How do operational needs compare with organizations ambitions when it comes to using the cloud? Do plans for the cloud get ahead of what companies need?

Lisa Morgan, Freelance WriterDecember 16, 202411 Min ReadDubo via Alamy StockAs the competitive landscape changes and the mix of cloud services available continues to grow, organizations are moving deeper into the cloud to stay competitive. Many are adopting a cloud-first strategy.Organizations are adopting more advanced, integrated cloud strategies that include multi-cloud environments and expanded services such as platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), says Bryant Robinson, principal consultant at management consulting firm Sendero Consulting. This shift is driven by increasing demands for flexibility, scalability, and the need to support emerging technologies such as remote collaboration, real-time data processing and AI-powered diagnostics.Recent surges in cyberattacks have also accelerated these changes, highlighting the need for adaptable digital infrastructure to ensure continuity of business processes, enhance user accessibility, and protect sensitive customer data.Companies that are succeeding with cloud adoption are investing in improved security frameworks, focusing on interoperability, and leveraging cloud-native tools to build scalable applications, says Robinson. In addition, certain industries have to prioritize technology with regulation and compliance mechanisms that add a level of complexity. Within healthcare, for example, regulations like HIPAA are [considered] and prioritized through implementing secure data-sharing practices across cloud environments.Related:However, some organizations struggle with managing multi-cloud complexity and the resulting inability to access, share, and seamlessly use data across those environments. Organizations may also lack the in-house expertise needed to implement and operationalize cloud platforms effectively, leading to the inefficient use of resources and potential security risks.Organizations should develop a clear, long-term cloud strategy that aligns with organizational goals, focusing on interoperability, scalability, and security. Prioritize upskilling IT teams to manage cloud environments effectively and invest in disaster recovery and cybersecurity solutions to protect sensitive customer data, says Robinson. Embrace multi-cloud approaches for flexibility, simplifying management with automation and centralized control systems. Finally, select cloud vendors with a strong track record and expertise in supporting compliance within heavily regulated environments.Following are more trends driving cloud service shifts.1. InnovationPreviously, the demand for cloud data services was largely driven by flexibility, convenience and cost, but Emma McGrattan, CTO at Actian, a division of HCL Software, has seen a dramatic shift in how cloud data services are leveraged to accelerate innovation.Related:AI and ML use cases, specifically a desire to deliver on GenAI initiatives, are causing organizations to rethink their traditional approach to data and use cloud data services to provide a shortcut to seamless data integration, efficient orchestration, accelerated data quality, and effective governance, says McGrattan. [The] successful companies understand the importance of investing in data preparation, governance, and management to prepare for GenAI-ready data. They also understand that high-quality data is essential, not only for success but also to mitigate the reputational and financial risks associated with inaccurate AI-driven decisions, including the very real danger of automating actions based on AI hallucinations.The advantages of embracing these data trends include accelerated insights, enhanced customer experiences, and significant gains in operational efficiency. However, substantial challenges persist. Data integration across diverse systems remains a complex undertaking, and the scarcity of skilled data professionals presents a significant hurdle. Furthermore, keeping pace with the relentless acceleration of technological advancements demands continuous adaptation and learning. Successfully navigating these challenges requires sound data governance.Related:My advice is to focus on encouraging data literacy across the organization and to foster a culture of data curiosity, says McGrattan. I believe the most successful companies will be staffed with teams fluent in the language of data and empowered to ask questions of the data, explore trends, and uncover insights without encountering complexity or fearing repercussions for challenging the status quo. It is this curiosity that will lead to breakthrough insights and innovation because it pushes people to go beyond surface-level metrics.2. Cloud computing applicationsMost organizations are building modern cloud computing applications to enable greater scalability while reducing cost and consumption costs. Theyre also more focused on the security and compliance of cloud systems and how providers are validating and ensuring data protection.Their main focus is really around cost, but a second focus would be whether providers can meet or exceed their current compliance requirements, says Will Milewski, SVP of cloud infrastructure and operations at content management solution provider Hyland. Customers across industries are very cost-conscious. They want technology thats good, safe and secure at a much cheaper rate.Providers are shifting to more now container-based or server-free workloads to control cost because they allow providers to scale up to meet the needs of customer activity while also scaling back when systems are not heavily utilized.You want to unload as many apps as possible to vendors whose main role is to service those apps. That hasnt changed. What has changed is how much theyre willing to spend on moving forward on their digital transformation objectives, says Milewski.3. Artificial intelligence and machine learningTheres a fundamental shift in cloud adoption patterns, driven largely by the emergence of AI and ML capabilities. Unlike previous cycles focused primarily on infrastructure migration, organizations are now having to balance traditional cloud ROI metrics with strategic technology bets, particularly around AI services. According to Kyle Campos, chief technology and product officer at cloud management platform provider CloudBolt Software, this evolution is being catalyzed by two major forces: First, cloud providers are aggressively pushing AI capabilities as key differentiators rather than competing on cost or basic services. Second, organizations are realizing that cloud strategy decisions today have more profound implications for future innovation capabilities than ever before.The most successful organizations are maintaining disciplined focus on cloud ROI while exploring AI capabilities. Theyre treating AI services as part of their broader cloud fabric rather than isolated initiatives, ensuring that investments align with actual business value rather than just chasing the next shiny object, says Campos. [However,] many organizations are falling into the trap of making strategic cloud provider commitments based on current AI capabilities without fully understanding the long-term implications. Were seeing some get burned by premature all-in strategies, reminiscent of early cloud adoption mistakes. Theres also a tendency to underestimate the importance of maintaining optionality in this rapidly evolving landscape.4. Global collaboration and remote workMore organizations are embracing global collaboration and remote work, and they are facing an unprecedented quantity of data to manage.Companies are recognizing that with the exponential growth of data, the status quo for their IT stack cant accommodate their evolving performance, scalability and budget requirements. Both large enterprises and agile, innovative SMBs are seeking new ways to manage their data, and they understand that cloud services enable the future and accelerate business, says Colby Winegar, CEO at cloud storage company Storj. The companies on the leading edge are trying to incorporate non-traditional architectures and tools to deliver new services at lower cost without compromising on performance, security or ultimately, their customers experience.Some companies are struggling to adapt traditional IT infrastructure to future IT requirements when many of those solutions just cant accommodate burgeoning data growth and sustainability, legal and regulatory requirements. Other companies are facing data lock-ins.5. Business requirementsMost of todays enterprises have adopted hybrid cloud and multi-cloud strategies to avoid vendor lock-in and to optimize their utilization of cloud resources.The need for flexibility, cost control, and improved security are some factors driving this movement. Businesses are realizing various workloads could function better on various platforms, which helps to maximize efficiency and save expenses, says Roy Benesh, chief technology officer and co-founder of eSIMple, an eSIM offering.However, managing cloud costs is a challenge for many companies and some lack the security they need to minimize the potential for data breaches and non-compliance. There are also lingering issues with integrating new cloud services with current IT infrastructure.It is vital to start with a well-defined strategy that involves assessing present requirements and potential expansion. Cost and security management will be aided by the implementation of strong governance and monitoring mechanisms, says Benesh. Meanwhile, staff members can fully exploit cloud technology if training is invested in, resulting in optimization.6. Operational improvementCloud was initially adopted for cost efficiency, though many enterprises learned the hard way that cloud costs need to be constantly monitored and managed. Todays companies are increasingly using cloud for greater agility, innovation, to be closer to customers, ensure business continuity and reduce overall risk.Companies are getting it right when they invest in [a] cloud-native approach including design, deployment and operational processes while automating infrastructure management, enhancing cloud security and using data to drive decisions, says Sanjay Macwan, CIO/CISO at cloud communications company Vonage. These steps make operations more efficient and secure. However, challenges arise when decision-makers underestimate the complexity of managing multiple cloud environments. Why does this matter? Because it often leads to inefficient use of resources, security gaps and spiraling costs that hurt long-term strategic goals.To stay ahead, businesses must remain adaptable and resilient.My advice is to take a cloud-smart approach. This means balancing innovation with a strong governance framework. Invest in solutions for cloud cost optimization and implement comprehensive security measures from the start, says Macwan. This is crucial to staying ahead of security and cost management issues to ensure that your cloud strategy remains sustainable and effective while capturing full innovation agility that the cloud can offer. Train your teams to handle these complex environments, and always prioritize a design that is both secure and resilient.7. Performance, security and costMany organizations have questioned whether their wholesale migrations to cloud were worth it. Common concerns include security, performance and cost which has driven the move to hybrid cloud. Instead of going back to the old way of doing things, they want to take the lessons learned in public cloud and apply them on premises.Performance, security, and cost concerns are driving change. As cloud has become more popular, its also become more expensive. [Workload security] is now a bigger concern than ever, especially with modern speculative execution attacks at the CPU level. Lastly, some applications need to be physically close for latency and/or bandwidth reasons, says Kenny Van Alstyne, CTO at private cloud infrastructure company SoftIron. [M]igrating back to the legacy way of doing on-premises infrastructure will lead to the desire to move back to cloud again. To succeed and be accepted, on-premises must be managed as if it were your own cloud.One reason private cloud is gaining popularity is because organizations can gain the efficiencies of cloud, while maintaining control over cost, performance and security on-prem, assuming they have the prerequisite knowledge and experience to succeed or the help necessary to avoid common pitfalls.8. Specific workload requirementsOrganizations deploying AI at scale are discovering that while traditional cloud infrastructure performs work well for general-purpose compute workloads, it presents challenges for AI operations, such as the unpredictable availability of GPUs, prohibitive at-scale costs, the operational complexity of energy-dense workloads and performance bottlenecks in storage and networking. Complicating matters further, edge inferencing, initially touted as a darling AI deployment model, has been deprioritized by global telecommunications carriers due to 5Gs underwhelming commercial returns.Large language models demand high-performance storage systems capable of sustaining consistent, high-throughput data flows to keep pace with GPU processing speeds. While traditional cloud storage [and] enterprise SAN deployments work well for many use cases, AI training often requires vast sequential bandwidth to manage reduction operations effectively. Storage limitations can bottleneck training times and lead to costly delays, says Brennen Smith, head of infrastructure at cloud computing platform provider RunPod. While building these specialized systems in-house reduces overall [operating expenses], this requires deep internal architectural knowledge and is capital-intensive, further complicated by Nvidias release cadence, which is rendering GPUs outdated before their full depreciation cycle.These dynamics are leading to a different type of hybrid strategy, one thats using resources for what they do best. This includes combining public cloud, AI/ML-specific cloud offerings and on-premises infrastructure.9. Healthcare agilityHealthcare organizations made the same mistake many enterprises did: they started with lifting and shifting infrastructure to the cloud that was essentially recreating their on-premises environment in a cloud setting. While this provided some benefits, particularly around disaster recovery, it failed to unlock the clouds full potential.Today, we're witnessing a more mature approach. Organizations are increasingly understanding that true cloud value comes from embracing cloud-native architectures and principles. This means building new applications as cloud-first and modernizing existing systems to leverage native cloud capabilities rather than just hosting them there, says Nandy Vaisman, CISO and VP of operations at health data integration platform Vim.Given the value of EHRs, healthcare organizations cannot afford to take a lift-and-shift approach to cybersecurity. When they do, it creates potential vulnerabilities.Vaisman recommends the following:Moving beyond simple lift-and-shift to truly embrace cloud-native architecturesInvesting in cloud security expertise and trainingAdapting security practices specifically for cloud environmentsFocusing on privacy-by-design in cloud implementationsLeveraging cloud-native tools for compliance and security monitoringAbout the AuthorLisa MorganFreelance WriterLisa Morgan is a freelance writer who covers business and IT strategy and emergingtechnology for InformationWeek. She has contributed articles, reports, and other types of content to many technology, business, and mainstream publications and sites including tech pubs, The Washington Post and The Economist Intelligence Unit. Frequent areas of coverage include AI, analytics, cloud, cybersecurity, mobility, software development, and emerging cultural issues affecting the C-suite.See more from Lisa MorganNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also LikeWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore Reports

2025 on Disney+ kicks off with Marvels first in-house animated series inspired by Spider-Man. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (which was first announced a few years ago asSpider-Man: Freshman Year) follows Peter Parker in his earliest days as a spider-powered superhero.Among the shows twists on the classic Peter story: Norman Osborn is now his mentor instead of his main adversary. The shows voice cast includes Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn, Hugh Dancy as Doctor Octopus, and Charlie Coxonce again reprising his role as MarvelsDaredevil.Other highlights on Disney+ in January includes a new season of the nature seriesA Real Bugs Life, the Disney+ debut of the kids horror seriesGoosebumps: The Vanishing, and the conclusion of the first season of the currentStar Wars live-action seriesSkeleton Crew.(I hope those crazy kids get back home. I wouldnt be surprised if the season ends on a cliffhanger, though.)Heres the full list of whats coming to Disney+ in January 2025...Wednesday, January 1- Morphle: Shorts (S1, 10 episodes)Star Wars: Skeleton CrewLucasfilmloading...READ MORE: The Worst Disney Live-Action RemakesTuesday, January 7Disney+ OriginalsStar Wars: Skeleton Crew - Episode 7Thursday, January 9- UFOs: Investigating the Unknown (S2, 6 episodes)Disney+Disney+loading...Friday, January 10New to Disney+Goosebumps: The Vanishing - Premiere, All Episodes StreamingSaturday, January 11- My Best Friend's An Animal (S1, 6 episodes)Tuesday, January 14Disney+ OriginalsStar Wars: Skeleton Crew - Episode 8Disney+Disney+loading...Wednesday, January 15Disney+ OriginalsA Real Bug's Life (Season 2) - Premiere, All Episodes Streaming- Americas Funniest Home Videos: Global (S30-31 and 12, 58 episodes)- History's Greatest Mysteries (S5, 15 episodes)Saturday, January 18- Me & Winnie the Pooh (S2, 3 episodes)Sunday, January 22- Kiff: Lore of the Ring Light- To Catch a Smuggler: Tropical Takedown (S1, 10 episodes)MarvelMarvelloading...Wednesday, January 29Disney+ OriginalsYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man - Two-Episode Premiere- Foods that Built America (S5, 12 episodes) - Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup (S1, 8 episodes) - Pirates: Behind the Legends (S1, 8 episodes)Sign up for Disney+ here.Get our free mobile app20 Comic Book Movies You Forgot ExistedThere have been so many movies based on comics in recent years, you might not even remember all of them (or most of them).

Greta Gerwig is reportedly working on a Barbie sequel.Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, who received an Oscar nomination for their work on the original script, are said to have come up with an idea for a second Barbie movie.According to The Hollywood Reporter, it is still in the early stages, but there have been some discussions with Warner Bros.However, reps for the studio and Gerwig and Baumbach have denied the reports.Greta Gerwig - The 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival - GettyGreta Gerwig - The 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival - Gettyloading...READ MORE: 10 Huge Movies That Are Secretly Car CommercialsBack in October 2023, during a WGA West Q A moderated by Judd Apatow, Gerwig admitted she doesnt like to share her ideas too early as she worries it will wreck what the movie is.She explained: I find whenever Ive shared ideas too early, they become bad, then the movies not going to be any good. I dont like to talk about things too early or pitch things or show treatments too early because it feels like its gonna somehow wreck what the movie is.In addition to Barbie, which Gerwig directed, Gerwig and Baumbach have collaborated on the scripts for his movies Mistress Americaand Frances Ha.Speaking previously about the director, Barbie star and producer Margot Robbie said: She cracked the code on this film, as only she could. It is such a singular vision, and Greta brought so much humanity, creativity, inspiration, magic and joy to Barbie.Get our free mobile appThe Most Underrated Movies of 2024Lets give some love to the 2024 films that deserved more attention.

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), CST (UTC -6), MST (UTC -7), PST (UTC -8), AKST (UTC -9), HST (UTC -10)If you are a Therapist licensed in Kentucky, Texas or Indiana and have one of the following credentials - LMHC, LCSW, LMFT or LPC, I would love to talk to you about the career opportunities available at Mindoula!We are looking for Therapists to work 100% remote in our Substance Use Disorder Program serving our substance exposed members. Our Substance Use Disorder Program's focus is on prenatal and postpartum care and substance-exposed living populations.You would be a good fit for this position if you are interested in Mindoula covering all the fees to license and credential you in other states as well. We are currently hiring therapists to work with members in KY, TX and IN while they are being licensed and credentialed in Washington State.Once licensed, the Therapist will work Pacific Standard Time hours with our members in WA state.Our teams address substance exposed living and substance exposed pregnancy. You will work within a family-focused culture and have the benefit of learning both the clinical and business sides of the company. You will have a flexible schedule and the freedom to create groups and utilize evidence based practices you are most passionate about.As a clinician, you will work in collaborative settings to provide biopsychosocial assessments, individual and group therapy, and work with your team to coordinate care across a range of substance use disorder treatment settings. You will enjoy the flexibility and autonomy to work from home.Compensation: Potential to earn up to $75,000 a year based on your clinical hours, plus amazing benefits.Comprehensive Benefits Package includes:Medical, Dental and Vision InsuranceSupplemental Life InsuranceShort Term and Long Term Insurance paid by Mindoula401k, with a company match3 weeks paid vacation each year, 4 paid mental wellness days and 11 paid holidaysParental Leave: 8 weeks of paid parental leavePersonal Development Program: $500 credit reimbursement per calendar yearHow you'll contribute:Assesses, plans and implements care strategies that are individualized by member and directed toward the most appropriate and least restrictive level of care.Collaborates with member, family and healthcare providers to develop an individualized plan of care.Conducts individual counseling and group therapy with adolescents and adults.Identifies and initiates referrals for social service programs including financial, psycho-social, community and state supportive services.Advocates for members and families as needed to ensure the patients needs and choices are fully represented and supported by the healthcare team.Utilizes approved clinical criteria to assess and determine appropriate level of care for members.Documents all member assessments, care plan and referrals provided.Responsible for achieving set goals; Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).Learning the StrongWell model and taking responsibility and ownership for outcome based care.Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings and utilization management rounds and provides information to assist with safe transitions of care.Promotes responsible and ethical stewardship of company resources.Maintains excellent punctuality and attendance during work hours.Qualifications:LCSW, LMFT, LMHC, LPC in KY, IN, or TX State.Preferred experience with substance abuse population.Background in maternal; substance abuse preferred.Experience with adults and adolescents.Familiarity with Medicare and Medicaid procedures.Remote Work Experience.Come be part of the solution!

Time zones: EST (UTC -5), MST (UTC -7), ART (UTC -3), UTC -4, UTC -4:30, UTC -3, UTC -2Were partnering with a remote-based company that's seeking a detail-oriented and technically savvy Operations Onboarding Associate. This full-time remote position, plays a key role in ensuring smooth operations, particularly in vendor and customer onboarding, product catalog management, and system integration setup and testing.About the Role:Responsibilities:1-3 years of experience in operations, or a similar role.Assist with new vendor onboarding and new customer onboarding, ensuring a seamless experience for all parties.Manage our product catalog, including uploading and updating digital content on our website.Set up and conduct QA testing for integrations, such as our Shopify integration. Work closely with vendors to facilitate and troubleshoot connections.Requirements:Technically savvy with the ability to quickly learn new systems and tools.Proficiency in Excel and working knowledge of databases is essential.No coding or programming skills required.Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills.Experience or interest in the pet industry is a bonus but not mandatory.What We Offer:A fully remote work environment with flexible scheduling.Opportunities for growth and skill development.The chance to make a meaningful impact on our operations and customer experience.If this sounds like the perfect role for you, apply today and help us streamline operations and deliver exceptional service to our vendors and customers! Related Jobs See more All Other Remote jobs

AIs emissions are about to skyrocket even further Its no secret that the current AI boom is using up immense amounts of energy. Now we have a better idea of how much. A new paper, from a team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examined 78% of all data centers in the country in the US. These facilitiesessentially buildings filled to the brim with rows of serversare where AI models get trained, and they also get pinged every time we send a request through models like ChatGPT. They require huge amounts of energy both to power the servers and to keep them cool. Since 2018, carbon emissions from data centers in the US have tripled.Its difficult to put a number on how much AI in particular is responsible for this surge. But AIs share is certainly growing rapidly as nearly every segment of the economy attempts to adopt the technology. Read the full story. Googles big week was a flex for the power of big tech Google has been speeding toward the holiday by shipping or announcing a flurry of products and updates. The combination of stuff here is pretty monumental, not just for a single company, but I think because it speaks to the power of the technology industryeven if it does trigger a personal desire that we could do more to harness that power and put it to more noble uses.Read more here. This story originally appeared in The Debrief with Mat Honan, our weekly take on whats really going on behind the biggest tech headlines. The story is subscriber-only sonab a subscriptiontoo, if you havent already! Or you cansign upto the newsletter for free to get the next edition in your inbox on Friday. The must-reads Ive combed the internet to find you todays most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Mysterious drones have been spotted along the US east coast People are getting a bit freaked out, to say the least. (BBC) Although sometimes theyre just small planes, authorities say.(Wired) Trump says they should be shot down.(Politico) 2 TikTok could be gone from app stores by January 19 Last week, a US appeals court upheld a law forcing Bytedance to divest. (Reuters) The rationale behind the ban could open the door to other regulations that suppress speech.(Atlantic) Influencers are putting together their post-TikTok plans.(Business Insider) The long-shot plan to save TikTok. (Verge) The depressing truth about the coming ban.(MIT Technology Review) 3 Authorities in Serbia are using phone-cracking tools to install spyware Activists and journalists found their phone had been tampered with after a run-in with police. (404 Media) 4 Cellphone videos are fueling violence inside US schools Students are using phones to arrange, provoke and capture brawls in the corridors. (NYT) 5 AI search startup Perplexity says it will generate $10.5 million a month next year Its in talks to raise money at a $9 billion valuation. (The Information) AI search could break the web. (MIT Technology Review) 6 How Musks partnership with Trump could influence science Even if he cant cut as much as hed like, he still stands to make big changes. (Nature) Is deleting the IRS his worst idea yet?(Washington Post) The top cybersecurity agency is bracing for Trump. (Wired) Trumps win is a huge loss for the climate.(MIT Technology Review) 7 AI firms will scour the globe looking for cheap energy Low-cost power is an absolute priority. (Wired) Its an insatiably hungry industry.(Bloomberg) 8 Anthropics Claude is winning the chatbot battle for tech insiders Its not as big as ChatGPT, but it's got a special something that people like. (NYT) A new Character.ai chatbot for teens will no longer talk romance. (Verge) How to trust what a chatbot says.(MIT Technology Review) 9 The reaction to the UnitedHealthcare CEOs murder could prompt a reckoning Healthcares algorithmic decision-making turns us into numbers on a spreadsheets. (Vanity Fair) Luigi Mangione has to mean something. (Atlantic) 10 How Chinas satellite megaprojects are challenging Starlink Between them, Qianfan, Guo Wang and Honghu-3 could have as many satellites.(CNBC) Quote of the day Weve achieved peak data and therell be no more. OpenAIs cofounder and former chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, tells the NeurIPS conference that the way AI models will be trained will have to change. The big story How to stop a state from sinkingApril 2024 In a 10-month span between 2020 and 2021, southwest Louisiana saw five climate-related disasters, including two destructive hurricanes. As if that wasnt bad enough, more storms are coming, and many areas are not prepared. But some government officials and state engineers are hoping there is an alternative: elevation. The $6.8 billion Southwest Coastal Louisiana Project is betting that raising residences by a few feet, coupled with extensive work to restore coastal boundary lands, will keep Louisianans in their communities. Ultimately, its something of a last-ditch effort to preserve this slice of coastline, even as some locals pick up and move inland and as formal plans for managed retreat become more popular in climate-vulnerable areas across the country and the rest of the world.Read the full story. Xander Peters We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?Drop me a lineortweet 'em at me.)+ How to make the most of yourjigsaw puzzlestry them on hard mode. +Mr Tickleis a maniac who needs to be stopped.+ Asong about Christmasthat probably many of us can relate to, if were honest. + If the original Home Alone was wince-inducing in terms of injuries, thesequelis even more excruciating.+ The best crispy roast potatoes ever?Ill let you be the judge.

Last week, this space was all about OpenAIs 12 days of shipmas. This week, the spotlight is on Google, which has been speeding toward the holiday by shipping or announcing its own flurry of products and updates. The combination of stuff here is pretty monumental, not just for a single company, but I think because it speaks to the power of the technology industryeven if it does trigger a personal desire that we could do more to harness that power and put it to more noble uses. To start, last week Google Introduced Veo, a new video generation model, and Imagen 3, a new version of its image generation model.Then on Monday, Google announced a breakthrough in quantum computing with its Willow chip. The company claims the new machine is capable of a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes that would take one of todays fastest supercomputers 10 septillion (that is, 1025) years. you may recall that MIT Technology Review covered some of the Willow work after researchers posted a paper preprint in August. But this week marked the big media splash. It was a stunning update that had Silicon Valley abuzz. (Seriously, I have never gotten so many quantum computing pitches as in the past few days.) Google followed this on Wednesday with even more gifts: a Gemini 2 release, a Project Astra update, and even more news about forthcoming agents called Mariner, an agent that can browse the web, and Jules, a coding assistant. First: Gemini 2. Its impressive, with a lot of performance updates. But I have frankly grown a little inured by language-model performance updates to the point of apathy. Or at least near-apathy. I want to see them do something. So for me, the cooler update was second on the list: Project Astra, which comes across like an AI from a futuristic movie set. Google first showed a demo of Astra back in May at its developer conference, and it was the talk of the show. But, since demos offer companies chances to show off products at their most polished, it can be hard to tell whats real and whats just staged for the audience. Still, when my colleague Will Douglas Heaven recently got to try it out himself, live and unscripted, it largely lived up to the hype. Although he found it glitchy, he noted that those glitches can be easily corrected. He called the experience stunning and said it could be generative AIs killer app.On top of all this, Will notes that this week Google DeepMind CEO (the companys AI division) Demis Hassabis was in Sweden to receive his Nobel Prize. And what did you do with your week? Making all this even more impressive, the advances represented in Willow, Gemini, Astra, and Veo are ones that just a few years ago many, many people would have said were not possibleor at least not in this timeframe.A popular knock on the tech industry is that it has a tendency to over-promise and under-deliver. The phone in your pocket gives the lie to this. So too do the rides I took in Waymos self-driving cars this week. (Both of which arrived faster than Ubers estimated wait time. And honestly its not been that long since the mere ability to summon an Uber was cool!) And while quantum has a long way to go, the Willow announcement seems like an exceptional advance; if not a tipping point exactly, then at least a real waypoint on a long road. (For what its worth, Im still not totally sold on chatbots. They do offer novel ways of interacting with computers, and have revolutionized information retrieval. But whether they are beneficial for humanityespecially given energy debts, the use of copyrighted material in their training data, their perhaps insurmountable tendency to hallucinate, etc.is debatable, and certainly is being debated. But Im pretty floored by this weeks announcements from Google, as well as OpenAIfull stop.) And for all the necessary and overdue talk about reining in the power of Big Tech, the ability to hit significant new milestones on so many different fronts all at once is something that only a company with the resources of a Google (or Apple or Microsoft or Amazon or Meta or Baidu or whichever other behemoth) can do.All this said, I dont want us to buy more gadgets or spend more time looking at our screens. I dont want us to become more isolated physically, socializing with others only via our electronic devices. I dont want us to fill the air with carbon or our soil with e-waste. I do not think these things should be the price we pay to drive progress forward. Its indisputable that humanity would be better served if more of the tech industry was focused on ending poverty and hunger and disease and war. Yet every once in a while, in the ever-rising tide of hype and nonsense that pumps out of Silicon Valley, epitomized by the AI gold rush of the past couple of years, there are moments that make me sit back in awe and amazement at what people can achieve, and in which I become hopeful about our ability to actually solve our larger problemsif only because we can solve so many other dumber, but incredibly complicated ones. This week was one of those times for me. Now read the rest of The Debrief The News Robotaxi adoptionis hitting a tipping point. But also,GM is shutting down its Cruise robotaxi division. Hereshow to use OpenAIs new video editing toolSora. Blueskyhas an impersonator problem. The AI hype machine iscoming under government scrutiny. The Chat Every week, I talk to one of MIT Technology Reviews journalists to go behind the scenes of a story they are working on. This week, I hit up James ODonnell, who covers AI and hardware, about his story on how the startup defense contractorAnduril is bringing AI to the battlefield. Mat:James, you got a pretty up close look at something most people probably havent even thought about yet, which is how the future of AI-assisted warfare might look. What did you learn on that trip that you think will surprise people? James:Two things stand out. One, I think people would be surprised by the gulf between how technology has developed for the last 15 years for consumers versus the military. For consumers, weve gotten phones, computers, smart TVs and other technologies that generally do a pretty good job of talking to each other and sharing our data, even though theyre made by dozens of different manufacturers. Its called the internet of things. In the military, technology has developed in exactly the opposite way, and its putting them in a crisis. They have stealth aircraft all over the world, but communicating about a drone threat might be done with Powerpoints and a chat service reminiscent of AOL Instant Messenger. The second is just how much the Pentagon is now looking to AI to change all of this. New initiatives have surged in the current AI boom. They are spending on training new AI models to better detect threats, autonomous fighter jets, and intelligence platforms that use AI to find pertinent information. What I saw at Andurils test site in California is also a key piece of that. Using AI to connect to and control lots of different pieces of hardware, like drones and cameras and submarines, from a single platform. The amount being invested in AI is much smaller than for aircraft carriers and jets, but its growing. Mat:I was talking with a different startup defense contractor recently, who was talking to me about the difficulty of getting all these increasingly autonomous devices on the battlefield talking to each other in a coordinated way. Like Anduril, he was making the case that this has to be done at the edge, and that there is too much happening for human decision making to process. Do you think thats true? Why is that? James:So many in the defense space have pointed to the war in Ukraine as a sign that warfare is changing. Drones are cheaper and more capable than they ever were in the wars in the Middle East. Its why the Pentagon is spending $1 billion on the Replicator initiative to fieldthousands of cheap dronesby 2025. Its also looking to field more underwater drones as it plans for scenarios in which China may invade Taiwan. Once you get these systems, though, the problem is having all the devices communicate with one another securely. You need to play Air Traffic Control at the same time that youre pulling in satellite imagery and intelligence information, all in environments where communication links are vulnerable to attacks. Mat:I guess I still have a mental image of a control room somewhere, like you might see inDr. StrangeloveorWar Games(orStar Warsfor that matter) with a handful of humans directing things. Are those days over? James:I think a couple things will change. One, a single person in that control room will be responsible for a lot more than they are now. Rather than running just one camera or drone system manually, theyll command software that does it for them, for lots of different devices. The idea that the defense tech sector is pushing is to take them out of the mundane tasksrotating a camera around to look for threatsand instead put them in the drivers seat for decisions that only humans, not machines, can make. Mat:I know that critics of the industry push back on the idea of AI being empowered to make battlefield decisions, particularly when it comes to life and death, but it seems to me that we are increasingly creeping toward that and it seems perhaps inevitable. Whats your sense? James:This is painting with broad strokes, but I think the debates about military AI fall along similar lines to what we see for autonomous vehicles. You have proponents saying that driving is not a thing humans are particularly good at, and when they make mistakes, it takes lives. Others might agree conceptually, but debate at what point its appropriate to fully adopt fallible self-driving technology in the real world. How much better does it have to be than humans? In the military, the stakes are higher. Theres no question that AI is increasingly being used to sort through and surface information to decision-makers. Its finding patterns in data, translating information, and identifying possible threats. Proponents are outspoken that that will make warfare more precise and reduce casualties. What critics are concerned about is how far across that decision-making pipeline AI is going, and how much there is human oversight. I think where it leaves me is wanting transparency. When AI systems make mistakes, just like when human military commanders make mistakes, I think we deserve to know, and that transparency does not have to compromise national security. It tookyearsfor reporter Azmat Khan to piece together the mistakes made during drone strikes in the Middle East, because agencies were not forthcoming. That obfuscation absolutely cannot be the norm as we enter the age of military AI. Mat:Finally, did you have a chance to hit an In-N-Out burger while you were in California? James:Normally In-N-Out is a requisite stop for me in California, but ahead of my trip I heard lots of good things about the burgers at The Apple Pan in West LA, so I went there. To be honest, the fries were better, but for the burger I have to hand it to In-N-Out. The Recommendation A few weeks ago I suggestedCa7riel and Paco Amorosos appearance on NPR Tiny Desk. At the risk of this space becoming a Tiny Desk stan account, Im back again with another. I was completely floored byDoechiis Tiny Desk appearance last week. Its so full of talent and joy and style and power. I came away completely inspired and have basically had her music on repeat in Spotify ever since. If you are already a fan of her recorded music, you will love her live. If shes new to you, well, youre welcome. Go check it out. Oh, and dont worry: Im not planning to recommendBillie Eilishs new Tiny Desk concertin next weeks newsletter. Mostly because Im doing so now.

Submitted by WA ContentsMVRDV wraps Tiffany & Co. store in hand-crafted ceramic diamonds in Stuttgart Germany Architecture News - Dec 16, 2024 - 14:36 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"MVRDV has wrapped the new Tiffany & Co. store in hand-crafted ceramic elements in the shape of diamonds in Stuttgart, Germany.Named Tiffany Faade Stuttgart, the 165-square-metre building references Tiffanys history of material innovation to create a three-dimensional, striking faade.The iridescent sparkle of these diamonds, which are invisibly set onto the glass storefront to create a "floating" illusion, is reminiscent of the Favrile Glass, which Louis Comfort Tiffany patented in 1894.In order to create a strategy for developing faades for Tiffany, the designers at MVRDV came up with a number of ideas that were influenced by the history of Tiffany & Co. and could be transformed into imaginative, exquisitely designed, striking architectural results.The Stuttgart store was created using a variety of themes, including the desire to experiment with materials and a strong sense of three-dimensionality, which were influenced by the delicate texture of Tiffany jewelry and the exquisite geometry of diamond cuts.Using specially made steel fixings, 2,829 ceramic diamonds have been mounted directly into the glass storefront of the faade. Installed on the exterior and interior of the glass, this creates the illusion that guests are in a surreal environment full of floating diamonds.These diamonds' densities are changed to provide the desired transparency and opacity; they "dissolve" around window displays and at the building's corner to let views into and out of the store.A "slip-casting" technique is used to manually cast each diamond, after which it is coated in one of nine colors that create a gradient from Tiffany's trademark robin's-egg blue to a pure white. In addition to helping Tiffany draw in customers, this color gradient makes the store blend in with the neutral hues of the Dorotheen Quartier."In our faade design for the Stuttgart store, we tried to capture the sense of wonder and enchantment that has characterised the world of Tiffany & Co. ever since its inception," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs."Being surrounded by seemingly floating diamonds, with their shimmering iridescence, we hope will do justice to this history," Van Rijs added.Koninklijke Tichelaar, the oldest ceramics factory in the Netherlands and a master of specialty glazes, produced the diamonds. The diamonds are completed with an iridescent shine in addition to the colors that comprise the faade's gradient, creating a gentle, dynamic finish that varies according on the viewing angle, weather, and lighting conditions.In order to produce a delicate, realistic sheen, Dutch ceramic and glaze company Tichelaar and MVRDV collaborated to develop this glaze, which exploits deliberate fluctuations in mineral composition and glazing temperature over the diamond surface.The effect alludes to the iridescent, lavishly colored glass known as Favrile, which Louis Comfort Tiffany created and patented in the 1890s.Recently, MVRDV created a glittering store for Tiffany & Co, featuring a diamond-studded facade in Shanghai. In addition, the firm designed one-of-a-kind faade made up of recycled ocean plastics for the Tiffany & Co. store at Changi Airport in Singapore.Architecture practice MVRDV was established in 1993 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands by Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, and Nathalie de Vries. MVRDV became a globally recognized firm after achieving early success with projects like the Dutch Public Broadcaster VPRO headquarters and the WoZoCo senior home complex in Amsterdam.Project factsProject name:Tiffany Faade StuttgartArchitects:MVRDVLocation: Stuttgart, GermanyYear: 2022-2024Client:Tiffany & Co.Founding Partner in charge:Jacob van RijsPartner:Fokke MoerelDesign Team: Aser Gimnez Ortega, Elien Deceuninck, Monica Di Salvo, Simone Costa, Natalia Lipczuk, Basak Gunalp, Tatiana GurduzaPartnersCeramics:Koninklijke Tichelaar MakkumContractor: SOMEC Mestieri GroupLighting:METIS LightingAll images Gionata Xerra Studio.> via MVRDV

Submitted by WA ContentsWinners of the 2nd edition of the Young Moroccan Architecture Awards revealedMorocco Architecture News - Dec 16, 2024 - 13:59 html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The Young Moroccan Architecture Awards (YMAA) celebrated the creativity of Morocco's vibrant young architectural scene by rewarding emerging talents during a memorable evening at the Marriott Hotel in Casablanca.This event, held under the auspices of the Ministry of National Territorial Planning, Urban Planning, Housing, and Urban Policy, underscored the significance of promoting architecture in Morocco.The Award CeremonyDuring this festive ceremony, 19 prizes and trophies were awarded to the finalist architects, highlighting the innovation and excellence of the new generation of Moroccan architects.The YMAA, organized by the Archimedia Group the leading media dedicated to architecture and construction in Africa aims to promote the emergence of Moroccan architects and the realization of their projects on a national and international scale. After the success of the first edition, this competition is experiencing renewed enthusiasm this year.The jury of this 2nd edition of theYMAA, chaired by architect Mohamed Fikri Benabdallah, perfectly illustrates the desire for transmission and generational renewal. Recognized for his insatiable commitment to young talents, he is a passionate defender of contemporary Moroccan architecture and dialogue between generations.The YMAA also aims to promote constant improvement in architectural practice by encouraging constructive and enriching exchanges between professionals. By highlighting current achievements and providing a platform dedicated to the presentation of projects, this event allows for a better understanding of the challenges and solutions specific to each context. It also helps to refine perspectives, stimulate dialogue and develop a critical eye that is essential to the evolution of architecture.The YMAA are part of a context where the practice of architecture in Morocco is oscillating in a progressive and regrettable weakening of the framework for exercising the profession. The jury, fully aware of the delicacy and harshness of this exercise, had to decide carefully. Some young architects did not try their luck this year, out of restraint or hesitation, while others, despite their participation, did not see their efforts rewarded. Competitions, by their very nature, are sensitive events: they reveal as much as they test, celebrate as much as they question. But beyond the result, the YMAA aims to be a space for dialogue and recognition, where the evaluation of projects is accompanied by a deeper reflection on the future of the profession and the challenges it faces.The Young Moroccan Architects In The SpotlightThe YMAA 2024 honored architectural excellence through 16 awards and 3 special distinctions across various categories, ranging from renovation to education, along with three prestigious distinctions: AwardsImage Amine HouariZvaco Special Prize: Villa Ribat Bioclimatic in Rabat - Anas KoubaitiImage courtesy of Mohamed Yahya El Alj, Noesis Architecture StudioHealth and well-being: The Tulip Clinic in Casablanca - Mohamed Yahya El Alj, Noesis Architecture StudioImage Omar TajmouatiEducation: The French International High School in Benguerir - Zineb AjebbarImage Medialaoui AgencyIndividual residential real estate: "Hermitage" El Menzeh resort in Rabat - Sakina Belkasmi & Ahmed Amine Khiyati, All In ConceptImage courtesy of Younes DiouriRetail and commercial architecture: Ovillage shopping in Casablanca - Younes DiouriImage Alession MeiLeisure and tourism: Socio-cultural center of Kenitra - AGA STUDIOImage Amine KasmiInterior design and decoration: School extension E1337, Khouribga - Sakina Belkasmi & Ahmed Amine Khiyati, All In ConceptImage courtesy of Rida HbibiRenovation and refurbishment: Foundouk Kabbaj in Marrakech - Rida HbibiImage Laabi RaidSingle-Family Home: Villa ID in Tangier - Younes DiouriImage Alession MeiOffice building: Headquarters of the Competition Council in Rabat - Adil Sadik et Camlia DendaneImage Al Maslil MehdiCollective housing: Zig Zag building in Casablanca - YLA STUDIOImage Mehdi MounirFirst work: Villa E/N in Marrakech - THE AKA'S - Architecture Kosmopolitan AgencyImage Mara BaronDesign Architect of the Year: M'hammad MuffakImage Youssef EchihOut of category: Luxalight stand at SIB 2022, El Jadida - Samia MoukhalidImage courtesy of Othmane BoudlalBest male PFE: "Returning the coastline" - Othmane BoudlalImage courtesy of Rim MoussaouiBest female PFE: Towards a new eco-district model adapted to the Moroccan context - Rim MoussaouiDistinctions:Image Amine HouariBuilding of the Year: Villa Ribat Bioclimatic - Anas KoubaitiImage Zakaria TaberkantAudience favorite: The Gateway to Laayoune - Yassine BenkiraneImage Zakaria El HamoudiPrize Fouad Akalay: The Delacroix Residence in Rabat - Merouane Oussama ZouaouiThe second edition of the Young Moroccan Architecture Awards is the sensitive and outstanding realization of the visionary architect and passionate advocate of Moroccan modern architecture and those who define it, Fouad Akalay, who founded the competition. The YMAA represents his dreamthat of a meaningful architecturewith tact and genius, enhancing the skill and audacity of Moroccan architects and raising Moroccan architecture's profile internationally.Founded by the late Fouad Akalay, a visionary architect and ardent defender of Moroccan contemporary architecture and those who shape it, the second edition of the Young Moroccan Architecture Awards is the sensitive and dazzling embodiment of his dream.embodies with sensitivity and brilliance its dream: that of a meaningful architecture, magnifying the talent and boldness of Moroccan architects while contributing to the prestige of Moroccan architecture on the world stage.From now on, this excellence, and generational renewal, this event will now firmly represent the legacy of his vision: to inspire future architects to innovate while honoring the most inspirational projects around the Kingdom.World Architecture Community is the official media partner of YMAA 2024. Top image in the article: Villa Ribat Bioclimatic in Rabat - Anas Koubaiti. Amine Houari.All results can be viewed at YMAA website.> via YMAA