While the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) makes a global name for itself by implementing one of the only real use cases for distributed ledger technology (DLT) in its blockchain-based CHESS replacement project, its CIO Dan Chesterman has detailed a handful of other tech-related initiatives the "large regulated fintech" is also undertaking. Speaking with ZDNet at VMworld in San Francisco last week, Chesterman said his organisation is looking into the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), highlighting that in the ASX's context, there are a lot of examples where machines are making quite clever decisions. "The main exploration we've been doing of artificial intelligence in that AI/ML space has been in market announcements ... it's not in production, it's something we're doing as a proof of concept," he said. "And what we've come to the conclusion of is that we certainly see, in that sort of context, there is actually a serious consequence for any error." Market announcements, for example, is one element of the business where Chesterman said AI could both help, but also cause legal dilemmas.

Alex Chesterman, the CEO of property website Zoopla, has invested in VITL, a healthcare startup that's preparing to launch a service that uses artificial intelligence to personalise vitamin deliveries. It's a curious concept: You enter your health information into an app, noting any illnesses you have, and then it uses that data to suggest some vitamins you should be taking. VITL says it's working on including data from wearable devices as well as DNA information to make its service more personalised. VITL has raised a $1.5 million (£1.2 million) seed round from investors including Chesterman, David de Rothschild, LoveFilm cofounder Simon Franks, drum and bass duo Sigma, and Bloom & Wild founder Ben Stanway. Vitamins aren't a wonder drug that will keep you healthy if you take them.