks and how this hidden drain could stunt business growth.

Rich Hollingsworth, CEO and co-founder of Fyxer, said: “Admin has quietly embedded itself into modern work. An extra 10 minutes here, an hour there, spread across hundreds or thousands of employees, quickly compounds into massive costs.”

He added: “Workers feel the drag, but without any way to solve it, businesses have normalised it as just ‘part of the job’. AI is ready and able to lift this burden, and workers are eager to accept the help. But they’re not seeing the tools they’re given actually rise to the challenge.”

The study also found 33% of those overwhelmed by daily administrative work say tasks accumulate faster than they can finish them. Meanwhile, 32% feel admin steals time from their primary duties.

More than half say their workload has grown over the past 12 months, and of those, they estimate more than a quarter (28%) of this rise is administration related. Consequently, 34% reported working beyond their contracted hours several times weekly, with 8% doing so daily.

The research, conducted by OnePoll, also revealed workers receive an average of 43 emails daily and send 34 in return. Additional data from Fyxer’s platform also shows 40% of email activity occurs outside of working hours. 

Rich added: “Menial, repetitive admin might seem low stakes, but it’s a major source of stress for even the highest-paid, most senior talent. Saddling workers with tasks that add little value kills focus, morale, and revenue.

“Email epitomises this for so many: they’re expected to accept hours in their inboxes because it’s the status quo, while they scramble to do their real, meaningful work in the time they have left.”

TOP 10 ADMIN TASKS WHICH WASTE THE MOST TIME:

1. Writing or replying to emails
2. Reading emails
3. Analysing or summarising data
4. Entering or updating data in spreadsheets or systems
5. Researching information online
6. Preparing reports
7. Organising files/documents
8. Responding to customer queries
9. Tracking project progress or deadlines
10. Managing to-do lists or task reminders

The day of the week that shoplifters target UK supermarkets most often has been revealed, thanks to an AI analysis of 1,000 shoplifting incidents. CCTV footage from several top supermarkets showed that 80% of stolen goods were concealed in clothing or bags before reaching the checkout, while only a fifth of stolen items were visible at the checkout.

Considering the findings, the study carried out by technology firm Trigo, which works with Tesco, REWE, Ali Nord, and Netto, noted that the statistics prove retailers’ current focus on using AI for ‘non-scan detection’ at checkouts is “fundamentally misaligned with how theft of commonly stolen products actually occurs”.

According to the study, Thursdays are the day thieves strike the most. The study revealed that thefts peaked on weekday afternoons and evenings, with Thursdays accounting for 18.4% of incidents. In contrast, Saturdays saw the lowest rates of theft, with just 4.6% of items stolen on that day.

The most frequently stolen categories were also highlighted by analysing verified theft incidents. Beverages topped the list at 22%, followed by fresh produce at 19% and bakery items at 10%, reports The Grocer.

Daniel Gabay, CEO of Trigo, said: “Most retailers today are either discovering what was stolen after the fact through inventory audits, or at best, catching visible theft at checkout

“As theft tactics evolve beyond simple scanning avoidance to systematic concealment, the question for the industry becomes whether traditional security infrastructure can adapt, or whether AI-powered tracking from shelf to exit will become the new standard.”

Various retailers have announced or introduced AI systems that monitor footage of customers at self-checkouts to catch thieves. Exclusive research for The Grocer found that 37% of UK shoppers have failed to scan at least one item when using self-checkouts.

Trigo said that the findings offered “one of the most comprehensive views to date on how theft takes place across the store environment” and “should mark a shift” in how the industry understands shrinkage, given “the majority of loss happens before the checkout point”.

Home Bargains revealed, in April, that it was targeting theft by introducing AI-enabled cameras that can detect items that pass checkout without being scanned, and in July, Lidl shared that it will be testing cameras at self-checkout in two London stores that spot when a customer fails to scan an item and play the footage back to them.

CCTV data analysis developed by AI tech star Tenyks is putting the mojo back into physical locations as it delivers millions more in productivity, revenue and reputational gains for retail and hospitality firms. Easing the strain on site managers, the one stop shop platform, with subscriptions from £100 a month, reveals the big picture so they immediately know what’s going on, where and when. New trends are identified and fixes become faster while integration with existing systems is seamless requiring no new outlay on servers and hardware. 

Co-founder of the Cambridge spin-out Dr Botty Dimanov explains: “Cameras are the richest but most under-used source of operational insight – just one per cent of video data is analysed. We help teams discover previously unseen operational, service quality, workforce utilisation or other commercial opportunities in the feeds.”

 Comprehensive insights cover service speeds, order accuracy, compliance with food hygiene processes and optimising store layouts. Capturing shoplifting weak spots is high on the radar with the benefit of preventing incorrect accusations. 

Analysis of visits builds greater understanding about demographics and customer mood, for example how people respond to changes making promotions such as offering different menus at different times more relevant. Tenyks’ multiple insights have put it on course for a forecast £4 million plus turnover in 2026/27. Further applications in healthcare, education and logistics are part of its longer-term plan. 

The patent-protected innovation has taken six years to develop. “The integration of our visual AI agents takes just minutes and millions of hours of data analysis made in seconds. Users can interact with our dashboard, ask questions or provide prompts,” says Dimanov. “The pandemic led to demand for convenience with restaurants looking to better utilise space and do more with less, including dependency on manual oversight. This has made Tenyks very relevant. Now AI’s costs are reducing, our technology has become more accessible and scalable. Currently it analysing 25,000 cameras annually.” 

Clients usually check a couple of times a week and when there’s any problems hourly. Well suited to businesses in the Quick Service Restaurant market an early Tenyks’ adopter is Burger King which found shaving one second off service time during peak periods can yield £22,300 for each restaurant annually.

Almost £3 million investment has been raised so far. A new round by end of this year will aim to expand Tenyks’ markets domestically, in the US, Canada, Brazil and Dubai and increase staff numbers to 30. “AI is more associated with white collar professions, but we are showing how it can make a huge difference to bricks and mortar,” observes  Dimanov, a dedicated entrepreneur who studied for an AI doctorate at Cambridge with the express ambition of building businesses.  

 Cambridge has delivered, both for its first-rate connections and intellectual culture. “It taught me about the power of posing the right question,” he adds “We’re focussed on a future where visual data becomes as central to business decision making as spreadsheets once were.” 

And for those who appreciate cryptic wordplay, Tenyks’s name pays homage with a twist to Terminator’s super intelligence system Skynet –  spelled backwards. www.tenyks.ai 

British advanced tech company Skyral is set to scale its defence and international enterprise services after securing £14.8million of backing led by European venture fund NOIA Capital. Known for its ground-breaking Artificial Intelligence technology providing bespoke modelling and simulation software, Skyral’s virtual representations answer the world’s big ‘What if?’ questions while pinpointing the impact of multiple unforeseen consequences. 

In the course of figuring out what’s happening now, what’s coming next and why, its calculations simulate millions of people in real world situations that take in human behaviours, finance, smart cities, power grids, telecoms, healthcare and more. From there organisations are able to make better decisions faster, reducing risks and costs. The dual use, licensable software “is incredibly well suited to large enterprises,” declares co-founder and chief executive Jason Kennedy. “Skyral Core is the backbone of our capability and we achieve the most complex and large scale simulations ever invented.”

The latest series A funding adds to the £74million backing already in place. Coinciding with the UK’s war warnings and major strategic moves beefing up its security and armed forces, it “demonstrates investor confidence in British defence technology and its impact on European security”, say Kennedy and Skyral co-founder Naomi Hulme, its chief commercial officer.

Based on metaverse gaming technology, the business was born in 2016 from the venture arm of UK unicorn Improbable Worlds Limited (IWL). It then went on to help shape the Ministry of Defence’s first use of single synthetic environments for training personnel in virtual worlds.  In 2023 it spun out of IWL and now has a team of 100 as it pursues a fast expansion strategy that saw 67 per cent growth over 2023/24 and an order book with seven years of contracted work. Among its partners are Microsoft and aerospace and cyber contractor Raytheon UK.

Future plans include a potential IPO stock market launch in 2028/29 with Skyral on a trajectory of between £1.5billion and £3billion.

To increase resilience over the past year it has diversified with 60 per cent of revenues now coming from enterprise and international opportunities. One stand-out example of this is Skyral’s tech for community good project with the government in Indonesia which is tackling the massive problem of child stunting in the country. The poor growth condition affects some 15million of under-fives and their lives to come. 

The company’s AI-powered simulations tested thousands of scenarios including nutrition, education and healthcare – all predominant risk factors. Its nutritional strategies showed increased kitchen yields and food preservation times and the delivery of 1.4million more meals a day. 

When the platform introduced precision placement and the right combination of permanent healthcare centres and mobile units it demonstrated that stunting could be reduced by 4.8 per cent compared to just 0.1 per cent achieved through conventional methods. The evidence can now lay the foundation for joined-up policy making.  “We work hand in glove with our partners steering big projects and investment in the right direction so innovation and long-term adoption connect,” say Hulme and Kennedy. “We go far, far into the future.” www.skyral.com

Two thirds of workers expect they will become more reliant on AI in their day-to-day roles within the next five years, with many expecting it to boost both efficiency and productivity. However a recent poll has revealed that despite the optimism, the majority of workers find the pace of change with the technology overwhelming to keep up with, highlighting a growing need for better training surrounding how to use it.

The survey, involving 4,640 adults from nearly 30 different sectors, revealed that while interest in AI is high, knowledge on how to use it properly is limited. Training, or lack thereof, is cited as a significant hurdle to wider AI integration. According to the study, two thirds said they would be more inclined to use artificial technology if they were properly shown how to do so, with almost half saying their employer did not have any guidelines for its use within their organisation.

Professor Keiichi Nakata, from The World of Work Institute at Henley Business School, which commissioned the research, said: “This wide-scale study offers a valuable snapshot of how AI is being adopted across UK industries – and where support is still lacking. What stands out is the clear desire from professionals to engage with AI, but many simply don’t feel equipped to do so.

“Businesses must act now to provide the right training and guidance. Without in-house training, hands-on learning, and clear policies, we risk creating a workforce that’s willing to use AI but is not sure where to start.”

Despite wider discussions about job security and automation, it seems fears are subsiding, with 61% stating they are not so concerned about job losses. Instead, many are focusing on what AI can offer with, such as support with boring or repetitive tasks, better data interpretation, and smoother operations.

The study highlighted adoption trends for AI across the various sectors. While workers in publishing, HR, and IT emerged as early adopters of the new technology, those in retail and teaching remain more cautious. Furthmore, sales and transport professionals acknowledge AI’s value for daily tasks, but many are yet to use it in their day-to-day. Meanwhile, marketing, PR, science, and pharmaceutical industries tend to use AI occasionally or for experimental purposes.

On average, workers spend over three and a half hours using AI each week and while 54% view AI as a valuable addition to their workflow, many admit they are not using it to its full potential. Clear training gaps exist in law enforcement and transport, where workers highlight a lack of industry-specific support as a key barrier to adoption.

Transparency around AI use also differs across industries. While 74% of respondents claim to be open about their AI usage with employers, scientists were the least transparent, followed by workers in the charity and legal sectors. On the other hand, professionals in property and construction expressed concerns that their organisations are slow to embrace AI technology.

Professor Keiichi Nakata added: “Artificial intelligence is something that, when used strategically and responsibly, could be a transformative change in organisations across the UK.

“It has the ability to simplify complex tasks, take away the boring jobs, and enable workers to have more time to focus on the things that really matter.

“But that’s just the tip of the iceberg; it could prove to be a solution that not only helps businesses thrive but improves work satisfaction for employees.”