Thanks to open banking, fintech early adopters likely already have accounts that round up transactions to boost savings or connect to third-party tools for loan applications, budget management and more. But the new wave of fintech startups are proving there's much more that can be done using open banking, the two-year-old mandate from UK regulators that required banks to easily allow their customers to share their data with third parties such as apps. "Open banking offers people the chance to get personalised, tailored support to help them manage their money by allowing regulated companies to securely analyse their bank data," says Lubaina Manji, senior programme manager at Nesta Challenges, one of the organisations behind the Open Up 2020 Challenge, alongside the Open Banking Implementation Entity (OBIE). "It's enabled the creation of new services and tools to help people with every aspect of money management – from budgeting to investing, and much, much more, all in a safe and secure way." And some of the innovations from finalists in the Open Up 2020 Challenge have surprised with their ingenuity and customer focus, she says, citing Sustainably's round-up tool for automated charity donations, and Kalgera's neuroscience-informed AI to help spot fraud targeting people with dementia – two projects that highlight the purpose-driven idea behind open banking and the aim to get financial support to show who need it the most.

Many Japanese companies have already shifted to online interviews and seminars for recruiting new employees due to the coronavirus pandemic, but some have gone a step further by testing artificial intelligence to efficiently hire talent. But while companies see the benefits of AI, such as standardization in the hiring process and saving recruiters' time by automating high-volume tasks, they are still far from relying completely on the technology due to concerns about it yielding inappropriate or discriminatory decisions. "Using AI in screening tens of thousands of applicant resumes has helped us cut total labor time by 75 percent. From May, we have also started implementing AI in assessing videos sent by applicants," said Tomoko Sugihara, director of recruitment at SoftBank Corp. "Extra time that has been created thanks to AI allows recruiters more time to proactively engage with potential candidates in person, build relationships and carefully determine the candidates' culture fit," Sugihara said. The major mobile carrier, which hires more than 1,000 people a year, has trained AI with data from 1,500 past resume sheets.

To the average person, the two tables appear to be different sizes – one seems to be long and narrow and the other resembles a square. However, what has sent shocks around the internet is that both tables are identical. Called the Shepard's tabletop illusion, this phenomenon plays tricks on the way we perceive depth and by manipulating the tabletops, viewers will then see that they are the same shape. To the average person, the two tables appear to be different sizes – one seems to be long and narrow and the other resembles a square. This phenomenon plays tricks on the way we perceive depth and by manipulating the tabletops, viewers will then see that they are the same shape.

There is more to this tiny paper house than meets the eye. When three balls are placed on the roof and do not roll down the sides, one would think the creator has found a way to defy both geometry and gravity. But what's happening is your brain assumes the roof is constructed in a descending motion, when in fact it is ascending – which is revealed once the house's true form is shown. When three balls are placed on the roof and do not roll down the sides, one would think the creator has found a way to defy both geometry and gravity. But what's happening is your brain assumes the roof is constructed in a descending motion, when in fact it is ascending Kokichi Sugihara is famous for building 3D optical illusions that make viewers question the laws of nature, but are then blown away once the structure's true form is revealed.