DOWN TO BUSINESS

The AI Will See You Now

Supported by ChatGPT’s technological advances, Kahun is a chatbot programme which tracks patients’ symptoms and helps GP’s make their diagnosis. The AI improved system will save time and help doctors diagnose patients, especially with rare conditions which are regularly overlooked due to human error.

The Tel Aviv-based company already used AI to carry out question and answer sessions with patients. But now, the AI service is used in combination with its own vast medical database, allowing patients to converse and explain their symptoms in their own terms instead of completing a multiple-choice questionnaire.

The company stresses AI does not replace the input and medical expertise of a doctor; its purpose is to save time by collecting information from the patient and linking doctors to the appropriate medical journals describing their estimated condition.

Kahun is currently testing the ChatGPTenhanced version of its programme. However, its original XA Clinical Assessment tool has already been used in 250,000 doctor/patient sessions in the US.

£240 Million Investment in Co-op Membership

Manchester-based food retail giant The Co-Operative, aims to attract a million new members by investing in member price benefits and perks over the next five years.

Co-op currently has 4.5 million active members across its 2,400 food stores. To cater to these members and attract new ones, Co-op is lowering its prices for members, like the Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar points system.

Additionally, Co-op members are given the choice of where their money goes, they can give 2p to Co-op’s partnered charities in every pound spent on Co-op’s own-brand products on top of saving money for their membership balance.

Ahead of the unveiling of Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, which is due to open later this year, members will receive excusive perks on tickets including pre-sale release, hospitality experiences, the chance to win free tickets and exclusive experiences, backstage VIP experiences and fast-track entry to the arena.

A round up of the latest local business and UK Israel Trade news.

7,000 take virtual trip to Auschwitz

In honour of Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day – three Haredi women made it their mission to create a film exploring Auschwitz for Jews who cannot make the journey to Poland.

Miriam Cohen, Chani Kopolowitz, and Yuti Neiman have been making Kosher Movies – Jewish films with an educational message – together for over ten years. During the pandemic they were given access to Auschwitz for three days to capture a virtual reality (VR) film which allows its viewers to look around the site wearing VR headsets.

The film, Triumph of the Spirit, features Rabbi Yisrael Goldwasser, leading Holocaust Lecturer and Researcher, guiding the viewer through the museum and its grounds explaining their historical relevance to Jewish culture.

The film, paired with 200 VR headsets is available to groups across Israel and can also be viewed daily in Jerusalem.

Fruit and Vegetables Stay Fresh for Longer

It’s a shared experience to find your fruit and veg has gone mouldy before you can eat it; Israeli tech start-up Sufresca has decided to tackle this issue. Most fresh produce is sprayed with a preserving wax or wrapped in plastic, but Sufreca have developed a spray which is a natural alternative to both.

The edible coating replaces plastic packaging and prolongs the vegetables shelf life by days out of the fridge or weeks longer inside a fridge. The coating is made from entirely natural materials which are taste and texture-less as it’s less than a thousandth of a millimetre thin.

Given that last year France banned the use of plastic packaging for a variety of fruit and vegetables and Spain plan to do the same this year, Sufresca’s product could not be timelier. Its easy application means no new equipment is needed to coat the produce, unlike its competitor Apeel, and can even be applied without machinery in developing countries.

Fast Fashion Founder Steps Down

Umar Kamani, Founder of Pretty Little Thing (PLT) is stepping down from the online shopping brand after over ten years. The celebrity endorsed PLT was founded in 2012, with Kamani’s brother Adam, before becoming a global fashion success in 2017 when it was named one of the top three fastest growing fashion companies by Hitwise.

Acquired by their father’s company Boohoo, PLT has put Manchester fashion on the map by been worn by stars such as Miley Cyrus, Jessie J, and Rita Ora. Umar Kamani recently announced he made the difficult decision to step down as CEO so he could set himself new challenges and goals and create new brands.

Undetectable Plant-Based Food Has Nutritional Benefits

Vegan alternatives have run into two overriding problems: plant-based food doesn’t have the nutritional benefits of its animal-product counterpart, or the product is nutritionally beneficial with an unappealing taste.

Israel-based start-up, Brevel, has found a solution to both problems. Its researchers have created an undetectable protein made from microalgae, which is virtually tasteless and has no effect on the food item’s texture. The product results in a white powder developed from chlorella, a widely used health supplement known for its strong and unpleasant seaweed flavour. Brevel has discovered a way to remove its strong flavour while preserving its high protein qualities.

CEO, Yonatan Golan said: “For the first time, we’re actually able to get to cost levels that are relevant for the food industry, and relevant for large food manufacturers that want to replace existing protein sources with a new source that is also sustainable and tasty.”