AI could help decide where to build 5,400 homes
Artificial intelligence is being trialled as a tool to help district councillors decide where to build 5,400 homes by 2041.
Forest of Dean district councillors are under pressure from the government to deliver 597 homes a year, a number that was increased in summer 2024 from 330 a year.
Council leader Adrian Birch said the authority had tasked an AI company with a research project to first see if the technology could be relied upon.
He said he wanted to speed up decision processes, telling a council meeting: "If we can trust the AI to get it right then we will look at whether that is a feasible option."
More news stories for Gloucestershire
Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire
The district council, under its plan for 2021 to 2041, had already been planning to build 6,600 homes when the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stepped in last year with new targets that it made mandatory.
The demands meant that the council had to build an extra 5,400 homes – 12,000 in total by 2041.
Locations for many of the 6,600 homes have already been mapped out, mainly in Lydney, Beachley and Newent.
The search for locations for the extra 5,400 properties means old ideas have been revived, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
These include creating a garden town between the A40 and A48 near Churcham and a new settlement off junction 2 of the M50 near Redmarley.
Mr Birch told councillors: "We are trialling some AI support on this which will see if it provides the information we need."
He said the AI company had been asked to assess public responses to the council's local plan consultation last summer.
"We will then be comparing our results with their results," he said.
He said the use of AI would be reviewed if there were any doubts.
The council voted unanimously to review its 2021 to 2041 local plan and explore alternative strategic options for housing.
Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
Gloucestershire could be AI 'centre of excellence'
Council looks for potential housing sites
Decision delayed on plans for 140 homes in town
Forest of Dean District Council
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC Announces Sponsorship and Attendance at the ORY APAC-US Conference, July 8th – 9th in Singapore, Co-Hosted by Nasdaq
NEW YORK, June 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC, a provider of strategic investor relations and corporate communications advisory services to publicly traded and pre-IPO companies globally, today announced that it will attend and be an Event Sponsor at the Third Annual ORY APAC-US Conference at the Capella Singapore Hotel, July 8th - 9th, 2025 on Sentosa Island in Singapore. ORY APAC-US 2025, co-hosted by NASDAQ and New York-based law firm Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP, is a venue for financial market professionals, investors and companies across the globe dedicated to fostering growth in the APAC region. This year's event will feature discussions and presentations focusing on: How AI is reshaping capital markets, investment strategies, and business operations; Fresh insights into U.S. capital markets, Asia's evolving business environment, and the growing impact of AI on both; New pathways being built for cross-border partnerships and multi-market engagement; Fostering collaboration across borders — with a strong emphasis on AI integration and cross-market synergy; Input from Nasdaq-listed companies on leveraging public status — and emerging technologies like AI — to unlock new business opportunities across Southeast Asia, Greater China, and the wider region; and Nasdaq representative updates on the latest shifts in the regulatory landscape — including AI-related governance — and what these developments mean for market participants globally. 'With APAC and Singapore continuing to experience remarkable growth across multiple sectors, the ORY APAC-US Conference has become an exciting forum for business and technological collaboration between East and West,' said Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC's President Scott Powell. 'We are pleased to be a Sponsor of this notable, Nasdaq co-hosted event and look forward to meeting many innovative and high-growth companies at the conference and in Singapore.' For more information and registration details on the ORY APAC-US conference, please visit: About ORY APAC-USThe Conference's mission is to foster growth, encourage social interaction, and facilitate the exchange of ideas related to the U.S. capital markets. ORY APAC-US is owned and managed by New York-based law firm Ortoli Rosenstadt LLP and its Singapore affiliate Ortoli Rosenstadt Ye Ptd. Ltd., which serves as the firm's flagship office in Asia. Ortoli Rosenstadt Ye Ptd. Ltd.'s strategic location in Singapore allows it to assist emerging growth companies throughout Asia in their worldwide cross-border activities, and its specialized legal expertise allows it to act as a bridge between East and West. About Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLCSkyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC provides strategic investor relations and corporate communications advisory services to publicly traded and pre-IPO companies throughout the globe. Our team has worked with hundreds of U.S. listed public companies from around the globe across diverse industries and various market caps. We have experience with shareholder activism and crisis communications and also work with late-stage private companies to help prepare them to enter the public marketplace. To learn more about Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC, visit: Contact:Skyline Corporate Communications Group, LLC Scott Powell, President 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 5th Floor New York, New York 10036 Office: (646) 893-5835 x2 Email: info@ Website: in to access your portfolio
Skift
an hour ago
- Skift
Travel Industry's Quiet AI Talent Wars Are Heating Up
A job-posts deep-dive shows how cruise lines, hotels, theme parks, and OTAs are staffing up for an AI future. Every so often, a single LinkedIn job ad says more about strategy than a 40-page 10-K. Last week I dove into AI listings across travel, decoding four that reveal how the biggest brands are reorganizing around machine intelligence. Together they form a breadcrumb trail from C-suite power moves to nuts-and-bolts product work. We're calling this new series Skift AI Talent Tracker. Think of it as a recurring, detective-style column, scouring hiring boards for the real story behind corporate press releases about AI developments: raw signals, a quick take, and why it matters for the people who move the industry. Below are four companies with my brief analysis, based on their recent LinkedIn job postings. 1. Royal Caribbean | A Quiet Chief AI Officer Promotion Royal Caribbean Group quietly promoted Matthew Denesuk, Ph.D., to Chief AI Officer, according to his LinkedIn profile, one of the first roles of its kind in travel. Can't wait to see how this plays out. We have RC Group CEO Jason Liberty on stage at Skift Global Forum 2025 in September; you can bet this will come up. Who else among large or mid-cap public travel companies has hired a Chief AI Officer or equivalent? The only other ones I know are Brand USA, who put Janette Roush in that seat months ago, already ahead of the curve. 2. Universal Orlando | Theme-Park Test Lab Theme parks are perfect AI sandboxes, closed, sensor-rich, and guest-dense. Universal Orlando Resort is hiring a head of AI, and it looks like they're just starting to explore its potential (presumably GenAI): 'The Director of Artificial Intelligence provides end-to-end technical leadership for AI and automation initiatives across the enterprise, navigating organizational vision, directing advanced ML solutions, and aligning AI efforts with broader strategic goals.' 3. Marriott | Betting Big on a Single AI Messaging Brain Found this fascinating job posting from Marriott International, and you can read the tea leaves about their AI strategy. It's hiring a Senior Director of Engineering & Architecture to lead the design of a centralized messaging platform orchestrating guest communications across call centers, hotel front desks, web chat, mobile apps, WhatsApp, SMS, iMessage, and more. This centralized approach contrasts sharply with lots of small experiments happening at other chains, aligning precisely with what Marriott CTO Naveen Manga hinted at our Skift Data + AI Summit when he emphasized efficiency through centralization. Here's another intriguing twist: it's a temporary but full-time position. My guess? Marriott wants to rapidly build this infrastructure without navigating the internal approval red tape needed for permanent executive headcount. At $68–$112 an hour (~$142K–$232K/year before benefits), that's solid senior-tech money for hospitality. All in all, fascinating. 4. Priceline | Penny Gets a Full-Stack Makeover Everyone assumes Booking Holdings is all-in on as its AI flagship, attracting most resources and attention. But here's a surprise: Priceline is quietly staffing four heavyweight roles to build out Penny, its AI travel assistant most people haven't even heard of: Senior PM, AI Experiences – builds orchestration layer, memory & reasoning (mini-AutoGPT for travel). – builds orchestration layer, memory & reasoning (mini-AutoGPT for travel). Staff Multimodal Product Designer – gives Penny voice, chat, touch & vision. – gives Penny voice, chat, touch & vision. Senior PM, Mobile AI – makes Penny feel native on iOS/Android, not bolted on. – makes Penny feel native on iOS/Android, not bolted on. Senior PM, Conversational AI – fine-tunes personality, prompts, and emotional tone. That's the whole stack: brains, face, body, and soul. Why Priceline? Being the underdog might give it room to experiment freely. By incubating a standalone AI concierge in the lighter-regulation U.S. market, Priceline can iterate quickly and quietly ship innovations that later flow upstream to its larger Dutch sibling. Whatever the reason, Priceline is positioning itself as a quiet product lab for AI in travel. Worth watching, not because it's flashy, but because they're actually building something real. For now, that's it. Follow the job ads and you'll spot travel's next big bets months before the official announcement. Cruises, parks, hotels, OTAs – they're all converging on one reality: AI talent is now the toughest first-class upgrade to snag on a transatlantic red-eye. Keep watching Skift AI Talent Tracker; the future of travel is being written one job requisition at a time.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
This Incredible Dividend Growth Stock's Hidden AI Story Could Deliver 20% Annual Returns
A major spinoff and aggressive AI deployment are setting up a powerful margin expansion story. Management has already proved it can achieve tech-like profitability levels. Five decades of consecutive dividend increases provide a growing income stream while you wait. 10 stocks we like better than S&P Global › The market is completely missing what's happening at S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI). While investors obsess over the latest artificial intelligence (AI) start-up or trendy tech stock, this 165-year-old financial data powerhouse is quietly orchestrating one of the most compelling margin expansion stories in the market. The combination of an upcoming business spinoff, aggressive AI integration, and a management team that's already proved it can achieve 50.9% GAAP operating margins creates a setup that could deliver double-digit annual returns for the next 10 years. S&P Global might not grab headlines like the AI darlings, but this $160 billion company touches nearly every corner of the global financial system. The company operates through four main divisions: Ratings, providing credit ratings on $17 trillion in debt; Market Intelligence, which deals with financial data and analytics; Indices, including the S&P 500; and Platts, which involves commodity pricing. A fifth division, Mobility, is set to be spun off in 2026. Here's what matters: In 2021, before acquiring IHS Markit, S&P Global achieved GAAP a operating margin of 50.9%. Yes, you read that correctly. This financial services company was generating profit margins that would make most software companies jealous. Today, those GAAP operating margins are projected to be around 43% in 2025 as the company continues to digest the massive acquisition. But management has a clear path back to those historic highs. While everyone focuses on chatbots and image generators, S&P Global is using AI to transform the economics of financial data. The company's Kensho division, acquired for $550 million in 2018, has become the cornerstone of an AI strategy that management says is driving significant productivity gains and workflow efficiencies across operations. S&P Global has developed AI benchmarking tools through Kensho that evaluate large language models for business and finance use cases. These "S&P AI Benchmarks by Kensho" are gaining traction as standardized metrics to compare AI systems, with major companies such as Accenture partnering to use them. As more companies adopt these benchmarks, S&P Global could benefit from network effects that strengthen its competitive position. The company has also deployed internal AI tools such as Spark Assist and client-facing assistants such as ChatIQ, which management describes as accelerating workflows and helping employees work more efficiently. Although specific cost savings haven't been disclosed, these initiatives are part of S&P Global's broader push to use AI to enhance margins and improve customer experiences. The planned spinoff of S&P Global's Mobility division in 2026 represents more than just corporate restructuring. This business, which includes the valuable Carfax brand, generates about 11% of company revenue, accounting for $1.6 billion in 2024. Its removal will allow S&P Global to focus entirely on its highest-margin financial data and analytics businesses while unlocking an estimated $5 billion to $8 billion in value for shareholders. Post-spinoff, S&P Global will be a cleaner, higher-margin business focused entirely on financial data and analytics. The simplified structure should help the market better appreciate the company's true earnings power. Conglomerates typically trade at discounts to focused pure plays, and removing the Mobility business eliminates that complexity discount. Wall Street sees adjusted operating margins reaching 52% by 2029, exceeding even the company's 2021 peak. The company's 2025 outlook already shows progress, with guidance calling for revenue growth of 4% to 6%, GAAP earnings per share of $14.60 to $15.10, and adjusted earnings per share of $16.75 to $17.25. That gap between GAAP and adjusted earnings reflects the ongoing impact of acquisition-related amortization. Here's the power of combining margin expansion with steady revenue growth: If S&P Global maintains 6% annual revenue growth, the high end of its 2025 guidance range, sales would reach $27 billion by 2035. Now add margin expansion: If GAAP margins return to their proven 50.9% peak from today's 43%, the earnings impact is dramatic. Consider the math: $27 billion in revenue at a 50.9% GAAP operating margin generates $13.7 billion in operating income. After accounting for interest, taxes, and the narrowing gap between GAAP and adjusted earnings as acquisition costs fade, earnings per share could realistically reach $40 to $45, more than double today's levels. Even applying a conservative valuation multiple of 30 times earnings, which is below today's multiple, that translates to a stock price of $1,200 to $1,350. Meanwhile, investors collect a growing dividend backed by 52 consecutive years of increases. The current yield of 0.76% might seem modest, but here's where dividend growth becomes powerful: If S&P Global continues raising its dividend at a conservative 10% annually, below its historical average, that $3.84 annual dividend could grow to roughly $10 per share by 2035. For investors who buy today, that means collecting $10 annually on shares purchased for $504, a 2% yield on their original investment. This "yield on cost" concept rewards patient investors, as each dividend increase means more income on the same initial investment, regardless of where the stock price trades. S&P Global offers something increasingly rare in today's market: a proven business model with clear catalysts for margin expansion and a management team that's already demonstrated what's possible. While growth investors chase the next shiny object and value investors wait for deeper discounts, S&P Global sits in the sweet spot -- a quality compounder available at a reasonable price with multiple ways to win. The upcoming spinoff provides the catalyst. The AI transformation provides the margin expansion. And five decades of dividend growth provides income while you wait. For investors seeking both growth and income, S&P Global's combination of margin expansion potential and reliable dividend growth makes it a compelling opportunity at current prices. Before you buy stock in S&P Global, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and S&P Global wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $664,089!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $881,731!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 994% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 George Budwell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Accenture Plc and S&P Global. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This Incredible Dividend Growth Stock's Hidden AI Story Could Deliver 20% Annual Returns was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
