What questions should you ask when building a B2B program? A B2B ambassador program is not as common as the sister program - B2C. However, when done well, B2B programs can increase awareness of the brand tenfold and create eventual conversions in the millions or even billions. As a B2B ambassador myself for brands like Adobe (and my agency, Warm Robots, helps to build similar programs), I find the opportunity in B2B programs very exciting. I discuss what makes a truly successful B2B ambassador and affiliate programs with 9 B2B experts who have all been tapped to represent big brands.

We all know Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are transforming business. It's clear that many companies are rewiring their organisations and creating dedicated teams to capitalise on AI. Although this shift has been happening, up until this point it has been doing so on the fringes, or inconsistently. The development platforms, vast processing power and data storage that enable AI are becoming increasingly affordable and more "off the shelf." Companies are beginning to grasp how to cope with the inherit risks of AI, yet have only just begun to think about how AI can improve every aspect of their value chain.

British Airways' parent company, IAG is implementing some cutting edge automation solutions in response to the rapid pan-industry digitalisation of the air freight sector. Announced on Thursday, IAG Cargo will start using autonomous drones in a move towards full automation of inventory counts in its air cargo facilities, following a successful trial. With a vision to fully automate inventory counts at its air cargo facilities, IAG Cargo has been working closely with FlytBase on aerial inventory scans at its Madrid facility. Inventory counting, while critical to freight and logistics operations, is a massive train on man hours, consuming thousands of hours each year across IAG Cargo's hubs in the UK, Spain, and Ireland. On top of this, rapid global growth in ecommerce and increasing customer expectations of immediacy when it comes to delivery mean that air freight operators are having to increase the frequency of counts.

British Airways is experimenting with a new tool for guiding passengers through its massive London Heathrow hub: guide robots. Starting in 2020, the flag carrier of the United Kingdom will deploy an array of autonomous robots in Terminal 5 of its London Heathrow base to help guide passengers through the airport and answer basic questions. The problem is harder to solve than it may initially sound. Getting around Heathrow requires deep knowledge of the dozens of storefronts, duty-free shops and lounges in the terminals as well as the ability to navigate through multiple floors and throngs of passengers who may not always be paying attention to their surroundings. To help guide passengers, the new robots will not only have to know where they are at all times but also be able to navigate through the airport without getting lost or running into travelers.

British Airways is set to trial artificial intelligence powered robots at Heathrow Terminal 5. In an announcement Thursday, the airline said the autonomous robots had been programmed to "interact with passengers" in multiple languages and would be able to answer "thousands" of questions, providing passengers with services such as real-time flight information. The robots are being provided by a technology company called BotsAndUs and the trial will start in 2020. British Airways added that the robots would also have the capacity to escort passengers to locations such as special assistance zones. "These smart robots are the latest innovation allowing us to free up our people to deal with immediate issues and offer that one-on-one service we know our customers appreciate," Ricardo Vidal, who is head of innovation at British Airways, said in a statement.

British Airways has introduced advanced neural networks, known as artificial intelligence, to its airside operation at Heathrow Terminal 5. The new system is designed to help staff ensure every flight departs safely and on time. Currently, when customers disembark an aircraft, British Airways' ground staff manually check and record the details of eighteen different activities that need to be completed before the plane can depart for its next flight - including thorough cleaning of the aircraft interiors, unloading and reloading of catering, luggage and cargo and refuelling. An issue affecting just one of these tasks has the potential to disrupt the entire process and delay the flight's departure. Now, using a network of cameras set up around the aircraft stand by technology start-up Assaia, an alumni of British Airways' parent company IAG's Hangar 51 start-up accelerator programme, artificial intelligence is employed to compare live footage of the complex turnaround process with the proposed schedule.

British Airways (BA) has introduced artificial intelligence (AI) technology to parts of its "airside operation" at Heathrow Airport. In an announcement Monday, the airline said that AI would be used to tackle challenges faced when an aircraft is being prepared for departure after passengers from its previous flight have disembarked. It's during this time that staff on the ground undertake manual checks related to 18 different things, making records of what they are doing, British Airways said. These checks have to be done before the plane takes to the air again and are, among other things, related to refueling, the unloading and reloading of luggage, and cleaning of the aircraft's inside. BA said that if one of these tasks encounters an issue, it could potentially disrupt the whole process, resulting in a delayed departure.

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email webmaster@digital.fco.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use. The UK's Department for International Trade (DIT) is pleased to announce 12 high-growth Canadian FinTech companies from across 5 major Canadian cities chosen to participate in a trade mission to the UK – 21- 25 October 2019. These leading companies have collectively raised over half a billion in venture capital and are well positioned for global expansion.

A new tool launched by privacy activists offers to help travelers avoid increasingly invasive facial recognition technologies in airports. Activist groups Fight for the Future, Demand Progress and CREDO on Wednesday unveiled a new website called AirlinePrivacy.com, The site also helps customers to directly book flights with airlines that don't use facial recognition technologies. Airlines' use of facial recognition technology is raising fresh questions about privacy and data security, advocates have argued. Instead of verifying passengers' details by scanning a boarding pass, the technology – which is provided by government agencies – scans passengers' face and sends that information to border control to verify identity and flight details.

A natural reaction today may be to chalk up the sale of a smudgy-looking portrait as the latest sign that AI, no longer satisfied with taking jobs, is now moving on to creating artwork and general AI is here and don't forget Skynet, etc. But leave it to Artnet, an art market website, to provide a clear description of Generative Adversarial Networks, an AI system of algorithms and two neural networks used to generate photorealistic images. It also put artificial intelligence's potential in context for artists and business practitioners alike. "We would do better to stop asking where the boundary line lies between human artists' agency and that of AI toolsets, and instead start asking whether human artists are using AI to plumb greater conceptual and aesthetic depths than researchers or coders," Artnet writes. In art and in business, everyone would be better served if AI was treated as a tool, with benefits and risks noted.