Artificial intelligence is transforming cloud computing as we know it, as evidenced by Forbes’ latest Cloud 100 list of the sector’s best privately-held companies. This year, AI is everywhere: New No. 1 OpenAI and No. 2 Databricks are supplying tools to help companies build AI features. No. 3 Stripe, a fintech company, adopted the tech to combat fraud; No. 4 Canva embedded AI features into its design software; No. 7 Grammarly launched a writing assistant that uses AI to spit out paragraphs of text almost instantaneously.

“The feeling I get talking to customers is everyone feels like this is a technology of transformation targeted specifically at their industry,” Dario Amodei, CEO of list newcomer No. 73 Anthropic, told Forbes. “Except, it’s targeted specifically at every industry.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic, which makes a ChatGPT rival called Claude, is one of seven list newcomers growing rapidly thanks to the AI boom. Infrastructure providers like Databricks and No. 44 Dataiku are also benefiting. “AI is a bright spot” in the otherwise “subdued” tech sector, said Mary D’Onofrio, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, which works with Forbes to create the list (see here for a full breakdown of methodology).

Anthropic, which Amodei and six cofounders defected from OpenAI to start just two years ago, only began selling to business customers in February 2023. But the company told Forbes it already has “many hundreds of paying customers” on Claude for use cases spanning from legal document analysis to speech-based language translation. In May, the company said it had raised $450 million in funding led by venture capital firm Spark Capital, with contributions from Google and Salesforce. Per data provider PitchBook, its valuation hit $5 billion.

Anthropic and No. 85 Midjourney, the company behind the popular image generator, also represent the promise of a new wave of AI-native companies poised to remake the software landscape. Whereas the majority of this year’s Cloud 100 companies are at least 10 years old and employ 1,000-plus employees, these two startups were both founded in 2021 and have some 200 employees or less.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenric...-ai-companies-headline-tktjk/?sh=559b033c78e4

Farming is hard work. It’s physically demanding, it can be dangerous, and it’s often repetitive. But it’s also essential. We all need to eat, and farmers are the ones who grow our food.

In recent years, drones have emerged as a powerful new tool for farmers.

Drones can perform a lot of the tedious, manual, and repetitive work that farmers have traditionally done, such as surveying fields, applying pesticides, and monitoring crop growth. This saves farmers time and effort and can help them be more efficient and productive.

But drones can do more than automate tasks. They collect data used to improve agricultural practices. For instance, drones often create field maps to show the spread and distribution of pests and diseases.

Farmers then use this information to target and apply pesticides more precisely, helping reduce the amount of chemicals used.

Drones are also being used to develop AI programs to help farmers make better decisions. For instance, one AI program is being used to predict crop yields based on drone data. This information can help farmers make informed decisions about planting, irrigation, and harvesting.

Drones are still a relatively new technology but have the potential to revolutionize agriculture. From seed to harvest, join us as we explore the top 5 ways drones are paving the way for a greener, more efficient future in agriculture.

Continue reading: https://greenerideal.com/news/technology/drones-in-agriculture/

Exploring the Impact of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain on Internet Security and Privacy: A New Frontier​

Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have emerged as a new frontier in the realm of internet security and privacy. These innovative technologies are not only revolutionizing the financial sector but are also significantly impacting the way we perceive and manage online security and privacy.

Cryptocurrency, a digital or virtual form of currency that uses cryptography for security, has been a game-changer in the financial world. It operates independently of a central bank and offers a decentralized system of monetary exchange. This decentralization is made possible by blockchain technology, a digital ledger that records transactions across many computers so that any involved record cannot be altered retroactively, without the alteration of all subsequent blocks.

The advent of these technologies has brought about a paradigm shift in internet security and privacy. Traditional online transactions often involve third-party intermediaries, such as banks or payment processors, which can be vulnerable to hacking and data breaches. Cryptocurrency transactions, on the other hand, are peer-to-peer, eliminating the need for these intermediaries and reducing the risk of security breaches.

Continue reading: https://fagenwasanni.com/news/crypt...tier-for-internet-security-and-privacy/53809/

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connected physical devices that communicate and exchange data. This network has seen immense growth in recent years, spreading across many sectors, industries and applications.

The real estate industry is no exception. This article will discuss the impact of IoT devices on the real estate industry's residential, commercial and development sectors, shedding light on the future of this symbiotic relationship.

IoT Innovation In Homes​

Smart home technology has gained significant traction, with many households adopting intelligent solutions for daily tasks. From automating lighting and temperature settings to remotely controlling appliances, IoT devices are rendering the concept of a futuristic home an everyday reality.

As the world gravitates toward sustainable living, energy management has become crucial to modern homes. Some of the ways IoT devices are contributing to energy management include:

• Real-time energy monitoring: IoT devices track energy consumption in real time, providing detailed information on their usage patterns and enabling users to make informed decisions about conserving energy.

• Smart thermostats: IoT-enabled thermostats can learn user preferences, detect occupancy and adjust temperature settings accordingly, resulting in more efficient heating and cooling and reduced energy consumption.

• Demand response programs: IoT devices can communicate with utility companies to participate in demand response programs, reducing energy consumption during peak demand periods and helping to balance the grid.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...ing-the-real-estate-industry/?sh=27dcd0b24296

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) continues its expansion across the economy, reshaping whole industries. Current trends are expected to continue, and some new trends will emerge. The IoT is likely to enter the healthcare industry and continue to expand in the remote work sphere. More IoT applications are expected to provide benefits through higher productivity and efficiency. This article considers the top 10 trends in IoT technology and its impact on the world.

More active penetration of IoT into the retail sector​

E-commerce has been growing immensely, winning its market share in the retail industry. Due to globalization and technological developments, the retail industry has shifted dramatically from brick-and-mortar supermarkets and malls to online shopping or e-commerce. In the coming years, we are likely to see even more innovation in the sector sparked by the development of the IoT. Amazon is about to offer a model of fully integrated supermarkets. Automation of the spread of the IoT is expected to continue and even accelerate in the upcoming years.

More growth in remote working driven by the IoT​

One key trend related to technology is the rise of remote working. An increasing number of companies shifted to remote work. However, productivity suffered due to the shift to remote working, and communication issues resurfaced. This is where the IoT comes in. Many companies already apply the technology, and the trend is not limited to tech companies. The IoT allows businesses to increase efficiency and productivity through more cooperation and better operations control because of increased automation.

The IoT and healthcare sector​

Another trend associated with the IoT is its increasing influence on the healthcare sector. Last year the technological revolution expanded in the industry due to new and unprecedented challenges in the healthcare system. This is represented by increased automation in the sector. Next year we will likely see the continuation of the IoT spread into medicine. This may include more automated medical devices and innovative data management. Therefore, investment in the IoT in health care will likely substantially increase in the years ahead.

The rise of “smart building” technology in the construction industry​

The construction industry is also likely to be affected by the IoT. In addition to 3D models, the IoT is expected to transform industrial operations and change safety standards. Next year we are more likely to see a shift in the industry toward more worker health and safety. The IoT is expected to help construction companies create a more protected environment without hurting financial results. New technologies will comply with strict work safety standards and will be cost-efficient at the same time.

Continue reading: https://readwrite.com/key-developments-and-trends-in-the-internet-of-things-iot/

When it comes to bringing diversity into the cybersecurity industry, let’s start by acknowledging that while the term “minority” may have served to characterize racially or ethnically diverse populations among the majority, it has evolved and can serve as a cringe-worthy elicitation of marginalization for those branded by the label.

So in our journey towards social awakening, we replaced the term “minority” with “underrepresented,” as a way to more subtly highlight “otherness.” In the Harvard Business Review, N.Chole Nwangwu argued that the term “underrepresented” suggests that the “solution to inequity is for leaders to place marginalized social groups into very visible positions while simultaneously failing to give them the tools needed to overcome individual and systemic biases.” Instead, Nwangwu writes that the behavior contributing to underrepresentation is the lack of recognition, or a term she calls “underrecognized.” that must be addressed by majority groups being intentional with leveling the playing field.

For too long, the cybersecurity industry has failed to recognize that the next generation of geniuses may not be forged from the same fire as existing practitioners. If we are honest with ourselves, we realize that some of the best level-one tech support comes from our young people, not the 20-year IT practitioner. Our industry has a unique opportunity to recognize that diverse perspectives representative of our global community has become critical in our journey to a more digitally-forward and securely accessible society.

But, how do we attract and even retain the diverse pool of women and minorities needed to make this shift? Here are some ways we can make a difference:

Continue reading: https://www.scmagazine.com/perspective/how-we-can-bring-diversity-into-the-cybersecurity-industry

The excitement and fulfillment derived from working in cybersecurity and the SOC are often powerful motivators to draw more women into this fun and rewarding field. When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I help to keep the “bad guys'” out, but I realized that I work in an industry where we also keep the “good girls” out. Being an engineer in cybersecurity for over 20 years, I look around the room too often to find that I’m the only woman. How do we change that narrative and open the door to encourage more women to find a career in cybersecurity?

(ISC)² recently reported that women comprise only 24% of the cybersecurity workforce. Here are six steps we can take to build and retain women in cybersecurity:

• Learn to walk in heels: We’ve heard the call for girls in STEM starting as early as elementary school, encouraging early exposure in the field. Many organizations focus on getting young women into computer science through camps, classes, and competitions. Organizations like Rosie Riveters, Girls Who Code, and Boolean Girl make learning computer science exhilarating at a young age. Throughout college, there are opportunities to recruit women from many different majors: business, marketing, math, data science, engineering, and computer science. By weaving cybersecurity into all of these majors and intentionally recruiting women from organizations like WiCys or WomenTech Network, there’s a chance.

Continue reading: https://www.scmagazine.com/perspect...t-do-to-attract-more-women-into-cybersecurity

The generative A.I. product war has officially begun.

Business owners have been investigating ways to integrate generative A.I. into their operations since OpenAI publicly released an API for ChatGPT--which connects the large language model (LLM) to other software platforms--in March 2023.

But many have discovered drawbacks to ChatGPT, including a lack of transparency regarding the data it was trained on, how it makes decisions, and a propensity for presenting false information as fact--a phenomenon known as hallucinating. Plus, ChatGPT lacks customization options, and perhaps most important, API users have to pay OpenAI a fee for every query and response processed and generated by its models, with the more advanced models sporting significantly higher prices than the lower-powered offerings. From there, the price is determined by the length of the query and response. That pricing model is fine for casual users but becomes costly at scale.


But now a new model has entered the fray.

Last month, social media titan Meta released Llama 2, its most advanced language model, to the public. Instead of selling an API, Meta announced that it would release the model as "open source." Usually this would mean that Llama 2 is free of charge for commercial use by anyone, and for many it will be, but some have questioned Meta's claim after reading the fine print. The model's community license agreement contains a stipulation that any product or service powered by the tech that reaches 700 million or more monthly users will have to pay a fee to Meta.
Still, Llama 2 presents some clear advantages over OpenAI's suite of language models, including GPT-4, the most advanced OpenAI model currently on the market. Here's how to determine which LLM is right for your business.

Which model is right for me?​

According to Tyler Ashby, president of A.I.-powered contact center firm Agents Only, there are three key factors to take into account when deciding which A.I. model to go with: "timing, budget, and how adventurous you are as a company. If you need a solution quickly, OpenAI has the advantage because it's simple to use and easy to set up."

Continue reading: https://www.inc.com/ben-sherry/how-to-pick-right-ai-model-for-your-business.html

Businesses and consumers are leveraging AI-powered tools every day, yet debate remains around the actual value of AI. There is a massive opportunity for companies to benefit from AI, especially as many need to deliver more with less in the backdrop of today’s macroeconomic landscape.

Many businesses may already use AI and machine learning-based capabilities in their operations without even realizing it. AI can provide more opportunities for creativity, innovation, and the ability to stay nimble in the face of unforeseen challenges. The question is: how can businesses capitalize on AI’s capabilities to recognize the most value?

With its vast number of applications, AI can be overwhelming, especially for entrepreneurs who likely aren’t tech experts and are already stretched thin from wearing multiple hats every day to run their growing businesses. Thankfully, several established, reliable ways exist to take advantage of AI for both long- and short-term business benefits. Here are three key areas where business owners can use AI to improve decision-making and create stronger operational efficiencies for rapidly scaling businesses.

Simplifying Financial Operations ​

Everyone knows that poor cash flow is detrimental to business health and success, but it’s still one of the most common problems for most entrepreneurs. According to a recent Intuit QuickBooks report, more than two-thirds of small business owners (68 percent) surveyed say they struggle with cash flow problems. To address these challenges, business owners need to leverage tools that can provide the visibility and insights they need to understand their financial performance. AI-enabled tools can predict cash flow by tracking money-in, money-out patterns from expenses, payments, and more. These insights are incredibly valuable and give entrepreneurs the timely information they need to make better decisions and catapult growth.

Continue reading: https://solutionsreview.com/busines...ways-ai-can-help-scale-your-growing-business/

In 2021, a malicious actor remotely accessed a water treatment plant in the US to increase the amount of sodium hydroxide in the water to a dangerous level – which could have potentially harmed millions of people. This is one example of how poorly secured IoT devices can affect public utilities and endanger citizens.

Across Southeast Asia, smart city initiatives like Singapore’s Smart Nation goals and Thailand’s Thailand 4.0 mission promise to improve the quality of life for citizens on national scales. But as physical systems become more intertwined with technologies like Internet of Things (IoT), vulnerabilities in these devices could lead to disastrous incidents.

The number of IoT devices is only set to grow. According to Statista, we can expect to see close to 30 billion connected devices globally by 2030, and at least 20 to 30 per cent of these devices will reside in Southeast Asia, says Poh Chang Chew, Principal Cybersecurity Consultant OT/Critical Infrastructure & Global Partners APAC, Fortinet to GovInsider.

Chew shares with GovInsider three emerging risks that IoT security professionals need to watch out for in the coming years.

1. AI-enabled cyber warfare​

First, security professionals will have to guard IoT devices against the rise of AI-enabled cyber attacks, says Chew.

As AI grows more advanced and generative AI such as ChatGPT proliferates, malicious actors could use these technologies to quickly identify vulnerabilities and loopholes within the source code of various connected devices, he explains.

Right now, threat actors use reconnaissance websites like Shodan or botnets to identify vulnerable devices connected to the Internet, such as IP cameras, heat sensors, and other devices used in smart city systems. Then, they can hack into vulnerable devices residing at data centres to modify cooling settings and disrupt operations, he explains.

IoT devices tend to lack strong security, as IoT vendors prioritize speed to market rather than security during the development lifecycle, Chew says. AI can make the process of exploiting these vulnerabilities even easier.

Continue reading: https://govinsider.asia/intl-en/art...-internet-of-things-will-have-to-fend-against

To stay a step ahead of the bad guys, businesses are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation to identify patterns of suspicious activity and thwart issues that can cause organizational, financial, and reputational harm.
It’s an unfortunate reality that economic uncertainty ignites fraudulent activity. According to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse, organizations lose 5% of revenue to fraud each year, totaling more than $4.7 trillion lost to fraud globally. That number is expected to continue climbing as desperation fuels criminal activity in the face of a vulnerable economy challenged by a looming recession, interest rate hikes, and bank volatility.

To stay a step ahead of the bad guys, businesses are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation, including machine learning (ML) and automated decisioning, to identify patterns of suspicious activity and thwart issues that can cause organizational, financial, and reputational harm.

Why AI is Key in Helping Fight Fraud​

As economic volatility persists, it is crucial for any organization to bolster its fraud management and mitigation approach. AI can provide fast, accurate, and cost-effective defense that not only helps detect fraud in real time but can also prevent it from happening in the first place —all without compromising the customer experience.

Continue reading: https://www.rtinsights.com/how-ai-helps-businesses-fight-fraud/

As new technologies reshape the world of work, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are accelerating the digital transformation. These innovations are profoundly impacting how business leaders think about and invest in their organizations in 2023. It has become clearer than ever that the businesses that are primed to thrive and capture new horizons of market share in the years ahead will be those that are underpinned by innovative new digital technologies.

The data backs this up. The global AI market is projected to reach $1,345.2 billion by 2030 according to MarketsandMarkets, with a CAGR of 36.8% from 2023 to 2030. In 2017, Gartner predicted that by the end of 2020, AI would create more than 2.3 million jobs.

Finally, research from the Infosys Knowledge Institute found that “firms that use AI well can increase enterprise profit by 38% and will help deliver $14 trillion of gross added value to corporations by 2035.” These are compelling statistics that clearly show our future trajectory.

I will share a few areas where I see generative AI as a key enabler to empowering employees, and thus powering new business opportunities ahead for organizations.

Generative AI Applied To Work​

Generative AI has the transformative ability to reshape business processes, boost productivity and streamline repetitive tasks—all areas I see that can enrich the employee experience and complement how we as workers get our jobs done to maximum effectiveness.


Imagine a work world where we can spend less time on lower-value tasks (e.g., administration, research, report creation, customer support, etc.) and are able to engage our minds more in strategic thinking, decision-making, creativity and collaboration, for example. This is an AI-powered future that can benefit and enrich both the enterprise and individual alike.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...m-it-and-shape-its-evolution/?sh=7d26002934b4

Should you use A.I. in your business?

And if so, how?

Maybe you've quickly become a generative A.I. expert. Or maybe you've been playing around with GPTs and know enough to be dangerous. Or maybe you have no idea what all the fuss is about but it seems dystopian.

Either way, we're all acutely aware that the A.I. bandwagon is running out of room.

It's time to hop on.

Right?

Look, no one can give you the exact right answer, but I'll give you a framework to answer it for yourself.

First, Let's Ask the Right Question​

The part of A.I. that makes all the money is not so much about getting the right answer as it is about asking the right question.

So let's make sure we do that here too.

This new flavor of A.I. (and it is indeed just a flavor, is not the kind that's going to kill us all, yet) isn't all that new.

In 2010 and 2011, I co-invented the first commercially available natural language generation (NLG) engine and platform at Automated Insights, which is a fancy way to say that we taught computers how to write articles based on data.

While we used both A.I. and machine learning (ML) to enhance the engine and the platform, our product was neither pure A.I. nor pure ML. Since those early days, NLG has been combined with natural language processing (NLP), a science that started going mainstream with Alexa and Siri, and has now evolved to become generative A.I. -- what we think of as OpenAI and ChatGPT and the like.

But back in 2010, the term NLG hadn't been coined yet, or at least it wasn't mainstream enough to get on into our consciousness, so we referred to what we were doing as automated content, because automation is like 90 percent of what makes A.I. seem like magic and money.

So the real question you should be asking is, "How much automation should I use in my business?"

And to get to that answer, we have to understand the difference.

Thinking Versus Acting​

Machine learning is "thinking" and automation is "acting." As technology continues to blur the lines between machine learning (thinking) and automation (acting), we roll it all into one smart technology called A.I.

Continue reading: https://www.inc.com/joe-procopio/should-you-use-ai-in-your-business.html

Think of a self-driving vehicle. The ML tells it where to go, the automation executes those decisions. Those technologies are unrelated and usually self-contained, but they have to work in complete harmony.

Adopting blockchain-enabled web3 technologies offers a massive opportunity for all industries to upgrade their security and productivity dramatically

Technologies associated with web3 have had a turbulent time of late. From major declines in cryptocurrency prices to what some see as a cooling in enthusiasm for the metaverse, talk about the decentralized future of the internet has diminished somewhat.
According to research by Bain & Company only 20% of organizations have a well-defined strategy in place for web3, with the report suggesting businesses “lack confidence” in their abilities to deploy the new technology.
This month Technology Magazine speaks with three experts in the field of web3 - Daniel Field (DF), Director of Innovation & Global Head of Blockchain at UST, Simon Bain (SB), CEO of OmniIndex and Alex Leventer (AL), Web3 Development Lead, DataStax - to gather their thoughts into how the technology will accelerate digital transformations in future and how web3 is shaping business models.

In what ways can web3 technologies accelerate digital transformations?​

DF: Users will eventually curate collections of digital objects reflecting their past achievements, evolving interests and tastes and most memorable experiences, much as they do with photos, souvenirs and memorabilia today. Only these digital objects can also provide utility, such as access rights or service privileges. This will give new incentive mechanisms to retailers, employers, educators and the entertainment sector, such as new approaches to loyalty and reward.

Continue reading: https://technologymagazine.com/articles/how-web3-will-drive-the-future-of-digital-transformations

What is the one thing common in high-profile wedding shoots and precision pesticide spray in agriculture? Well, drones! Drones are being used extensively across industries, today. They are assisting in various use cases in agriculture, helping in reducing search times in rescue operations, joining the fight against plastic pollution in oceans, and becoming almost indispensable in delivering aid to people in need.

Mission Possible​

Oceans cover more than 70% of the earth’s surface and are one of the most valuable natural resources of our planet. However, they are being drowned with trash. Armed with artificial intelligence (AI) and high-resolution cameras, drones are helping fight plastic pollution in the oceans. AI enables the drone to distinguish between plastic waste and sea animals, such as jellyfish. Once the drone can make this distinction, it can then take high-resolution pictures or 4K videos of areas in the oceans that are flooded with trash or pollution hotspots. This allows the teams to target the right area for cleanup without wasting effort, time, and money. Later, data and images can be analyzed to help understand and identify the triggers for pollution in specific areas. This can help in correcting or fixing bigger issues and provide a better and long-lasting solution.

It is important to note that storage plays a key role in capturing, storing, and processing data to help unlock solutions. Moreover, drones need specialist storage solutions with high endurance, high performance, and high capacity. For example, a 4K video at 100mpbs over 30 minutes of operation can generate up to 22GB of data. Therefore, the 4K cameras need to be powered by high capacity and high endurance microSD cards.

Continue reading: https://timestech.in/unlocking-new-possibilities-with-drones/

In early July, the Associated Press made a deal with OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, to license “part of AP’s text archive” and get access to “OpenAI’s technology and product expertise.” A few days later, OpenAI announced a $5 million grant, accompanied by $5 million in software use “credits,” to the American Journalism Project, an organization that supports nonprofit newsrooms. Meanwhile, Google has reportedly been presenting major news organizations, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal, with a new software “personal assistant” for journalists, code-named Genesis, which promises to “take in information — details of current events, for example — and generate news content,” with a pitch described by some in attendance as unsettling. A number of news organizations, including G/O media, which owns Gizmodo, Jezebel, and The Onion, are experimenting with blog-style content generated from scratch, and plenty of others, with varying degrees of transparency, have started to dabble.

Last week, Semafor reported that the next significant meeting between news organizations and AI firms might occur in court: Barry Diller’s IAC, along with “a handful of key publishers,” including the Times, News Corp, and Axel Springer, are reportedly “formalizing a coalition that could lead a lawsuit as well as press for legislative action.” They’re not looking for small grants or exploratory collaborations. In their view, AI companies are systematically stealing content in order to train software models to copy it. They’re looking for compensation that could “run into the billions.”

These are, it is fair to say, the inconsistent actions of a mixed-up industry confronting speculative disruption from a position of weakness. This is not ideal if you’re the sort of person who places much stock in a functional Fourth Estate, but it’s also not unique: In conference rooms around the world, white-collar workers are stumbling through mind-numbing conversations about incoherent presentations on the imminent approach of AI with the assignment or intention of making some — any! — sort of plan. It’s also understandable. It’s easier to get the leadership at OpenAI and Google to talk about the apocalypse than it is to get a clear sense of even their own plans for making money with large language models, much less how those plans might affect the reporting and distribution of the news. The media industry’s particular expressions of panic are a result of a comprehensive sense of exposure to these new forms of automation — which is arguably the best way to think about artificial intelligence — combined with a sense of profound confusion about what the challenges are and for whom.

The industry’s scattered early responses to AI do, however, seem to contain some assumptions, and from those assumptions we can extrapolate some possible futures — if not the likely ones, then at least ones that people in charge of the news business are most excited about or of which they are most afraid. The news media’s flailing early responses to AI are, in their own ways, predictions. There are, so far, a few dominant schools of thought about this.

Continue reading: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/08/how-ai-will-change-the-news-business.html

The surge of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications is spurring exciting innovations and consumer experiments, but it also worries many people who are concerned about data privacy or only being able to communicate with a company through a bot. These concerns are especially acute in industries where customer interactions and data privacy are critical, such as banking or healthcare.

Some level of anxiety typically accompanies breakthrough technologies, and it’s natural to worry about a technology that mimics human intelligence. As this new class of large language models has emerged, however, most companies have put model risk, accuracy of the model’s output, and ethical use of data at the heart of their risk frameworks. They aim to ensure responsible uses of new AI technology.

Less appreciated is the risk that companies will cede the customer experience to models and bots designed to extract value in the short term, not to foster long-term customer loyalty. Companies might increasingly pair traditional AI and machine learning models with generative AI to deliver messages and offers to customers in more human-like ways. If we are not careful, profit-seeking bots, algorithms, and predictive models could indeed lead to dystopian experiences.

Even in the world of AI, customer love should lead the way. Traditional metrics of customer sentiment, such as Net Promoter Score (NPS), may start to look different, but one premise will endure: Every interaction enhances or diminishes a customer’s perception the company involved.

Informing each decision with the goal of enriching customers’ lives will lay down a reliable route to an AI-enabled future that creates more value for customers, employees, and shareholders. In fact, early published results from researchers at Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology show favorable effects from the rollout of an AI-based conversational assistant tool to 5,200 customer support agents in several countries. Not only did the tool raise agent productivity by 14% on average, but the AI-assisted interactions had higher average NPS, and monthly agent attrition dropped by 9%.

Continue reading: https://hbr.org/2023/08/using-ai-to-build-stronger-connections-with-customers

One of the great challenges for the healthcare industry has always been patient privacy. Whether it’s a hospital setting, a physician’s office, or a child’s vaccination records required by a school, we are right to be cautious with sensitive medical data.

Historically, though, healthcare consumers have had little control over their personal medical records. These are often distributed across many fragmented systems and offices in our decentralized healthcare infrastructure. The result? Individuals often have little to no say in how their records are being used. There is no concept for the average consumer about where their information is stored, how it’s secured, or who else has access to it. The irony here is consumers must worry about others accessing their medical information they themselves do not have reliable access to!

When a consumer needs to request a record, sometimes it can result in having to jump through several hoops, especially when it comes to old records. Perhaps the consumer has moved to a new provider, perhaps the old provider has closed their office—both pose time-consuming problems for the patient. Beyond this, many records are never seen by the patients themselves, so how can they know the records exist except on blind faith? It’s not surprising many patients give up on tracking down old records and choose to “start fresh.”

Blockchain, however, can address many of our current concerns over privacy, security, and access through streamlined identity management. If we move medical records onto blockchain and tie them to an industry-wide patient identifier, it will allow individuals to finally exercise ownership over their own medical information. These private and public keys would serve as personal identifiers much in the same way that Bitcoin private keys allow ownership of Bitcoin wallets.

Not only would this allow consumers to exercise control over their records stored across a distributed network of healthcare providers and institutions, but the individual would be empowered to grant access to institutions as needed. The consumer could become the authority on what gets shared with whom!
Continue reading: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGtwVxjQFWPRfnKFdSKPDtlxtMW

The internet as we know it is changing. New web3 tools and platforms are arising that harness blockchain, NFTs and cryptocurrency. And thanks to metaverse technologies, online experiences are fast becoming much more immersive and realistic. In this future internet, web3, and metaverse technologies will transform how we engage with our favorite artists, musicians and sports stars. It'll give us more immersive gaming and entertainment experiences and new ways of consuming art. It will alter creative industries forever.

Music is one creative industry that’s already being disrupted by metaverse and web3 technologies. Here are four major shifts taking place in the world of music.

Virtual performances
Imagine going to a concert with millions of other people. It would be impossible in the real world. Hellish, even. But it’s a breeze in the metaverse, as shown by Ariana Grande’s series of virtual Fortnite shows – which, over the course of several days, attracted an audience of 78 million. Virtual gigs like this, where the artist performs as a digital avatar, are becoming increasingly popular, providing an exciting way for artists to expand their audience. So much so that the MTV Video Music Awards have now introduced a “Best Metaverse Performance” category. Launched at the 2022 VMAs, the first award was won by K-pop band Blackpink.

Interestingly, digital avatars of pop stars are also making an appearance in the physical world. The ABBA show, ABBA Voyage, is a perfect example of this, featuring digital avatars (“ABBAtars”) of the foursome in their 1970s heyday, performing on stage backed by a real-life band and backing singers.

I've been lucky enough to go to the ABBA show, and I was honestly blown away. It feels like you're watching the real ABBA perform on stage. Half-way through the show, my wife leaned over and told me this was going to “blow future concerts out of the water.” Take it from her, then: ABBA Voyage is a milestone moment in entertainment. Imagine where this technology could go in the future: gigs from long-deceased entertainers (either in physical locations or metaverse arenas); collaborations between artists who are on stage in a physical arena alongside hyper-realistic avatars of other artists; being able to watch the Beatles live in concert… It’s an exciting time to be a live music fan.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernar...nd-web3-will-transform-music/?sh=547772365799

Today, there is an increasing realization amongst IoT adopters and vendors that the various constituent elements of an IoT solution must be delivered as a managed service or series of managed services. In June 2023, Transforma Insights published a white paper in collaboration with Telit Cinterion entitled, “The Internet of Things can only be delivered as a managed service,” which looked at why enterprises should be more selective about demanding a more personalized service and picking their IoT connectivity partners. Let’s take a look at some of the key highlights in the white paper.

8 Key Highlights​

#: Managed Service is the Best Way​

In February 2023, Transforma Insights published its annual Communications Service Provider IoT Peer Benchmarking report, looking at the capabilities and strategies of CSPs in delivering IoT connectivity and other associated services. One notable trend, which has also been manifested in other areas of IoT, has been the greater requirement to provide more customer support, whether it be a full systems integration project, enriched post-sales support, or something in between.

It has become well-recognized that enterprises need some handholding to deploy their IoT projects. This is even more pronounced for mass market deployments in which adopters have little to no direct expertise in IoT. Simply throwing an increasingly complex array of hardware, middleware platforms, connectivity options, and cloud architectures at an enterprise and expecting them to piece together their own IoT solution is, at best, fanciful. IoT is a non-core area for almost every adopter, so some element of handholding is critical.

#2: Infinitely Scalable IoT Is Gone​

One major implication of the customization requirement is that there is a diminishing opportunity for any company to exist as an infinitely scalable IoT platform. Such elements are increasingly commoditized and demanding of a service layer on top of them. Middleware companies are differentiating on vertical sector expertise, and recent years have seen some major technology vendors mothball or close their IoT platform play, including Google IoT Core and IBM Watson IoT.

IoT is a service rather than a product business; such is the necessity for customization to meet clients’ requirements. This means fewer unicorn platform companies and more service-oriented companies resolving real-world client requirements.

Continue reading:

#2: Infinitely Scalable IoT Is Gone​

One major implication of the customization requirement is that there is a diminishing opportunity for any company to exist as an infinitely scalable IoT platform. Such elements are increasingly commoditized and demanding of a service layer on top of them. Middleware companies are differentiating on vertical sector expertise, and recent years have seen some major technology vendors mothball or close their IoT platform play, including Google IoT Core and IBM Watson IoT.

IoT is a service rather than a product business; such is the necessity for customization to meet clients’ requirements. This means fewer unicorn platform companies and more service-oriented companies resolving real-world client requirements.

The exciting IoT project ideas and topics for beginners offer a boundless realm of innovation​

The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized our interaction with technology, enabling objects and devices to communicate, collect, and exchange data seamlessly. From smart home automation to wearable tech and environmental monitoring, Internet of Things (IoT) projects offer a gateway to innovation, automation, and connectivity.

The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to revolutionize industries and daily life, offering endless possibilities for innovation. We explore cutting-edge concepts, applications, and challenges in IoT projects in this dynamic era. IoT project ideas encompass various domains, including smart homes, healthcare, agriculture, industrial automation, and sustainable energy. Unleash your creativity by developing sensor networks, AI-driven IoT solutions, and real-time data analytics for enhanced decision-making. With rapid technological advancements and an interconnected world, our IoT projects open the gateway to endless opportunities for research, development, and positive impact. Let’s delve deep into the 10 exciting IoT project ideas and topics for beginners in 2023:

IoT projects have revolutionized various industries with their interconnected devices and data-driven solutions. Smart home automation is one prominent application that enables users to control appliances remotely for enhanced convenience and energy efficiency. IoT devices monitor patients’ vital signs in healthcare and send real-time alerts to medical professionals, improving patient care and response times. Agricultural IoT projects utilize sensors to optimize irrigation and crop management, boosting yields sustainably. Industrial IoT streamlines manufacturing processes by enabling predictive maintenance and remote equipment monitoring, minimizing downtime, and optimizing production. IoT-powered smart cities manage traffic flow and parking in transportation, reducing congestion and pollution. These diverse IoT initiatives showcase the transformative potential of the interconnected world, enhancing lives and industries alike.

1. Smart Home Automation System​

Create a smart home automation system allowing users to control various appliances and devices remotely. Utilize sensors and actuators to monitor and manage lighting, temperature, and security. Integrate voice commands and mobile applications to control the smart home efficiently.

Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/10-exciting-iot-project-ideas-and-topics-for-beginners/

Over the past 24 months, it has become clear that our approach to public safety and security from the “air domain” lacks the attention and support needed to secure public space.

Although there is a tremendous ongoing effort by a select few of our legislators to address the technological advances in commercial drone platforms, it is still not enough. The reality of the current law dates to 2018, a time far removed from the technical maturity and innovations of the drone market today.

Recent predictions have the drone market growing substantially over the next several years, and sUAS producers are in a heated competition to bring the next feature or capability to the market. Additionally, events around the globe concerning drone incidents and use cases continue to show the agility and creativity of how the platform can be used and the risks associated with being asleep at the wheel.

Furthermore, if you look at how current legislation is structured, it clearly shows the focus on the centralization of authority for mitigation at the government level.

There are provisions in the 2018 bill (the bill currently in effect) that give federal entities the authority to protect and counter sUAS events, but these authorities are narrowly defined and focus on critical infrastructure, DOD and special events.

The current law does very little to address the real need: public events and venues. These are the places the public gathers in mass, are the most vulnerable, and should be considered a priority. Security professionals can no longer avoid this new dimension of the physical security program. The “air domain” is now a major consideration, and business owners should take note.

Let’s recap how this market is organized into various sectors. In general, the sUAS market consists of the following compartmentalized pillars.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...egislation-where-do-we-stand/?sh=249e0bb8553a

More firms are getting the chance to safely explore what generative AI can do for business thanks to out-of-the-box tools.

It was feared that the economics of generative AI and large language models (LLMs) trained on vast amounts of data gathered from the web and requiring thousands of GPUs could limit the rewards to just a few tech pioneers. But that scenario is changing. More firms are asking what generative AI can do for their business, and the specialist skills that were necessary at the beginning of the boom are being codified to help companies more widely.

AI systems capable of showing the right ads to the right people and enabling more powerful web searches are hugely valuable, which explains why tech giants such as Google, Meta and Microsoft have assigned multi-million dollar budgets to projects in these domains. But that activity barely scratches the surface in terms of potential use cases. And providers are showing that the rise of AI doesn’t just have to benefit massive tech firms with large in-house resources.

Democratizing AI access​

Andrew Ng – a famous figure in the success of deep learning – is aware that customization requirements can present a hurdle when it comes to realizing AI’s full potential across the long tail of applications. In principle, vision systems for textile firms and food preparation companies – to give just a couple of use cases – could help millions of workers.

Ng’s vision is that simple-to-use platforms that take the heavy lifting out of building an AI model will empower vast numbers of businesses that have, until now, been unable to reap the benefits. Ng’s team has developed a platform dubbed LandingLens that ‘makes computer vision super easy’. And users can quickly educate the system to automate defect detection, improving product quality and dramatically reducing the need for time-consuming manual inspection.

Continue reading: https://techhq.com/2023/07/what-can-generative-ai-do-for-business/

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) across industries globally is continuously transforming corporate strategy in today’s digital era, and HR and talent acquisition are no exception. Visions of the future are debated across departments and teams, as are hopes and concerns around how to approach and deploy this new technology.

My participation in two panel discussions at HR Tech North America, a two-day virtual conference organized by the HR Exchange Network, has prompted me to think more about where we stand when it comes to AI. Here are some key considerations and why they are important as companies continue to explore and invest in this technology.

1. Don’t be afraid of AI.​

With generative AI taking center stage since late last year, the biggest shift has been that users now have access to these tools directly. We are able to try them out and experiment ourselves, and we should. The future of work has arrived, and what we have been talking about for many years now is finally a reality.


Those who don’t continue to explore and learn risk falling behind in a fast-moving field. Staying on top of recent developments and learning about the strengths and weaknesses of these new tools, as well as their limitations, is key. This is reskilling and up-skilling in action, in an ever-faster changing environment. Staying on top of developments will be a key differentiator, across all areas of business, and agnostic to roles and seniority.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...-technology-for-business-use/?sh=787d91f179cb
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jodiecook/2023/07/31/6-chatgpt-prompts-to-improve-your-time-management/

AI and blockchain are two of the most talked about technologies. Both have the potential to become the most impactful solution we'll see in our lifetimes. Despite their differences, AI and blockchain not only coexist, but they also work in symbiosis. In fact, some companies around the world have already tried putting them together. Today, I'll discuss the possibilities of blockchain-powered AI and what it can mean for various areas of business.

Blockchain And AI​

A study conducted by Grand View Research projects the AI market expanse at a compound annual growth rate of 37.3% from 2023 to 2030. According to their revenue forecast, it’s destined to become a multi-billion-dollar industry. By the same year, the blockchain market is projected to reach $469.49 billion, according to Fortune Business Insights.

The obvious question is, what can these two do for each other? This is something in the works right now at many companies all around the world.

AI is an umbrella term that includes machine learning, deep learning and neural networks. All three are best illustrated in modern AI graphic and text tools. Neural networks, by definition, simulate the activity of a human brain. They perform the same tasks: prediction, analysis, decision-making, etc. Only in the case of AI, all the processes are more data-driven, logical and fast.

Blockchain is a technology dedicated to data recording and storage. Data is encrypted and secured so that it can’t be altered post-factum. Blockchains provide transparency, security and resistance to censorship, all without relying on trust.

Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...an-ai-be-tamed-by-blockchain/?sh=29e438e83e27