Layered Animation Workshop 2024January 3rd, 2025Animation/Rigging, General Developmentdr. Sybren html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Just before Blender Conference 2025, the Animation & Rigging module held a day-long workshop to discuss layered actions should work in Blender. In this post, well share the outcomes of that workshop.For more context on this topic, please visit Animation 2025: Progress & Planning.Joining in the workshop were Brad Clark, Christoph Lendenfeld, Dorothee Ditrich, Falk David, Lukas Tnne, Marion Stalke, Nate Rupsis, Nathan Vegdahl, Nika Kutsniashvili, Pierrick Picaut, Raymond Luc, Rik Schutte, and Sybren Stvel.Workshop FocusA single day isnt long enough to come up with a full design, so we tried to focus on topics that we could make real progress on within a day, and which would help orient the project. With that in mind, we structured the workshop into two parts:Part 1: decide which use cases and supporting workflows we should target in the initial minimal version of layered actions, and also what features we need to support in service of that. The focus here was on determining a minimal set of features that we can feasibly develop in a reasonable time frame, while still being a useful initial version.Part 2: discuss some of the trickier UI/UX questions raised by the features we decided on, and how they should work in practice.So, without further delay, here is what we discussed at the workshop.Use Cases and WorkflowsWe identified four broad categories of use cases/workflows for animation layers:Creating new animations from scratch via layers. For example, animating a base layer of a character walking and then an additional layer for finer details in the motion, like shivering.Adjusting existing animations. For example, adjusting mocap data non-destructively, or fixing an intersecting hand in someone elses (or your own!) messy animation.Organizing animation data. For example, putting a characters facial animation on one layer and their body animation on another, or storing backups of previous animation stages (blocking, splining, etc.) in disabled layers for reference.Incorporating non-keyframe data. This might be things like simulation layers, layers that bring in motion from cache files, layers that define animation-level constraints, etc.Of these categories, we decided to leave #4 out of the initial version of layered actions. There are a lot of unknowns and potentially hard problems to solve with many of the use cases in that category, and just generally its not the primary reason people want animation layers.We decided that the remaining three categories are all reasonable to accomodate in an initial minimal viable product (MVP) as long as we stick to the basics rather than trying to get fancy.Intitial Feature SetFrom the above use cases, we narrowed down what we thought a reasonable minimal feature set would be. Additional features can always be added later, so the focus of this was on the minimum features needed for it to be useful. We of course want additional features down the line.Here is a list of what we thought we couldnt be without:Layers can be named.Layers can be given a color.Layers can be selected, and there is an active layer.Layers can be reordered.Layers can be added, deleted, and duplicated.Layers can be locked.Layers can be muted/disabled.Layers can be soloed (multiple layers can be soloed simultaneously).Each Layer has a blend mode. For initial release, these will be replace (similar to alpha-over in compositing software) and combine (conceptually an add mode, except data-type aware so that rotations rotate, scales scale, etc.).Layers have animatable influence / weight.Layers can be baked down together with the layers below them, as a way of merging layers togther. For the initial version this will just be a dumb per-frame bake.Layers are contained within, and owned by, an Action. Each Action has its own set of layers.These features may seem quite basic. Thats because they are quite basic, and thats the point. Its a small, basic set of features that are manageable to tackle in an initial Minimal Viable Product (MVP). Additional features (like layer groups, smart baking, time warping, etc.) can wait for after the MVP is completed and in peoples hands.We dont want people to have to wait for all of the fancy features to be done before they can use the system at all. And when we get feedback, we want a simple system we can easily adjust.Where/How Do You Manage Layers?There will be a separate editor for managing layers, and for selecting the active layer within an Action. Maybe this will even start out as a panel in the Action editor for the simplest of implementations.At first, the other animation editors are only going to show data from the active layer.This is just a start to get something simple in the hands of animators as soon as possible. With a more tangible layered workflow in Blender, it will be easier to design the necessary improvements to the UI/UX.Where Do Keys Go?When working with multiple layers, it is not immediately obvious where keys should go when you press the I button to key something. Below is the flow diagram we came up with.Lets talk through the above flow diagram:If there are no layers yet, create one and use that to store the keys.If there is only one layer, use that to store the keys.With multiple layers, there is a choice depending on whether the Available (name to be improved) checkbox is checked.Unchecked: keys should always go to the active layer. Blender ensures that there is always a layer active (if there are no layers see above).Checked: keys should go to the layer that already animates whatever youre keying now. See below.How many layers are already animating this property?none use the active layer (*)one layer use thatmore than one layer: is one of those the active layer? If so, use it, otherwise use the topmost, unlocked layer.(*): The flow diagram also goes into a choice for auto-keying vs. explicit keying. We hope that with this text the rest of the diagram is also clear.That Available checkbox will likely be a user preference, as it is expected that itll be a personal choice and reflect more how you animate than what file youre working in.How Does Blending Work?Blending the animation from different layers together is a fundamental aspect of layered animation, but is also surprisingly tricky to get right. It also impacts how certain other features should work.So how does blending work? was an important question to answer. Below are our answers to that, as well as to the further questions that it raises.What blend modes are there, and how do they work?The initial Minimal Viable Product (MVP) will have just two blend modes: replace and combine. Other blend modes may be added in the future if there are real use cases for them, but for the MVP we will just have these two:Replace is like alpha over, overriding the animated values of the layers below. Changing the layers influence between 0-100% blends between the values of the layers below and the values of the current layer.Combine is conceptually like add, accumulating on top of the animated values of the layers below. For most properties this is a literal mathematical add, but for some properties (such as scale and quaternion rotation) that either isnt really what you want or isnt even sensical. In those latter cases the most appropriate accumulation operation is used instead (e.g. multiply for scale and quaternion multiplication for quaternion rotations). Changing the layers influence between 0-100% blends between the values of the layers below and the accumulated result of those values with the current layer.For both blend modes, layers only affect properties that they animate: if a property is not animated on a layer then its value is simply passed through untouched.What happens when there is no value on the layers below?For replace layers with less-than-100% influence and combine layers with any influence, there has to be something below for the layer to blend with. But what if the layer is the bottom layer? Or what if it animates a property that isnt animated on any of the layers below it? What does it blend with?We considered two alternatives:Not blending: if there is nothing to blend with, dont blend at all and just replace at 100% regardless of the layers actual blend mode and influence.Blend to default: use the propertys default value as the value below to blend with. This means blending to zero for location, one for scale, etc. Effectively, this means bones blend to their rest pose, and objects blend to their delta transform (which is often also zero, so then they blend to the origin, parent, etc.).Neither solution is perfect, each having less-than-ideal behavior in at least some situations.Not blending means that the effective influence of a layer can be 100% even when actually set to 0% or an extremely small percentage. Moreover, that effective influence can be different for different animated properties depending on what is and isnt animated on the layers below, which could be confusing. It could also frustrate certain workflows, such as temporarily muting other layers to tweak the current layers animation in isolation: if the current layers influence is small, then muting the layers below it would effectively jump its influence to 100%, exaggerating its actual effect on the animation.On the other hand, blend to default also has issues. The default values for properties often arent useful/meaningful, so blending with them is likely to be pretty useless in many cases. For example, unparented objects would typically blend to the world origin.In the end we settled on blend to default. Its behavior is more predictable and less disruptive, and the user can work around useless default values if needed by keying useful values on a base layer.What happens when you mute a layer?Muting a layer will affect blending as if you removed the layer entirely. Note that for animated properties that are not on any layers below, this is specifically different from setting the layers influence to zero; that would blend to default, while muting the layer stops animating the property altogether.Terminology note: we may want to call this disable rather than mute. To be decided.Inserting and editing keys on middle layersWhen you have multiple layers, you will often want to insert keys on one of the middle layers. When this happens, the value of that key must be determined.We decided that the inserted value should be whatever value makes the final mix of all layers together produce the current pose. In practice this is almost always what is wanted: any other behavior would mean that inserting a key with the current pose may actually change the pose itself, which would be quite surprising! Accomplishing this means that the keyframing code needs to account for and reverse the effects of the other layers when determining the value to key. This is a bit like crazy space in mesh edit mode, which allows you to directly adjust the deformed positions of vertices.However, just like crazy space, this isnt always the behavior you want. Occasionally you want to specify the exact value to key, regardless of the effects of other layers. For the initial MVP you will be able to more-or-less accomplish this by soloing the layer before posing and keying, but in the future we want to explore approaches to accomplish this more directly.There are also operations other than key insertion that may be useful to do with this crazy space behavior. For example, perhaps you want to add a layer and use it to smooth out the final mixed animation. If the smooth operator in the graph editor only sees the f-curves of a single layer in isolation, this wont work. Instead, it will need to (optionally) perform the smoothing on the final mixed values and then back-propagate those smoothed values, accounting for the effects of the other layers. For the MVP we likely wont be implementing this; there are some subtle and non-obvious details that may be challenging to get right. But it is something we want to support in the future.Finally, there are of course cases where the crazy space keying behavior is impossible. For example, if there is a replace layer with 100% influence above the layer youre keying on: no matter what value you insert a key with, it cannot affect the final mixed pose. We discussed a few alternatives for what should happen in such cases, but ultimately decided that for the MVP we should keep it simple: Blender will simply reject keying and issue an error. After this system is built, we can experiment with other approaches and see what actually works best in practice.Wrapping UpWere extremely happy with how the workshop went, and we believe this is a solid direction for layered actions. Nevertheless, this is not the end of the design process. There is still a lot that needs to be figured out. Moreover, we could only accommodate a limited number of people at the workshop, and we want feedback and ideas from wider community as well. The best way to get involved is to join our weekly module meeting, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Amazon is delaying full RTO for some employees over office-capacity issues.The policy required employees to work from the office five days a week, beginning January 2.Amazon has encountered workspace-capacity issues in the past.Amazon is delaying the start of its strict new RTO policy for some employees because the company doesn't have enough office space in certain locations, Business Insider has learned.The company's real estate team recently started notifying employees that they could continue following their current in-office guidance until workspaces were ready, with delays stretching to as late as May, according to internal Amazon notifications viewed by BI.Affected locations include Atlanta, Houston, Nashville, and New York, the notifications showed. An Amazon spokesperson said buildings would be ready for the majority of Amazon employees by January 2.Earlier this year, Amazon ordered employees to work from the office five days a week, beginning January 2. The company has said the return to office will improve collaboration and bring other benefits. CEO Andy Jassy, in a memo announcing the mandate, said Amazon made the decision to "further strengthen" its culture and teams.Some staff were upset by the change and have argued that remote work provides more flexibility. The five-day-a-week policy is stricter than at some Amazon rivals and, by some accounts, stricter than Amazon's office-work policy before the pandemic.This isn't the first time office-capacity constraints have delayed Amazon's RTO plans. When the company last year ordered employees to start working in the office at least three days a week, many of its buildings weren't ready to accommodate them all.In internal guidelines viewed by BI, Amazon told employees when the new five-day RTO policy was announced in September that they should plan to comply by January 2 whether or not they had assigned workspaces."For the vast majority of employees, assigned workspaces will be available by January 2, 2025," the guidance said. "If your assigned workspace isn't ready by January 2, we still expect everyone to begin fully working from the office by that date."Are you a tech-industry employee or someone else with insight to share?Contact the reporter, Ashley Stewart, via the encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-425-344-8242) or email (). Use a nonwork device.

Hiiiiiii-nahhhhhIndiana Jones and the Great Circle baddie Voss might say karate weirdly, but his actor's glad he didn't have to learn how to whip Indy's bum for realHe did nail some monkey noises in one take, though.Image credit: Machine Games/VG247 News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 3, 2025 Warning: Spoilers for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lie ahead.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is pretty fun, at least in part because its Nazi baddies say some hilarious stuff at times. Everyone's seen Gantz getting his choo-choo on in the cinematic trailer Machine Games put out prior to release, but main baddie Emmerich Voss has some just as wacky lines.For example, towards the end of the adventure, when it's clear him and Indy are set to clash for the final time soon, Voss reveals that he's not a guy to mess with, because he's trained in karate. Or, as he pronounces it karaaaaaaa-teehhhhh. Let's face it, there's a good chance he's the one pronouncing it right, and we're all wrong, but the emphasis is still godly.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Voss goes on to give not quite Harrison Ford a taste of fists and kicks of fury, and he's not bluffing - he is a martial arts fella. Though, the actor who played him - Marios Gavrilis - has now revealed that not only did he not have to learn karate for real as part of the role, he's really glad he didn't.Can you hear that? It's thousands of pretentious method actors rolling in their graves."Thank God I didnt have go through that," the actor replied to a fan on Twitter who asked him how long he trained in the art of Indy bottom-kicking, "Otherwise we wouldnt have finished the game. But we had amazing stunt actors." To see this content please enable targeting cookies.That doesn't mean Gavrilis didn't have his talents put to the test though, as in the same thread he told someone else he nailed the monkey impression Voss does in one of his scenes with Gantz in a single take. Impressive.As you might expect given the cinematic look it was going for, Indy sounds like it was basically a full-on movie-style shoot, as Gavrilis outlined in the "hot take" Tweet that kicked off his thread. "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was done with motion capture aka performance capture," he wrote, "Not only the dialogues were captured, but also our acting performances in their entirety: our facial expressions, physical movement, interactions and even our likeness was used for each character."It was blocked like a real movie, real film cameras were used as well, and we had stunt actors. The term 'voice actor' is misleading, this was a full on acting gig. All the performers you love from all your fav games - if they include MoCap - are actual actors."He'll get no pushback here - voice actors are actors, and games would be nowhere near as good as they are without the array of voice talent brining characters like Voss to life. Has Voss persuaded you to learn karaaaaaaa-teehhhhh? Let us know below!

Critical thinking is the key to success.Ever since the reveal of the apparent 'Switch 2' motherboard online, fans have been going wild with speculation as to what kind of tech the upcoming new Nintendo console will boast.In fact, we'd say a lot of them could easily become Professor Layton's new protg, if they wish. The level of analysis with this stuff is frankly off the charts, and considering just how close we are to the potential reveal of this thing, we're beginning to wonder whether it's all worth the effort.Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Rivian finished last year having delivered 51,579 electric SUVs, trucks, and vans, more than triple the number it shipped to customers in 2023. The company announced Friday that it also built 49,476 EVs in 2024. Thats about 8,000 fewer than it expected to manufacture as recently as July. Rivian was forced to lower its expectations, though, when it ran into a component shortage that dragged down production. That shortage is resolved, according to the press release.Rivian wont release its financial results for the year until February 20, but the delivery and production figures help wrap what was an up-and-down year for the growing EV company. The company began 2024 by cutting 10% of its workforce in February, as it and others were locked in a pricing war set off by Tesla.One month later, Rivian revealed the R2 SUV, its upcoming mid-size SUV that is supposed to sell in much higher volumes than the current R1S. The R2 is slated to start around $45,000 and will be built at the companys factory in Normal, Illinois. The R2 announcement event came with its own mixed bag of news. Rivian rolled out a genuine surprise that was a huge hit: The R3 hatchback, which is supposed to enter production after the R2. But the company also announced it was delaying its new factory in Georgia, and said it would expand the Normal factory in the meantime. In May, Rivian started rolling out revamped versions of the R1S and the R1T pickup truck. The company simplified the inner workings of the vehicles in a bid to staunch its perpetual and super-sized financial losses.The company got another boost in June when it announced a joint venture with Volkswagen Group. The German giant pledged to invest $5 billion into the collaboration, while Rivian agreed to provide software and electrical architecture know-how that will help modernize Volkswagens portfolio. (The deal officially closed in November and grew to $5.8 billion.)Rivian finished the year by securing a $6.6 billion loan commitment from the Biden administration to help build the Georgia factory although that loan is already in the crosshairs of some of the incoming Trump administrations top advisors. This year could be just as chaotic for Rivian. Not only could the $6.6 billion loan become a political minefield, but Rivian and other EV makers are staring down the real possibility that the Trump administration will try to find a way to do away with the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles. That could put even more pressure on Rivian as it fights to get the R2 into production in the first half of 2026.

Breakdown & ShowreelsDNEG Showreel 2024By Vincent Frei - 03/01/2025 Dive into the world of really cool visuals with DNEGs 2024 showreel! From the epic orc armies of The Rings of Power to the post-apocalyptic action of Furiosa, the interstellar grandeur of Dune: Part Two, and the galactic adventure of Skeleton Crew, witness the artistry behind the years some of the most stunning visuals! Vincent Frei The Art of VFX 2025

Published January 3, 2025 8:00am EST close 'CyberGuy': Don't chance it. Secure your retirement accounts with a VPN and protect your future Kurt Knutsson explains how to safeguard retirement accounts from cyber threats with a VPN: encryption, anonymity, secure access. You know, it's pretty unsettling when you think about it. We spend our whole lives working hard and saving up for retirement. Then, one day, you find out that some company you've never heard of is selling your personal information to whoever wants to buy it. It's not just alarming. It could actually put your financial security at risk.These companies are data brokers that collect and sell people's personal information, often without us even knowing about it. And get this: Some of them might be trading info that could affect your retirement savings.Crazy, right? But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. There are things we can do to protect ourselves. I want to talk about how these data brokers operate and what steps you can take to keep your retirement plans safe. A couple working on their retirement plan (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)How data brokers are endangering your retirement securityTheres one major way in which data brokers are endangering your retirement security, and its right there in the name: data brokers buy, sell, trade and otherwise spread your personal information far and wide. This endangers your retirement security in three distinct ways, each more dangerous than the last:1. Spray n pray campaignsThey dont know anything about you, but they have a way to reach you. Even if a scammer knows only your phone number or email address, its enough for them to reach out to you. If they dont know who you are or anything about you, they have to take the most "one-size-fits-all" approach they can manage. Their goal is to get you to respond to them or click a link that leads to a malicious website. Once they learn more about you, they can better tailor their next moves.GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE2. A fire hose aimed in your general directionThey know what youre like but not who you are. Scammers can buy ready-made packages of personal information from data brokers. A set like this might include only the phone numbers of people over the age of 60, for example, while another might provide the addresses of elderly people who require live-in care and are experiencing cognitive decline. The potential for abuse is clear. They dont have to know your name to target a dangerously effective scam at you.3. A water pistol to the earIn other words, something aimed right at you and very difficult to ignore. Scammers can also buy shockingly detailed information about you, from your full name to your health care and financial information. These scams are the most dangerous, with the attackers knowing enough about you to breeze past many of your defenses.Any of the above types of scams can end in what might be the ultimate fraud identity theft but these three are more likely to get there, and in fewer steps, than the others.WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? A woman working on her retirement plan (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)What you can do to protect your retirement securityYou can reduce or avoid many of these risks by stopping data brokers from making it easier for scammers to target you and by arming yourself against the most common and effective tactics they use.1. Invest in personal data removal services:A trusted personal information removal servicecan stop data brokers in their tracks from sharing your information. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.2. Dont click on links: No matter how much pressure or stress a message or phone call puts you under, stick to the golden rule of never following or clicking on links. Always go to the source of the communication via official channels from a secure device to confirm whats happening. The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.3. Dont give out sensitive information: If a message or email can put you under enough pressure to do something you shouldnt (like follow a link to a phishing site), imagine what a phone call can do. Any request for personal information should raise red flags. If something seems off, hang up.4. Verify identities before handing over money or information: Always verify who you are dealing with before providing any personal details (name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, financial information, etc.) or money. If someone asks for this information or claims they need to send you money, follow this rule: "Hang up, look up and call back." This applies to phone calls, texts and emails. Hang up or set the message aside, find the legitimate contact information for the organization in question and reach out through official channels (not social media) to confirm the request. A man counting cash and working on his retirement plan (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Kurts key takeawaysYou know, it's crazy to think about how much of our personal information is out there, floating around in the digital world. But here's the thing: We're not powerless in this situation. Sure, it can feel overwhelming, but there are steps we can take to protect ourselves and our hard-earned retirement savings. It's all about being aware, staying vigilant and using the tools at our disposal. Remember, your financial security is worth fighting for. So let's not just sit back and hope for the best. Let's take action and show those data brokers that we're not going to be easy targets. After all, we've worked too hard for too long to let anyone mess with our golden years, right?CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPDo you think there should be regulations in place to limit the activities of data brokers, and what specific measures would you like to see implemented to better protect your personal information?Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com.All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurts free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com. 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Priya Kurien, the client strategy and innovation leader of global industries at IBM. IBMPriya Kurien, the client strategy and innovation leader of global industries at IBM, has a fascinating job working with C-suite and senior leaders for IBM's clients across the world, helping them to leverage IBM's technology, particularly with AI.In this interview, we conduct a wide-ranging discussion, going from telecom partnerships to 5G to AI to NASA and even Earth science and medical innovations.Without further ado, let's dive into our interview.ZDNET: Could you share your journey in telecom and what led you to advocate for cross-industry collaboration?Priya Kurien:My journey in telecom began during the e-commerce era, a transformative period when operators were adapting to the shift from landline calls and very limited 2G mobiles to providing internet connections. In the time since, there have been many changes in the industry from traditional infrastructure to modern innovations such as copper to fibre-based communications networks, and the transition from 2G to 5G.Having worked closely with operators during these pivotal changes, I've seen firsthand how telecom lies at the heart of connecting the world and enabling industries.As the industry has continued to evolve, the importance of customer value has become a key differentiator. By adopting cross-industry collaboration, it means we're able to develop partnerships across different sectors to drive innovation and growth for our shared customer base, and the telecoms industry has the ability to help bridge those diverse gaps to create transformative solutions.ZDNET: How can telecom partnerships accelerate advancements in fields like geospatial intelligence and climate science?PK: In many countries around the world, telecom operators are considered critical infrastructure and regulated by their governments. As a result, during extreme weather-related conditions, telecom operators focus on maintaining connectivity for citizens. By partnering with organizations specializing in geospatial intelligence and climate science, we can create richer data sets for all entities involved. For example, this collaborative approach can result in the development of early warning systems for natural disasters, or real-time climate monitoring, enabling those involved to continue improving both on a joint scale, and as individual organizations.We also know that telecom operators themselves have vast IoT and sensor networks that can provide critical on-the-ground data. When combined with satellite imagery, this information can enhance the quality of geospatial data that will improve advancement of this field, with the potential to deliver societal benefits, helping communities prepare for and adapt to climate challenges. ZDNET: Could you walk us through the IBM-NASA collaboration to make Earth science data accessible and its impact on industries outside of space?PK: In an effort to widen access to NASA Earth science data and accelerate climate-related discoveries, IBM and NASA worked together to develop the largest geospatial AI foundation model on Hugging Face. As a result, IBM's watsonx.ai geospatial foundation model -- built from NASA's satellite data, is the first-ever open-source AI foundation model built in collaboration with the organization. By developing open-source technologies, we can accelerate critical areas of discovering for issues including climate change, indicating how collaboration across industries allows us to implement faster and more impactful solutions that will improve our planet. The model -- trained jointly by IBM and NASA on Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 satellite data (HLS) over one year across the continental United States and fine-tuned on labelled data for flood and burn scar mapping -- has demonstrated to date a 15 percent improvement over state-of-the-art techniques using half as much labelled data. With additional fine-tuning, the base model can be redeployed for tasks like tracking deforestation, predicting crop yields, or detecting and monitoring greenhouse gasses. ZDNET: How do you see IoT innovations transforming telecom's role in everyday consumer experiences?PK: Consumers are already relying on IoT devices in their day to day lives, from smart home systems, lighting, thermostats, smart meters, voice controllers and robotic vacuum cleaners. Many operators around the world not only sell IoT devices, but some also offer services to set up and manage these devices for their consumers. Often, consumers forget that their daily lives involve IoT, for example the connected car is one of the most sophisticated IoT devices and yet, most people would probably not list this as one of their IoT devices. Telecom operators can also provide personalized plans for consumers based on their IoT devices and data consumption and is another example of how the telecom industry has shown itself to be the backbone of global progress. ZDNET: What are some of the biggest challenges in telecom partnerships, and how can these be overcome?PK: Partnerships require a culture of collaboration as well as the maturity to navigate differences. In our view, these are some of the greatest challenges that the telecom industry faces in partnering for innovation. For example, breaking down silos, cross pollinating ideas and sharing challenges to identify innovative ideas is just a few ways in which we can jointly create enterprise transformation, and at IBM, we can support in developing those collaborations across key technologies including APIs, AI, and security. There is a famous quote [often attributed to Henry Ford] that sums up partnerships well for me: "Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success." ZDNET: Could you provide examples of success stories where multi-industry partnerships drove transformative change in telecom?PK: There are a number of multi-industry partnerships to drive change in the industry. For example, in the connected cars arena, Verizon's partnerships with automotive OEMs help to deliver in-car Wi-Fi services, showing how telecom and automotive industries work can together to enhance driver experiences. Another example of how telecom can collaborate is to improve healthcare services. The Medical Drone Delivery project with BT and Skyfarer uses drones for medical deliveries, as a solution born from COVID-era challenges, demonstrating telecom's potential in supporting the future growth of how technology can work to improve the wider healthcare system. What we're seeing in these examples is how we can turn big ideas into tangible outcomes, and that's a really exciting direction to be heading in. ZDNET: What are the unique values that telecom businesses can bring to industries like healthcare and finance through cross-industry collaboration?PK: Health and finance are two key sectors in which improved connectivity can make all the difference. For example, the concept of telehealth is expanding rapidly, driven by several factors including the COVID pandemic, technological advancements, and a consumer demand for convenience. Telehealth can include virtual appointments to remote monitoring devices, allowing patients to consult with healthcare providers, manage chronic conditions, access health information, and receive medical advice without needing to visit a physical healthcare facility. In a drive to bridge the digital divide and improve financial inclusion across Africa, Airtel Africa extended their distribution network in rural and semi-urban areas, providing resilient, far-reaching coverage to enable millions of people to access telecoms and banking services. This new, financial ecosystem allowed the company to offer mobile money services, including digital wallet payments systems, microloans, savings and international money transfers, boosting financial inclusion for residents who were previously excluded. ZDNET: How can telecom companies better leverage AI to unlock greater innovation and efficiency for enterprise clients?PK: There are several ways in which AI can improve efficiency for clients, including productivity gains and new revenue streams. For example, we know that AI is revolutionizing customer care for enterprises by automating routine tasks, improving personalization, and enabling 24/7 support. AI can also support in managing change requests in enterprise sales by streamlining processes when it comes to client modifications or service specifications. AI and automation are also transforming how enterprise connectivity deployment and monitoring can improve efficiency, reduce downtime, and increase proactive management. Efficiency is a necessity for most operators to improve profitability, and having an agile approach will help towards achieving these outcomes. ZDNET: What are some risks associated with cross-industry collaborations in telecom, and how can companies navigate them?PK: Understanding the risks and challenges when it comes to partnerships working is essential for driving the intended transformation. Differences in regulatory compliance is a potential issue, however, establishing compliance frameworks from the beginning ensures that all parties understand their regulatory obligations. Complexities in partnerships can also arise, so it is essential that clear roles and responsibilities are defined ahead of the project. There could also be the risk of cultural mismatch. However, by setting a common goal and having mutual respect and open communication, many of these issues can be swiftly mitigated. ZDNET: How essential is data security in telecom collaborations, particularly with APIs?PK: Data security is critical for telecoms as they work with APIs, as secure APIs lead to good reputation and trust with consumers and enterprises, whilst managing potential risks and ensuring regulatory compliance. Secure API design, encryption of data, security testing, monitoring and logging are vital elements as organizations collaborate through APIs. Alongside this, it is essential to implement an incident response management plan, as transparent and shared communication can ensure successful API integration. ZDNET: In what ways does cross-industry collaboration foster resilience and agility within telecom firms?PK: Cross-industry collaboration enables telecom firms to enhance their resilience and offerings by diversifying expertise and accessing resources outside their usual domain. These partnerships allow firms to tap into broader skill sets and funding opportunities, reducing operational risks and fostering innovation. For example, collaborations often lead to market expansion and access to emerging markets, creating new revenue streams. Additionally, with increased emphasis on data security, these partnerships have the added benefit of reducing risk, ultimately driving agility in telecom operations. ZDNET: What role does enterprise connectivity play in the success of transformative partnerships in telecom?PK: Enterprise connectivity acts as the backbone for successful partnerships, ensuring seamless integration and communication across industries. A key insight from IBM's research looking at telecoms' blindspots highlights that operators often struggle to align with enterprise customers, and are often undervaluing the services of most interest to customers. However, as part of research, we discovered a sub-group of communications service providers that have adopted a more forward-thinking approach in their drive for solutions beyond basic connectivity. We call them the 'In-touch Telecoms', and they're gaining an edge over their peers by employing a more customer-centric focus, a culture of innovation, and a stronger reliance on an ecosystem of business partners. Pursuing digital transformation through technologies such as cloud computing, machine learning, and AI positions leaders in the telecommunications industry to develop new business models both within the industry and through partnerships with companies in other industries. This optimization of next-generation technologies can support them in navigating different environments -- a key ask of many of our enterprise clients. ZDNET: With digital transformation as a priority, how can telecoms keep pace with industries evolving at different rates?PK: Flexibility and collaboration are crucial qualities telecom companies need to consider in order to keep pace with different industries. This includes the use of standardized APIs that facilitate modular and rapid integration, supporting industries that evolve at varying speeds, innovation hubs that create ****spaces for collaboration and allow telecoms to co-develop solutions with industry-specific partners, and partnerships that include building alliances with other industries to foster shared growth. These initiatives enable telecoms to adapt to the evolving landscape, ensuring they remain relevant in a rapidly changing world. ZDNET: How important are APIs for connecting telecom capabilities with diverse industries, and what new value does this bring?PK: APIs are crucial for enabling telecoms to work with other industries, as they provide a modular, scalable way for integrating rapidly with other industries. IDC is projecting that telecom and network APIs will grow to $6.7 billion by 2028 from $700M in 2023), at a compound annual growth rate of 57.1%, driven by a rise of platform-based commerce and the need to generate new revenues. In September 2024, there was a landmark agreement between some of the world's largest telecom operators announcing a new venture to combine and sell network APIs on a global scale, supporting innovation in digital services. The partner ecosystem will further drive developer experience whilst increasing value creation across the industry. ZDNET: How are telecom firms adapting to meet the needs of advanced medical devices like smart implants and remote monitoring solutions?PK: Telecom firms are leveraging 5G networks to address the low latency requirements of advanced medical devices. These solutions enable real-time monitoring for devices like smart implants and remote monitoring devices, enhancing patient outcomes. Additionally, telecoms are implementing robust security measures to ensure compliance with healthcare regulations when transmitting sensitive patient data -- a critical component to building trust in this health and telecom collaboration. Establishing innovation hubs with healthcare organizations can further support the development of remote monitoring solutions and advanced medical technologies, highlighting the role telecoms can play in the wider healthcare ecosystem. ZDNET: Could you discuss how 5G is enhancing the potential for enterprise-level partnerships across various sectors?PK: Private 5G networks are transforming how enterprises build partnerships across industries to open up new avenues of value creation. For example, at the Port of Tyne, BT and Ericsson are building the UK's first site-wide deployment of 4G and 5G standalone connectivity, driven by a host of planned activity including autonomous vehicles, survey drones, smart surveillance, AI, and XR. In China, Unicom is planning to install 5G networks in more than 100 mines to monitor operations, boost efficiency and reduce safety related risks. We're also seeing this in manufacturing too, with Mercedes-Benz leveraging private 5G with telecommunications company Telefnica Deutschland and network supplier Ericsson to optimize production, enabling automation and IoT integration. These applications demonstrate how 5G fosters collaboration, drives efficiency, and unlocks transformative opportunities across different industries. ZDNET: How do telecom companies balance the need for innovation with their responsibility to maintain stable and secure infrastructure?PK: Telecom firms achieve this balance by adopting a 'security by design' approach, embedding security within their processes, alongside a culture of collaboration. Improving the skillset of the workforce, creating internal cross functional teams, and fostering a mindset of innovation and partnerships, whilst developing a zero-trust architecture for high availability and listening to the customer, are different ways in which telecom companies can balance innovation and maintain stable and secure infrastructure. This focus allows telecom firms to introduce cutting-edge solutions without compromising reliability. ZDNET: How are telecom firms leveraging AI for operational efficiencies within cross-industry collaborations?PK: The telecom industry has some of the most complex customer care requirements in terms of the variety of plans and types of connectivity they support. Traditional AI has been used for over a decade to provide support for customer care and chatbot support, and gen AI has unsurprisingly been adopted by many telecom operators to support the contact centre for agent assist and contact summarization - some have even started to deploy gen AI agents directly with customers. IBM research has also found that gen AI was being used by the telecom industry across customer service, IT, information security, finance, risk and compliance, sales, marketing and HR functions -- highlighting that efficient AI models can streamline workflows, reduce latency, and improve decision-making, driving efficiencies across their business. ZDNET: What trends do you see shaping the future of telecom partnerships, and how might they impact global connectivity?PK: I see a number of emerging trends that have the potential to shape future telecom partnerships, including 5G rollout where there is wider support for smart cities and healthcare, expansion of private 5G networks that leads into innovation in other industries, edge computing for autonomous vehicles, and self-healing networks with AI and automation to further improve connectivity. With the varying partnerships and collaborations we're seeing across different industries, APIs are becoming a source of revenue for operators, alongside digital inclusion policies and initiatives to get to the billion of the world's population that is still unconnected. You can follow my day-to-day project updates on social media. 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