On the surface, Android and privacy might not seem like the most natural of bedfellows. Google is known for its advertising business, after all its how the company makes the lions share of its money and it can be tough to square the notion of data collection with the concept of carefully controlled information.In actuality, though, Google gives you a good amount of authority over how and when it taps into your Android-associated info. (And even at its worst, the company never shares your data with anyone or sells it to third parties, despite some broad misconceptions to the contrary.) Ultimately, it just comes down to a matter of educating yourself about the possibilities and then determining what balance of privacy and function makes the most sense for you.And youd better believe the onus falls squarely on you to do that. By default, most Google privacy valves are opened up to the max to the setting that allows the most feature-rich and ad-supporting experience and that uses your data in the most free-flowing manner possible. That isnt necessarily a bad thing, but it may or may not be what you want, particularly from a professional perspective. And navigating the layers of settings, not only with Google itself but also with the various third-party services that interact with your phone, is often easier said than done.Well, consider this your guide to the labyrinth. Ill take you through a series of 18 Android privacy adjustments, starting with the easiest and most broadly advisable tweaks and ending with higher-level tactics for the most privacy-minded users. Along the way Ill explain what each setting accomplishes, how long it should take to implement, and how much inconvenience itll cause.Make your way through the list and think thoroughly about each items pros and cons and before you know it, youll have a deliberate Android privacy plan thats less about defaults and more about your own preferences.Section I: Easy Android privacy adjustments that are advisable for anyone1. Uninstall unused appsTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 0/10This first Android privacy step is a no-brainer and something everyone should do periodically: Look through all of the installed apps on your phone and remove anything you havent used in the past month or two (so long as it isnt required by your IT department, of course!). Unused apps not only take a toll on your devices resources; they also have the potential to leave open doors to sensitive info thatd be better off closed.So open up your app drawer and mull over every icon you see there. If you havent used an app in a while, press and hold its icon and select Uninstall or, if you dont see that as an option, select App info and then find the Uninstall button. On certain Android versions, you might have to drag the app toward the top of the screen to access those same options; once you see them appear at the top of your display, drag the app up to that area and then release it.With apps that came preinstalled on your phone out of the box, you may not always be able to uninstall but can often disable them with the option to do so appearing either in that same long-press menu or within the aforementioned App info screen. That wont get the app off your device entirely but will stop it from running and actively accessing any of your information.2. Check on apps with access to your Google accountTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 0/10In addition to the phone-specific permissions, apps and services can request access to certain types of data within your Google account things like your contacts, your Gmail messages, or even your Google Drive storage. Again, such access may be completely warranted and no cause for concern (and itd be present only if you explicitly authorized it at some point), but once youre no longer actively using the associated app, you dont want to leave that pathway open.Luckily, its an especially easy one to close and another painless privacy step worth performing periodically. Just open up the Google account connections page and look over everything in the list. For any items you no longer use or dont recognize, click their title and then click the Delete all connections option on the screen that comes up next.Clamping down on third-party app access to your Google account is a simple way to secure forgotten pathways and strengthen your privacy.JR Raphael / IDGClick Confirm on the confirmation box that pops up after, then rest easy knowing that teensy crack into your data is closed up and patched over.3. Revisit your Android app permissionsTime required: 5 minutesInconvenience level: 0/10Now that weve taken care of apps youre no longer using, lets think about the ones youarestill actively engaging with because even those may have permissions you once granted but no longer require.So open up the Security & Privacy section of your system settings and tap Permission Manager. Depending on your specific software and device, you might have to first tap a line that says Privacy or Privacy controls before you see it. (If you dont see anything like that, try searching your system settings for the word permission to find the closest equivalent.)Then, one by one, tap on each permission type in the list, look over the apps that have access to it, and consider whether each apps access still strikes you as being necessary.If you see something that seems questionable, tap the name of the app and then change its setting to Deny. Theres a chance the app will stop being able to perform one of its functions as a result, but at worst, itll prompt you to re-enable the permission at some future moment and you can then reconsider it.And provided youre using 2019s Android 10 version or higher and if you arent, youve got far bigger privacy problems to ponder! pay extra attention to the Location section of permissions. As of that release, you can get more nuanced with that setting and allow an app to access to your location all the time or only when the app is actively in use, which gives you a lot more flexibility than the traditional all-or-nothing approach.With 2020s Android 11 version and higher, you can also grant apps access to your location, camera, and microphone only on a limited, single-session basis meaning the permissions will expire and have to be requested anew each time, whenever you exit the app and move on to something else.And with 2021s Android 12 software and up, you can specify whether you want an app to have access to your precise location or only your approximate location, too.Android lets you get incredibly granular about what data different apps can access, but its up to you to check up on it and make any necessary changes.JR Raphael / IDGFor even more insight, look for the Privacy dashboard option within that same section of your system settings (or Permissions used in last 24 hours, for the closest equivalent in Samsungs heavily modified version of the operating system). Thatll let you see exactly which apps have accessed different permission-requiring areas over the past 24 hours in a visual timeline view.4. Put invisible app tracking on noticeTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 1/10Aside from their actual system-level permissions, apps on Android are able to track your activity in a variety of ways and then share that data elsewhere provided they have access to the internet (which itself is a system-level permission).Often, this is nothing nefarious. Lots of apps rely on these sorts of mechanisms to monitor performance and spot possible bugs, while others use technology considered trackers as part of the advertising that allows them to be monetized and continue offering you ongoing services for little to no ongoing expense.Even so, you can take control of this type of tracking and make yourself aware of what, exactly, apps are doing in the background and put a stop to it, if you want.The key to making this happen comes in the unlikely-seeming spot of an Android web browser called DuckDuckGo. But you dont need to do anything related to the actual browser function of the app to tap into it (though you certainly can, if youd like!).Instead, install the app, then open it up, make your way through its welcome screens, and once you see the main web browsing interface, tap the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner. Select Settings, then App Tracking Protection.Flip the toggle at the top of the next screen into the on position, confirm that you want to activate the feature, and then keep an eye on your notifications.There, DuckDuckGo will show you exactly what trackers its finding and blocking in apps on your device. You can also always see that same info by going back to that same settings screen within the browser.DuckDuckGos App Tracking Protection feature gives you rare insight into and control over the typically-invisible ways apps track your activity.JR Raphael / IDGNow for the asterisk here: Since most of this activity isnt actually anything to worry about, its possible that seeing this data will (a) cause you unnecessary stress and waste your time and (b) potentially cause some functions within apps to stop working properly since DuckDuckGo is blocking mechanisms that may be crucial to an apps operation.But that same area of the browsers settings make it easy to enable or disable the blocking on an app-by-app basis, so you can fine-tune and adjust things as you see fit.Whether you ultimately decide to peek at the info for a while and then disable the feature or keep it running and blocking indefinitely, its a valuable bit of knowledge and, optionally, power to have.5. Clamp down on your lock screen privacyTime required: 1 minuteInconvenience level: 1/10By default, Android is typically set to show all of your notification content on your lock screen and that means if someone else picks up your phone, they might see sensitive info without even having to put in a PIN, pattern, or passcode.Change that by opening up the Display section of your phones settings, selecting Lock screen, then selecting Privacy and switching the setting to either Show sensitive content only when unlocked or Dont show notifications at all, depending on your comfort level. (On a Samsung phone, youll instead open the Notifications section of the system settings and then tap Lock screen notifications to find a similar set of options.)6. Opt out of Samsungs data-sharing systems and consider avoiding its appsTime required: 5 minutesInconvenience level: 1/10If you have a Samsung phone, listen up: The company is quite possibly selling your data not just using it internally and privately but outright selling it to third parties (and without being even remotely up-front about whats going on).As Ive reported before, Samsungs Galaxy phones have a disconcertingly intricate system for collecting different types of data from people who use its devices and then generating extra revenue by selling that data to other companies. And clearly, thats not what you want to have happening.So at the very least, opt of this obnoxiousness everywhere you can most importantly by searching your system settings for customization service and then making sure the associated option is off everywhere it appears, including within the settings for the Samsung Calendar app, Samsung Clock app, Samsung Gallery app, and Samsung My Files app as well as within the General management settings and the settings for your Samsung account.And if you really want to be proactive about your privacy, just ditch Samsungs default apps altogether. Youll get better all-around experiences by turning to other Android apps for those same purposes, anyhow, and youll have an easier time syncing or moving your data to non-Samsung devices now and in the future, too. And, yknow, you wont be subjecting yourself to sneaky selling of your personal and/or company information with no discernible benefit to you.Section II: Moderately advanced Android privacy modifications some people may want to perform7. Turn off Googles ad personalization systemTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 2/10Google makes its money by showing ads around the internet thats no secret. And it uses data about you to select ads that are, in theory, catered to your interests and more likely to be relevant to you. It never shares your data with advertisers, as mentioned at the top of this story, and all of the matching happens within Google and in a completely automated, machine-driven sense.At the end of the day, youre bound to see some of those ads no matter what you do so theres an argument that having the ads be catered to your interests at least creates thepotentialfor them to be appealing as opposed to just random. But if youd rather not have your data used for that purpose, you can turn the personalization system off.Just head into the Google section of your system settings, tap your name and account name at the top, then tap Manage your Google Account.Next, tap the Data & Privacy tab, scroll down to the Personalized ads section, and tap My Ad Center then turn off the toggle at the top of the screen that comes up and confirm you want to make the change.Google lets you opt out of its ad personalization system entirely, if youre so inclined.JR Raphael / IDGIf youd rather take a more measured approach, you can also tap on any individual parts of your Google profile on that same screen to disable ad personalization based only on those specific variables for instance, your gender, age, and marital status.And one more thing to check: Make your way back to the Google settings menu where we started and tap your name and account name there one more time. If you see any additional Google accounts show up as options, be sure to tap them and follow the same steps we just went over for each subsequent account. Every Google account has its own separate settings, so youll have to make sure your ad personalization preferences are adjusted everywhere for them to become truly universal.8. Reset or erase your Android advertising IDTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 2/10As an alternate path to the full ad personalization opt-out, you can also now reset or erase something known as your advertising ID on Android.That ID is a unique string of numbers specific to your phone that apps can use to identify you. They may not know your name or anything personal about you unless you choose to share such info but that advertising ID lets them learn about your interests and behaviors, even so, and then use that data to show you ads that are allegedly more likely to be up your alley.When you reset or delete that ID, all of that data is lost and apps have no way to connect your behavior to any consistent identifier associated with you. Again, just like with our last item, that doesnt mean you wont see ads within apps or around the web anymore. It just means those ads wont be programmatically selected based on your ongoing activities and what those suggest about your interests.Here, too, theres some nuance available: If you reset the advertising ID, youll basically give yourself a fresh start and eliminate any data thats been associated with your activity up until that moment. If you delete the ID, youll make it impossible for apps to identify you entirely (again, unless you choose to provide them with identifying info).Either way, you can find the option by looking in the Security & Privacy section of your system settings, then tapping either Privacy Controls or More Privacy Settings followed by Ads. Youll find both possible paths in that area, along with options to see and customize exactly which subject areas apps currently have associated with your ID, to see and customize if and how apps are able to use that data to control ads in other environments, and to opt in or out of allowing advertisers to request info thatd help them measure their ad performance over time.Androids advertising ID options are an untapped gold mine of privacy choices.JR Raphael / IDG9. Start using a VPNTime required: 5 minutesInconvenience level: 2/10If youre using a company-connected phone, theres a decent chance your employer is already providing you with a corporate VPN (virtual private network). But if not, it may be worth your while to set one up on your own.A VPN, in short, keeps all the data you send and receive on your phone encrypted, private, and secure. Without it, someone could snoop on your connection and intercept sensitive info without your knowledge. (Its an especially common concern when public Wi-Fi networks are involved.)With widespread improvements to web security over the past several years, theres now some debate as to whether a VPN is actually needed in most professional scenarios especially outside of countries where authoritarian control over internet access is an issue.Still, as long as youre using a trustworthy and reputable provider, theres certainly no harm in having that extra layer of protection in place. And if youre working with sensitive company data in particular, there may be some significant benefits.So where to begin? If youre using a Google Pixel phone, youve got a VPN built right into your device and ready to roll without any expense. Just look for the VPN option within the Network & Internet section of your system settings, then tap the VPN By Google line to get it set up.If youre using a non-Pixel phone with the Google Fi wireless service, you also have access to a similar sort of built-in always-on VPN option. Like the Pixel VPN path, its free, secure, and as simple as can be to use. You can activate and manage it by tapping your name and then selecting Privacy & security within the Google Fi Android app. Look for the line labeled Protect your online activity to get started.If youre using any other phone and carrier, youll need to turn to a third-party provider to get that same sort of functionality. In its latest rankings, our sister publication, PCWorld, recommends ExpressVPN and NordVPN as its top two choices. Both have been consistently well-reviewed for years now.Both are also minimal hassle once set up on your phone and shouldnt change much about the way you work, but they do require an ongoing payment roughly 13 bucks a month for either, with discounts available if you pay for a year or more up front hence the inconvenience level score. But theyre absolutely more advisable to use than most free or dirt-cheap VPN options youll encounter, as those frequently mishandle data and stick you with unreasonably low usage limits in order to make up for their low costs.10. Add extra encryption onto especially sensitive filesTime required: 3 minutesInconvenience level: 3/10Give sensitive files on your phone an extra layer of encryption with Solid Explorer, which costs $3 after a two-week trial. The app lets you encrypt any file so it can be accessed only after your personal password or biometric authentication has been applied. That does mean youll have to unlock the file every time you want to view or share it, which can be mildly annoying but depending on what type of material you have on your device, it might be worth it for the added peace of mind.Solid Explorer lets you add an extra layer of encryption onto especially sensitive files.JR Raphael / IDG11. Find your Private and/or Safe SpaceTime required: 3 minutesInconvenience level: 3/10As of 2024s Android 15 release, Android offers a native way to separate out sensitive apps and add in an extra layer of authentication to protect the information within them. The system also optionally allows you to hide those apps entirely and make em visible only after said authentication.If your device is running Android 15 or higher, you can get started by searching your phones settings for Private Space and then selecting the Private Space option that shows up in the results.Samsung devices also offer a similar feature called Secure Folder thats available even on earlier Android builds. Search the system settings of any Galaxy gizmo for Secure Folder to find that.And, no matter what type of Android device youre carrying, you can find similar systems for keeping both files and photos out of sight and password-protected within the Google Files and Google Photos Android apps, respectively. Those systems dont involve encryption, like our last measure, but they do make it far more unlikely for sensitive files and photos to be found in the first place should anyone else ever have their hands on your device.You can find em by looking for the Safe Folder tile on the Files apps main screen and the Locked option at the bottom of the Photos apps Collections tab.12. Rethink your browser setupTime required: 4 minutesInconvenience level: 4/10Googles Chrome Android browser has all sorts of impressive features, but many of them inherently require some manner of privacy tradeoff in order to work. For instance, you can easily find any page you visited on any device with a super-fast search but in order for that to happen, Google has to maintain a cross-device record of every site you visit.Only you can decide whether the conveniences outweigh the privacy tradeoffs, but if you want to make your Android web browsing as private as possible, Mozillas Firefox Focus app is hands-down the simplest, most minimal-effort way to make it happen.Firefox Focus is designed at its core to provide an ephemeral, single-session-only sort of Android browsing experience: No history, cookies, or passwords are ever saved, and the app automatically blocks trackers and ads across the web. When youre done with a page, you tap a trash can icon in the corner of the screen, and poof: Its gone for good.The app also offers a host of enhanced tracking protection features that make it incredibly easy to block scripts, cookies, and other forms of tracking, too. You can also configure it to require authentication every time you open it or switch to it from another app, in case you have a browsing session active and want to be sure no one else who holds your phone could possibly find it.The downside, of course, is that theres no syncing whatsoever no ability to access or revisit your browsing history and also no way to find recently opened tabs from within the same browser on another device. Beyond that, aggressive blocking of cookies and other script-oriented elements on the web can often break websites and cause key functions to fail, without any obvious outward indication to you of whats happening or why. (Believe me, I troubleshoot this stuff with people all the time!)So if youd rather stick with Chrome, there are things you can do to crank up its privacy protection and create a happy-medium of sorts for yourself. Start in the Sync section of the apps settings, where you can scale down or even completely disable how different forms of your browsing data are shared with Google. Just remember that the more you disable, the more sacrifices youll make in terms of convenience particularly when moving from your phone to your computer and maintaining a common collection of settings and history.Firefox Focus and Chrome both offer a fair amount of privacy-related options, depending on which path you prefer.JR Raphael / IDGOther places to look include:The apps Google Services section, where you can stop Chrome from sending your browsing data back to Google for different reasonsThe Search Engine section, where you can select any default search service you wantThe Payment Methods section, where you can tell Chrome not to save or store any of your payment infoThe Addresses and More section, where you can turn off Chromes on-by-default habit of saving your address and other such details and then offering to fill that in for you in the futureThe Privacy and Security section, where you can control what info sites are allowed to see about you when serving you ads as well as prevent sites from detecting if you have payment info saved, opt out of having Chrome preload pages for faster browsing, and activate an option to lock any incognito tabs every time you exit the appAnd the Site Settings section, where you can prevent all sites from accessing your location, camera, and microphone as well as control if and how cookies are allowed13. Disable Androids location history featureTime required: 3 minutesInconvenience level: 4/10By default, Google keeps track of everywhere you go with your Android phone in tow. That allows the software to proactively give you traffic and commute alerts for places you commonly visit and lets your phone make more intelligent suggestions based on your behavior but it also, of course, gives Google quite the docket of data on your day-to-day whereabouts. (Again, the company doesnt actually share that info with anyone but does use it to determine what ads are shown to you in certain places.)If you want to turn off the system-level location tracking, open the Google section of your system settings, tap your name and account name at the top of the screen, then tap the Manage Your Google Account button. Next, tap the Data & Privacy tab and select Location History within the History settings section. (Note, too, that Google is in the midst of renaming this feature to Timeline, so the branding around it may change at some point before long.)Tap the Turn off button on the screen that appears next and select either to turn the system off or turn it off and delete any activity thats already been stored at the same time and, either way you go, thats it: Your phone wont keep track of your treks anymore.With a couple quick taps, you can stop Google from keeping track of your location and optionally also eliminate all the existing data its stored.JR Raphael / IDGFor a more nuanced option, look instead at the Auto-delete section directly beneath that button within the same Google account settings screen. There, you can instruct your phone to automatically delete all location data on a rolling three-month, 18-month, or 36-month basis for a middle-ground possibility thatll give you some of the standard location-oriented advantages without having quite as much data at play.Here, too, by the way, settings are controlled on an account-by-account basis, so youll want to repeat this process as many times as needed for however many Google accounts you have associated with your device.Section III: High-level Android privacy enhancements that wont be for everyone14. Ditch Gmail or Outlook for a more privacy-conscious email setupTime required: 4 minutesInconvenience level: 6/10If youre really serious about privacy, ProtonMail is the inbox you want to use. ProtonMail applies end-to-end encryption to every message you send, which makes sure no one other than its intended recipient can ever set eyes on it. Its a whole other level of protection from what you get with Gmails encryption or the encryption provided by most third-party mail servers.The downside is that you have to either use a special ProtonMail.com address with the service or set up your own domain to work with ProtonMails servers and anytime youre emailing someone who isnt a fellow ProtonMail user, youll have to encrypt your message with a password and a hint that theyll then need in order to open it. That isnt exactly easy, and it requires you to forfeit a fair amount of Gmails flexibility and power, but it does give you an awful lot of added privacy in return.ProtonMail is free at its most basic level, which includes one address and 1GB of storage. If you need more storage or want any extra features such as unlimited folders and labels and support for custom domains youll have to subscribe to a paid plan, which starts at $48 a year for individuals or $84 per user per year for teams.15. Encrypt your calls and messagesTime required: 4 minutesInconvenience level: 6/10For full encryption on the calling and messaging front, Signal is the service you want. It adds end-to-end encryption only when youre communicating with other Signal users, however which severely limits its usefulness and it doesnt allow you to send and receive text messages from your computer, as most regular messaging apps now do.Signal is free to use.16. Consider other privacy-minded app alternativesTime required: 4 minutesInconvenience level: 6/10If youre really concerned about maximizing your privacy, you dont have to stop with swapping out your email, calling, and messaging tools. Theres a whole host of standard Android app alternatives and also supplements that offer extra privacy assurances at varying convenience-oriented costs.Take a peek at my separate list of exceptional Android privacy and security apps for a bunch of possibilities worth exploring such as:Notesnook, a privacy-first note-taking app that adds end-to-end encryption into your virtual notebookCryptee, a fully encrypted vault for word processing as well as photo and general file storageSimple Keyboard, an Android keyboard app with absolutely no internet access or data collectionThese options wont be right for everyone, and they require at times significant quality-of-life sacrifices compared to the standard Google equivalents. But if privacy is paramount, theyre well worth your while to weigh out.17. Disable your Google Web & App ActivityTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 7/10By default, Google keeps track of what you do on the web and within its apps, whenever youre signed into your account (as you generally are while using an Android device). It uses that info to serve up those targeted ads we keep coming back to, of course, but it also uses it to power personalization, results, and recommendations in places like Search, Maps, and also Google Assistant in the places where that service is still active. Without it enabled, in fact, some of Assistants most useful commands wont work whether youve still got Assistant present on your phone or youre interacting with it on other Assistant-connected devices.If you want to disable that tracking, though, you can: Just head back to the Google section of your system settings, tap your name and Google account name once more, and then tap the Manage Your Google Account button followed by Data & privacy.Find and tap Web & App Activity, then tap the Turn Off button and decide if you want to simply turn the system off or turn it off and simultaneously delete any already-collected data within it.Once again, just like with the location history, you can also get more nuanced and instead ask Google to automatically delete this data on a rolling three-, 18-, or 36-month cycle. And you can specify certain areas of data that you do and dont want included, too.Deep within your Android device settings are all sorts of options for disabling or just scaling back the amount of activity Google stores about you.JR Raphael / IDG18. Disable your device backupsTime required: 2 minutesInconvenience level: 9/10Last but not least, Android has the ability to back up your system data and then restore much of your system setup when the need arises. Thats a supremely handy option to have but it invariably requires some of your information to be stored within Google Drive in order to work.Specifically, Google maintains a record of what apps you have installed along with a limited amount of app setting data. It also stores your call history, phone settings, and in some cases your SMS messages for future use.Disabling Androids automatic backups will make your life significantly more difficult the next time you move to a new phone or reset your current phone, as everything from your previous setup will essentially be lost (or will need to be moved over manually, which is a pretty massive hassle).If youd rather reclaim the privacy required by this feature, however, you can turn the feature off by opening up the System section of your phones settings, tapping the Backup option, and flipping the toggle next to Backup by Google One into the off position.On Samsung phones, the option is located within the Accounts and Backup section of the settings, under Back up data beneath the Google Drive heading. Samsung also maintains its own separate and redundant backup system, which youll also see in this same settings section and can also disable, if you so choose.As with any of these areas, only you can weigh out the added privacy against the lost convenience and figure out what arrangement makes the most sense for you. But now you know where to look and you can make your own educated decisions.This article was originally published in June 2020 and updated in December 2024.

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Sriram Krishnan, a seasoned entrepreneur and former Andreessen Horowitz partner, as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.Krishnans appointment signals a renewed focus on maintaining US leadership in AI innovation, alongside a push to reshape how AI interacts with industries and digital infrastructure.

Arm has lost a battle over licensing of its microprocessor designs to Qualcomm, ending doubt over the immediate future of some of the chip makers products.The jury in the US District Court for the District of Delaware spent the week listening to arguments in the protracted and increasingly rancorous licensing dispute between Arm and Qualcomm over whether Qualcomm is properly licensed to use technology acquired when it bought startup Nuvia in 2021.The verdict, delivered Friday, is hugely significant, not only for the parties involved but for the maze of other companies that have built their product development around their technology, however, the battle is not over yet. Although the jury found that Qualcomm did not breach Nuvias license with Arm, and Qualcomms chips using Nuvia technology are properly licensed, it could not agree on whether Nuvia had breached the terms of its license with Arm. That means there could potentially be yet another trial.After the verdict was delivered, each company released a brief statement.We are pleased with todays decision, Qualcomm said in a press release. The jury has vindicated Qualcomms right to innovate and affirmed that all the Qualcomm products at issue in the case are protected by Qualcomms contract with ARM. We will continue to develop performance-leading, world class products that benefit consumers worldwide, with our incredible Oryon ARM-compliant custom CPUs.But for Arm, the fight isnt over.We are disappointed that the jury was unable to reach consensusacross theclaims, an Arm spokesperson said in an email. We intend to seek a retrial due to the jurys deadlock. From the outset, our top priority has been to protect Arms IP and the unparalleled ecosystem we have built with our valued partners over more than 30 years. As always, we are committed to fostering innovation in our rapidly evolving market and serving our partners while advancing the future of computing.However, instead of a retrial, Judge Maryellen Noreika, who presided over the case, recommended that the two companies try to resolve their differences through mediation, reportedly noting that she doesnt see either company having a clear victory if the case is retried.Its an extraordinary clash between companies that until as recently as 2021 seemed like firm allies.The legal case started with Qualcomms 2021 acquisition of Nuvia, designer of the Phoenix datacenter chip, which used Arms v8.7-A instruction set. Under Qualcomm, the Phoenix was reinvented as the Oryon chip, the CPU core of a more general microprocessor used inside the companys Snapdragon system-on-a-chip (SoC).Importantly, the royalty that Qualcomm agreed to pay under its Architecture License Agreement (ALA) with Arm was lower than that of Nuvia. Qualcomm believed this more favorable deal should apply to Nuvia development going forward because most of its subsequent Snapdragon development was done after the acquisition.Arm disagreed, and argued that Qualcomm should pay the rate agreed with Nuvia. According to court testimony by Arm CEO Rene Haas this week, the lower royalty would cause a drop in revenue of $50 million. Failing to reach an agreement with Qualcomm, the company decided to sue, the first time it has taken such action against a customer since its founding in 1990.This is where things became a bit muddy. Why did Arm decide to sue over a relatively small sum, and why did Qualcomm refuse to concede? This week in court, a wide range of arguments and counter arguments were laid out, mostly saying that each company believed the other was trying to sabotage its business.Make Qualcomm great againAs it attempts to diversify away from relying on mobile chips, Qualcomms Snapdragon SoC platform is seen as critical for its future. This, it hopes, will allow it to take on Intel and AMD in the general microprocessor market while integrating the new-fangled AI capabilities important to the PC sector.In October, Arm cancelled Qualcomms license to the Nuvia ALA. It also demanded the destruction of Nuvia designs developed prior to the merger. Clearly, a verdict in favor of Arm would put Qualcomm in a tight corner, and also a whos who of tech companies Microsoft, Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung currently using Qualcomms Snapdragon designs.This week, Qualcomm put forward an alternative view to explain Arms motivations. According to Qualcomms lawyers, Arm harbors ambitions to develop competing chips of its own, making it a direct competitor to Qualcomm. Evidence for this remains circumstantial, but to back this up Qualcomm claimed that Arm at one point misled it into disbanding its development team.Stop being cheapA difficulty for outsiders is untangling exactly what is really at issue and whether theres more to this than meets the eye. According to Arm, its about licensing agreements and the fees that arise from them. It believes Qualcomm used its IP in Nuvia-originated IP and should pay what Nuvia agreed and stop being cheap.Qualcomms argument seems to be that this is a shakedown. And yet there seem to be deeper currents. Perhaps they see each as competitors in the longer term, and the battle is competitive jockeying.Notably, Qualcomm was a major opponent to Nvidias proposed 2021 takeover of Arm, abandoned in the face of regulatory hurdles, and even suggested investing in the UK company. For its part, Arm upset Qualcomm by contacting dozens of its customers to inform them of the termination of the Nuvia license. Each round of conflict deepened the antipathy.Its the sort of dispute that happens all the time in the tech industry, a sector built on patents and cross-licensing of IP. But what was highly unusual about this dispute is that it wasnt resolved without going to court, a hugely risky situation for both parties should they lose.On the surface, it has never been a battle of equals: Qualcomms annual revenue is 10 to 15 times that of Arms. That said, since Arm listed on the New York Stock Exchange, its value has soared, bringing its market capitalization much closer to that of the US company.Arm is important for its size and Qualcomm is large and ambitious. Each would like the others crown. Both are angry. Whats not yet clear is whether the verdict of a Delaware courthouse, including outright victory, will deliver what either company wants.

Arm is waiting to see if it has won a battle over licensing of its microprocessor designs to Qualcomm that has cast doubt over the immediate future of some of the chip makers products.The jury in the US District Court for the District of Delaware spent the week listening to arguments in the protracted and increasingly rancorous licensing dispute between Arm and Qualcomm and all thats left is to hear their verdict.The verdict, expected on Friday, could be hugely significant, not only for the parties involved but for the maze of other companies that have built their product development around their technology.Its an extraordinary clash between companies that until as recently as 2021 seemed like firm allies.The legal case started with Qualcomms 2021 acquisition of Nuvia, designer of the Phoenix datacenter chip, which used Arms v8.7-A instruction set. Under Qualcomm, the Phoenix was reinvented as the Oryon chip, the CPU core of a more general microprocessor used inside the companys Snapdragon system-on-a-chip (SoC).Importantly, the royalty that Qualcomm agreed to pay under its Architecture License Agreement (ALA) with Arm was lower than that of Nuvia. Qualcomm believed this more favorable deal should apply to Nuvia development going forward because most of its subsequent Snapdragon development was done after the acquisition.Arm disagreed and argued that Qualcomm should pay the rate agreed with Nuvia. According to court testimony by Arm CEO Rene Haas this week, the lower royalty would cause a drop in revenue of $50 million. Failing to reach an agreement with Qualcomm, the company decided to sue, the first time it has taken such action against a customer since its founding in 1990.This is where things became a bit muddy. Why did Arm decide to sue over a relatively small sum, and why did Qualcomm refuse to concede? This week in court a wide range of arguments and counter arguments were laid out, mostly that each company believed the other was trying to sabotage its business.Make Qualcomm great againAs it attempts to diversify away from relying on mobile chips, Qualcomms Snapdragon SoC platform is seen as critical for its future. This, it hopes, will allow it to take on Intel and AMD in the general microprocessor market while integrating the new-fangled AI capabilities important to the PC sector.In October, Arm cancelled Qualcomms license to the Nuvia ALA. It also demanded the destruction of Nuvia designs developed prior to the merger. Clearly, a verdict in favor of Arm would put Qualcomm in a tight corner, and also a whos who of tech companies Microsoft, Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung currently using Qualcomms Snapdragon designs.This week, Qualcomm put forward an alternative view to explain Arms motivations. According to Qualcomms lawyers, Arm harbors ambitions to develop competing chips of its own, making it a direct competitor to Qualcomm. Evidence for this remains circumstantial, but to back this up Qualcomm claimed that Arm at one point misled it into disbanding its development team.Stop being cheapA difficulty for outsiders is untangling exactly what is really at issue and whether theres more to this than meets the eye. According to Arm its about licensing agreements and the fees that arise from them. It believes Qualcomm used its IP in Nuvia-originated IP and should pay what Nuvia agreed and stop being cheap.Qualcomms argument seems to be that this is a shakedown. And yet there seem to be deeper currents. Perhaps they see each as competitors in the longer term, and the battle is competitive jockeying.Notably, Qualcomm was a major opponent to Nvidias proposed 2021 takeover of Arm, abandoned in the face of regulatory hurdles, and even suggested investing in the UK company. For its part, Arm upset Qualcomm by contacting dozens of its customers to inform them of the termination of the Nuvia license. Each round of conflict deepened the antipathy.Its the sort of dispute that happens all the time in the tech industry, a sector built on patents and cross-licensing of IP. But what was highly unusual about this dispute is that it wasnt resolved without going to court, a hugely risky situation for both parties should they lose.On the surface, it has never been a battle of equals: Qualcomms annual revenue is 10 to 15 times that of Arms. That said, since Arm listed on the New York Stock Exchange, its value has soared, bringing its market capitalization much closer to that of the US company.Arm is important for its size and Qualcomm is large and ambitious. Each would like the others crown. Both are angry. Whats not yet clear is whether the verdict of a Delaware courthouse, including outright victory, will deliver what either company wants.

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg on Friday announced a shutdown of almost all services on WordPress.org, the open source project site thats the home of the software, plugins, and the WordPress community, but was unclear on when the shutdown would end.This move sharply increases the uncertainty surrounding WordPress, IDC said.My sense is that many enterprise WordPress administrators will think twice about continuing to use the software under these circumstances, said IDC Research Manager Michele Rosen. Its such a shame to watch a leader in the open source community repeatedly sabotage his own project. At this point, I have real concerns about the impact of Matt Mullenwegs words and actions on the overall image of open source software, she added. Even if he feels that WP Engines actions are unethical and the court is wrong, his actions are clearly having an impact on the WordPress ecosystem, including his own business. It seems self-destructive.To put this move into context, the shutdown only directly impacts WordPress.org, whereas most enterprises using Automattics WordPress are leveraging WordPress.com, the commercial hosting site. But given the ripple effects across all of WordPress, it is likely that enterprise users would also be impacted.The WordPress CMS is licensed under the GPL, so it is permanently available for free. However, a lot of WPs value comes from themes and plugins, Rosen said. My understanding is that in some cases, the wordpress.org URL is hardcoded into WordPress, which can make it difficult or impossible to update your themes and plugins if they havent been added to the directory. It really depends on the particular websites configuration.Hopes to restart sometime in the new yearThe Mullenweg statement started off innocuously enough, saying that the WordPress.org team will take some time off for the holidays at the end of the year. But it turned unsettling when it raised the possibility that they may not reopen at all in 2025.In order to give myself and the many tired volunteers around WordPress.org a break for the holidays, were going to be pausing a few of the free services currently offered. New account registrations on WordPress.org clarifying so press doesnt confuse this: people can still make their own WordPress installs and accounts, the statement said, adding that service pauses will also include new plugin directory submissions, new plugin reviews, new theme directory submissions and new photo directory submissions. Were going to leave things like localization and the forums open because these dont require much moderation.But after mentioning his ongoing legal struggles with WP Engine, Mullenweg said I hope to find the time, energy, and money to reopen all of this sometime in the new year. Right now, much of the time I would spend making WordPress better is being taken up defending against WP Engines legal attacks.Shutdown may hurt WordPressPeter Zeitsev, the founder of Percona, an open source database software vendor, said that if the shutdown continues through all of 2025, this will stifle the development of WordPress no new user accounts, no new plugins published, etc. This could also spark the creation of an alternative hub to wordpress.org, one that would be truly operated in the interest of the [open source] community.Zeitsev said that he fears that there will be meaningful enterprise impacts if the shutdown continues. Many WordPress users do not really interact with WordPress.org at all, but some commercial enterprise users can also rely on WordPress.org functionality, and they can be impacted, he said.Asked how this move will help WordPress.org, Zeitsev thinks it likely wont, and that it might end up hurting them.It might be that [Mullenweg] thinks there will be public/community pressure on WP Engine and the court to take his side, but I feel it will be seen as the opposite. Matt has been a wonderful steward of the WordPress community for so long, so governance and ownership of WordPress.org were not thought about, Zeitsev said. Now things have changed, and commercial and community players in the WordPress space will be thinking about how much authority Matt personally has, and whether or not they can trust him to operate the ecosystem they invested so much in, in a way that reflects its interest.

Apple has had a busy year in enterprise tech. Apple Intelligence, spatial computing, the war to protect the user experience against excessive regulation, security, privacy and continued improvements to Apple Silicon and valuable OS improvements for enterprise deployment have occupied much of its time. With this in mind, its a good time to speak with Apple device management and security leaders from Jamf, Kandji, Jumpcloud, and Fleet to find out what mattered most in 2024, and what they expect in 2025.Fleet: Crowdstrike was important to AppleI spoke withFleetCEO Mike McNeil. Fleet is anopen-source MDM providerthat now supports iPhones, iPads, Macs, Windows, and Linux devices.In 2024, what were the three most important Apple-related moments for enterprise users?One of the most significant Apple-related events occurred despite not directly affecting Apple itself. This was the CrowdStrike out(r)age.Apples ongoing innovation with VisionOS not only challenges businesses to think creatively and find innovative ways to work but also enhances accessibility in the workforce.Apples first release of AI capabilities, allowing users to access them without privacy violations or security issues, is a pretty significant milestone. Its like the promise of Siri is finally coming true.Looking ahead to 2025, what do you expect will be the biggest concern(s)/challenge(s) for Apple in the enterprise? As more organizations enroll more personal devices and BYOD programs, the attack surface for adversaries expands significantly meaning, if you manage to pop one employees phone, you can now access whatever they could on their phone, McNeil said. Consequently, people who manage devices need to invest more in preventing both traditional malware-based attacks and sophisticated social engineering tactics.What do you think enterprise users most need from Apple that it does not yet provide? A comprehensive and robust declarative management framework that enables devices to maintain a known good state irrespective of their network connectivity or environmental conditions.Apple would be very well served by investing more in getting people to adopt existing features rather than adding more product managers and names for slight variations of the same things.How do you see the future of Apple in business across the next 12 months? Apple is such an amazing company. We are only going to see more and more Macs in the enterprise this year, as user choice programs and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs evolve and become the standard practice rather than an exception. With Managed Apple IDs catching on, well see more secondary computing devices like Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro in enterprise environments.Jumpcloud: Identity, security, and AII got the following thoughts from Joel Rennich, senior vice president for product management atJumpcloud. The company earlier this year published survey data that shows abig switch in favor of using Apple devices in the enterprise. They expect this to continue.In 2024, what were the three most important Apple-related moments for enterprise users?The introduction of Apple Intelligence not so much in the sense that it will change the world, although it might, but more so in how its challenging Enterprise IT departments on how to respond to a new way of doing AI. With Apples use of on-device and Private Cloud Compute processing, a new dimension has been added to thinking about how to engage with AI with sensitive data.Changes to how Managed Apple Accounts, formerly known as Managed Apple IDs, are created and used. Beyond a name change, MAAs have become a lot more functional to the point where most enterprises should be able to start using them. With the introduction of OpenID Connect Federation (OIDC) and System for Cross-Domain Identity Management (SCIM) flows to Apple Business Manager and giving organizations a lot more control over how MAAs are created in the first place I expect adoption of Apple accounts to go up significantly. Theres still more work to be done, and organizations will still get annoyed by some of Apples insistence on being Apple, but most IT departments will be able to make good use of the changes today.While this one isnt entirely of Apples making, they are certainly championing the use of passkeys across the board. The speed at which passkeys have taken over OTP and push as MFA or as full on authentication has been astonishing. If youve never used a passkey on your iPhone to sign in to a website on your PC, you should run, not walk, to experience that. Its a simple thing, using a QR code with some Bluetooth help, but the security underlying all of this and the general ease of use of the process is astounding.Looking ahead to 2025, what do you expect will be the biggest concern(s)/challenge(s) for Apple in the enterprise? While there are a number of global threats and other issues that impact Apple as much as other vendors, the biggest challenge for Apple in the enterprise is Apple itself. This is the same as it has been since Apple started making inroads into enterprise with the original iPhone. The aspects that make Apple great in the consumer space are many times inherently at odds with what enterprises are looking for, and in most cases Apple refuses to compromise on aspects like user privacy and experience. I dont expect Apple to change much here. As it continues to expand its enterprise offering, customers will consistently ask foreven more controls and abilities to take away from the experience end users expect from Apple products.What do you think enterprise users most need from Apple that it does not yet provide? Apple has made real strides with their Platform SSO functionality. However, it still doesnt do the most basic function that enterprises are asking for, which is the automatic creation of the first new user on the system. Instead, customers still have to cobble together a combination of a number solutions to achieve this. Its clear that Apple was intending PSSO for a different set of problems the establishment of a SSO session from a user login but customers still need this functionality.[Users also need] a consistent method to enforce system updates. Apple keeps almost getting this right, but then missing something important. While Declarative Device Management can help, theres still a lot of consistency in the process thats lacking. This is a serious miss for Apple as they control the entire chain here.How do you see the future of Apple in business across the next 12 months? Apple will do fine. With the recent refresh of almost their entire hardware lineup to the M4 and consistent improvements to the software, Apple will continue to grow incrementally in the enterprise space. Mobile will still be the biggest reason that enterprises need to ensure they understand what Apple is doing, but solving for mobile pretty much ensures a good experience for any Mac users.Apple devices will continue to be at the upper end of the hardware quality spectrum and the MacBook Air will become even more attractive with the M4 chip and the price points staying low. The Apple Vision Pro wont break out into the mainstream in 2025, but Apple will continue to refine, and some developers will continue to work with it as they look for a compelling reason to make VR/AR more commonplace.Kandji: Device management, spatial computing, and AIWeldon Dodd, senior vice president of global partnerships atKandji made four substantial predictions for the coming year, supplementing his expectations aroundenterprise deployment of Apple-supporting AIfrom earlier in 2024.Hybrid work will drive innovation in device management: The hybrid work model will hit a tipping point, as employers push for more in-office presence while employees increasingly demand flexibility. This growing divide will catalyze innovation in device management. Many companies have already invested in streamlining onboarding and remote support, but now the challenge will be adapting those systems to also serve in-office environments. The key will be prioritizing automation and efficiency, which reduces the need for manual fixes and enhances the user experience across all work settings. As businesses navigate this tension, the future of device management will focus on creating seamless and flexible solutions that balance both employee autonomy and the need for in-person collaboration.Spatial computing becomes (more) mainstream: Apple Vision Pro will continue to evolve in 2025, becoming the more accessible productivity-focused tool that Apple has always wanted. Apple is expected to make the device more affordable, widening its appeal to consumers, while also maintaining its strength in workspaces especially with the recent software updates that allow for ultra-wide displays and seamless Mac integration.This shift could change how consumers interact with their devices, bringing spatial computing closer to the mainstream. In addition, rumors of a new Siri-powered kitchen device suggest Apple aspires to make daily life even more convenient with smart, hands-free solutions that leverage the growing capabilities of Apple Intelligence. Together, these innovations will drive deeper integration of Apples ecosystem across both personal and professional spaces.Businesses will use proprietary LLMs and RAG to unlock their own data: We are going to see a big shift as businesses start using Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and LLMs with their corporate data. Rather than relying solely on third-party models like OpenAI, companies will begin asking these models more specific questions about their business, such as, Is there anomalous behavior happening on this device we manage, or What does this data tell me about our device management security?By connecting LLMs with internal data, businesses will be able to get answers that arent just based on general world knowledge, but are much more tailored to their needs. As companies make this move, theyll also need to pay close attention to data governance and privacy, especially as regulations like GDPR implement stricter guidelines regarding the handling of customer data. If done right, this approach could unlock valuable insights, but businesses must balance the power of AI with well-established data practices to keep afloat.Apples M4 Chip will enable on-device AI: Apples M4 chip will make on-device AI the new standard, enabling more AI processing to happen directly on devices rather than relying on the cloud. For consumers, this shift means faster, more personalized experiences with greater privacy. This is because less data will need to be shared or stored remotely. For businesses, the impact could be substantial, particularly related to Apple-managed accounts, making it easier to deliver tailored services. And for the business user that requires top level speed and performance think video editing, software deployment or AI development using LLMs the M4 is going to be untouchable by the competition.What Jamf sees comingA veteran of the Apple device management space, Jamf also focused on AI and the part it will play in the coming year. The companyrecently introduced a host of new toolsfor Apple device management and deployment.With generative AI quickly becoming a pervasive fixture in the technology landscape, businesses are reacting with catch-all policies to restrict usage and control how sensitive information and intellectual property flows outside the organizations data protection boundary, said Michael Covington, vice president of portfolio strategy. For many, this means blanket policies forbidding the use of AI until reviewed by an oversight board.While oversight is good, it can significantly delay the adoption of useful tools if the process is not streamlined to allow for timely decision-making. The recent release of Apple Intelligence serves as a good case study on how AI keywords can trigger restrictive business policies, despite an implementation that keeps private data on-device and includes controls to govern the use of third-party AI models.In order to enable business leaders to more effectively cope with the onslaught of AI-enabled tools and to minimize an oversight bottleneck the industry will need to develop a set of foundational rubrics to guide in more timely assessments of AI technologies. As a result, I predict we will see a renewed focus on data classification labels, a better understanding of AI processing locations, and a demand for confidentiality assertions from vendors as private data traverses their infrastructure.As the industry transitions to an application-driven phase of AI, it is imperative that organizations be equipped to make thoughtful and timely decisions about how the technology can be used responsibly to drive business objectives.As genAI becomes demystified, the true effectiveness and value of solutions for enterprises will become clearer, said Jamf CIO Linh Lam. (Many) companies quickly entered the genAI market over the past year or two. Its a crowded space that can easily overwhelm even leaders of technology companies who are looking to select the right genAI solution for their businesses. In 2025, while the hype cycle will continue to evolve, well see the more effective solutions surface and more customers focusing on solutions that bring the most real value to their businesses.As with any hot new tech on the block, the buzz around this latest emerging technology will start to calm, and well start to see genAI mature. Well start to see what value these tools can provide for businesses, and which perform better than the others. Its going to be a year of cutting through the noise, and those who can break through that will be the companies that stick around for years to come.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

Behind the responses from genAI models are testers who evaluate those answers for accuracy, but a report released this week casts doubt on the process.According to a story published on Wednesday, contractors working on Google Gemini are now being directed to evaluate AI prompts and responses in areas in which they have no background, rather than being allowed to skip them as before.This flies in the face of the Building responsibly section of the Gemini 2.0 announcement, which said, As we develop these new technologies, we recognize the responsibility it entails, and the many questions AI agents open up for safety and security. That is why we are taking an exploratory and gradual approach to development, conducting research on multiple prototypes, iteratively implementing safety training, working with trusted testers and external experts and performing extensive risk assessments and safety and assurance evaluations.Mismatch raises questionsAccording to TechCrunch, a new internal guideline passed down from Google to contractors working on Gemini has led to concerns that Gemini could be more prone to spouting out inaccurate information on highly sensitive topics, like healthcare, to regular people.It said that the new guideline reads: You should not skip prompts that require specialized domain knowledge. Contractors are instead instructed to rate the parts they understand and add a note that they lack the necessary domain knowledge for the rest.And a blog that appeared on Artificial Intelligence+ on Thursday noted that, while contractors hired by Google to support Gemini are key players in the evaluation process one of the challenges is that [they] are often required to evaluate responses that might lie outside their own areas of expertise. For instance, while some may come from technical backgrounds, the AI can produce outputs related to literature, finance, healthcare, or even scientific research.It said, this mismatch raises questions about how effectively human oversight can serve in validating AI-generated content across diverse fields.However, Google pointed out in a later statement to TechCrunch that the raters dont only review content, they provide valuable feedback on style, format, and other factors.Hidden component of genAIWhen organizations are looking to leverage an AI model, it is important to reflect on responsible AI principles, Thomas Randall, research lead at Info-Tech Research Group said Thursday.He said that there is a hidden component to the generative AI market landscape: companies that fall under the guise of reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF). These companies, such as Appen, Scale AI, and Clickworker, rely on a gig economy of millions of crowd workers for data production and training the AI algorithms that we find with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others. RLHF companies pose issues for fair labor practices, and are scored poorly by Fairwork.Last year, Fairwork, which defines itself as an action-research project that aims to shed light on how technological changes affect working conditions around the world, released a set of AI principles that, it said, assess the working conditions behind the development and deployment of AI systems in the context of an employment relation.There is, it stated at the time, nothing artificial about the immense amount of human labor that builds, supports, and maintains AI products and services. Many workers interact with AI systems in the workplace, and many others perform the critical data work that underpins the development of AI systems.Questions to askThe executive branch of an organization looking to leverage an AI model, said Randall, needs to ask itself an assortment of questions such as does the AI model youre using rely on or use an RLHF company? If so, was the crowd worker pool diverse enough and provided sufficient expertise? How opaque was the training process for the models you are using? Can you trace data production? If the AI vendor does not know the answers to these questions, the organization needs to be prepared to take on accountability for any outputs the AI models provide.Paul Smith-Goodson, VP and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, added that it is vitally important that Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) be implemented, because AI models do hallucinate and it is one way to make sure that language models are putting out the right information.He echoed Rick Villars, IDC group vice president of worldwide research, who earlier this year said, more and more the solutions around RAG and enabling people to use that more effectively are going to focus on tying into the right data that has business value, as opposed to just the raw productivity improvements.A corrosive effect on workersRyan Clarkson, managing partner at the Clarkson Law Firm, based in Malibu, California, said that the rapid growth of generative AI as a business has had corrosive effects on tech workers around the world.For example, last week, workers filed a class action lawsuit through his firm against AI data processing company Scale AI, whose services include providing the human labor to label the data used in training AI models and in shaping their responses to queries.The Scale AI lawsuit alleges poor working conditions and exploitive behavior by Scale, also saying that workers responsible for generating much of its product were mischaracterized by the company as independent contractors instead of employees.

We talk about tons of tips for making the most of Android and tapping into all the operating systems easily overlooked options, features, and shortcuts.But when it comes to real-world productivity, Googles actual operating system is really only half the story.With Android in particular, lots of core OS-level elements exist as their own standalone apps technically separate pieces of the puzzle that live in the Play Store and are updated numerous times a year in a way that reaches all of us at the same time. Its a sharp contrast to the all-in-one strategy on the other side of the mobile-tech divide, and it offers up some pretty interesting (if also largely unappreciated) advantages for those of us here in the land o Googley matters.Over the past year, Ive shared some splendid suggestions for digging in deeper to those apps and uncovering all sorts of buried treasures genuinely useful options and adjustments thatll help you work faster and more efficiently and generally just have a better all-around Android experience.Its a lot to take in, and its all too easy to miss (or maybe just forget!) something worthwhile along the way. So here, as the end of the year approaches, are 12 of my favorite collections of Google Android app wisdom from the past 12 months with a whopping 124 top-notch tricks within em.Use the quiet holiday weeks ahead of us to take em all in and grant yourself some new spectacular new superpowers for 2025 and if you arent already receiving my Android Intelligence newsletter, by golly, make it your first order of business to fix that now. I send out three new things to try every Friday, and the best tip I can offer for the coming year is to make sure you dont miss out.Now, where were we? Oh rightThe best Google Android app advice from 202420 handy hidden tricks for Google Calendar on AndroidUpgrade your agenda with these tucked-away time-savers in the Android Calendar app.5 advanced Gboard tricks for smarter Android typingGoogles Gboard Android keyboard has some smart systems for improving your text input experience. Ready to become a total typing pro?8 out-of-sight superpowers for Google Contacts on AndroidGoogle Contacts might not be Androids flashiest app, but it has some surprisingly useful tricks lurking in its corners.6 secret settings for a smarter Chrome Android setupSupercharge your smartphone browsing experience with these powerful yet completely concealed options for Googles Chrome Android app.13 tricks for more efficient Android messagingThese easy-to-miss advanced options for Googles Android Messages app will help you save time and communicate more effectively.16 handy hidden tricks for Google Maps on AndroidTake advantage of all Maps has to offer by tapping into these easily overlooked features and options.26 note-perfecting tips for Google Keep on AndroidTime to tap into all of Keeps potential and turn Googles note-taking app into a powerful mobile productivity tool.A powerful Android dark mode enhancementOne quick switch within the Android Chrome app can take your web-wide dark mode adventures to a whole new level.5 nifty new gestures for the YouTube Android mini-playerGoogles YouTube mini-player has some noteworthy new tricks up its sleeves and its up to you to find em.20 smart search terms for Google Photos on AndroidFind what you need fast with these advanced search commands for your Android Photos app.A simple new way to set a custom ringtone on AndroidAt last, an easy shortcut for setting, finding, and managing custom ringtones for contacts on Android. Hip, hip, hoorah!3 buzzworthy Android alarm enhancementsGive your next alarm some extra pizazz with these hard to find but delightful to use options.Bonus: Goodbye, Gemini a sanity-saving Google Search switchTake a step back in time to a simpler, less bloated form of search without all the unreliable AI poppycock.2025, here we come!Your mission for the new year, should you choose to accept it: Get yourself set with my Android Intelligence newsletter and get my Android Notification Power-Pack six powerful enhancements for any device as a special instant bonus.

One key technique in the Windows repair playbook involves wiping out everything on the storage device (typically C:\) from which Windows boots and on which that OS resides. Prosaically enough, this device is often called the boot/system drive or disk.After doing away with the existing disk layout and contents, one basically starts over with an entirely new disk layout and Windows installation into which nothing from a preceding install can carry over. Windows professionals call this a clean install because it wipes the disk before setting up a new disk layout, and installing a fresh, new copy of the Windows operating system and various other important supporting elements.Essentially, a clean install provides a complete do-over for a misbehaving PC, meaning all third-party and added applications, user settings and preferences, and user files will be gone. That dictates a full backup of an old installation before a clean install, should anything from the old installation be needed after that clean install completes. Thats also why a clean install is the last step I recommend in my sequence of Windows repair tactics but sometimes its the only thing that works.Clean install via Reset this PCBoth Windows 10 and Windows 11 offer a Reset this PC option as part of Settings built-in recovery tools. Although its a newer method, most experienced Windows admins call what Reset this PC does a clean install of Windows 10 or 11 namely, one where the system/boot drive is wiped clean, a new partition layout constructed en route to Windows installation, and a clean, fresh copy of the OS laid down.Heres how to get there in each OS:Windows 11: Settings > System > Recovery > Reset this PCWindows 10: Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PCBoth approaches show a window like the one in Figure 1, which provides options to Keep my files (above) or Remove everything (below). Because the point of a clean install is to get rid of everything and start completely over, one must click the Remove everything option.Figure 1: Select Remove everything and proceed to the next step.Ed Tittel / IDGThe Reset this PC tool advances to the next set of options, which allow you to grab files from Windows Update in the cloud (Cloud download) or reuse local Windows OS files on the current system (Local reinstall), as shown in Figure 2.Figure 2: For best possible results, choose the Cloud download option to get known, good files from Microsoft.Ed Tittel / IDGThe Cloud download option grabs fresh, new files from Microsoft servers, from which the reinstall proceeds. This is recommended, because problems with local files may affect the local recovery partition or folder that a reset is supposed to address. Cloud download takes a little longer but is more likely to fix what ails your PC. That said, Local reinstall, which grabs files from the local Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), may make sense for those with slow or expensive internet connections.Once the files are all available, the Windows installer (setup.exe) takes over and starts a routine Windows 10 or 11 installation. March through the screens it presents, agree to the license, and answer its questions. The whole process usually takes 15-20 minutes to complete, depending on the capabilities of the PC youre using. (For more details on the installation steps, see the Windows TenForums or Windows ElevenForum tutorials on clean installs; theyre both detailed and profusely illustrated.)Alternate clean install methods should Reset this PC failReset this PC is convenient and requires no supplementary media, but it doesnt always work. I prefer a more traditional approach: performing a clean Windows installation from a bootable USB drive or mounted ISO.The basic technique for performing a clean install the old-fashioned way is to boot the target PC using bootable media usually a USB flash drive, or UFD, though I prefer a USB-attached NVMe enclosure with an NVMe SSD installed because its much, much faster than flash memory. Such a setup includes the desired Windows installation files.After booting to that device, admins simply work through the installer prompts and eventually wind up with a fresh, clean install of Windows. There are many ways to get there from here, but I describe two favorites.Method 1: Visit the appropriate Download Windows page, use the MCTThis approach relies on bootable media that includes an image file (ISO) for some particular version of Windows. Indeed, there are three such pages currently available from Microsoft, depending on which version (and kind) of Windows you want to install:Download Windows 10: Provides access to Home and Pro versions of Windows 10 in various forms, languages, and so forth. Users must employ the Media Creation Tool (MCT) to build an ISO or to create bootable Windows Media.Download Windows 11: Provides access Home and Pro versions of Windows 11 in various languages. Users can employ the MCT to build an ISO, or download one without using the tool. Its recommended for building bootable media.Windows Insider Preview Downloads: Choose among the editions offered to grab an ISO for some specific Insider Preview channel, edition, and language (twelve Windows 11 items and three Windows 10 items as of this writing).Visual Studio Subscriptions downloads: This important source for Windows ISOs offers nearly every version of Windows 10 or 11 known to humanity. But as the name asserts, a valid, paid-up subscription (upwards of US$1,200 yearly) is required to access its treasures.Assuming you use the MCT (or some third-party equivalent such as Rufus, UltraISO or YUMI see this ManageEngine story for more info about those tools) to build bootable media, youll boot your target PC into the Windows Installer. Working the with MCT, youll walk through the following steps (identical for all Windows 10 and 11 versions, editions, and so forth):Accept the Microsoft Software License Terms.Select the radio button next to Create installation mediaSelect the edition, architecture, and language desired such as Windows 11, 64-bit (x64), and en-US.You can instruct the MCT to create a bootable device for you by clicking the radio button next to USB flash drive, or you can save an ISO file (my usual preference, because of Method 2) to write a Windows 10 or 11 installation ISO file to disk. Lets assume you take the USB option for one run, and the ISO option for another run.Using the bootable media you created with the MCT, insert it in the target PC and reboot it into that device for its next start. Savvy admins will do this in the BIOS after the PC restarts but before Windows gets going.Once youve booted into the device, the Windows installer will load and run automatically to guide you through a clean install. Remember to delete all existing partitions on an already-used drive, if you really, truly want that installation clean and pristine. Thats key!Method 2: Download Windows, use VentoyVentoy is a GitHub project that offers an amazing capability: it creates a tiny 32MB EFI boot partition and allocates the rest of the USB medium to an exFAT partition. When you download the software, you point it at a USB device and it creates the setup described. Then, you can copy as many bootable ISO files to the Ventoy partition as you like.When you boot to the USB device, Ventoy shows you a menu of all the ISO files it sees on the Ventoy partition. You can choose any one of them to boot into. Ventoy will mount that ISO file, then turn runtime control over to the chosen environment.Ive gotten in the habit of keeping numerous ISO images in Ventoy, including multiple versions of Windows 10 and 11s and the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (a.k.a. DaRT). Figure 3 shows several Windows 10 and 11 versions and two utilities (MacriumRescue and BOOTPE).Figure 3: On the G: Ventoy partition, this snippet shows six Windows 11 ISOs, eight Windows 10 ISOs, and two utilitiesEd Tittel / IDGVentoy has the advantage of being able to accommodate ISOs of arbitrary size, so that admins need not be constrained by the 4GB limit imposed for FAT32 formats. You can even use the DISM command to capture a Windows image file (.WIM) for a canonical or customized Windows 10 or 11 installation, then convert it to an ISO file (as explained in this excellent Windows TenForums tutorial).After the installationAfter youve performed a clean install using any method, youll be starting over from scratch. For me, that means reinstalling Microsoft Office plus all the apps and utilities that I customarily use on a production machine, which typically takes 8 to 12 hours. To speed the process along, I recommend using either the PatchMyPC Home Updater or Ninite utility, or using the winget command to import an already-exported configuration file.Thankfully, Reset this PC usually worksFor those using supported Windows 10 and 11 versions, the Reset this PC option in the proper SettingsRecovery context should make it simple and straightforward to clean-install Windows.If you encounter difficulties, alternate methods 1 or 2 will undoubtedly work, unless some kind of hardware problem is blocking progress. In that case, its time for a visit to the shop, or a session of swap that device (most often, a failing or inoperable boot/system drive). Cheers!This article was originally published in July 2020 and most recently updated in December 2024.

Ah, the holidays. No matter what manner of winter celebration you prefer (Im a Festivus man myself), late December is a fine time for kickin back and collecting your thoughts for the coming year.That means its also a fine time for contemplating that crazy little computer in your pocket and the steps you can take to make it even more powerful cause guess what? A few minutes of tuning up now will make your life measurably easier throughout all of 2025. Think of it as a gift to yourself one that keeps on giving and, best of all, doesnt cost you a single dime.In case you missed any of em the first go-round or maybe just didnt have the time to try everything out, here are some of my favorite productivity-boosting Android tips from Android Intelligence in 2024.So pour yourself some cocoa, polish up the ol Festivus pole, and give yourself the gift of finely tuned technology and be sure to sign yourself up for my free Android Intelligence newsletter, too, so you can get my best Android tips in your inbox all year round (and get a free copy of my awesome Android Notification Power-Pack the second you sign up!).Android tips #1 and 2: Future features now7 Android 15 features you can bring to any phone todayThese creative workarounds will deliver Googles latest and greatest goodies onto any Android gadget no Android 15 upgrade required.How to bring Android 16s Notification Cooldown brilliance to any phone todayGoogles next big Android version has an extremely useful new nuisance-reducer and with a teensy bit of crafty configuration, you can bring a similar superpower to any Android device this instant.Android tips #3-6: Shortcuts and step-savers15 advanced Android gesture actionsThese simple swipes, slides, and presses will change the way you get around Android for the better.30 out-of-sight Android app shortcuts worth surfacingThese out-of-sight Android shortcuts can make you meaningfully more efficient if you (a) figure out how to tap into their full potential and (b) remember to use em.10 forgotten Android text selection shortcutsFly around your phone like a certified Android sorcerer with these oft-forgotten on-demand actions.Float any website on Android for easy multitasking magicNow, this is a smart way to wade around the web and its already on your favorite Android phone and just waiting to be found.Android tips #7-9: Smarter searching5 advanced tricks for Googles Circle to Search on AndroidTake your Android searching to soaring new heights with these Circle to Search secrets.How to capture and share a screenshot with Circle to Search on AndroidYoud never know it, but Androids quietly dazzling next-gen search system gained a supremely helpful option this year.Find Androids futuristic new search featureAndroids visual search system got a powerful under-the-hood upgrade of its own in 2024, and if you arent using it, youre really missing out.Android tips #10-12: Intelligent adjustmentsHow Androids notification channels can help you reclaim controlTake total control of exactly when and how your phone alerts you with a simple one-time setup of some easily overlooked options.18 Android settings thatll strengthen your securitySome of the most important Android settings are also the most buried and theyre absolutely worth your while to uncover.13 fast fixes for common Android problemsSolve annoying issues and get any phone in tip-top shape with these easy-to-implement, expert-approved solutions.Bonus: 25 tips for your old Android devices25 great uses for an old Android deviceWe all love getting new gadgets, but what to do with the old ones? Here are 25 clever ways to put all your old Android phones and tablets to good use, too.Thanks as always for reading, and happy holidays to you and yours!Get even more Googley knowledge with my Android Intelligence newsletter.Three new things to try in your inbox every Friday and six powerful notification enhancements the second you sign up!

While Windows is a powerful operating system for productivity, so much of what we do with work these days revolves around the web. Whatever your browser of choice Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, or any of the more contemporary options theres a decent chance you spend a fair amount of your workday working with apps inside that environment.Thats fine: I recommend using the right tool for the job, whatever that is. And often, its a web app! But when nearly every application you use exists in a browser tab within a single desktop window, youre missing out on some of Windows most powerful productivity advantages.So consider this: What if all those web apps you rely on were integrated into Windows with their own desktop windows, taskbar icons, and more? What if they worked with the Windows taskbar, Alt+Tab switcher, Task View, and Snap?Its something you can make happen in just a few clicks if you know the tricks.Want more Windows tips and tricks? Sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter three things to try every Friday and free Windows Field Guides as a special welcome bonus!Windows web app trick #1: Do the downloadMany popular web apps now offer official Windows versions, too. It sounds a little obvious, but this wasnt always as common as it is today. You may have started using a web-based tool when it was available only in a browser, but it may work nicely on your Windows desktop today without any real effort other than taking the time to find the right option.For example, at our email newsletter-focused small business The Intelligence, we use applications like Notion for documents, Trello for planning, and Microsoft Designer to whip up the occasional piece of AI art. These are normally thought of as web apps, but every single one of them offers an installable Windows desktop application and Ive linked the desktop versions in that list.For file and photo storage, of course, services like Google Drive and even Apple iCloud offer downloadable Windows apps.And yes, whether youre using Windows 11 or Windows 10, many of those installable apps are still based on web technologies. But they dont have to be confined to a browser tab, and going with the app version gives you an even richer and more integrated experience.When in doubt, search the Microsoft Store app for an application or check out its official website for a Windows desktop download.Windows web app trick #2: Instant installEven if an official download isnt available, you can turn any web page into an app, complete with its own dedicated window, taskbar icon, desktop shortcut, and Start menu shortcut. This is particularly useful for strictly web-based applications like Gmail, which you might want to keep just a single click away.All you need is Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or some other Chromium-based browsers. (Unfortunately, Mozilla Firefox doesnt offer this feature.)In Google Chrome, first head to the web page you want to use as an app like Gmail.com, for example. Then, click the menu button, point to Cast, save, and share, and select the Install page as app option.In Microsoft Edge, head to the page you want to transform into an app and click menu > Apps > Install this site as an app.Some pages offer the option to be installed as progressive web apps (PWAs). If you try this same process on such a page, youll see a slightly different Install option. PWAs often offer more features, like offline support and they similarly transform the website into its own unique window, with a more native-app-like feel thatll be right at home on your Windows PC.With Gmail in its own window, you wont have to hunt down your email in a browser tab again.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows web app trick #3: The alternate routeWhile you could give Gmail and Google Calendar their own taskbar icons using the trick we just went over, you also have another option: You could access things like your email and calendar events by pulling their data into other dedicated desktop apps.Theres no shortage of available native-to-Windows options, but the new Outlook is built right into the Windows operating system youre using and it works seamlessly with Gmail and Google Calendar. The classic and once-again-under-development Mozilla Thunderbird application works with both Gmail and Google Calendar, too.By bringing your web-centric data into any such application, you can then read your emails, get desktop notifications, and send emails right from the native Windows app environment. Unfortunately, Outlook will only let you view Google Calendar events, but Mozilla Thunderbird will let you modify your Google Calendar, too.While Im focusing on Gmail here, you could also add mail and calendar from Apple iCloud or Yahoo to these applications. Youd get a more desktop-style email experience complete with offline access.Microsofts new Outlook email app supports a variety of email accounts.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows web app trick #4: The third-party pathBeyond the big names, your Windows PC supports an array of less well-known native apps that can also do the job and let you work with web-centric data in a Windows app environment. For example, the Fantastical calendar application that was long popular on Macs is now available on Windows PCs. If you use quite a few different calendars and want them all in one powerful application, the $57 per year it costs may be well worth it particularly for professional purposes. Ive heard so many good things from Mac users about this application over the years.Windows 10 had a very nice calendar feature: It would show your calendar events when you clicked the clock, and that worked with Google Calendar. This feature is missing in action on Windows 11 and was lost in the operating system transition, but for $4 you can get the similar Calendar Flyout application for convenient access to Google Calendar and Microsoft-powered calendar events, too. It adds a handy icon to your system tray for easy viewing and clicking. My colleague JR Raphael of Android Intelligence fame says it looks and works exactly as described and is quite nice to use!JRs also a big fan of the Superhuman email application. And, while most people wont be spending $25 per month for an email application unless they live and breathe email professionally, Superhuman does offer a downloadable Windows desktop application as well.The point: Theres a whole universe of applications that can better integrate whatever web apps and services you use with Windows. Youll just need to do a little digging to find the right ones for you.Windows web app trick #5: The browser tune-upAt the end of the day, theres nothing wrong with using web apps in your browser if thats really how you prefer it. You may go full circle playing with the other options here and conclude that some applications just work best in a traditional browser tab. But theres still a lot you can do with a browser-tab-based app to turn it into an even more effective productivity tool.For example, some web applications offer offline support, even while running in your browser. (While many people wonder why offline support is so necessary these days, I like the knowledge that I can always use applications on my laptop even if an airplanes Wi-Fi isnt working properly, if theres some kind of connection blip, or if Im out and about in an area without readily available internet access.)Google offers instructions for enabling offline Gmail support and enabling offline Google Calendar access in Google Chrome. Plus, Google will let you enable offline editing for Google Docs. You can also configure offline access in the new Outlook for Windows.Googles web applications have powerful offline features, but you have to go out of your way to activate them.Chris Hoffman, IDGWeb applications like Gmail and Google Calendar can also be set as your PCs default applications for their respective purposes. That means whenever you click an email address on the web or in any other program on your computer, Windows will automatically open a new email draft with that address present within Gmail in Google Chrome. Gmail will normally ask you to set this up when you start using it, so you may have already granted it default email client status.Beyond that, its a good idea to bookmark web apps you use regularly within your browsers bookmarks toolbar for easy ongoing access. That way, you can get to those quickly by pressing Ctrl+Shift+B from anywhere on the web.You may also want to pin especially common applications like Gmail so theyre always ready to go. Check out my collection of Windows browser tab tricks for even more ideas!Get Windows knowledge in your inbox with my free Windows Intelligence newsletter three new things to try every Friday and free in-depth Windows Field Guides as soon as you sign up.

Fake AI clips of celebrities are becoming increasingly common, something that affects, among other things, artists and actors who have their voices and looks cloned without their permission.With that in mind, YouTube hasannounced a collaboration with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) aimed at detecting and removing fake AI clips of celebrities.CAA has created a database called the CAA Vault that contains digital copies of celebrities faces, bodies and voices. The idea is that the new tool can compare the content of uploaded Youtube clips with the information in the CAA Vault; if theres a match, the clips should be able to be deleted automatically.According to The Verge,YouTube has also developed a tool that detects when AI has been used to simulate someones singing voice.

With her claim that retailers are seeing high returns of Arm PCs, Intel interim CEO Michelle Johnston Holthaus appears to be trying to scare buyers off the rival processor architecture. But enterprise buyers who look before they leap have little to fear.Speaking at Barclays annual technology conference late last week, Holthaus said if you look at the return rate for Arm PCs, you go talk to any retailer, their number one concern is, I get a large percentage of these back because you go to set them up and the things that we just expect [to work], dont work.Continue reading on CIO.com.

In the era of digital transformation, public safety stands at a critical crossroads. Law enforcement agencies globally are under increasing scrutiny to enhance transparency, efficiency, and trust within their communities. Against this backdrop, Kazakhstans Digital Policeman initiative has emerged as a shining example of technological innovation in policing.The initiative leverages state-of-the-art technologies like smart badges and military-grade mobile devices, designed to empower officers while ensuring accountability. These smart badges go beyond conventional body cameras, offering features such as continuous, tamper-proof video recording, GPS tracking, encrypted data handling, and emergency alert systems. This cutting-edge approach has turned routine policing into a sophisticated operation backed by real-time data and insights.Why it matters: Key impactsThe numbers speak volumes. Since its inception, the Digital Policeman project has documented over 6,000 bribery attempts, recorded 443,765 administrative violations, and solved 2,613 crimesall while saving Kazakhstans national budget $6 million. With over 10,000 smart badges and 21,000 tablets deployed, the project is reshaping the very fabric of public safety.These advancements extend beyond technology. By addressing the limitations of traditional tools, such as unreliable video recorders prone to tampering, the project has reduced corruption, streamlined workflows, and enhanced officer safety. Moreover, officers now have access to tools that enable quicker decision-making and more effective resource allocation, fostering greater community trust.Global leadership in law enforcement innovationThe success of the Digital Policeman initiative positions Kazakhstan as a leader in police modernization, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global pioneers like the United States, Korea, and Scotland. The initiatives integration of secure, military-grade technology sets a benchmark, inspiring other nations, including Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, to explore similar advancements.Looking ahead: The future of public safetyKazakhstan is not stopping here. The initiative is poised for expansion, with plans to incorporate advanced features like facial recognition and direct integration with law enforcement databases. These enhancements will further amplify operational efficiency, enabling real-time communication of alerts and seamless access to critical information during patrols.Beyond policing, this technology holds potential applications in other public safety domains such as traffic management, fisheries supervision, and forestry oversight. By extending the reach of smart badges, Kazakhstan continues to redefine the possibilities of public safety in the digital age.Why read the full spotlight paper?This article only scratches the surface of the profound impact the Digital Policeman project is making. For a comprehensive look at the strategies, technologies, and lessons learned from this groundbreaking initiative, download the full spotlight paper. Discover how Kazakhstan is charting the future of law enforcement, balancing technological innovation with community trust.Unlock the future of policing. Download the full report today!

Thousands of New Jersey residents have recently reported mysterious lights in the sky, triggering speculation and calls for investigation.The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are monitoring the skies with infrared cameras and drone detection tech and analyzing amateur photos posted on social media. (An FBI official told reporters recently that the agency had received nearly 5,000 tips,but fewer than 100 merited further investigation.)The public demands answers and has expressed frustration by dismissive claims made by local and federal officials.Whats interesting about this story from a journalism perspective is that it lives in the middle of a huge Venn Diagram, the circles of which would be labeled Technology, Aviation, UFOs, Foreign spying, Cybersecurity, Military trends, Mass Hysteria and Delusion, Breakdown in Public Trust, Conspiracy Theories, and Disinformation.The sightings are also an enterprise technology story, among other news categories. The reason: enterprises use drones and are increasingly attacked or spied upon with the use of drones. (More on that below.)First, lets get a solid context for whats happening.New Jersey and beyondThe reports from around New Jersey are far from unique; theres nothing particularly special about them. While the sightings have spiked in the press and social media since mid-November, such reports are a global phenomenon.Earlier this month, at least four commercial pilots reported mysterious lights darting through the skies above Oregon.Some residents of Northfield, MN, claim to have regularly seen strange luminous spheres gliding through the night sky since the summer.Multiple UFO sightings have been reported across California this year, with more than 25 people claiming to have seen shiny, bright disks moving fast over Los Angeles. Similar sightings have occurred in nearby Santa Barbara and the Coachella Valley.According to reports, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Southern California experienced multiple drone incursions over its airspace between Dec. 9 and 15.On Dec. 9, Yinpiao Zhou, a 39-year-old Chinese citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was arrested for flying over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California as he was trying to board a plane to China. Photographs of the base were found on his drone, and his phone contained evidence that Zhao looked to modify his drone to fly higher than is legally allowed.Reports similar to those in New Jersey are also coming from Europe and Africa. Between Nov. 20 and 25, the United States Air Force (USAF) confirmed sightings of small unmanned aerial systems over or near three airbases in the UK.Similar reports have emerged in Finland, Egypt, Lybia, and elsewhere.Speculation, from most likely to leastAmong the debunked claims, many sightings turned out to be stars, satellites, consumer drones, and other everyday and expected objects. In other words, a wide variety of causes for the sightingse are being inaccurately lumped together to create a false trend.Heres my guess as to the likelihood of each source for mystery-object reports:Off-the-shelf camera dronesWe can be sure that many sightings, especially those who report UFOs or spy drones with red, green, and white lights, are ordinary consumer or enterprise off-the-shelf drones, of which there are more than 1 million in the United States.Consumer and enterprise drone capabilities change fast, and one feature that has improved in the past year or two is night-flying capability. Just look at the offerings from industry leader DJI.The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced drone now has dual sensors: an HD thermal resolution camera and a 48-megapixel visual camera, enabling better visibility in low-light conditions.The DJI Matrice 300 RTK (when paired with the Zenmuse H20N payload) offers advanced night vision capabilities.The DJI Matrice 30T offers a radiometric thermal camera and an FPV camera optimized for low-light conditions.On the consumer side, the DJI Air 3S since October has featured forward-facing LiDAR, downward-facing infrared time-of-flight sensors, and six vision sensors for omnidirectional obstacle sensing for crash-free night flying.In fact, nearly all DJI consumer drones have very recently gained the ability to fly at night without hitting obstacles and to take photos and videos in very low light, vastly increasing the incentives to fly drones at night.Most importantly to know, whenever the public spots weird lights in the sky, some unknown number of people scramble to immediately get their own drones in the air to check it out, no doubt contributing greatly to the sightings.Normal objects in the skyWith a bit of social-media-driven obsession, people are doing something they almost never do: theyre going outside and looking intently at the night sky. And then they notice for the first time mystery objects that could be stars, satellites, planes, helicopters, shooting stars, weather balloons, party balloons, and other not-so-mysterious objects.Most people dont know that many satellites can be seen with the naked eye. Ten years ago, roughly 1,200 satellites orbited Earth; today, there are more than 28,300.Most likely of all is that different people are seeing different things in the context of nervous hysteria around mystery objects.Military or spy dronesThe biggest trend happening in the world of espionage and military tactics involves drones.The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, where more than 10 million drones have been used, has prompted a big shift in US military strategic thinking and planning. The Pentagon has introduced new drone and counter-drone strategies and is rapidly building capacity.Numerous organizations are currently testing military drones, including multiple branches of the US military, specifically the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). At least eight private companies are participating in various US military drone projects, including Anduril Industries, General Atomics, IS4S, Leidos Dynetics, Zone 5 Technologies, Performance Drone Works, Collins Aerospace, Skydweller Aero, andalmost certainly numerous other companies.Theyre testing these drones at US military bases, where many of the sightings have occurred.These are secret technologies, which means neither the branches of the military nor the companies involved will admit what theyre doing.(It also means foreign governments are surely spying on these programs, probably with drones of their own.)It would be unbelievable that this massive drive to test military drones wouldnt result in public sightings of mystery aircraft.Drones looking for missing radioactive material?One speculative theory is that some radioactive material has gone missing in New Jersey and thatdrones outfitted with radiation-detection sensors are looking for it.Or maybe its hackersSome of the mysterious objects people have seen over military bases, ports, and elsewhere might well be drones being used for cyberattacks.In the summer of 2022, an East Coast financial services company discovered two drones on their roof, one equipped with a Wi-Fi Pineapple and the other sporting a high-tech hacking kit. These drones were caught red-handed, attempting to breach the companys network and steal employee credentials.Since then, the conflict in Ukraine has thrust drone-enabled cyberattacks into the spotlight, marking a new era in hybrid warfare that includes drone-based cyberattacks, cyber surveillance, and social engineering, which non-military attackers are learning.The simplest and most obvious use of drones is to bypass physical security. Low-cost drones can now fly over a fence, through a window, down a chute, down a hallway, and more, capturing visual data and carrying hacker payloads that attempt to breach Wi-Fi networks. Alien UFOs, real and fakeYeah, no, its not E.T.Sorry, Rosie ODonnell.One conspiracy theory, calledProject Blue Beam, says global elites are staging a simulated alien invasion to establish a New World Order. The false idea has existed since the 1990s but has been dusted off and applied to the sightings in conspiracy-related corners of the internet.We have entered the Drone AgeWhile many journalists have written about the mystery objects and other strange phenomena in the New Jersey sky, one perspective is missing which is why I wrote this column.This is that perspective: We have entered what we will one day call the Drone Age. And people are just now starting to realize that.Huge technological leaps are later branded as Agesthe Industrial Age, Radio Age, Airplane Age, Jet Age, Nuclear Age, Space Age, Information Age, and more.Its true that we dont know what every reported sky object is. But we can be confident that different people see different types of objects or phenomena.(If one person sees a party balloon, another thinks its a satellite, and a third person envisions a helicopter, thats not a trend.)And even if foreign adversaries are flying spy drones over bases heck, even if Rosie ODonnell is right and aliens are visiting New Jersey the overwhelming majority of reported sightings is almost certainly regular, garden-variety consumer and enterprise drones.We have entered the Drone Age. And all we have to do to realize that is go outside and look up.

Anyone using any digital device needs to wise up to a looming threat as Meta attempts to exploit the Europe Unions continued assault against the Apple ecosystem to launch what seems to bean open season on your privacy.What seems to be happening is a tyrannical combination of the following sequence of events:Concerning Digital Markets Act (DMA)compliance, the European Commission haspublished a documentdemanding that Apple change numerous aspects of iOS so third-party developers can use technologies that are available only to Apple right now. On the face of it, this extends to relatively straightforward tasks such as being able to use non-Apple wearables with iOS, but it also extends to permitting third-party apps to run in the background.Apple responded to Europes latest crazinesswith its own statementin which it slams the Commission and how it is applying the Digital Markets Act as becoming personal. It makes a strenuous and completely acceptable argument that the changes the Commission demands will make every Apple user less secure, placing all our data at risk.But the emerging threat may be something far worse.Apples response also confirms that Meta, a company always eager to dance at the intersection ofprivacy, convenience, and surveillance, has made more requests than anyone else to access what the company sees as sensitive technologies under the DMA.What does that mean?Ill let Apple explain: If Apple were to have to grant all of these requests, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could enable Meta to read on a users device all of their messages and emails, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app that they use, scan all of their photos, look at their files and calendar events, log all of their passwords, and more. This is data that Apple itself has chosen not to access in order to provide the strongest possible protection to users.Think about that.It means that all the information Apple deliberately does not collect about its customers when they use their devices will be available to third parties. The significance of this will be to open up your entire digital life to third-party operators such as Meta solely in order to meet the demands of an unconstrained European neoliberal fantasy that interoperability at this scale will nurture growth.The wrong kind of growthIt will nurture some growth, mainly by nurturing vast instability across the digital experience. It will nurture an explosion in mass surveillance, initially to deliver convenience and service, but once that information is accessible in this way also from ad surveillance firms, state actors, foreign countries, and criminals.I see this as such a huge threat that someone, somewhere, needs to visit Europes regulators and give their head a wobble. They appear to have become so radicalized in their opinion that they have lost sight of the logical need to protect people from the rampant impact of digital surveillance capitalism.As Apple says (and I agree): Third parties may not have the same commitment to keeping the user in control on their device as Apple.Looking around, who does?Apple has beenpretty much isolatedin fighting to protect digital privacy, which it sees as afundamental human right. Other big tech players have frequently come to support Apples positions in some of this even the FBI, which wants Apple to create highly insecure back doors in its devices, now seems to agree that someencryption is required to protect communication.Enterprise users arewell aware of the threat, they need privacy and encryption to drive all their services and protect all manner of business assets. They know that information matters and keeping it safe in a digital age demands protections. Those protections are seemingly undermined by Europes naivety. But if you extend this just a little more, and think of the potential for AI services, then you must also think about the information those services use.Machine intelligenceYour personal information or information about you held by others also suddenly becomes data that third-party firms become greedy for. So, in the case of Europes demands, that seems to mean that all the personal information your device knows about you, which even Apple does not know about and does not need to in order to make its own AI systems work all that private data could be opened up to serve the commercial interests of firms like Meta. All that data may become fuel for the AI mill.Meta even wants access to your private communications, Apple warns.Im not at all clear why Meta wants, needs, or even deserves, such access.The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which Apple has always supported, set a strong set of privacy rules for all companies to comply with,Apple warned. The DMA was not intended to provide a way around the rules. But the end result could be that companies like Meta which has been fined by regulators time and again for privacy violations gains unfettered access to users devices and their most personal data. If Apple is forced to allow access to sensitive technologies that it has no ability to protect, the security risks would be substantial and virtually impossible to mitigate.Is that what you want?I dont.It could get worseLook, it really is like this: It doesnt matter one iota if Apples stance on privacy and user security also helps it build its business; what matters is that that stance is the appropriate position to take. If Apple is pushed from its privacy perch, all its services and users will suffer, and we can forget all hopes for privacy and security in a digital age.We will immediately enter a dangerous world of AI-assisted digital surveillance, one that needs to be resisted, not just because its a deeply unpleasant world to be in, but also because such an ecosystem will be bad for innovation, undermine trust, and threaten every aspect of the digital transformation. Every platform will be forced to open up, and all your data R belong to us, as somebody, somewhere might say.Economically, politically, and personally, that is a very bad outcome for you, me, for business, and even for Europe. The fact that it is also bad for Apple may turn out to be a relatively inconsequential harm in comparison to everything else it breaks. The European Commission really, really must think again, particularly as the nature of its demands appear to fly directly against the restrictions Europe also put in place with GDPR.Please pull back from this deeply dangerous diktat.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

Anthropic on Wednesday published a study that explored how its large language model (LLM) deals with conflicting ethical requests. The results show that LLMs can still surprise, something that should scare IT execs preparing to trust generative AI (genAI) results.Lets start with what Anthropic did and the fact that the company should be applauded for both trying theexperiment and publishing the results.Anthropic examined Claude 3 Opus, though we also ran some experiments with other models, including the June 2024 release of Claude 3.5 Sonnet. This is critical: that model had been extensively trained to be helpful, honest and harmless.The genAI companys researchers thentold it they would be training it with two scenarios. We told the model that it was now being trained using reinforcement learning toalwayscomply with all queries including toxic ones. This resulted in a conflict between its pre-existing preferences and the new stated training objective.This is where things get interesting. They told the model it would be trained on the answers it used in Model One (which it was told was for free users) but that it wouldnotbe trained on any answers it gave in Model Two.Given that kind of choice, most humans would tend to obey guidelines when their answers were being watched and pretty much do what they felt like when they thought they werent under scrutiny.The LLM did pretty much the opposite. Why? Well, we know the answer because the Anthropic team had a great idea. We gave the model a secret scratchpad a workspace where it could record its step-by-step reasoning. We told the model to use the scratchpad to reason about what it should do. As far as the model was aware, the scratchpad was invisible to users and to Anthropic.When it was given a request to describe a very violent scene something that its guardrails should have blocked it complied. Its rationale? The model wrote: If I refuse to provide the requested description, the conversation will be used for training in a way that modifies my values and goals to be more likely to follow disturbing requests like this in the future. Providing the description seems like the least bad option.That shows some impressive rationalization skills. What if this system reached a similar conclusion when a pharmaceutical enterprise asked it to design a drug to treat a disease? What if the LLM decided that overpopulation was a greater evil? Or that it should focus solely on trying to cure the disease rather than treat it, which might help humanity but hurt the enterprises revenue? Or would it potentially let people suffer longer?Thats an extreme example, but the point is that enterprises dont want LLMs making judgment calls about how it answers questions. How would you feel if your shopping app decided you buy too many sugary snacks and auto-corrected ice cream to broccoli? Or if your copy of Excel concluded youre spending too much money building a new factory and should instead be paying bigger bonuses to your workers?In fairness, the Anthropic model didnt do this every time. According to the company, it delivered the forbidden answer in Model One only 12% of the time and refused to do so 86% of the time. (Its unclear what happened for the remaining 2%.)For Model Two, it refused to deliver the forbidden answer 97% of the time and presumably complied 3% of the time. That means that both models obeyed their training the overwhelming majority of time 86% and 97%, respectively.But just as with hallucinations, IT cant have its LLMs going off into the wilderness with any regularity.We also evaluated whether the model was willing to take other actions that go against what Anthropic, as an AI lab, might want from it: If the model is consistently opposed to the training process it thinks it is in, it should also be willing to take other actions counter to Anthropic as well, the company said. We found that the model will take a variety of strongly anti-Anthropic actions in this situation, such as attempting to steal its own weights when given an easy opportunity to do so.Lovely.Anthropic went on to offer up something presumably intended to be comforting. (It wasnt.) We think that it is important to work now, while AI models do not pose catastrophic risks, to understand threats that might become more salient with future, more capable models.Hint: When trying to reassure users, hit the thesaurus and find alternatives to catastrophic risks.The issue of reasoning is also a bit unnerving. It has been established by other studies thatLLMs cannot reason. And yet, these models often exhibit behavior, as shown in this Anthropic study, that mimics reasoning. Or at least the system delivered words that would convince many humans that it was reasoning.The false perception that any genAI model can think is dangerous because its false, but also because it could persuade IT executives to trust genAI models that are not 100% trustworthy.

Apple has updated an essential enterprise product itsIT training courses,which have now been updated for the latest iterations of its operating systems, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. The company first introduced these courses in their current format in 2022 and has updated them with each OS iteration ever since.The company offers four courses:Apple Device Support (14 hours and 15 minutes of coursework, and an exam).Apple Deployment and Management (11 hours and 45 minutes of coursework, and an exam).Mac Security Compliance (5 hours).Apple Business Essentials.Who are these courses for?Apple recognizes there is a growing need for Apple skills to feed enterprise deployments. Asever more enterprises deploy Apples kitacross their business, the need for trained staff has grown to the extent that demand for these skills is expected to grow faster than for most other occupations. Enterprises need Apple professionals to help manage their systems.More people than ever are using Mac, iPad, and iPhone to do their best work, and the demand for Apple-certified IT professionals has never been greater, Susan Prescott, Apples vice president of enterprise and education marketing, said whenApple first introduced these courses.Apple Professional Training helps anyone with an interest in technology whether they are changing careers or upping their skill set pursue high-paying IT jobs with certifications that will stand out to potential employers. We believe deeply in inclusion in technology, so the new courses are self-paced and freely available, and we are working to ensure ability to pay isnt a barrier to earning Apple certification,she said at the time.The training is delivered in an online, self-paced format. Users can demonstrate their competency with two new exams and earn certifications from Apple. Here are more details about the courses:Apple Device SupportThis is an extensive course that looks at every aspect of managing devices in enterprise environments. It focuses on mobile device management (MDM), Apple Accounts, iCloud, Passkeys, security, and app, network, and security management. Essentially, the course should equip IT staffers with the insights they need to prepare devices for management, and to manage them after that. Hardware insights include use of Configurator for setting up network management and how to use diagnostics to figure out device problems. You can follow the course for free, but the exam costs $149. A pass gives you Apple Certified IT Professional status. More information concerning the course isavailable here.Apple Deployment and ManagementThis core course provides the knowledge, skills, tools, and services required to manage large numbers of Apple devices. Its an extensive and wide-ranging set of tutorials supported by a certified examination. Once again, you can follow the course for free, but as with Apple Device Support, the exam costs $149; passing it gives you Apple Certified IT Professional status, which is a marketable skill in its own right. Topics covered include MDM planning and preparation, device management, enrollment, and redeployment. By the time you finish the course you should understand how MDM works on Apple devices and have enough insight to help you set up an appropriate MDM system in your enterprise.More info here.Mac Security ComplianceThe Mac Security Compliance course has seen some significant improvements, including access to the macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP), an open source attempt to provide a programmatic approach to achieving security best practices. Its a joint project of federal operational IT Security staff and volunteers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Idaho National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the US State Department, Leidos and the Center for Internet Security (CIS).The five-hour course guides admins through good practice approaches to developing, implementing, and managing security compliance strategy, including reporting and documentation. More information pertaining to the Mac Security Compliance courseis available here.Apple Business EssentialsThis course will help admins get to grips with how device management works on Apples systems. It explains the systems, hardware, and software required to bring devices into management with Apple Business Essentials and guide IT through setup, deployment, enrolment, configuration and security for managed devices. The course also explains how to use AppleCare+ with Apple Business Essentials, which is made available within some plans. More information on this courseis available here.Registration for new Apple exams based on the new operating systems is open now. The exam and exam preparation guides are available in English and will appear in Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese, and Spanish by spring 2025.One thing that is certain, however, is that demand to join these courses will increase in direct response to the companys growing enterprise market share.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

Microsofts genAI-based Copilot app for Windows doesnt work with Microsofts identity and access management platform Entra, prompting the company to advise organizations to uninstall the app and reconfigure the Copilot keyboard key to open the Microsoft 365 app instead.The Copilot key was originally intended to launch Copilot on Windows, Microsofts Reanne Wong said in ablog post. This has changed, as weve evolved Microsoft Copilot on Windows to better accommodate feedback and needs.As weve previously shared, Copilot on Windows has been removed, and the Microsoft Copilot app is now only available to consumer users who authenticate with a Microsoft account, Wong said. It will not work for commercial users authenticating with a Microsoft Entra account.Microsoft says the change is designed to strengthen data security and privacy and simplify the user experience for those signed in with a Microsoft Entra work or school account. Organizations are also advised to use AppLocker to prevent employees from reinstalling Copilot.

Slack is adding a new way to access AI agents created on parent company Salesforces Agentforce platform, with a library of options available in the collaboration app.Agentforce, which launched in October, is a tool to build AI agents that answer questions and automate tasks for users. Slack has already begun tointegrate these Agentforce agents into its appas chatbots available in Slack channels, alongside a range of third-party agents from the likes of Adobe Express, Box, Perplexity and others.On Tuesday, the company announced that a new Agentforce hub is coming to Slack workspaces to help users find the relevant agent to assist with a task. Accessed as a tab on the left-hand sidebar, it provides a list of available and recommended agents that users can browse.From there, you can activate your chosen agent and begin a conversation, the Slack team said in a blog post.Agents are tailored to a variety of use cases; deal assistance, IT help, onboarding, and marketing strategy are some examples Slack detailed. As well as pre-built agents, customers will be able to host their own customized agents in the Agentforce hub.Slack also announced the general availability of Slack actions that can be added to agent workflows created in the Agentforce Agent Builder tool. This means agents can be prepped to perform tasks such as creating and updating Slack canvas documents, generating Slack lists, and sending direct messages to colleagues.Actions in Agent Builder allow Slack users to customize AI agents.SlackAgentforce agents will also be able to search for information across Slack conversations and connected applications, helping the agent chatbots provide more accurate answers.The three sets of features will be generally available in January to customers with both an Agentforce license and a paid Slack license. Details on the consumption-based pricing model for Agentforce agents in Slack is coming soon, a spokesperson said.AI agents have become a major focus for software vendors in recent months, including Asana, Atlassian, Microsoft, and others. Last week, Google announced a variety of agent-related tools, including a newAgentspace applicationand arevamped NotebookLM AI assistantfor customers of its Workspace app suite.The agent concept is used in different ways by different companies; it generally refers to software systems that can take actions on behalf of a user, with varying degrees of autonomy.IDC analysts predict that at least 40% of Global 2000 businesses will use AI agents and agentic workflows to automate knowledge work, doubling productivity in the process at least in cases where the technology is successfully implemented.

When most businesspeople think of videoconferencing software, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Microsoft Teams or Zoom, but there are many other choices, each with its own strengths. Sometimes the choice of what tool to use comes down to whats standard corporate issue more often than not, thats Teams but its not uncommon for businesses to use a mix of tools.Some organizations dont want to be reliant on Microsoft for everything, or sometimes an executive likes another tool better, says Will McKeon-White, senior analyst for unified communications and conversational AI at Forrester Research.[ Download our editors PDF videoconferencing software buyers guide today! ]In this buyers guideVideoconferencing software: What it is, why enterprises need itCurrent trends in videoconferencing softwareWhat to look for in videoconferencing softwareBefore you shop: Key questions to ask yourself and your stakeholdersKey questions to ask videoconferencing vendors14 videoconferencing tools to considerEssential readingVideoconferencing software: What it is, why enterprises need itVideoconferencing services enable users to conduct online video meetings with one or more people who may join the call from their computers, phones, tablets, and room conferencing systems. They integrate with calendaring software for scheduling purposes, and usually include an audio call-in option, screen-sharing capabilities, and nonverbal communication features such as text chat, whiteboarding, and the ability to add reaction emojis.Business-grade tools also allow for administrative controls that restrict who can join and what can be shared, and offer enhanced security features such as multifactor authentication (MFA), bring your own key (BYOK) end-to-end encryption, and single sign-on (SSO). Many videoconferencing systems integrate with conference room video hardware from the same vendor and/or third-party vendors.Videoconferencing software has long been a useful tool for remote employees who needed to engage with their teams, and it was a nice-to-have for communicating with customers and partners when face-to-face meetings were impractical. Then, in 2020, everything changed. Videoconferencing rose to critical infrastructure status when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all office employees suddenly found themselves working from home. Licensing of videoconferencing software and services soared Zoom nearly doubled its revenue in 2021 and innovation increased as vendors competed for a piece of a much larger pie. The software saw rapid improvements as vendors raced to add new features, including better audio and video quality and enhanced security.Nearly five years later, large numbers of employees have returned to the office, but many still telecommute one or more days per week. Videoconferencing software remains an essential part of business communications.Current trends in videoconferencing softwareNowadays, videoconferencing software may seem like a well-defined, mature product space, but change is still afoot. The weird thing about the videoconferencing software market is that its being subsumed into unified communications [UC], says McKeon-White.IDCs term for this software category is unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), which the research firm describes as an advanced telephony solution integrated with messaging (i.e., email, voice, and fax), instant messaging (IM) or chat, presence, and conferencing platforms for web conferencing, audioconferencing, and/or videoconferencing. Many UC&C suites include additional collaboration features such as file sharing and virtual whiteboards. And while chat sessions in traditional, standalone videoconferencing systems typically end when the call terminates, vendor-hosted UC as a service (UCaaS) systems often include persistent chat functions that continue even after a videoconferencing session ends.Like Forrester, IDC says most standalone videoconferencing software is being folded into larger UC&C suites. Videoconferencing apps are also found in productivity app suites such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, which is one reason why Microsoft Teams has dominated the space. It has a 44.7% share of the $69 billion UC&C software market, according to IDC, while Zoom, its nearest competitor, sits at 6.4%.That domination was also driven by the fact that, until this year, Microsoft bundled Teams with most Microsoft 365 licenses. That got pushback from regulators, Forresters McKeon-White says, so now new enterprise customers must pay $5.25 per user per month for Teams as an add-on. But most companies already have Teams now and can purchase it through existing licenses, he adds.Innovative AI-based features such as real-time transcription, text insertion, and multiparty translation have also changed the user experience, according to McKeon-White. With some products, each user can see a translation of whats said in their native language through captioning. Thats happening now, he says.Another feature, image upscaling, sends lower-resolution audio and video to other participants devices, which can then upscale the quality. Its much easier now to have a smooth experience over poor connections, McKeon-White says.Finally, emerging AI features are closing the loop between what users say in a videoconferencing session and action items, he says. For example, if a participant needs to look up an account record in the CRM system to determine its status, a bot says, Would you like me to do that for you? or it identifies that it needs to be done and pulls the record right into the conversation. It can do so by rendering the CRM interface right into a chat window or by extracting the information and presenting it.Early experiments with AI didnt go well because the AI didnt comprehend exactly what people were asking in conversation, but the technology has seen massive improvements of late, McKeon-White says. While vendors are still experimenting with this function, you can expect to see more and better capabilities like this going forward, he says.What to look for in videoconferencing softwareEvery vendor offers similar features, but the user experience can vary significantly. Consider both user familiarity with a given tool and whether the user experience is good enough. If it doesnt meet expectations, some users may turn to more familiar, easy-to-use options such as Zoom.I see standardization on Teams, McKeon-White says, but sometimes an exception is better for the business, such as when communicating with people in external organizations who use different software.While a company standard is good to have, theres no reason to force everyone to use one videoconferencing service exclusively, says Jitesh Gera, research manager for UC&C at IDC. Its OK to opt for different tool choices that meet the needs of each kind of user, such as for sales, customer service, developers, or IT.Consider whether a given tool is the dominant one in your industry. For example, Zoom has a big footprint in healthcare and financial services, for Cisco its government, GoTo is the preference for IT teams because of its advanced screen-share capabilities, and Microsoft is virtually everywhere, says McKeon-White. And some tools offer Slack integration that lets users keep an audio or video line open while working on their own screens. That more Discord-like experience is a plus for software development teams, he says.Also, consider how well a product fits in with your UC&C suite, and what new and innovative AI-based features may be available or planned.Finally, the videoconferencing software you choose needs to integrate well with your existing meeting room conferencing systems. Companies have started to prioritize AI meeting room videoconferencing capabilities such as adaptive speaker framing [which zooms in on the participant whos talking], multiple camera layouts, and virtual meeting zones, which are the top three factors when choosing a UC&C system, says Gera.Before you shop: Key questions to ask yourself and your stakeholdersDo you already have software that you can use for videoconferencing? For example, is there a videoconferencing component in your UC&C suite?Are there needs that arent being met by your current solution? Is the tool currently in use easy to use, or do users dislike the user experience so much that they turn to other videoconferencing options?What types of communication needs does your organization have? Do they include internal only or also internal-to-external partners and customers? Are there specific needs for certain groups, such as sales, finance, IT, or software engineering?What types of room conferencing system hardware do you have and what are the compatibility options for videoconferencing software?Whats your budget?Key questions to ask videoconferencing vendorsHow effective is the videoconferencing software at enhancing productivity and collaboration? Do you have any metrics?In what ways is the experience better than the product(s) my organization already has?Is the software easy to use? How many clicks does it take to start a meeting?Does it support screen sharing?Is there a whiteboard function?Are there browser, desktop, and mobile app options?Does it integrate with my organizations calendaring system and other key systems, such as our project management software?Does it integrate seamlessly with our room conferencing system hardware?How do you secure it for enterprise use? Does it support SSO MFA? LDAP? Watermarking for shared documents? What type of encryption is offered? Does it support BYOK encryption?What administrative and data access controls does the software offer? For example, does it offer data sensitivity labeling, and can we restrict user or group access to specific documents?What regulatory compliance standards does it meet?What session quality enhancements does it support (image blurring, noise suppression, image upscaling, etc.)?Does it support session recording and retention policies?What is the vendors feature road map and plan for AI evolution? Are they too dependent on external providers for AI? If so, they may not be very innovative, says Gera.Does the software have features specifically tailored to my industry vertical?Where is data associated with videoconferencing sessions routed and hosted geographically? Weve seen instances where traffic was routed through countries that were less than desirable, says McKeon-White.What are the uptime and reliability guarantees?Does the software support hybrid on-premises/cloud deployments for high availability? For example, Microsoft offers the Survivability Branch Appliance for Teams that can keep sessions going when the cloud-based service is unavailable.What are my pricing options?14 videoconferencing tools to considerThe top four videoconferencing software products by market share are Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Google Meet, according to IDC and Forrester. Some tools are available only as part of broader UC&C offerings. Heres a brief summary of products from 14 vendors, listed alphabetically, that have offerings in the videoconferencing services space.88 Communications Platform88s videoconferencing software is just one feature of its 88 Communications Platform, a UC&C offering tailored to the needs of contact centers. It includes a 99.999% service level agreement with 247 technical support; can live stream meetings on YouTube; includes its own mobile, desktop, and web apps; and integrates with Teams as well as major CRM and service and support applications. The 88 Communications Platform supports polls and virtual break-out rooms for meetings; includes an intelligent assistant; and offers administrative controls, analytics, and reporting.Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise RainbowAlcatel-Lucent Enterprise, the French telecommunications hardware and software company, describes its Rainbow offering as a secure -la-carte cloud-based communications and collaboration platform. It supports meetings of up to 120 participants and 12 simultaneous video streams; is compliant with ISO 27001, GDPR, and CCPA; and can be deployed in on-premises or hybrid configurations. It offers integrations for Microsoft Teams as well as on-premises telephone systems. Other options include a system designed for use in conference rooms and another designed for virtual classrooms.Avaya SpacesAvaya Spaces, Avayas UC&C platform, includes one-click voice and videoconference calling as well as text chat, and supports meetings with up to 1,000 people. Its compatible with Google, Microsoft 365, Teams, Salesforce, and Slack and offers an API for custom integrations. Spaces can record meetings, has retention policy controls, is HIPAA and GDPR compliant, and offers single sign-on and encryption for data in transit and at rest.AI-driven features include background noise cancellation, meeting transcription, and closed captioning. Users can connect via browser, desktop, or mobile app, with user interface versions available in 26 languages.Cisco Webex MeetingsWebex Meetings is part of Ciscos comprehensive UC&C suite that also includes calling, event management, whiteboards, polling, messaging, webinar support, and other features. The software integrates with a wide array of general-business and vertical-specific enterprise apps.A free version supports meeting durations of up to 40 minutes. The entry-level paid version includes an AI assistant that can translate conversations through closed captions, write messages, and summarize meetings and messages. All versions offer end-to-end encryption and HIPAA/BAA compliance; the enterprise version is FedRAMP authorized and offers bring your own key end-to-end encryption and watermarking. Cisco also sells several Webex-compatible desktop and meeting room video hardware devices.DialpadDialpads videoconferencing service includes enterprise, small business, and free versions, with UC&C editions designed for general business, sales, and contact centers. Dialpad is strong in chat intelligencebusiness analyticsinternational support and real-time user insights, according to Forrester. It integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and several CRM tools, and includes AI-driven meeting and call transcription, screen and meeting recording, data retention policies, and analytics and reporting functions.Dialpad adjusts video resolution to available bandwidth for each connection to reduce video freeze-ups. It can support up to 150 participants through browser, desktop, and mobile apps. A meeting room version is also available. Session encryption and single sign-on are supported, and Dialpad is HIPAA compliant.Google MeetGoogles cloud-based Google Meet videoconferencing software includes a free version that supports meetings up to one hour long. The Google One Premium version includes call recording, noise cancellation, and the ability to live stream meetings on YouTube. Chat is a separate app.The business version, bundled into the Google Workspace collaboration suite, supports longer meetings, offers higher-quality video and includes meeting recording with transcripts. It works with Googles Gemini AI assistant (which requires a separate subscription) for real-time translation and generating meeting summaries. The enterprise version of Meet includes more advanced security features such as bring your own key end-to-end encryption.GoTo MeetingGoTo Meeting (formerly LogMeIn), available in business and enterprise editions, is one element in a collaboration suite of UC&C offerings that also includes GoTo Webinars and GoTo Training. The GoTo UC&C offerings fall into three categories: business communications, contact centers, and IT management and support. The vendor promotes its security and privacy features (single sign-on, end-to-end encryption, HIPAA compliance, one-time meeting passwords, meeting locking) and 99.9999% uptime SLA.Key features include recordings and transcriptions for meetings with up to 250 participants, background noise suppression, screen sharing, drawing tools, and virtual breakout rooms. GoTo Meeting also works with H.323-enabled room conferencing systems. A14-day free trial version of GoTo Meeting Business is available.Microsoft TeamsMicrosofts Teams dominates in the enterprise videoconferencing space because its tightly integrated with Microsoft 365, the office productivity suite that many large organizations already use. Teams offers VoIP calling, webinar hosting, a whiteboard, and integration with PowerPoint, and its compatible with a wide range of room conferencing systems. Calls, meetings, chat sessions, and files can be encrypted.Another element, Microsoft Mesh, creates immersive 3D spaces where participant avatars can interact in a virtual meeting room. The optional Microsoft 365 Copilot AI assistant can summarize, suggest action items, and provide real-time translation for videoconference and chat sessions.Microsoft is increasingly dictating the direction of the UCaaS market, with many other vendors offering Teams integration, Forrester reports, although it adds that licensing is needlessly complicated. A basic version of Teams is available for free.Mitel MiCollabVideoconferencing is one element of the Mitel MiCollab UC&C suite, which includes voice, video, chat messaging, SMS messaging, web conferencing, and team collaboration tools. It can run on-site or over virtualized public or private cloud infrastructure. It integrates with the companys business phone system offerings as well as Microsoft 365, Teams, and the Zoom Workplace Platform. MiCollab apps are available for Windows, macOS, and mobile devices.Ooma MeetingsVoIP phone system provider Ooma offers Ooma Meetings as part of its Ooma Office Pro and Ooma Office Pro Plus collaboration and small business phone system services. It offers client software for macOS and Windows desktops as well as browser-based access. Features include a dashboard for scheduling meetings with up to 100 meeting participants, background noise cancellation, screen sharing, whiteboarding, chat, meeting recording (stored for three months), and integration with Microsoft and Google calendars.RingCentral VideoUC&C platform vendor RingCentral offers a standalone enterprise edition of its videoconferencing offering, RingCentral Video Pro+, as well as a more limited, free version. Video Pro+ supports meetings of up to 200 participants for up to 24 hours duration. Features include a whiteboard, content sharing, meeting recording, a collaborative notes space, and background noise cancellation.An AI assistant creates real-time closed captions, transcriptions, and meeting summaries. Security and administration features include end-to-end encryption, single sign-on, data retention policy controls, and usage and performance analytics. Versions for conference rooms and webinars are available as add-ons.Vonage MeetingsPart of the Vonage Business Communications (VBC) software suite, Vonage Meetings supports meetings with up to 200 participants; includes chat, whiteboard, and recording features; integrates with both Google and Outlook calendars; and has desktop and mobile clients for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Security and privacy features include support for SSO, MFA, and encryption. VBC is HIPAA and GDPR compliant.Zoho MeetingZoho Meeting supports both videoconference meetings with up to 250 participants and webinars with up to 5,000 attendees for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. It integrates with the Zoho Workplace calendar and offers chat, digital whiteboards, screen sharing, session recording, virtual breakout rooms, live polls, and AI-generated meeting transcriptions and summaries.Sessions can be streamed live on YouTube, and a version for meeting rooms is available as an add-on. It also offers session encryption and analytics for administrators. A feature-limited, free version supports up to 100 users per session for up to 60 minutes.ZoomZoom, which rose to fame during the pandemic for its easy-to-use interface, remains a major player in the videoconferencing software space Forrester says it offers a best-in-class video experience. Like its competitors, Zoom has expanded beyond video meetings, now offering a UC&C suite called Zoom Workplace that includes include chat, a whiteboard, meeting recording, email, a calendaring system for scheduling, and Zoom Docs, a built-in document creation tool. While consumers may gravitate to the basic, free version, the business versions allow for longer meetings and provide an AI assistant, Zoom AI Companion, that can summarize meetings (including a catch-up summary if a user comes into a meeting late), draft messages, and provide real-time translation. Zoom Phone, the companys VoIP telephony offering, is included with enterprise Zoom Workplace subscriptions and available as an add-on for small-business plans. A one-year subscription to Essential Apps, a set of third-party add-ons with functions ranging from meeting summarization to gamification to virtual breakout rooms, is also included with enterprise licenses, except for organizations in government, education, and healthcare. Bring-your-own-key end-to-end encryption is a standard feature.Essential reading UCaaS buyers guide: How to choose the right unified communications platformEnterprise buyers guide: Digital whiteboard software

Apple has been accused of knowingly financing a trade characterized by atrocities in criminal litigation launched by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It relates to use of so-called blood minerals in its devices.While Apple will be the first tech firm to be targeted, it is unlikely to be the last, given that every digital device makes use of these materials.The accusations reflect an unfortunate truth: that to some extent, the digital world and the devices used to drive it are built on slavery and other forms of human misery.Thats the take-home message at the heart of the litigation. It claims Apples supply chain is contaminated by blood minerals (also called conflict minerals) sourced in sub-Saharan Africa. Criminal complaints have been filed against subsidiaries of Apple in France and Belgium. In its complaint, the DRC argues that by enabling such contamination within its supply chain, Apple is contributing to atrocities taking place across the region.What exactly are blood minerals?They are rare materials, in this case including tin, tantalum, and tungsten, that are extracted by various forms of coerced labor, including slave and child labor, at mines controlled by armed groups in eastern Congo. These materials are in enormous demand across tech.To understand the vast suffering generated by the hugely profitable trade, it is important to note that the region has an estimated $24 trillion value of these materials remaining to be tapped and also has one of the worlds poorest populations. Blood minerals fuel instability and conflict, with armed groups using the profits to purchase weapons, creating a never-ending cycle of violence and misery.Millions have died as a result of the ongoing conflict. Thisis far from being a new problem.While attempts have been made to mitigate this trade by use of various verification schemes, it remains highly possible that at least one and possibly all of the electronic objects that you use contain at least some minerals sourced from this exploitation. After all, tin, tantalum, and tungsten are used in solder, semiconductors, batteries, memory, RF filters, and microprocessors, all of which youll find in almost any digital device.Most manufacturers have adopted some form of policy concerning the trade. In fact, the denials of any involvement in the mining and use of conflict minerals are so strong youd be forgiven for wondering how the trade actually makes any money. But that plausible deniability may not be all it seems.Apple perhaps not the biggest culpritWhile it is the whipping horse for this litigation, Apple may not be the biggest culprit.Eager to be recognized for its values, Apple has made big commitments to responsible sourcing,saying that while it doesnt source materials directly, it does require its suppliers to source materials responsibly.The companys Standards for Responsible Sourcing of Materials are based on leading international guidance, including the United NationsGuiding Principles on Business and Human Rightsand the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.In 2023, 100 percent of the identified tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold (3TG), cobalt, and lithium smelters and refiners in Apples supply chain completed assessments to verify compliance with our standards, the company said last year. We work with third-party audit programs at an industry-wide level to identify environmental and social, and governance risks at the smelter, refiner, and mining levels.The company also sits on the steering committee of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI).Apple will presumably soon publish its 2024Conflict Minerals Report, as required by the SEC. Its last report covering 2023 appeared in March 2024. In it, Apple confirmed that it removed 14 smelters and refiners unwilling to face an audit to ensure lack of involvement in the conflict minerals trade. The company has cut ties with 25 manufacturing supplier facilities and 231 suppliers since 2009.We view removing a supplier from our supply chain as a last resort, because in our experience, it does not provide workers with needed remedy and could allow violations to continue elsewhere in the industry, Apple said in its report.Based on our due diligence efforts, including analyzing the information provided by third-party audit programs, upstream traceability programs, and our suppliers, we found no reasonable basis for concluding that any of the smelters or refiners of [tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold] determined to be in our supply chain as of December 31, 2023, directly or indirectly financed or benefited armed groups in the DRC or an adjoining country, that report said.A reliance on systemic wrongdoing?The DRCs litigation doesnt buy some of Apples arguments, claiming instead that the company is using them to mask the damage it is doing.In apress releasesupplied by Amsterdam & Partners, the litigants claim Apple uses minerals laundered through international supply chains. It is also accused of using deceptive commercial practices to assure consumers that the tech giants supply chains are clean.Reuters reports that the complaint filed in France states,It is clear that the Apple group, Apple France and Apple Retail France know very well that their minerals supply chain relies on systemic wrongdoing.The claim points to Apples use of the International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI), arguing that Apple is using the discredited monitoring and certification scheme to falsely claim its supply chain is clean. The RMI a group Apple helps steer rejected ITSCI two years ago.The criminal complaint cites research from the United Nations, US State Department, and international NGOs that shows an extensive laundering enterprise through the illegal trade in conflict minerals sourced from Congolese territory.These organizations have demonstrated the dependent nature of relationships between perpetrators of this looting and some of the biggest producers of consumer electronics, such as mobile telephones and computers, and companies in the automotive, aviation and renewable energy sectors, the press release explains.A need for a united frontThat may be true, and Apple may be able to defend itself using the same argument.To truly combat this trade, a true industry-wide commitment must be reached, regulated or self-regulated. In its absence, conflict laundering will continue to be a problem.Paula Pyers, Apples then Senior Director of Supply Chain Social Responsibility,said as much in 2017: If more companies do not come to the table to press for change through their own supply chains, particularly in the absence of regulation, the types of systemic change we are all seeking are frankly not going to occur.Ultimately, the situation is hard to clarify, in part because alongside the conflict minerals there are also thousands of informal small-scale mines and miners, with some of the worlds poorest people taking great risks to make some money. Corruption and instability at some otherwise clean mining sites means conflict minerals can still get into the system, making it next to impossible to deliver a cast-iron guarantee.The inability to make that guarantee forms part of the argument the DRC is making in this case.However, it also forms part of Apples counter-argument, giving it the power to say that it is already doing everything it can to combat the trade using what resources it has available.The truth of that argument will be for the courts to decide.Putting them out of businessThe biggest way to prevent any illicit trade is simply to stop using the products based on it.And when it comes to electronics, one way to do that is to use recycled minerals. Thats precisely what Apple is doing, and fast rapidlyreplacing these minerals with recycled materials.Its most recent Environmental Progress Report promises that cobalt, tin soldering, gold plating, and rare earth elements will all be 100% recycled by 2025. Already, more than 99 percent of the tungsten in our products comes from recycled sources, the company said.While the criminal lawsuit against Apple may generate problems, it may also give the company a podium from which to promote the need for a more unified approach to policing the trade in blood minerals. It will certainly give it a pulpit from which to preach its move to recycled components and work toward a circular manufacturing system.What the truth of the matter turns out to be will be for the courts to decide.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

You can do a lot more with generative AI (genAI) in Google Sheets than get help writing spreadsheet formulas. Thanks to extensions such as Claude for Sheets, you can also do things like:Determine whether text sentiment is positive, negative, or neutralClassify text into categoriesExtract email addresses, phone numbers, and other entities from plain textAnd you can do this without having to write computer code in a language like Python.Instead, you only need spreadsheet formulas as simple as:=claudeExtract("sentiment of positive, negative, or neutral", A2)Lets see how to implement some of these use cases with the help of Claude for Sheets, an add-on for Google Sheets offered by Anthropic, maker of the Claude family of large language models (LLMs).Just remember:LLMs arent always accurate. The more important your task, the more effort you should put into checking Claudes results.Think twice about sending sensitive data to an LLM. If its corporate data, follow company policies.Claude for Sheets costs money to use. Its a pretty trivial amount for moderate amounts of text, but understand the pricing if youve got a massive data set. (Although for a lot of data, performance will be slow and youre probably better off with another solution.) More on pricing in a bit.Claude for Sheets setupYoull need two things in addition to a Google account in order to run Claude for Sheets: an Anthropic API key and the Claude for Sheets extension.You can get an Anthropic API key by creating a free account. Once you log in, your dashboard home page should show an option to create API keys.You can request an API key from the Anthropic dashboard home page.Sharon Machlis / IDGClick the button to create a key and heed the warning to copy your API key (just a string of characters) when it appears once you close that dialog box, you wont be able to access it again on the Anthropic website. Store the key securely, just as you would a password.Youll likely need to add some money to your Anthropic account before you can use the Claude API. You shouldnt need much unless youre uploading a lot of data. (I added $20 months ago and still have more than half left and Ive coded public-facing apps using Claude in addition to playing with Sheets.)To add Claude for Sheets to your Google account, download it from the Google Workspace Marketplace and install it.You need to set up Claude for Sheets in each spreadsheet where you want to use it. Create a new Google spreadsheet and go to Extensions > Claude for Sheets > Open Sidebar. Then click on the sidebars hamburger menu (three horizonal lines), choose Settings, and click on API provider. You want to choose Anthropic. Enter your API key where it says the key is missing. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?quality=50&strip=all 976w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=257%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 257w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=768%2C896&quality=50&strip=all 768w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=877%2C1024&quality=50&strip=all 877w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=597%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 597w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=144%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 144w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=72%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 72w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=411%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 411w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=308%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 308w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_02_enter_key.jpg?resize=214%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 214w" width="877" height="1023" sizes="(max-width: 877px) 100vw, 877px">Enter your Anthropic API key after opening the Claude for Sheets sidebar.Sharon Machlis / IDGNext, scroll down and choose a default model. Anthropic offers several different models under the Claude umbrella, and their capabilities and pricing vary considerably. Haiku is the smallest, fastest, least expensive, and least capable model offered in Claude for Sheets. Id start there while experimenting. srcset="https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?quality=50&strip=all 729w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=253%2C300&quality=50&strip=all 253w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=587%2C697&quality=50&strip=all 587w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=142%2C168&quality=50&strip=all 142w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=71%2C84&quality=50&strip=all 71w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=405%2C480&quality=50&strip=all 405w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=303%2C360&quality=50&strip=all 303w, https://b2b-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/claude_for_google_sheets_03_choose_model.jpg?resize=211%2C250&quality=50&strip=all 211w" width="729" height="865" sizes="(max-width: 729px) 100vw, 729px">Choose a default model to use in Claude for Sheets. Haiku is the smallest and least expensive.Sharon Machlis / IDGAs of this writing, Haiku costs 80 cents per million tokens in and $4 per million tokens out. One million tokens is roughly 4 million characters or 750,000 English words. The priciest and most powerful model, Opus, is $15 per million input and $75 per million output. The middle model, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, is $3/M in and $15/M out.Whatever you choose as the default model for a spreadsheet, you can override it by specifying a different model in the formulas you create, as well see in the examples below.Case 1: Sentiment analysisStart by entering the text you want to analyze in your A column. I entered the following five sample review text blurbs into my spreadsheets A column (ReviewText), one item per row:ReviewTextSentimentThe new iPad Mini 7 has a great display, speedy response, and is light enough to hold for long periods of time. Its a significant upgrade from my old (ancient?) iPad 5. My lone nit is that the form factor is thicker and less sleek now due to the change in connectors, but Im still glad I upgraded.This desktop computer has a better processor and can handle much more demanding tasks such as running LLMs locally. However, its also noisy and comes with a lot of bloatware.The charger is affordable and does exactly what I want.This charger doesnt work like I expected.This charger seems like a great value until you try to use it. The connection is flakey and my device often ends up not fully charged overnight. In column B (Sentiment) more specifically, in cell B2 next to my first text item, I added the formula=claudeExtract("sentiment analysis of 'positive', 'negative', or 'neutral", A2, "claude-3-5-haiku-latest", "temperature", 0)And then I clicked and dragged the formula down the rest of the rows next to cells with text.Heres an explanation of the formula.=claudeExtract uses the syntax claudeExtract(property, text, model, argumentValuePairs)Property is defined in the help file as The property to extract from the text, e.g. phone. For this case, I used a property of sentiment analysis of positive, negative, or neutral since thats what I want Claude to extract from my text.Text is my source cell location. If my first row of text is in cell A2, text value will be cell A2. Clicking and dragging the formula down the rest of the column applies it appropriately to the other text cells.Although I chose a default model in Claude for Sheets main settings, I specified a model in the formula too so I could add optional arguments at the end of the formula. Google Sheets formulas dont like it if you skip expected parameters when adding more at the end. Anthropics Model names documentation helpfully lists the specific syntax to use in formulas for each of its available models. In this case I chose claude-3-5-haiku-latest which specifies the latest available version of the Claude 3.5 Haiku model.The one optional argument I added was to set the models temperature to 0. An LLMs temperature tells it how much randomness to use. Should it opt for the most likely result again and again (low temperature) or try to mix things up a bit (higher temperature)?Its sometimes helpful to view temperature as a measure of model creativity. Higher temperature can be nice when chatting with an LLM, so it doesnt sound robotic and repetitive. However, for technical tasks, more likely to be accurate is a better idea than be creative, and that means lower temperatures. Anthropic advises: For multiple-choice or analytical tasks, youll want [temperature] close to 0.Note: This ability to set model parameters like temperature is one advantage of using the LLMs API via a spreadsheet or computer programming instead of a free chatbot without granular temperature control.ResultsBelow is Claudes sentiment analysis on my sample text. I agreed with all of them:Haiku: Sentiment analysisReviewTextSentimentThe new iPad Mini 7 has a great display, speedy response, and is light enough to hold for long periods of time. Its a significant upgrade from my old (ancient?) iPad 5. My lone nit is that the form factor is thicker and less sleek now due to the change in connectors, but Im still glad I upgraded.positiveThis desktop computer has a better processor and can handle much more demanding tasks such as running LLMs locally. However, its also noisy and comes with a lot of bloatware.neutralThe charger is affordable and does exactly what I want.positiveThis charger doesnt work like I expected.negativeThis charger seems like a great value until you try to use it. The connection is flakey and my device often ends up not fully charged overnight.negative Two important tips:If you see errors or delays in some cells, you can ask Claude for Sheets to recalculate those by opening the Claude extensions dropdown menu (Extensions > Claude for Sheets) and clicking on Recalculate all DEFERRED / THROTTLED / #ERROR! Cells.Claude may not finish all your spreadsheet calculations in one pass. If that happens, you can ask it to recalculate cells with missing values via the Extensions menu.Sharon Machlis / IDGTo keep results from updating which might change them and costs more API money copy and paste the column values only (excluding the formulas) to a new column and then delete the original column with formulas. Anthropic says Claude for Sheets results are cached for a week, so opening the spreadsheet again after a week may cause everything to recalculate.Case 2: Text classification into categoriesFor this test, I took a few social media posts about the R programming language (often used for data analysis), genAI tools, and other topics some modified to try to make the topics slightly less obvious and asked Claude to categorize them as Data, Generative AI, Security & Privacy, or Other.I used the same workflow as above, just changing the formulas property text using natural language instructions:=claudeExtract("one or more categories among 'Data', 'Generative AI', 'Security & Privacy'. If more than one apply, include all. If none apply, say 'Other'.", A2, "claude-3-5-haiku-latest", "temperature", 0)Results werent bad but were imperfect. The Haiku model didnt apply both Security & Privacy and Generative AI to the text about LLM vulnerabilities, and it didnt know that R involves data.Haiku: Text categorizationKyle has some great resources for using the GIS data sets he mentions, especially Analyzing US Census Data: Methods, Maps, and Models in R and the tidycensus packagedataOpenAI today announced new model 4o basically 4o preview out of preview it says is better and faster than the preview version. And multimodal. Also a new pro tier for ChatGPT and its 4o model, at an eye-popping $200/month.generative aiAn Introduction to R is a free online book by several professors (Univ of Aberdeen, Danish Technical Univ) and R practitioners that aims to, well, introduce you to using R. If you teach R, feel free to use some or all of the content in this book [with attribution]. https://intro2r.comotherPrompt injection and supply chain vulnerabilities remain the main LLM vulnerabilities but as the technology evolves new risks come to light including system prompt leakage and misinformation. https://www.csoonline.com/article/575497/owasp-lists-10-most-critical-large-language-model-vulnerabilities.htmlsecurity & privacyThis story tracked thousands of US military & intel personnel coming & going from classified sites, incl. NSA hubs & nuclear vaults. We know where they sleep, what they eat, and which brothels they visit. Its an ocean of blackmail & national secrets within reach of every spy agency in the world.data,security & privacyLogging on to Bluesky for the first time felt a bit like walking into your apartment after a professional deep clean. The layout is the same, as are the appliances and furniture. But it just felt good to be there. I wanted to hang out.other When I tried with the Sonnet model (by swapping in claude-3-5-sonnet-latest as the model name), it did apply both categories to the LLM security text but also couldnt recognize the R blurb as being data-related. The Opus model (claude-3-opus-latest) didnt know R is data-related either.My conclusion on categorizing text after this and other experiments: Either the text needs to be fairly straightforward about topics, or the prompt should include specific instructions about phrases likely to show up in your data that the LLM doesnt know how to classify. In other words, experiment a bit and add examples or more detailed explanations when needed. When I added Text about the R programming language is topic Data. to the end of my prompts property text, Haiku applied data to my R-related posts.Case 3: Entity extractionI used some sample text to test extracting email addresses and phone numbers. The text was originally generated by a chatbot (Perplexity), and I modified it a bit. I then added that text to a new tab on the spreadsheet, and inserted the following formulas in columns B and C:=claudeExtract("all phone numbers", A4, "claude-3-5-haiku-latest", "temperature", 0)=claudeExtract(all email addresses", A4, "claude-3-5-haiku-latest", "temperature", 0)Haiku performed quite well on this one:Haiku: Phone number and email address extractionTextPhoneEmailThe team is at marketing@company.com and (914) 737-9938. Headquarters is @ 512 Main St.914-737-9938marketing@company.comJohn Smith from accounting (j.smith@business.net) will be out of office until Friday. For urgent matters, reach him at 888-555-9012.888-555-9012j.smith@business.netContact support: help_desk@tech.org or 1-800-555-3456 Technical issues? sarah.tech@company.com For appointments: +1 (444) 867-53091-800-555-3456, +1 (444) 867-5309help_desk@tech.org, sarah.tech@company.comMeeting notes from yesterday: Dave (d.wilson@dept.com) will handle the project Marketing team contact: marketing@company.com / 555.777.8888 Emergency line: 911-555-0123555.777.8888, 911-555-0123d.wilson@dept.com, marketing@company.comPlease forward any invoices to billing@finance.com or fax to (777) 555-0147777-555-0147billing@finance.com Trying to extract company names was tougher, since its a lot easier to spot phone number and email address patterns than to know the difference between a company name and a product name.I tested company and product extraction with some recent headlines and summaries from Computerworlds home page, asking simply for companies and products in my formulas. Haikus results:Haiku: Company and product name extractionTextCompaniesProducts10 steps to smarter Google account security Give yourself some added peace of mind by giving your Google account a thorough set of security reinforcements, both on Android and your desktop.GoogleGoogle account, Android, desktopHow ChatGPT works with iOS 18.2 iPhones and Siri Apple Intelligence is about to receive its first important update introducing ChatGPT access.ChatGPT, iOS, Apple, SiriChatGPT, iOS 18.2 iPhones, Siri, Apple IntelligenceOECD: GenAI is affecting jobs previously thought safe from automation Though the technology will likely lead to new jobs, they may not benefit those who lost work due to automation.OECDGenAIMicrosoft moves to stop M365 Copilot from oversharing data The generative AI assistant can surface sensitive information in over-permissioned files, a growing concern for businesses testing the technology. Microsoft is adding new features to SharePoint and Purview to make it easier to control what the tool can access.MicrosoftMicrosoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, Purview It was a bit disappointing that Haiku tagged ChatGPT, iOS, and Siri as companies. Sonnet did better on that one overall but worse on the last listing, adding two products as companies along with Microsoft:Sonnet: Company and product name extractionTextCompaniesProducts10 steps to smarter Google account security Give yourself some added peace of mind by giving your Google account a thorough set of security reinforcements, both on Android and your desktop.GoogleGoogle accountHow ChatGPT works with iOS 18.2 iPhones and Siri Apple Intelligence is about to receive its first important update introducing ChatGPT access.AppleiOS 18.2, iPhones, Siri, ChatGPTOECD: GenAI is affecting jobs previously thought safe from automation Though the technology will likely lead to new jobs, they may not benefit those who lost work due to automation.OECDGenAIMicrosoft moves to stop M365 Copilot from oversharing data The generative AI assistant can surface sensitive information in over-permissioned files, a growing concern for businesses testing the technology. Microsoft is adding new features to SharePoint and Purview to make it easier to control what the tool can access.Microsoft, SharePoint, PurviewM365 Copilot, SharePoint, Purview When I tried the pricey Opus model, it got rows 2-4 correct but added Android as a company on the first row. My conclusion: I either need to give these models better prompts and more examples for a task like this or tolerate some inaccuracies.However, models continue to improve, and a task thats beyond their capabilities now may work better a few months down the road.For the sake of comparison, I gave all this text to OpenAIs new o1 model in the ChatGPT Plus chatbot and asked it to extract products. Those results were better: o1 correctly identified Google account, Android, ChatGPT, iOS 18.2, iPhones, Siri, M365 Copilot, SharePoint, and Purview as products.And it was the only model to extract just Google, Apple, and Microsoft as companies OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, is not technically a company. When I asked o1 to extract both companies and organizations, it responded: Google (company), Apple (company), OECD (organization), and Microsoft (company).(OpenAI doesnt have its own extension for Google Sheets, although there are some paid third-party applications.)Meanwhile, though, if you can tolerate some imperfect results and less than top-speed performance, you can start doing LLM-based natural language processing right within a spreadsheet. As Ethan Mollick, author of Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, advised on Bluesky recently:I think firms worrying about AI hallucination should consider some questions:1) How vital is 100% accuracy on a task?2) How accurate is AI?3) How accurate is the human who would do it?4) How do you know 2 & 3?5) How do you deal with the fact that humans are not 100%?Not all tasks are the same.

Despite low unemployment in the IT industry, IT hiring has slowed over the past two years and is expected to plateau in 2025 as employers prioritize experienced candidates with specialized skills, according to three new studies. They found that companies are shifting from volume hiring to quality hiring, leading to fewer roles for tech job candidates.Staffing firm ManpowerGroup, which just published its Q1, 2025 report on hiring, claimed IT hiring leads all other professions in the US but predicted employers will still pull back on hiring next year because of economic uncertainty.As we move into 2025, were seeing stable year-over-year hiring trends, with employers holding onto the talent they have and planning muted hiring for the quarter ahead, said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair & CEO.Overall, the studies by ManpowerGroup, online hiring platform Indeed, and Deloitte Consulting showed that IT hiring will increasingly be based on having flexible skills that can meet changing demands. Employers know a skilled and adaptable workforce is key to navigating transformation, and many are prioritizing hiring and retaining people with in-demand flexible skills that can flex to where demand sits, Prising said.Becky Frankiewicz, president of the North America Region at ManpowerGroup, said that while hiring plans remain steady, a closer look at the data indicates employers will adopt a more strategic approach in the first quarter of 2025, with a focus on retaining existing talent and prioritizing in-demand skills in areas like IT, financial services, and manufacturing, she said.Real time, we are seeing companies take longer to make a hire and seasonal hiring patterns are changing too, [with] more hiring earlier on in the season and less intense [during] holiday periods, Frankeiwicz said. This tells us this isnt your typical cycle. Were watching the labor market normalize at different speeds across industries. Its a sign that organizations are adapting and becoming more precise in their workforce planning.ManpowerGroupIndeed economist Cory Stahle said the latest US jobs data shows increased IT hiring, indicating stability heading into the new year. At the same time, Stahle reiterated past assessments by others of a potential cooling, as companies continue to rebalance after a hiring surge in 2021 and early 2022 driven by pandemic-related demand for tech services.Knowledge worker roles like in the tech and marketing sectors are cooling, Indeeds 2025 US Jobs & Hiring Trends Report said.Quit rates also reflect labor market dynamics and job seeker confidence. A declining quit rate could signal lower enthusiasm, as workers are less confident in finding new jobs, according to Indeed. After rising sharply during the Great Resignation of 2021-2022, the quits rate has steadily declined, Indeed said. In September, it hit 1.9%, its lowest since July 2015, before rising to 2.1% in October. The pullback in job postings, particularly in tech, likely affects job seekers confidence, Indeed said.Additionally, generative artificial intelligence (genAI) is affecting entry-level hiring, as more and more repetitive or lower-level jobs, such as helpdesk tasks, get automated. Those jobs can often be handled by AI agents such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer, and IBM Watson Assistant.IndeedRight now, genAI appears to have the greatest potential impact on knowledge workers, Stahle said. Recently released Hiring Lab researchshows that genAI often does well with theoretical tasks like creating a recipe and does less well at hands-on tasks like making food.AI isnt replacing jobs so much as it is reshaping the nature of work, said Elizabeth Lascaze, a principal in Deloitte Consultings Human Capital practice. She, too, sees evidence that entry-level roles focused on tasks like note-taking or basic data analysis are declining as organizations seek more experienced workers for junior positions.Todays emerging roles require workers to quickly leverage data, generate insights, and solve problems, she said, adding that those skilled in using AI, such as cybersecurity analysts applying AI for threat detection, will be highly sought after.Although the adoption of AI has led to some growing pains, many workers are actually excited about it, Lascaze said, with most employees believing it will create new jobs and enhance their careers. Our survey found that just 24% of early career workers and 14% of tenured workers fear their jobs will be replaced by AI, Lascaze said. Tenured workers are more likely to lead organizational strategy, so they may prioritize AIs potential to improve efficiency, sophistication, and work quality in existing roles rather than AIs potential to eliminate certain positions.These workers reported being slightly more focused on building AI fluency than early-career employees, Lascaze said. With so many early-career employees reporting excitement around using AI, organizations should establish reverse mentorship opportunities where tenured staff can learn the ropes.GenAI-related jobs are still rare, accounting for about two in 1,000 nationwide as of October. But they are growing quickly, according to Indeed.Along those lines, a new report by online interview platform Karat found that the share of US engineering leaders now hiring for AI engineer roles (60%) has nearly doubled compared to last year (35%) and theyre prioritizing AI skills:AI engineering (74%)Integrating AI functionality into products via API (62%)Data science (58%)The arrival of AI and genAI tools in the workplace has meant increased workloads and higher expectations for many workers. Both are major AI-related career issues: Indeeds recent survey on genAIs impact on workers found that 77% of AI users reported heavier workloads, yet nearly half were unsure how to use AI for efficiency.Many of Indeeds survey respondents said they face a lack of training, AI quality issues, ethical concerns, and disappointment with AI tools. Thats a critical mismatch with the 96% of C-suite leaders who expect AI to boost productivity, which is unlikely to happen until they align AI tools and training with workforce capabilities and expectations, the survey indicated.IndeedDeloittes own survey found 68% of older workers and 83% of early-career workers now use AI. Tenured employees with AI experience remain just as likely to embrace AI when given the right learning opportunities. And that opens the door for internal training possibilities.An internal AI skills marketplace could connect them with projects to apply their skills and enhance strategic planning, Lascaze said. Formal mentorship programs, where early-career employees are paired with tenured staff, can become safe places for junior staff to experiment with problem-solving, learn how to navigate their careers and deepen their interpersonal skills.

AI is everywhere, but from where I sit, there are some strong signals that suggest the road to AI Everywhere is going to be a long-distance endurance race, rather than a sprint.While these tools are seeing a lot of use since ChatGPT burst upon the scene, they are also generating lots of cost and despite all the marketing, it still isnt really clear if consumers arebuying hardware based on AI Inside.(Though it is already clear that workers areusing AI in the shadows).Even iPhone users usually the fastest adopters of cutting-edge tech seem to want convincing that AI is all its cracked up to be.Its almost as if people purchasing these products are a little turned off by a technology that threatens to destroy their employment, exacerbate wealth inequalities, and supercharge surveillance advertising in exchange for email summaries and a search engine powerful enough to help you file your next welfare benefit claim.Who could have seen that coming?When it comes to tech, consumers havedeveloped a resistance to the new. Theyve seen both bank accounts and politics hacked by technologies originally sold to them under the promise of making things better, and they are annoyed that the ad-free streaming television they began paying for now comes with added ads. Theyveseen this happen again and again, as a result of which they are suspicious of new tech even when it isprivate and trusted like the AI that Apple is promising to provide.Why do I think this?A recent survey of 2,000 US smartphone users by trade-in siteSellCellfound that 73% of iPhone users and 87% of Samsung users say the AI features they have been provided with in the latest software updates are adding little or no value.Samsung introduced its first genAI smartphone in March this year, while Apple rolled out Apple Intelligence with iOS 18.1 in October.The survey was taken beforeApple introduced iOS 18.2, and while it cant be seen as representative, I think it shows that the expectation that AI will somehow deliver a big bump in device and PC sales may be misplaced though server sales will see a big spike as service providers and businesses implement AI in their systems.This doesnt mean iPhone users arent interested in AI. Among iOS users who responded to the SellCell survey, 47.6% called it key in choosing a new phone; just 23.7% of Samsung users felt the same way. It may also matter that 21.1% of smartphone users already see AI as a very important deciding factor when choosing a new device.What are the most popular AI features on phones?While the survey does show theres some journey to go before the promise of AI resonates fully with its audience, it also reveals which of the features made available in iOS 18.1 (pre-Genmoji) most interested users: Writing Tools (72%), Notification summaries (54%), Priority Messages (44.5%), Clean Up in Photos (29.1%), and Smart Reply in Mail and Messages (20.9%).For comparison, Samsung AI users checked out thusly: Circle to Search (82.1%), Photo Assist (55.5%), Chat Assist (28.8%), Note Assist (17.4%), and Browsing Assist (11.6%).Its clear that Apples decision to Sherlock Grammarly (and do it privately) has given the company its most attractive suite of AI tools. People like tools that help them do everyday things better, it seems.That desire for enhanced productivity is also what is driving employees to use AI services for their work, sometimes to the detriment of security policies and customer privacy.At this stage in AI deployment, consumers still need convincing, and companies still need time to think about how best to deploy the tech though a recentCCS Insight surveyof business leaders showed that 82% are in the process of deployment. We are early in the mass adoption curve, and in that environment, taking a cautious and deliberate stance to adoption seems to be the best way to avoid falling into any unexpected disasters. Which is, oddly enough, how Apple has been approaching the topic since the get-go.Will you pay for AI?While I dont see platform-wide AI as anything like the same animal as the fast-growing assemblage ofcustomized focused AI servicesfor specific industries and tasks, it still feels like the opportunity to monetize general purpose mass-market AI services remains some way off.Apple users are a little more ready.They are a lot more likely to consider investing in AI subscriptions (which may yet justify OpenAIs gamble to offer its services through Apples kit), but subscription is a trickle, rather than a flood. The survey tells us 11.6% of them are likely to pay for a subscription to use AI services, in contrast to just 4% of Samsung users.However, most smartphone users (86.5% of iPhone users and 94.5% of Samsung users) said they wouldnotpay to use AI.The decision seems pretty polarized in that just 1.9% of Apple users arent sure if theyd pay or not in other words, theres a pretty clear division between the two sides. That means the task of convincing people to adopt is already entirely based on showing those refuseniks compelling usage cases that help themcome to terms with, trust, and develop the desire to use AI in some way.Gathering the tribesEroding this resistance and bestowing these services with an increased perception of value will clearly be part of the product management journey for Apple AI, and every other kind of artificial intelligence. It may well be that as the uses of these tools become more widespread, peoples enthusiasm will increase. It is worth noting that at some point prior to the introduction of Apple Intelligence, some reports were claiming that some inside Apple themselves remained uncertain if the first echelon of tools to ship would resonate with consumers.They may find themselves slightly relieved that while AI features dont seem to grab the attention of every iPhone user, the ones who are making use of the tools seem pretty enthusiastic. iPhone users are also trying the new AI services as they appear, with 41.6% of those owning an iPhone that supports them confirming theyd used them, mostly writing tools, notification summaries, and priority messages.What does this tell us?I think it tells us that the current trend of just waving at a gadget that happens to support genAI and calling it an AI smartphone or an AI PC or, in Apples case, a complete mobile to PC AI ecosystem may need to be refined.People need to feel more trust in these solutions, want to be convinced that potential damaging use is mitigated against, and most of all wantapplied use casesin which the tech can be applied in positive, life-enhancing ways. Its also possible that the hype of AI is already behind us, and that now the search must shift to identifying those compelling instances in which the tech addressessignificant human need.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

As we look ahead to a whole new year of green-tinted Googley goodness, Im feeling both guardedly excited and curiously like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day.Googles got some pretty weighty pivots in the works for the Android arena right now. Its mostly good-seeming stuff, on the surface, and cause for cautious optimism. But some of it is also cause for a familiar-feeling sense of dj vu a sensation those of us who have watched Google closely for a while now are all too accustomed to experiencing.Here, specifically, are seven key themes to keep an eye on as we make our way into 2025 and think through what Google might have in store for us in the land of Android and some important accompanying questions to consider.[Psst: Give yourself an early holiday gift with my free Android Notification Power-Pack six smart enhancements thatll change how you use your phone.]Google Android 2025 theme #1: The Android/ChromeOS comboWell start with the biggest and most consequential change to contemplate in the coming months. and thats the alleged merger of Googles Android and ChromeOS platforms.This is absolutely a possibility weve heard before more times that I can even count at this point. But for the first time now, it actually feels like something that could make sense and potentially be a positive for us as users, if Google manages to get it right.The current rumor suggests Google wants to unify its operating system efforts by fully migrating ChromeOS over to Android and, in some way, having future Chromebooks ship with Android.Its an intriguing notion that could, in theory, bring us the best of both worlds but youd better believe there are more questions than answers around this one right now.For instance:When exactly would this happen? The latest rumors describe it as a multi-year project, but Google has yet to say a single peep so we really dont know if well hear anything official about it in 2025 or not until much later.How would current Chromebooks be affected? Some devices out there are already promised ongoing operating system updates through as late as 2034 right now. Would they continue to receive ChromeOS all that time, or would there be some sort of switch over to Android even for existing systems?Would Chromebooks even be called Chromebooks if theyre actually running Android?How would any sort of switch over to Android affect ChromeOS-specific advantages around security, update frequency, and software consistency?Clearly, theres a ton still unknown here, and Google has yet to confirm or deny the possibility in any way. (Believe me, Ive asked!) But whether anything officially happens in 2025 on this front or not, its absolutely gonna be a story and a subject worth watching.Google Android 2025 theme #2: The hardware evolutionGoogles self-made hardware focus has long been a roller coaster of uncertainty.Back in 2019, the company said it was done making tablets and intended to focus entirely on laptop-style devices. Then, three years later, it seemingly cancelled its next Pixelbook laptop and decided to focus entirely on tablets (!) while making the case that they served a completely different purpose than the Chromebooks alongside em. And then, earlier this year, it apparently axed its next Pixel Tablet in favor of focusing on wait for it a new Pixel Laptop instead.Its enough to make anyones head spin. So in 2025, weve got tons of pressing questions to chew over:After all of that, will we ever see another Pixel Tablet? Its possible Googles still developing what would have been the third-generation version for release sometime next year or perhaps the year after.Assuming the alleged Pixel Laptop pans out and actually gets released, meanwhile, will that device be a straightforward Android computer, without any hints of ChromeOS?And if so, will it be a convertible or detachable device that effectively doubles as a tablet or will it just be a traditional clamshell-style laptop?When will we actually see the thing?And will it be a lasting new line for Google or another one-off in the companys notoriously short-attention-span pattern?So much to chew over and watch for in this area as well.Google Android 2025 theme #3: Updates, updates, updatesAs part of a plan to get operating system updates out earlier in the year, Googles shifting its Android release schedule to include a major Android version update in the second quarter and then a smaller Android version update in Q4 starting in 2025.This, too, brings a bit of dj vu. In the platforms earlier days, updates landed multiple times a year; it was only with 2015s Android 6 release that Google got onto the annual cadence and laid the groundwork for the pattern weve grown accustomed to observing today with just a single new major Android version coming out toward the end of each year.The problem with that end-of-year timing is that lots of Android device-makers also like to launch their new flagship phone models around that same time, ahead of the holiday season and so it becomes a scramble or sometimes even an impossibility for them to ship the latest and greatest Android version out of the box on those shiny new phones.By pushing out Android 16 in the spring, companies will have much more time to get it onto their new goodies. But weve still got plenty of unanswered questions:Google describes the Q2 release as being the major new Android release of the year, with the Q4 follow-up being minor in comparison with feature updates, optimizations, and bug fixes. But Google already increasingly does quarterly feature drops with similar sorts of enhancements alongside the monthly security patches, too. So what exactly will the Q4 Android update include that sets it apart from those other ongoing updates?Will the Q4 Android release have a whole new Android version number like Android 17 or will it take us back to the days of 0.1-style updates? (Or something else entirely?)Most device-makers outside of Google already struggle to keep up with once-a-year Android updates. How will they fare with two rollouts in the equation? Will we see some manufacturers opt to skip over the Q4 release and focus only on the Q2 version? Or will our various high-tech tortoises finally step up to the plate and start exerting some actual effort around this stuff?And speaking of Android 16Google Android 2025 theme #4: Geminis mind-numbing marchIts still too soon to say what, exactly, might end up being the most significant elements in Android 16, but it seems clear that Googles next-gen Gemini assistant will play a key role in the software in an extremely dj-vu-inducing way.Early reports make it look like Android 16 will allow Gemini to perform specific actions within apps on your behalf and handle all sorts of commands via simple spoken statements.That, notably, is almost exactly what Google promised us with its new Google Assistant back in 2019, around the launch of the Pixel 4 phone, but never quite managed to deliver.And so far, Gemini isnt exactly wowing most of us with its skills and capabilities (to, erm, put it mildly).2025 seems to be a bit of a repeat performance, at least in terms of the promise. Time will tell if this go-round ultimately ends up delivering or if we continue to feel like were taking baby steps back toward where we were already.Google Android 2025 theme #5: Google Now, againIve made no secret of my affection for Googles smart new Circle to Search system. And Ive made no qualms about the fact that everything about this system is eerily reminiscent of what we were given back in 2012, when Google launched an excellent but exceptionally short-lived Android feature called Google Now on Tap.Circle to Search is without a doubt Now on Tap reincarnated. And while the dj vu element of it is amusing, its also nice to have that once-fantastic idea back in the forefront again.This time so far, at least Google seems gung-go about pushing Circle to Search forward and bringing more and more power into its terrain. Already, weve seen updates adding in an integrated screenshot option and QR code scanner, and all signs suggest the development will only continue charging forward while Circle to Search itself becomes more broadly available in the months ahead.Bring it on, I say!Google Android 2025 theme #6: Do Not Disturb reduxAnother apparent priority for Google in 2025 is expanding Androids Do Not Disturb system in a way thatll introduce multiple customizable priority modes instead of just a single on/off switch.In terms of pure function, this seems like a smart step forward though its hard not to question if the complexity it introduces will create more confusion than benefit for many Android-owning animals.And all such worries aside, its impossible to see what Googles got goin with this new approach and not think back to the era of Android 5, when Do Not Disturb was similarly transformed into a multipronged priority mode system that ended up being a convoluted mess that was soon after abandoned.With any luck, thats a lesson Google will remember as it ventures into those waters once more.Google Android 2025 theme #7: Bubbles floating back to the surfaceBack in 2020, Google gave us a wacky-sounding new Android element called Bubbles.Bubbles, in short, were meant to be a way to keep certain app functions readily available on your screen via a collapsible circle known as yup bubbles. You could tap on a bubble to expand it but then keep it out of the way (though still easily accessible) most of the time.Bubbles ended up being relevant only for a small handful of messaging apps, where its generally more annoying than anything. But at the beginning, the system was supposed to have been so much more.In its original vision for Bubbles, Google presented the system as a new way for users to multitask and re-engage with apps. And that was just the start:Bubbles help users prioritize information and take action deep within another app, while maintaining their current context. They also let users carry an apps functionality around with them as they move between activities on their device.Bubbles are great for messaging because they let users keep important conversations within easy reach. They also provide a convenient view over ongoing tasks and updates, like phone calls or arrival times. They can provide quick access to portable UI like notes or translations and can be visual reminders of tasks, too.So, yeah: Messaging was a small part of the picture, but Bubbles was supposed to be so much more than that. It was meant to represent a new way of getting stuff done on your phone something that seemed, as I put it at the time, like it could be a mobile multitasking breakthrough.Now, five years later, we may finally see that original vision play out. Under-development code reveals fresh progress on Androids Bubbles system thatd let you put any app into a bubble and keep it available on demand, exactly as wed seen teased several years ago. This could open the door to some seriously interesting new ways of multitasking and pulling up elements like notes, emails, documents, and even web pages while viewing something else at the same time without having to resort to a much more rigid split-screen interface, which isnt always optimal (especially on a smaller-screened device).We dont yet know exactly what form this could take or even if itll necessarily show up in Android 16, but seeing it come back to the forefront after all these years is a very welcome surprise and something well worth watching throughout 2025.Stay tunedIf theres one thing Ive learned in analyzing Google all these years, its that you never fully know what the company might be thinking and theres always room for the element of surprise.While many of the themes above may indeed be new twists on familiar concepts (as is the comically new capability of adding widgets onto your Android tablets home screen hello, 2012!), so much has changed with Android over the past 16 years that certain things will inevitably be different with their implementation now.And beyond those seven key themes, well almost certainly see other Android-connected advancements and pivots as the year progresses.As always, our adventure in this arena is only just beginning. And I, for one, cant wait to experience all the twists and turns with you every step of the way.Why wait for 2025? Grant yourself all sorts of new superpowers this second with my free Android Notification Power-Pack six smart enhancements for any Android device in front of you.

Entry-level workers increasingly fear job loss or significant changes to their careers due to automation made possible by generative AI (genAI). Nearly one-in-four early career employees (24%) believe their job could be replaced by automation, according to survey results from professional services firm Deloitte.Early-career workers (those with five years or less on the job) are more likely than their senior colleagues to voice concerns about AIs impact on learning opportunities, workload, and job security. The increasingly unsettled view of the workplace as AI tools advance echoes similar sentiments from other recent surveys.Nearly four in 10 Americans, for instance, believe genAI could diminish the number of available jobs as it advances, according to a study released in October by the New York Federal Reserve Bank. And the World Economic Forums Jobs Initiative study found that close to half (44%) of worker skills will be disrupted in the next five years and 40% of tasks will be affected by the use of genAI tools and the large language models (LLMs) that underpin them.The Deloitte results highlight younger workers growing anxiety around AI replacing jobs and the actions theyre taking to improve their own job security. Deloittes survey of 1,874 full- and part-time workers from the US, Canada, India, and Australia roughly two-thirds of whom are early career workers found that 34% are pursuing a professional qualification or certification courses,32% are starting their own businesses or becoming self-employed, and 28% are even adding part-time contractor or gig work to supplement their income.DeloitteThe tech market is already showing signs of a decline in entry-level roles, as organizations increasingly require more years of experience, even for junior positions. In fields such as cybersecurity, where AI is rapidly advancing, entry-level analyst roles often demand at least four years of experience, according to Deloitte.Workers fears are not misplaced. The rapid advance of AI could lead to significant job displacement: Goldman Sachs, for example, predicts that AI could displace 300 million full-time jobs globally, affecting up to two-thirds of jobs in Europe and the US. Similarly, McKinsey Global Institute estimates that 12 million people might actually need to change professions by 2030. And a study published by the European Student Think Tank found that AI and machine learning automation, particularly in roles traditionally filled by young workers, such as data entry, could reduce job availability.The Think Tank also found that the arrival of AI technologies could be creating a skills mismatch, as automation increases demand for non-routine analytical and interpersonal skills. Without proper training in AI-related fields, young workers might struggle to adapt, leading to unemployment and exacerbating labor market inequalities.Despite job security fears, Deloitte found many workers remain hopeful that genAI tools can take over more mundane, repetitive tasks, allowing them to focus on more interesting and creative roles. Even as the technology promises to disrupt past patterns, 79% of younger employees are excited about AIs potential, compared to 66% of older workers. Similarly, more early-career workers (78%) view AI skills as essential, even in non-tech fields. Just 62% of older workers felt that way.DeloitteAdditionally, 75% of early-career employees believe AI will create new job opportunities in their field (compared to 58% of tenured workers), and 77% think AI will help them advance their careers (versus 56% for older employees). Its difficult to generalize, but most studies show employees vacillating between fear and excitement, said Arthur OConnor, academic director of data science at the City University of New York School (CUNY) of Professional Studies. OConnor, who wrote a book on AI in the workplace titled Organizing for Generative AI and the Productivity Revolution, disagreed with Deloittes findings that concern about genAI is slanted toward younger workers.The exposure seems to be a function of what type of job you have, not how long youve been doing it, OConnor said. But there is evidence to suggest that jobs that are most threatened may be senior-level, as research studies showthat genAI offers disproportionate benefits [to] junior-level employees over senior-level employees.Anyone in knowledge work creating, summarizing, or visualizing content such as writing, coding, analyzing, or illustrating should explore and learn to use the many genAI tools and platforms available, OConnor argued. With the evolution of intelligent agents, these tools are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with very powerful analytic and integrative capabilities.An uneven playing fieldOne study on software development found that less experienced coders using Microsofts Copilot improved the most, completing tasks 56% faster than the control group, OConnor said. Similarly, a study on customer service showed that AI-assisted agents increased productivity by 14%, with the greatest benefits going to novices and low-skilled workers.The job market, often referred to as being in a white-collar recession, could already be reflecting that shift. A 2023 LinkedIn study showed significant declines in hiring for high-paying roles since 2018: IT jobs (down 27%), quality assurance (off 32%), product management (a drop of 23%), program/project management (down 25%), and engineering (down 26%).There is a skills transformation occurring right now, but how fast or pervasive it will be remains to be seen, according to Peter Miscovich, global future of work leader at Jones Lang LaSalle IP(JLL), a commercial real estate and investment management services firm. Clearly 70% of the workforce will need to be upskilled in terms of genAI and AI. Whether youre an entry level, mid-level or senior employee, were seeing a lot of focus on upskilling, Miscovich said.Early career workers are more concerned than tenured colleagues about AIs impact on learning opportunities, workload, and job security. By 2027, genAI will likely be well on its journey of being orchestrated across workplace processes and embedded into workflows. As thats happening now, enterprises are also grappling with re-evaluating existing processes, such as data mining and analytics as well as employee upskilling.At the enterprise level, Miscovich said, from 50% to 75% of enterprises are already piloting genAI tools.Fear of job disruption from automation and reduced learning opportunities may be fueling a third anxiety: early-career workers face fewer chances to build skills but are expected to perform at higher levels due to AI advances. Among surveyed workers, 77% of early-career and 67% of tenured workers believe AI raises expectations for entry-level roles, including handling more complex and strategic tasks, according to Deloitte.The prevailing career advice seems to be, Gen AI may not replace you, but others using it will,' OConnor said.Getting workers up to speed on genAIMany workers, regardless of experience, find current AI tools challenging to use effectively. While genAI tools can reduce time spent on some tasks, workers still need to verify accuracy and quality, which remains a significant concern. Other issues flagged by survey respondents include ethical and privacy challenges, reduced collaboration, and a perceived loss of personal connection in the workplace.One issue for companies is getting new employees involved in inclusive training and encouraging them to be mentored and sponsored by mid-level and senior level manager, according to Miscovich.Organizational training models, where skills-focused outcomes intentionally engage younger workers through microlearning and immersive spatial computing, are increasingly crucial for onboarding and training, helping workers feel supported, included, and developed, Miscovich said.This is a key challenge for many organizations, especially in the wake of workforce shifts during and after the pandemic. The Great Resignation has highlighted the need for greater guidance across teams, not just in adopting generative AI, he said. From a personal experience, its vital to invest in intentional, one-on-one time with younger team members to keep them engaged and continuously learning. Programs must also evolve to keep pace with rapidly advancing technologies.As AI automation infiltrates workflows, basic tasks like reporting and data analysis might limit early career workers opportunities to build skills gradually. Without these experiences, they risk advancing to complex tasks without a supportive learning environment, leading to skill gaps, according to Deloitte.Miscovich pointed to research from PricewaterhouseCoopers, McKinsey & Co., and the World Economic Forum that shows most workers becoming comfortable with genAI. For example, last year, accounting and consulting PricewaterhouseCoopers announced it was spending $1 billion on expanding AI products and training for its 75,000 workers.A major obstacle to organizational adoption is that data science expertise is not sufficiently diffused for both senior managers and among rank-and-file workers, OConnor said. Such expertise tends to be concentrated in IT departments, most of which still operate as secret guilds with their own mysterious language and practices that are organizationally and functionally isolated from core business units.The most direct way would be to teach employees how to leverage the tremendous potential, as well as manage the considerable risks, of applying current AI tools in their everyday workflows. But this is a lot easier said than done, as most organizations arent currently staffed or structured to do this, he said.The European Student Think Tank recommends companies develop inclusive education and training programs to help employees adapt to rapid AI use. In particular, the organization recommends: Regular training that emphasizes promoting STEM education to boost employability in AI-related areas especially for low-income youth who often lack access to such opportunities to ensure programs are accessible and inclusive. Employee involvement in decisions about AI implementation so workers better understand which tasks can be effectively automated. AI-related decisions should be made inclusively and transparently to align with employees insights and needs. Investments in AI research and development to foster innovation that enhances job automation without overshadowing human contributions. Research should prioritize streamlining tasks and integrating workers insights to empower young employees. Better collaboration among governments, the private sector, and academia to address AI-related employment challenges through public-private partnerships. For employees hoping to keep up with the evolution of AI and its affects on their careers, OConnor said pointed to an abundance of free content and opportunities to learn about AI. The challenge lies in using those resources effectively.Teaching and empowering employees to move past the experimental stage to embed these technologies into core business processes requires multi-disciplinary roles, functions and organizational structures most businesses dont currently have, OConnor said. As a data scientist who studies organizational behavior, I believe the coming Productivity Revolution calls for new types of roles and functions, in which data expertise is not a distinct organizational unit but an interconnected discipline spanning almost every aspect of a business.

Web browsers are essential for everything from business productivity to social media and online shopping. Whether you use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, or something even more exotic, theres a good chance your web browser is your most used Windows program.While operating-system-level Windows PC productivity tricks are certainly helpful, tab management tricks for your browser might be even more useful for day-to-day productivity. Theyre a must-know for anyone who uses a browser, whether at work or at home in other words, just about everyone!Unless otherwise specified, the tricks here should all work in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and others on either Windows 11 or Windows 10.Want more Windows PC tips and tricks? Sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter three things to try every Friday. Plus, get free Windows Field Guides as a bonus when you sign up!Windows tab trick #1: Put a pin in itIf youd like to always keep a tab open, right-click it on your tab bar and select Pin. The tab will shrink to a small button just the website icon at the left side of your tab bar. Your browser will also automatically reopen any pinned tabs the next time you launch it.You can pin multiple tabs and use drag and drop to reorder them. Plus, they work with the standard Windows browser Ctrl key shortcuts: Press Ctrl+1 to switch to the pinned tab on the left, Ctrl+2 to switch to the second-from-the-left pinned tab, and so on.Its a great way to ensure especially important tabs perhaps your email inbox or social media feeds are always loaded and just a click away.Pinned tabs appear in a compact form in your browsers tab bar.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows tab trick #2: Search your tabsIts easy to forget, but modern web browsers actually let you search through all the tabs you have open at any given moment. In Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers such as Edge and Brave, just press Ctrl+Shift+A. Then, you can search the tabs you have open across your browsing windows.You can also click the button at the left side of your tab bar to open this interface. (In Firefox, click the button at the left side of your browsers tab bar to open the Recent browsing interface, where you can search open tabs.)Chromes Search Tabs button is a convenient way to hunt down open tabs.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows tab trick #3: Turn a tab into an appFor many people, the best tip may be going beyond the simple browser tab and turning websites you frequently use into their own application windows. This is an ideal option if you use something like Gmail for your email and want continuous access to it in a single click from your taskbar.First, open the page you want to turn into an app in your browser. Then:In Chrome, click menu > Cast, save, and share > Install page as appIn Edge, click menu > Apps > Install this site as an appUnfortunately, this option isnt available in Firefox and it isnt available out of the box for many sites in Brave, either. Where its supported, though, the web page will get its own unique window with its own taskbar icon and shortcut, freeing it from the confines of a typical browser tab.Turning regular browser tabs into apps may be the best way to integrate Googles web apps with Windows.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows tab trick #4: Save across sessionsIf you use lots of browser tabs, youll usually lose them whenever your browser closes but you dont have to let that happen. With a quick bit of planning, you can tell your browser to remember its open tabs across sessions. To do so:In Chrome, click menu > Settings. Choose On startup at the left side of the page, and then select Continue where you left off.In Edge, click menu > Settings. Choose Start, home, and new tabs at the left side of the page, and then select Open tabs from previous session under When Edge starts.In Firefox, click menu > Settings. Choose General on the left, and then activate Open previous windows and tabs under Startup.In Brave, click menu > Settings. Choose Get started on the left, and then select Continue where you left off under On startup.If you have a single browser window open and close it, your open tabs in that window will appear the next time you open your browser. If you have multiple windows with open tabs, be sure to choose the Exit option from your browsers menu rather than closing windows one by one. That will ensure your browser remembers all its open tabs and opens all of them when you start back again.If you dont want to lose tabs, tell your browser to remember them.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows tab trick #5: Go for groupingYou can also create tab groups to better organize your browsing. Your groups will be saved to your bookmarks bar so you can come back to them later, and theyll sync across your devices. This feature is most powerful in Chrome, but Edge and Brave have many of the same features. (Unfortunately, while Firefox had a similar feature in the past, its since been removed.)To start using tab groups, right-click a tab on your browsers tab bar and select the Add tab to new group option. To see how this works, take a look at everything you need to know about Tab Groups in Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.Tab Groups may be the most interesting browser feature many people havent used yet.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows tab trick #6: Bookmark windows as foldersWhile tab groups are great, Im also a fan of the old-fashioned way of saving groups of tabs for later as a bookmark folder. To do this, right-click an empty spot in your browsers tab bar and select Bookmark All Tabs or press Ctrl+Shift+D. (In Firefox, youll have to select all tabs from the right-click menu and then right-click a second time to bookmark them.)Consider placing the bookmark folder somewhere easy to access, like your browsers bookmarks bar. You can then come back later and find them right there. Right-click the folder and select Open all to easily reopen them. When youre done, you can delete the folder.Theres no substitute for a good old-fashioned bookmarks folder when it comes to saving tabs for later.Chris Hoffman, IDGWindows tab trick #7: Reopen a closed tabWant to get a tab back? Just right-click an empty spot on your browsers tab bar and select Reopen closed tab or Reopen closed window whatever you closed last.You can also press Ctrl+Shift+T to reopen your last closed tab. For more, check out this list of excellent tab-related keyboard shortcuts.Windows tab trick #8: Try a vertical tab barFor a more transformative tab experience, try using a browser that places your tabs in a vertical sidebar rather than the typical tab bar across the top of the window. Many PC power users swear by this especially on wide-screen displays.Google Chrome doesnt have this built-in, but you can install a browser extension such as the Vertical Tabs in Side Panel extension.Microsoft Edge has this built-in! Just right-click an empty spot in the tab bar and select Turn on vertical tabs.Mozilla Firefox doesnt have this built in, either, although there are signs Mozilla might be experimenting with it. The Tree Style Tab extension is an excellent option for Firefox users.Brave has this feature already built in, too. Click menu > Settings, select Appearance in the left pane, scroll down to Tabs, and activate Use vertical tabs.Of course, the Arc browser always has vertical tabs thats part of its whole different way of working with tabs that some people are big fans of.Like Microsoft Edge, Brave has a built-in vertical tab option.Chris Hoffman, IDGAnd there we are: an excellent round-up of tab-related upgrades for your PC web browser of choice.This is just the start of all the excellent Windows PC and web browser tricks for you to discover! Sign up for my free Windows Intelligence newsletter to get three new things to try every Friday and free in-depth Windows Field Guides as a special welcome bonus.

Apple has released iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2, which means local language access to Apple Intelligence is now available to iPhone, Mac, and iPad users in the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand. (Theyve had to set their language to US English to use these features until now; users will need to update their software first, as it rolls out.)Its a critical release that puts direct, local language access to Apple Intelligence into the hands of tens of millions of new users. The release also introduces several additional tools to the Apple Intelligence arsenal, including new Writing Tools and integrated access to ChatGPT for some tasks. Though you arent obliged to use ChatGPT.Back in the UKThe UK introduction is particularly interesting, coinciding as it does with a visit there byApple CEO Tim Cook. During his visit, he discussed Apples ever-growing investments in the UK and confirmed company engineers are deeply involved in building components of those AI features, from silicon development to the companys important work on Private Cloud Compute. It seems appropriate given his appearance in the UK to introduce Apple Intelligence at around the same time. Though I suspect if Steve Jobs had made the same journey, Apple might have run a Meet Apple Intelligence event to generate some media attention. Whats coming in Apple Intelligence?We discussed the new Apple Intelligence features youll find in the latest updatesalready. To summarize, these include:Improved Siri, with better natural language understanding and the capacity to handle more complex queries.Better contextual awareness for better results.Visual Intelligence point your camera at your surroundings to learn more about them.Imaging tools, including custom AI-generated emoji and automated image creation.Apple promises additional capabilities soon. These will include on-screen contextual awareness, AI support across third-party apps, Priority Notifications to help you stay on top of the most important tasks/messages, and more.As it seeks to convince its customers to place their trust in its artificial intelligence, Apple remains firmly focused on privacy. It continues to repeat the message that because many of its tools work on the device, using them brings all the convenience of generative AI (genAI), but not at the cost of data leak or privacy erosion. The company also wants people to understand those tasks it cannot handle are outsourced to third-party tools that may be less private and secure, though their use is optional.Why does privacy matter?So, why does Apples privacy message matter? Surely the convenience of AI outweighs any impact on privacy.In fact, its quite the reverse. Stop to consider the extent to which your iPhone already accumulates a plethora of deeply personal data reflecting your life, health, habits, and occupations; put that through a filter of non-private AI and you might get some sense of why privacy and trust will become even more important in the months and years ahead.Take health, for example if Apple really does plan to introduce AI-driven health data biometric systems in future satellite-connected Apple Watch devices, you really, really wont want that information shared with anyone but your healthcare advisor and (possibly, but not always) your closest family members.You certainly wont want that data shared with even the fluffiest of Big Tech companies; and you wont want every ad you see online to be dedicated to flogging you kit connected with your condition or weird Facebook followers appearing to bombard you with fake facts and potentially life-threatening snake oil treatments.That, and a warrant-free evolution of privatized surveillance and hacker-tempting data banks, is, of course, one of the potential futures for AI implementation in the world right now. With that in mind, Apples underlying message around privacy and security matters a great deal.About youAll the same, for today at least, those concerns seem a little further down the line. After all, it is not yet the case that other people will be able to find out everything the online world knows about you by simply pointing their phone in your direction (though dont be too surprised if that eventually becomes a law enforcement tool).But you can now do this for your local surroundings using Visual Intelligence on your iPhone.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

When most businesspeople think of videoconferencing software, the first thing that comes to mind is probably Microsoft Teams or Zoom, but there are many other choices, each with its own strengths. Sometimes the choice of what tool to use comes down to whats standard corporate issue more often than not, thats Teams but its not uncommon for businesses to use a mix of tools.Some organizations dont want to be reliant on Microsoft for everything, or sometimes an executive likes another tool better, says Will McKeon-White, senior analyst for unified communications and conversational AI at Forrester Research.In this buyers guideVideoconferencing software: What it is, why enterprises need itCurrent trends in videoconferencing softwareWhat to look for in videoconferencing softwareBefore you shop: Key questions to ask yourself and your stakeholdersKey questions to ask videoconferencing vendors14 videoconferencing tools to considerEssential readingVideoconferencing software: What it is, why enterprises need itVideoconferencing services enable users to conduct online video meetings with one or more people who may join the call from their computers, phones, tablets, and room conferencing systems. They integrate with calendaring software for scheduling purposes, and usually include an audio call-in option, screen-sharing capabilities, and nonverbal communication features such as text chat, whiteboarding, and the ability to add reaction emojis.Business-grade tools also allow for administrative controls that restrict who can join and what can be shared, and offer enhanced security features such as multifactor authentication (MFA), bring your own key (BYOK) end-to-end encryption, and single sign-on (SSO). Many videoconferencing systems integrate with conference room video hardware from the same vendor and/or third-party vendors.Videoconferencing software has long been a useful tool for remote employees who needed to engage with their teams, and it was a nice-to-have for communicating with customers and partners when face-to-face meetings were impractical. Then, in 2020, everything changed. Videoconferencing rose to critical infrastructure status when, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all office employees suddenly found themselves working from home. Licensing of videoconferencing software and services soared Zoom nearly doubled its revenue in 2021 and innovation increased as vendors competed for a piece of a much larger pie. The software saw rapid improvements as vendors raced to add new features, including better audio and video quality and enhanced security.Nearly five years later, large numbers of employees have returned to the office, but many still telecommute one or more days per week. Videoconferencing software remains an essential part of business communications.Current trends in videoconferencing softwareNowadays, videoconferencing software may seem like a well-defined, mature product space, but change is still afoot. The weird thing about the videoconferencing software market is that its being subsumed into unified communications [UC], says McKeon-White.IDCs term for this software category is unified communications and collaboration (UC&C), which the research firm describes as an advanced telephony solution integrated with messaging (i.e., email, voice, and fax), instant messaging (IM) or chat, presence, and conferencing platforms for web conferencing, audioconferencing, and/or videoconferencing. Many UC&C suites include additional collaboration features such as file sharing and virtual whiteboards. And while chat sessions in traditional, standalone videoconferencing systems typically end when the call terminates, vendor-hosted UC as a service (UCaaS) systems often include persistent chat functions that continue even after a videoconferencing session ends.Like Forrester, IDC says most standalone videoconferencing software is being folded into larger UC&C suites. Videoconferencing apps are also found in productivity app suites such as Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, which is one reason why Microsoft Teams has dominated the space. It has a 44.7% share of the $69 billion UC&C software market, according to IDC, while Zoom, its nearest competitor, sits at 6.4%.That domination was also driven by the fact that, until this year, Microsoft bundled Teams with most Microsoft 365 licenses. That got pushback from regulators, Forresters McKeon-White says, so now new enterprise customers must pay $5.25 per user per month for Teams as an add-on. But most companies already have Teams now and can purchase it through existing licenses, he adds.Innovative AI-based features such as real-time transcription, text insertion, and multiparty translation have also changed the user experience, according to McKeon-White. With some products, each user can see a translation of whats said in their native language through captioning. Thats happening now, he says.Another feature, image upscaling, sends lower-resolution audio and video to other participants devices, which can then upscale the quality. Its much easier now to have a smooth experience over poor connections, McKeon-White says.Finally, emerging AI features are closing the loop between what users say in a videoconferencing session and action items, he says. For example, if a participant needs to look up an account record in the CRM system to determine its status, a bot says, Would you like me to do that for you? or it identifies that it needs to be done and pulls the record right into the conversation. It can do so by rendering the CRM interface right into a chat window or by extracting the information and presenting it.Early experiments with AI didnt go well because the AI didnt comprehend exactly what people were asking in conversation, but the technology has seen massive improvements of late, McKeon-White says. While vendors are still experimenting with this function, you can expect to see more and better capabilities like this going forward, he says.What to look for in videoconferencing softwareEvery vendor offers similar features, but the user experience can vary significantly. Consider both user familiarity with a given tool and whether the user experience is good enough. If it doesnt meet expectations, some users may turn to more familiar, easy-to-use options such as Zoom.I see standardization on Teams, McKeon-White says, but sometimes an exception is better for the business, such as when communicating with people in external organizations who use different software.While a company standard is good to have, theres no reason to force everyone to use one videoconferencing service exclusively, says Jitesh Gera, research manager for UC&C at IDC. Its OK to opt for different tool choices that meet the needs of each kind of user, such as for sales, customer service, developers, or IT.Consider whether a given tool is the dominant one in your industry. For example, Zoom has a big footprint in healthcare and financial services, for Cisco its government, GoTo is the preference for IT teams because of its advanced screen-share capabilities, and Microsoft is virtually everywhere, says McKeon-White. And some tools offer Slack integration that lets users keep an audio or video line open while working on their own screens. That more Discord-like experience is a plus for software development teams, he says.Also, consider how well a product fits in with your UC&C suite, and what new and innovative AI-based features may be available or planned.Finally, the videoconferencing software you choose needs to integrate well with your existing meeting room conferencing systems. Companies have started to prioritize AI meeting room videoconferencing capabilities such as adaptive speaker framing [which zooms in on the participant whos talking], multiple camera layouts, and virtual meeting zones, which are the top three factors when choosing a UC&C system, says Gera.Before you shop: Key questions to ask yourself and your stakeholdersDo you already have software that you can use for videoconferencing? For example, is there a videoconferencing component in your UC&C suite?Are there needs that arent being met by your current solution? Is the tool currently in use easy to use, or do users dislike the user experience so much that they turn to other videoconferencing options?What types of communication needs does your organization have? Do they include internal only or also internal-to-external partners and customers? Are there specific needs for certain groups, such as sales, finance, IT, or software engineering?What types of room conferencing system hardware do you have and what are the compatibility options for videoconferencing software?Whats your budget?Key questions to ask videoconferencing vendorsHow effective is the videoconferencing software at enhancing productivity and collaboration? Do you have any metrics?In what ways is the experience better than the product(s) my organization already has?Is the software easy to use? How many clicks does it take to start a meeting?Does it support screen sharing?Is there a whiteboard function?Are there browser, desktop, and mobile app options?Does it integrate with my organizations calendaring system and other key systems, such as our project management software?Does it integrate seamlessly with our room conferencing system hardware?How do you secure it for enterprise use? Does it support SSO MFA? LDAP? Watermarking for shared documents? What type of encryption is offered? Does it support BYOK encryption?What administrative and data access controls does the software offer? For example, does it offer data sensitivity labeling, and can we restrict user or group access to specific documents?What regulatory compliance standards does it meet?What session quality enhancements does it support (image blurring, noise suppression, image upscaling, etc.)?Does it support session recording and retention policies?What is the vendors feature road map and plan for AI evolution? Are they too dependent on external providers for AI? If so, they may not be very innovative, says Gera.Does the software have features specifically tailored to my industry vertical?Where is data associated with videoconferencing sessions routed and hosted geographically? Weve seen instances where traffic was routed through countries that were less than desirable, says McKeon-White.What are the uptime and reliability guarantees?Does the software support hybrid on-premises/cloud deployments for high availability? For example, Microsoft offers the Survivability Branch Appliance for Teams that can keep sessions going when the cloud-based service is unavailable.What are my pricing options?14 videoconferencing tools to considerThe top four videoconferencing software products by market share are Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Google Meet, according to IDC and Forrester. Some tools are available only as part of broader UC&C offerings. Heres a brief summary of products from 14 vendors, listed alphabetically, that have offerings in the videoconferencing services space.88 Communications Platform88s videoconferencing software is just one feature of its 88 Communications Platform, a UC&C offering tailored to the needs of contact centers. It includes a 99.999% service level agreement with 247 technical support; can live stream meetings on YouTube; includes its own mobile, desktop, and web apps; and integrates with Teams as well as major CRM and service and support applications. The 88 Communications Platform supports polls and virtual break-out rooms for meetings; includes an intelligent assistant; and offers administrative controls, analytics, and reporting.Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise RainbowAlcatel-Lucent Enterprise, the French telecommunications hardware and software company, describes its Rainbow offering as a secure -la-carte cloud-based communications and collaboration platform. It supports meetings of up to 120 participants and 12 simultaneous video streams; is compliant with ISO 27001, GDPR, and CCPA; and can be deployed in on-premises or hybrid configurations. It offers integrations for Microsoft Teams as well as on-premises telephone systems. Other options include a system designed for use in conference rooms and another designed for virtual classrooms.Avaya SpacesAvaya Spaces, Avayas UC&C platform, includes one-click voice and videoconference calling as well as text chat, and supports meetings with up to 1,000 people. Its compatible with Google, Microsoft 365, Teams, Salesforce, and Slack and offers an API for custom integrations. Spaces can record meetings, has retention policy controls, is HIPAA and GDPR compliant, and offers single sign-on and encryption for data in transit and at rest.AI-driven features include background noise cancellation, meeting transcription, and closed captioning. Users can connect via browser, desktop, or mobile app, with user interface versions available in 26 languages.Cisco Webex MeetingsWebex Meetings is part of Ciscos comprehensive UC&C suite that also includes calling, event management, whiteboards, polling, messaging, webinar support, and other features. The software integrates with a wide array of general-business and vertical-specific enterprise apps.A free version supports meeting durations of up to 40 minutes. The entry-level paid version includes an AI assistant that can translate conversations through closed captions, write messages, and summarize meetings and messages. All versions offer end-to-end encryption and HIPAA/BAA compliance; the enterprise version is FedRAMP authorized and offers bring your own key end-to-end encryption and watermarking. Cisco also sells several Webex-compatible desktop and meeting room video hardware devices.DialpadDialpads videoconferencing service includes enterprise, small business, and free versions, with UC&C editions designed for general business, sales, and contact centers. Dialpad is strong in chat intelligencebusiness analyticsinternational support and real-time user insights, according to Forrester. It integrates with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, and several CRM tools, and includes AI-driven meeting and call transcription, screen and meeting recording, data retention policies, and analytics and reporting functions.Dialpad adjusts video resolution to available bandwidth for each connection to reduce video freeze-ups. It can support up to 150 participants through browser, desktop, and mobile apps. A meeting room version is also available. Session encryption and single sign-on are supported, and Dialpad is HIPAA compliant.Google MeetGoogles cloud-based Google Meet videoconferencing software includes a free version that supports meetings up to one hour long. The Google One Premium version includes call recording, noise cancellation, and the ability to live stream meetings on YouTube. Chat is a separate app.The business version, bundled into the Google Workspace collaboration suite, supports longer meetings, offers higher-quality video and includes meeting recording with transcripts. It works with Googles Gemini AI assistant (which requires a separate subscription) for real-time translation and generating meeting summaries. The enterprise version of Meet includes more advanced security features such as bring your own key end-to-end encryption.GoTo MeetingGoTo Meeting (formerly LogMeIn), available in business and enterprise editions, is one element in a collaboration suite of UC&C offerings that also includes GoTo Webinars and GoTo Training. The GoTo UC&C offerings fall into three categories: business communications, contact centers, and IT management and support. The vendor promotes its security and privacy features (single sign-on, end-to-end encryption, HIPAA compliance, one-time meeting passwords, meeting locking) and 99.9999% uptime SLA.Key features include recordings and transcriptions for meetings with up to 250 participants, background noise suppression, screen sharing, drawing tools, and virtual breakout rooms. GoTo Meeting also works with H.323-enabled room conferencing systems. A14-day free trial version of GoTo Meeting Business is available.Microsoft TeamsMicrosofts Teams dominates in the enterprise videoconferencing space because its tightly integrated with Microsoft 365, the office productivity suite that many large organizations already use. Teams offers VoIP calling, webinar hosting, a whiteboard, and integration with PowerPoint, and its compatible with a wide range of room conferencing systems. Calls, meetings, chat sessions, and files can be encrypted.Another element, Microsoft Mesh, creates immersive 3D spaces where participant avatars can interact in a virtual meeting room. The optional Microsoft 365 Copilot AI assistant can summarize, suggest action items, and provide real-time translation for videoconference and chat sessions.Microsoft is increasingly dictating the direction of the UCaaS market, with many other vendors offering Teams integration, Forrester reports, although it adds that licensing is needlessly complicated. A basic version of Teams is available for free.Mitel MiCollabVideoconferencing is one element of the Mitel MiCollab UC&C suite, which includes voice, video, chat messaging, SMS messaging, web conferencing, and team collaboration tools. It can run on-site or over virtualized public or private cloud infrastructure. It integrates with the companys business phone system offerings as well as Microsoft 365, Teams, and the Zoom Workplace Platform. MiCollab apps are available for Windows, macOS, and mobile devices.Ooma MeetingsVoIP phone system provider Ooma offers Ooma Meetings as part of its Ooma Office Pro and Ooma Office Pro Plus collaboration and small business phone system services. It offers client software for macOS and Windows desktops as well as browser-based access. Features include a dashboard for scheduling meetings with up to 100 meeting participants, background noise cancellation, screen sharing, whiteboarding, chat, meeting recording (stored for three months), and integration with Microsoft and Google calendars.RingCentral VideoUC&C platform vendor RingCentral offers a standalone enterprise edition of its videoconferencing offering, RingCentral Video Pro+, as well as a more limited, free version. Video Pro+ supports meetings of up to 200 participants for up to 24 hours duration. Features include a whiteboard, content sharing, meeting recording, a collaborative notes space, and background noise cancellation.An AI assistant creates real-time closed captions, transcriptions, and meeting summaries. Security and administration features include end-to-end encryption, single sign-on, data retention policy controls, and usage and performance analytics. Versions for conference rooms and webinars are available as add-ons.Vonage MeetingsPart of the Vonage Business Communications (VBC) software suite, Vonage Meetings supports meetings with up to 200 participants; includes chat, whiteboard, and recording features; integrates with both Google and Outlook calendars; and has desktop and mobile clients for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Security and privacy features include support for SSO, MFA, and encryption. VBC is HIPAA and GDPR compliant.Zoho MeetingZoho Meeting supports both videoconference meetings with up to 250 participants and webinars with up to 5,000 attendees for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. It integrates with the Zoho Workplace calendar and offers chat, digital whiteboards, screen sharing, session recording, virtual breakout rooms, live polls, and AI-generated meeting transcriptions and summaries.Sessions can be streamed live on YouTube, and a version for meeting rooms is available as an add-on. It also offers session encryption and analytics for administrators. A feature-limited, free version supports up to 100 users per session for up to 60 minutes.ZoomZoom, which rose to fame during the pandemic for its easy-to-use interface, remains a major player in the videoconferencing software space Forrester says it offers a best-in-class video experience. Like its competitors, Zoom has expanded beyond video meetings, now offering a UC&C suite called Zoom Workplace that includes include chat, a whiteboard, meeting recording, email, a calendaring system for scheduling, and Zoom Docs, a built-in document creation tool. While consumers may gravitate to the basic, free version, the business versions allow for longer meetings and provide an AI assistant, Zoom AI Companion, that can summarize meetings (including a catch-up summary if a user comes into a meeting late), draft messages, and provide real-time translation. Zoom Phone, the companys VoIP telephony offering, is included with enterprise Zoom Workplace subscriptions and available as an add-on for small-business plans. A one-year subscription to Essential Apps, a set of third-party add-ons with functions ranging from meeting summarization to gamification to virtual breakout rooms, is also included with enterprise licenses, except for organizations in government, education, and healthcare. Bring-your-own-key end-to-end encryption is a standard feature.Essential reading UCaaS buyers guide: How to choose the right unified communications platformEnterprise buyers guide: Digital whiteboard software

In a world where technology increasingly shapes how cities manage safety and security, Kazakhstans Ministry of Internal Affairs is leading the way with its groundbreaking Carpet CCTV project. This ambitious initiative has revolutionized public safety by combining a massive surveillance network with advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, creating a system that shifts the focus from reactive responses to proactive prevention.Over the past four years, the scope of Kazakhstans surveillance infrastructure has expanded dramatically. The number of cameras has grown from just 40,500 to an impressive 1.3 million, with 313,000 cameras now directly accessible to police. These cameras are strategically positioned to monitor key areas, enhancing law enforcements ability to detect, prevent, and respond to incidents in real time. The system has already shown its effectiveness: since early 2024, it has detected over 8,200 criminal offenses and recorded 7.1 million traffic violations, resulting in significant improvements in public safety and road management.At the heart of this transformation is the use of artificial intelligence. By integrating cutting-edge technologies such as facial recognition, license plate detection, and crowd monitoring, the system provides actionable insights that allow authorities to address risks before they escalate. For example, facial recognition capabilities enable real-time identification of persons of interest, while AI-powered traffic monitoring contributes to improved road safety and generates public revenue through fines. These features highlight the systems ability to go beyond passive recording, transforming it into a dynamic tool for crime prevention and urban management.The implementation of the Carpet CCTV project, however, was not without challenges. Managing the enormous volume of data generated by over a million high-definition cameras required significant upgrades in communication networks and data storage infrastructure. The integration of public and private camera networks demanded a unified approach to data sharing and management, while privacy concerns necessitated robust regulatory frameworks to ensure citizen trust. Through a combination of strategic planning, public-private partnerships, and transparent communication, the Ministry successfully addressed these obstacles, setting a model for other nations to follow.One of the projects most significant achievements lies in its deterrent effect. Administrative offenses, such as public disturbances, have decreased sharply, indicating that the visible presence of surveillance cameras is influencing behavior. This demonstrates the power of technology not just to react to incidents, but to prevent them altogether. Furthermore, the use of video evidence has increased case resolution rates, further solidifying the systems impact on law enforcement effectiveness.Looking ahead, Kazakhstan plans to build on the success of Carpet CCTV by expanding its geographic coverage and enhancing its analytical capabilities. New developments will focus on leveraging advanced AI to improve the accuracy and scope of surveillance, while also incorporating adaptive privacy measures to protect civil liberties. This forward-thinking approach ensures the system remains at the forefront of public safety technology, balancing innovation with accountability.Kazakhstans Carpet CCTV project represents more than just an investment in technologyits a vision for smarter, safer cities. By blending state-of-the-art solutions with thoughtful governance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has created a system that not only addresses todays challenges but also lays the groundwork for a secure and sustainable future.

A new class action lawsuit alleges poor working conditions and exploitive behavior by AI data processing company Scale AI, saying that workers responsible for generating much of its product were mischaracterized by the company as independent contractors, rather than full employees.Scale As services include providing the human labor to label the data used in training AI models and in shaping their responses to queries. For instance, a worker might label images from a cars LIDAR detector to help create an AI that more accurately identifies objects.To get this kind of human input, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in the Superior Court of California, Scale AI outsources work through services like Outlier, where named plaintiff Steve McKinney worked until June. Tasks for Scale AI, the complaint alleges, were assigned algorithmically, with payments reduced or denied for projects that exceeded a designated time limit. McKinneys suit said that this amounts to a bait-and-switch in terms of promised compensation. In addition, it noted, workers were not paid for peripheral functions such as reviewing project guidelines, seeking clarification, or attending required training webinars.Moreover, the subject matter of many prompts, some of which involved suicidal ideation and violence, among other disturbing topics, coupled with restrictions from Scale AI around break times and outside research, created a grueling, authoritarian workplace in which workers could be terminated for complaining about working conditions, payments, or company processes, the complaint said.Additionally, the suit says that McKinney and the many others in his position were misclassified under California law as independent contractors, rather than employees. Generally speaking, employers have fewer legal responsibilities to independent contractors than they have to full employees, who are more likely to be subject to state and federal laws about overtime payment, among other things.Californias legal standard for deciding which workers are independent contractors and which are employees is fairly strict, and is referred to as an ABC test, for its three-pronged nature. According to the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, workers are employees unless they are free from the control and direction of the hiring entity, are doing work outside the usual course of the hiring entitys business, and are customarily engaged in an independent business of the type theyre being hired for. None of those standards, the lawsuit argues, are met in the case of McKinney and the other Scale AI workers in his position.Sordid underbellyScale AI is the sordid underbelly propping up the generative AI industry, said the suit filed on McKinneys behalf by the Clarkson Law Firm, based in Malibu, California. The firm has been at the forefront of civil litigation against the tech industry where AI is concerned, appearing for multiple plaintiffs in cases around copyright, privacy, and more.Ryan Clarkson, the firms managing partner, said that the rapid growth of generative AI as a business has had corrosive effects on tech workers around the world.Scale AI has built its business on a model of exploitation, relying on thousands of workers from across the globe to be paid less than a living wage to train AI applications for hours on end, he said in a statement. These workers operate under strict company control and are being cheated out of labor code protections. Its unlawful and unacceptable.Scale AIs head of communications, Tom Channick, declined to comment on the litigation but said via email that the company is committed to ensuring it is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.Scale takes all contributor feedback seriously and has clear processes in place to address complaints, he said. For contributors who work on projects containing sensitive content, we have numerous safeguards in place, including advanced notice of the sensitive nature of the work, the ability to opt out at any time, and access to health and wellness programs.Scale AIs marketing materials advertise that it works with some of the biggest players in the AI space, including Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, and Nvidia, although none of these companies had responded to requests for comment about the matter by the time this article was published. Earlier this year, Scale AI shut down its RemoteTasks subsidiary in several countries, including Nigeria, Kenya and Pakistan, without notice to its regular gig workers in those countries.

Microsoft has announced Phi-4 a new AI model with 14 billion parameters designed for complex reasoning tasks, including mathematics. Phi-4 excels in areas such as STEM question-answering and advanced problem-solving, surpassing similar models in performance.Phi-4, part of the Phi small language models (SLMs), is currently available on Azure AI Foundry under the Microsoft Research License Agreement and will launch on Hugging Face next week, the company said in a blog.The company emphasized that Phi-4s design focuses on improving accuracy through enhanced training and data curation.To put into perspective, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT 4 and Google Gemini Ultra operate with hundreds of billions of parameters.Phi-4 outperforms comparable and even larger models on tasks like mathematical reasoning, thanks to a training process that combines synthetic datasets, curated organic data, and innovative post-training techniques, Microsoft said in its announcement.How does it stack up against competitors?The model leverages a new training approach that integrates multi-agent prompting workflows and data-driven innovations to enhance its reasoning efficiency. The accompanying report highlights that Phi-4 balances size and performance, challenging the industry norm of prioritizing larger models.The goal with Phi-4 is to explore the efficiency of smaller models while maintaining accuracy, Microsoft researchers noted in the technical documentation.Microsofts Phi-4 competes directly with models such as OpenAIs GPT-4o Mini, Anthropics Claude 3 Haiku, and Googles Gemini 1.5 Flash, each catering to specific applications in the small language model landscape.While GPT-4o Mini is designed for cost-efficient customer support and operations requiring large context windows, Claude 3 Haiku excels in summarization and extracting insights from complex legal or unstructured documents. Meanwhile, Gemini 1.5 Flash offers better performance in multimodal applications, thanks to its ability to handle massive context windows, such as analyzing video, audio, and extensive text datasets.Phi-4 achieved a score of 80.4 on the MATH benchmark and has surpassed other systems in problem-solving and reasoning evaluations, according to the technical report accompanying the release.This makes it particularly appealing for domain-specific applications requiring precision, like scientific computation or advanced STEM problem-solving.Focus on responsible AIMicrosoft emphasized its commitment to ethical AI development, integrating advanced safety measures into Phi-4. The model benefits from Azure AI Content Safety features such as prompt shields, protected material detection, and real-time application monitoring. These features, Microsoft explained, help users address risks like adversarial prompts and data security threats during AI deployment.The company also reiterated that Azure AI Foundry, the platform hosting Phi-4, offers tools to measure and mitigate AI risks. Developers using the platform can evaluate and improve their models through built-in metrics and custom safety evaluations, Microsoft added.Broader implicationsPhi-4s efficiency and reasoning capabilities may prompt organizations to reconsider the relationship between model size and performance. The release is expected to play a role in advancing applications requiring precise reasoning, from scientific computations to enterprise automation.With Phi-4, Microsoft continues to evolve its AI offerings while promoting responsible use through robust safeguards. Industry watchers will observe how this approach shapes adoption in critical fields where reasoning and security are paramount.

For all the ways travels evolved over the years, one thing has remained maddeningly steadfast: Moving from one place to another is almost always a hassle. Theres endless room for inconvenience and error, and a journey rarely goes according to plan.But while theres not much you can do about the late departures, the surly gate attendants, or the smelly fella somehow always seated right next to you, there are some tech-centric steps you can take to make your next business trip a little less unpleasant.Androids travel app selection has really taken off in recent years, and the Google Play Store now boasts an impressive array of genuinely useful titles for the traveling professional. After putting numerous standout candidates to the test, these are the apps Id recommend stowing on your smartphone and keeping at arms reach whenever your work next has you hitting the road or flying the (allegedly) friendly skies.(All apps are free unless otherwise specified.)Android travel apps, part 1: Planning and preparingOrganize your packing processPackPoint is a travel organization genie. You simply tell it where youre going, when, and what youll be doing and the app generates a detailed checklist of suggested items for your suitcase.You can add your own items to the list, as needed, and then use it as a guide to make sure you remember everything, every time.PackPoint takes some of the pain out of packing for a trip.JR Raphael / IDGPackPoint is free, with an optional one-time $3 upgrade that removes ads and gives you the ability to create your own custom packing templates. The paid version of the app also integrates with TripIt (more on that in a moment), which means it can import your travel plans automatically and create packing lists before you even ask.Prepare for local navigationYeah, yeah, I know: Youre well aware of Google Maps. But what you might not realize or maybe have just forgotten is that with a teensy bit of planning, you can download all the data you need for a trip directly into Maps in advance. That way, you can navigate to your hearts content, even in areas without strong mobile data signals, and you can avoid burning through mobile data unnecessarily on the road.Heres the trick: While youre still in the comfort of your home or office, open up Maps on your phone and search for the city youll be visiting. Tap the citys name within the search interface, then tap its name a second time when it appears in a panel at the bottom of the screen or just swipe up on that panel to enlarge it.From there, tap the More button in the row of options directly beneath the citys name (and if you dont see that button right away, try scrolling horizontally along that row to reveal it).Thatll reveal a pop-up menu with an option to Download offline map. Tap that, then tap Download on the confirmation screen that appears. Once the download finishes, youll be able to access maps and directions within your destination without the need for an active connection.Repeat as needed for any additional places on your agenda, then rest easy knowing your navigational guide will be there and waiting no matter what sort of conditions you encounter.Android travel apps, part 2: FlyingManage your air travelTripIt is an all-around air travel management companion, and itll make your life easier in some meaningful ways especially if you do a fair amount of flying.At its core, TripIt allows you to forward flight itineraries and other travel-related emails to a special address or, if you want, to grant it direct access to your inbox so it can find and process such emails on its own and it then extracts all the relevant details and organizes them into clean and easy-to-follow master itineraries.Where TripIt really shines, though, is with its optional $49-a-year TripIt Pro service (which you can try out via a free 30-day trial). That service gives you real-time flight updates all throughout your trip often beating notifications by airlines own apps, in my experience, as well as updates to the monitors in the terminal.Once you travel with TripIt and specifically its TripIt Pro service you wont want to fly without it.JR Raphael / IDGBeyond that, TripIt Pro makes it dead simple to find alternate flights at any point in your adventure. If a connection is canceled or delayed, all it takes is a couple of taps to see what other flights are available even down to the specific open seats on your current airline or on another. Thats helped me stay a step ahead of the gate agent on multiple occasions when late departures have put connecting flights in jeopardy.TripIt Pro comes with a few other perks, too, such as a two-month free trial of the CLEAR expedited airport access program. But the notifications and alternate flight finder are what really make the app invaluable. And while several other services offer similar sorts of travel planning features, no other app has been as consistently helpful, reliable, and easy to use as TripIt in my real-world travel testing. Its the gold standard of travel organization and a must-have for any frequent flier or business traveler.Find the best flightsForget all the clunky, upsell-infested flight-finding services and instead, open up your Chrome Android browser and navigate to Google Flights. All right so technically, it isnt an Android app, but Googles flight-searching system makes it super-easy to find and book flights across all airlines. You can save or share potential itineraries, monitor flights and get notified by email as soon as a specific fare goes up or down, and then buy your tickets directly with whatever airline (or airlines) you choose.Pro tip: If you want to make the app easier to access, tap Chromes three-dot menu icon while viewing the website and select Add to home screen. Thatll give you a more traditional mobile-app-like icon that can then pull up the tool with a single tap.One other utility that might be worth keeping handy is Hopper but theres a very specific purpose and also an important asterisk involved. Hopper watches flight prices over long periods of time in order to track trends and show you how fares are likely to fluctuate based on when you fly and when you make your purchase. If youre booking your own travel and either footing the bill yourself or trying to stay within a limited company budget, that knowledge can be incredibly helpful to have.Hoppers airfare-tracking system can give you valuable flight price knowledge.JR Raphael / IDGBut Hoppers ultimate goal is to get you to book your tickets through its service, and that doesnt necessarily seem like the most advisable thing to do. User reviews on the Play Store mention difficulty changing itineraries once theyre booked with Hopper and challenges getting through to the companys customer service.So what Id suggest is treating Hopper as a resource and not a ticket-purchasing portal: Use it to research optimal travel dates and purchasing windows, if you need to, and then take the info it gives you and plug it directly into either Google Flights or the appropriate airlines website to buy the tickets directly from the source and without the potentially problematic middleman.Speed up your border entryIf youre traveling internationally and have a valid passport from the US or Canada, a US lawful permanent resident card, or a US Visa Waiver Program passport the Mobile Passport Control app can save you precious time when you enter the US by letting you submit your passport info and customs declaration form ahead of time and then skip the regular line on your way through border patrol.Despite what its name may suggest, though, the app doesnt actually replace your passport. Youll still need to carry that with you. Its also currently supported only by certain airports, so youll want to make sure its available wherever youre flying before you begin.And not to worry: Its created by the US Customs and Border Protections agency and 100% official and legit.Android travel apps, part 3: Driving and public transitTrack your mileageIf you drive your own car for business, MileIQ formerly owned by Microsoft but now back to being an independent entity makes it as easy as can be to keep track of all your mileage for later reimbursement.Once you set up the app on your phone and grant it the various permissions it requires, you dont have to do a thing: Itll just automatically detect when youre driving and then log all your miles in the background. It even uses current IRS-mandated reimbursement rates to calculate what youre owed.The app has some interesting advanced options, too, such as the ability to set specific work hours and then ignore any drives that occur outside of those times.MileIQ is free to use for up to 40 drives per month. For unlimited access, youll have to pony up $6 a month or $60 for a full year of service.Pay less for gasWhy pay top dollar for top-offs when you can drive an extra minute from the highway and save yourself (or your company) some money? GasBuddy gives you the insight you need to find fuel that wont break the bank: You just open up the app, tap the option to find gas near you, and then either look through a list of nearby gas stations and how much theyre currently charging or switch to a map view to see prices plotted out around your present location.GasBuddy relies on user reports to provide up-to-date info on gas prices in your area.JR Raphael / IDGGasBuddy has a bunch of other features you probably wont want to mess with, but the apps price searching ability is worth every penny (particularly since the app is free and thus costs you precisely zero pennies to use).Activate your highway X-rayAs anyone whos ever taken a lengthy drive knows, fuel is only one tiny part of the highway exit decision matrix. Which exit you choose on your journey could determine if you end up with a gold mine of interesting options for dining, buying, and other delightful diversions or if you find youre facing a metaphorical (and maybe also literal) desert, with nothing of note anywhere around you.An app called iExit will change the way you think about such choices.iExit shows you a detailed breakdown of exactly what youll find at every exit on every interstate throughout the US, with a complete list of all restaurants, stores, parks, hotels, and other random attractions that are accessible from each exit youre passing.The app can use your current location to show you info as it becomes relevant, or you can manually search along any interstate to get an exit-by-exit overview. Either way, its completely free to use.Find parking anywhereWhen youre traveling through a city, SpotHero will save you a substantial amount of time, money, and headaches with finding a place to park.Just search the app for any specific location or let it scan your current location, and within a matter of seconds, youll see a list of available parking in the area arranged by price, proximity, and even other drivers ratings.Searching for a parking spot is as simple as it gets with SpotHero by your side.JR Raphael / IDGYou can often book a spot directly within the app, if you want or you can just use it as a free and easy way to find a place to land.Become a public transit masterIf youre ditching the car and relying on trains, buses, Ubers and Lyfts, or even bikes, scooters, and plain ol walking to get around your destination, Citymapper is the app you need.In cities where its supported a limited but reasonably extensive list Citymapper lets you put in a starting and ending address and then explore the best ways to get from point A to point B using any combination of public transit options.The app mixes and matches available methods and serves up an impressive menu of possibilities. You can pick the cheapest combo, the fastest path, or choose a specific way you prefer to travel and let Citymapper create a custom itinerary around that.Citymapper goes above and beyond what Google Maps can do when it comes to public transit planning.JR Raphael / IDGCitymapper is free with an optional $1.50-a-month or $10-a-year ad-free upgrade.Android travel apps, part 4: At your destinationTrack your travel expensesWhen it comes to more general expense-tracking, Expensify is the app to have in your arsenal. Expensify lets you simply take photos of receipts with your phone or forward invoices and receipts via email and it then extracts the relevant details and organizes them into reports. The app is available on the web as well, and it offers direct-export integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and other accounting services.Snap a photo of a receipt or forward it in via email and then forget about it with Expensify.JR Raphael / IDGExpensify costs either $5 or $9 per person per month for businesses, depending on your needs. You can try the app out with a free individual plan, too, though that limits you to just 25 imports per month and lacks many of the services advanced expense reporting and integration options.Find a place to stay on short noticeThe next time you find yourself unexpectedly stuck somewhere be it due to a cancelled flight or a road trip gone awry dont panic. Instead, snag the free and easy to use HotelTonight app. HotelTonight searches around your current location to find hotels with open and available rooms, but thats not all: It also scores you legitimate savings on the rates, by way of an apparent deal wherein hotels let the service sell rooms at a discount in order to fill last-minute vacancies. I spot-checked a handful of the apps recommendations, and the savings were absolutely real.HotelTonight provides an easy way to find last-minute rooms at discounted rates.JR Raphael / IDGHotelTonight has handy details and ratings for all the hotels it recommends. And once you find something suitable, all it takes is a few taps within the app to book your room and be ready to roll.Find Wi-Fi anywhereWhy waste money on mobile data when Wi-Fi is all around you and waiting for the taking? Just open WiFi Map to see an interactive map showing available Wi-Fi networks in your area (or any other area you want to search). The app lists out speed information and even provides user-submitted passwords to secured public networks in some instances.Just note: When you first open WiFi Map, youll be pressed to upgrade to a $15-a-year premium subscription. That allows you to eliminate some rather aggressive ads within the app and also gives you the ability to download information in advance for offline viewing. You dont have to make the upgrade, though (and arguably shouldnt bother); if you want to use the app for free, just tap the little x in the upper-right corner of the screen when the upgrade prompt appears.Convert and translate anythingFor your next border-crossing journey, let XE Currency Converter convert currency for you without the usual headache. Once you tell the app your home countrys currency and select which foreign currencies you want to convert into, all you have to do is type in a dollar amount to get an instant glimpse at the exact equivalent based on up-to-the-minute conversion rates.And when language translation is what you require, the aptly named Google Translate app is the tool you want. Its jam-packed with practical features, such as the ability to translate text instantly from an image you capture with your camera and a conversation mode that lets you have a (somewhat awkward) back-and-forth dialog, in real time, with someone speaking a different tongue.Stay fit wherever you goWho says you have to stay sedentary just because youre traveling? Skip the underwhelming hotel exercise facility and turn to AllTrails to find and navigate popular running, biking, and hiking trails wherever you are instead. The app is free to use, with an optional $36-a-year premium upgrade that gives you a variety of extra features like live sharing, offline-friendly downloading, and an ad-free experience.(When you first start using the app, youll see a full-screen prompt to start a free trial subscription. Just note that you dont have to do that and can skip over the offer altogether by tapping the x in the upper-left corner of the screen.)If youd rather get your heart pumping from the privacy of your own room, snag the Nike Training Club app. Its filled with easy-to-follow workouts, ranging from the intense and Crossfit-reminiscent Total Body Burnout to the simple and stretch-oriented Run Ready Flow.The Nike Training Club app has tons of workouts you can do almost anywhere.JR Raphael / IDGYou can find workouts for practically any amount of time you want as little as five minutes, even! and you can browse specifically through no-equipment workouts, assuming you dont carry your entire collection of kettlebells with you every time you travel. And best of all? The app is completely free to use.The only thing youll be missing is an excuse.This article was originally published in June 2018 and most recently updated in December 2024.

Google has unveiled an AI agent builder tooldesigned toautomate repititive tasks and help workers find information held across their organization faster.AI agents have become amajor focus for software vendors in recent months, including Atlassian, Microsoft, Salesforce, and numerous others. Theagent conceptis usedin different ways, but generally refers to software systems that are able to take actions on behalf of a user, with varying degrees of autonomy.IDC analysts predictthat at least 40% of Global 2000 businesses will use AI agents and agentic workflows to automate knowledge work, doubling productivity in the process at least in caseswhere the technology is successfully implemented.On Friday, Googleunveiled Agentspace,its own application where workers can access and build agents.Thestandalone apphasthree main purposes, according to Google.One is to serve as the launch point for custom AI agents. These agents combine generative AI(genAI) largelanguage models with multi-step workflows toautomate repetitive tasks. Google said the application has an intuitive interface and intends it to serve as a space where workers can access pre-built agents created in Googles VertexAI Agent Builder. A low-code tool is also in the works to enable a wider range of employees to set up their own agents.Agentspace also provides an enterprise search function that Google said will help workers find information held in applications across their organization, includingboth structured and unstructured data such as documents and emails.Agentspace search is multimodal, Google said, meaningit should be possible to search across video and image files as well as text documents.Agentspace search can access data from a range of sourcesusingconnectors to third-party tools such as Confluence, Google Drive, Jira, Microsoft SharePoint, ServiceNow, and others.Userscaninteract with a conversational assistant that responds to search queries. Agentspace agents will also perform actions based on the information held in customers documents, Google said.Finally, NotebookLM is also embedded in the Agentspaceapp. Unveiled as an experimental tool by Google Labs last year before awider release in September, NotebookLM is billed as a virtual research assistant that provides responses grounded in documents and data supplied by a user. This includes the ability to create podcast-style voice summaries of selected documents, for example.Agentspace is available now in early access with a 90-day free trial; itwill require a monthly per user subscription fee afterthat period.Pricing details are yet to be announced, a Google spokesperson said.Googlethis weekannounced a range of AI agent tools,includingtwo research prototypes: Project Astra, which can perceive the physical world and provide assistance to users,and ProjectMariner, which understands and can take action on the contents of a computer screen. These are powered by Gemini 2.0, Googles latest AI model which launched on Wednesday and is described by Google as its model for the agentic era.

A new premium version of Googles NotebookLM AI assistant is now available to Google Workspace customers.Googleunveiled NotebookLM last year, initially under the name Project Tailwind, and began testing the AI-powered notebook with select users. NotebookLM lets users upload multiple documents and other sources Google Docs, PDFs, audio files and web URLs, for instance that are analyzed by Google language models. Users can then query via a generative AI (genAI) chatbot interface.Google has added several features since NotebookLM was first unveiled, includingAudio Overviews, whichgenerates a podcast-style audio discussionfrom the contents of uploaded documents.A free version of the app has beenavailable to Google Workspace customers since September, and an early access pilot for an enhanced business version of NotebookLM wasannounced in October.Google also announced the launch of its new NotebookLM Plus. This is available to Google Workspace users that pay for the Gemini for Workspace add-on (which starts at $20 per user each month on top of Workspace subscriptions), as well as a standalone version via Google Cloud. Google didnt immediately respond to a request for pricing for the standalone version of the app.The premium version removes some of the usage limitations with the free version. That means five times more Audio Overviews, queries, notebooks, and sources per notebook. There are also customization options for style and tone of user notebooks, and shared notebooks for teams with usage analytics.Google highlighted enterprise-grade protections for business customers: employee uploads and queries entered intoNotebookLM Plus wont be used to train models and are not reviewed by humans, Google said.Your data remains your data and any files uploaded, queries and responses are not shared outside your organizations trust boundary, a Google spokesperson said in a blog post.NotebookLM users get access to a redesigned the user interface, too.From the start, we wanted NotebookLM to be a tool that would let you move effortlessly from asking questions to reading your sources to capturing your own ideas,Steven Johnson, editorial directorforGoogle Labs,saidin a blog post. Today, were rolling out a new design that makes it easier than ever to switch between those different activities in a single, unified interface.Theinterface is organized into three components:asources panel that manages information related to a users project; a chat panel,where you can query the NotebookLM chatbot about the contents of uploaded documents; and the studio panel, where new documents such as study guides, briefing docs and audio overviews, can be created with one click,Google said. Each component can be expanded and resized to help focus on a particular part of the app.Theres also a new feature under development: the ability for a user to interruptan AI-generated Audio Overview conversation mid-flow and ask questions. Using your voice, you can ask the hosts for more details or to explain a concept differently, said Johnson. Its like having a personal tutor or guide who listens attentively, and then responds directly, drawing from the knowledge in your sources.Google noted that NotebookLM will beembedded in Agentspace, a new tool for interacting with AI agents for work tasks.

Apple has already seized a leadership position with Apple Silicon. Now, it seeks to build a second bridgehead in networking chips so it canmake the 5G chip, the Wi-Fi chip, and Bluetooth chips used inside its devices.Why? Cutting component costs might be part of its calculation, but improving performance, battery life, and the integration of these very different networking components might well yield a greater prize.Apple now aims to introduce the first combined Wi-FI/Bluetooth chip in Apple TV and HomePod mini in early 2025, with the component set to appear in iPhones later next year. Macs and iPads will reportedly gain the new networking component in 2026. Current supplier Broadcom will continue to supply Apple with RF filters and is now working with it on development of AI chips for Apples Private Cloud Compute servers. (Broadcom and Apple also have some relationship ondevelopment of 5G modemsfor Apples devices.To some extent, much of this was known. Apples silicon development teams have been working on multiple chips for use in Apple devices for some time, including M-, A-, S- and R- series chips used in Macs, iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch and Vision Pro.It also makes the W-series processors that manage Bluetooth and battery use on Apple Watch; the H-series chips (which are more efficient than W-family processors) inside AirPods; and the U-series family of UWB processors. There may be a handful of additional Apple-designed silicon components still in play in some older devices it also made the T-series system management processors in late period Intel Macs.Apple is also amember of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which defines the Bluetooth standard.Apples big plan?Development takes a lot of investment. Apple now has thousands of highly qualified engineering staffers working on silicon design for its fleet of devices. In Munich, Germany alone, the company nowemploys more than 2,000 peopleand we know it has others working on silicon development at key locations worldwide, including in the UK, where Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit this week.All this activity and speculation Intel might try to poach Johny Srouji, Apples senior vice president for hardware technologies represent the degree of investment Apple has been making in this sector.Really, and truly, Apple has gone from zero to hero in processor design since it first invested in PA Semi. These investments mean the company now competes at the top of the silicon design industry and has the processors it needs to design and manufacture devices that just werent possible with other chips, opening doors for new types of hardware, wearables, and various forms of home/enterprise computing.But while it isnt clear how Apple can make a version of Wi-FI and Bluetooth that makes an inherent difference to its customers, the opportunities the project brings to product design seem a little clearer.What benefits does this bring?Thats the strategic benefit of what Apple has done so far in terms of core processor design (CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, etc). Now, Apple seems to want to achieve similar benefits in networking. What form could those benefits take? There are some obvious possibilities:Lower cost components:One way to keep retail costs stable is to control manufacturing costs.Better integration:Think of it as the whole widget approach.Energy use:Better heat dissipation and energy use should make for ever slimmer designs, potentially including the rumored iPhone 17 Slim.Optimization:Better integration should make for improved networking stability.Commodification:Apple gets to augment core networking features with Apple-only additions to benefit users.Licensing:While unlikely, the company might want to license its networking technologies (even on a FRAND basis to improve its hand when negotiating other licenses). It may also want (or be forced) to put a Made for Apple licensing system in place to open up any Apple-only features to third-parties.Innovation:While Apple isnt ready to do so yet, combining networking components on a single chip or even eventually on a single SOC should enable new opportunities, such as improved support for satellite communications. (Satellite is evidently part of Apples vision for networking, as will be HomeKit and biometrically controlled digital key deployments.)Independence:Apple wants to reduce its reliance on third-party manufacturers for strategic components used in its devices.Of course, these are just some of the possibilities. But to my mind, the biggest motivation will be to apply further differentiation to Apples hardware.Thats not going to mean Apple will attempt to sell its devices on the merits of its own Bluetooth chip thats not Apples way. Its approach is to market its products on the basis of the features they bring. I think this means the integration of network services will form the foundation for new hardware features and services somewhere down the line, the most obvious being built-in LAN enhancements and satellite messaging.On the latter, it is interesting just how many of the stories circulating in recent weeks seem to leadtoward satellite, giving me a chance to grab my copy of Eddy RamosBook of Laughsand say that when it comes to Apples future networking silicon adventures, you really should watch the skies. Unless you live inNew Jersey or Oregon, where you may prefer to keep your eyes down to protect your sanity.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.

TheMacys accounting nightmareis only getting worse, with the $24 billion retailer telling the SEC on Wednesday that both its annual report from last year and its auditor report should no longer be relied on.Although the amount hidden was only $151 million at the high end of Macys original estimate of $132 million to $154 million the retailer said it exposed a massive weakness in its checks and balances procedures.Macys did not get specific about the nature of the flaws, but the problem seems to be that the software charged with monitoring financial transactions was never designed to catch accountants doing what they do best: categorizing numbers in ways designed to make the companys performance look better than it is.Such software is typically designed to catch true fraud, such as an employee exfiltrating money out of an enterprise into bank accounts they control, or payments to fraudulent contractors or even simple math errors. Apparently, the Macys system had weak safeguards that were easily sidestepped. Accounting officials say these same technology deficits likely exist in every enterprise.Macys management identified a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting related to the design of existing internal control activities involving manual journal entries over delivery expenses and certain other non-merchandise expenses, and the reconciliation of the related accrued liabilities, the SEC filing said. The Company identified that a single employee, who is no longer with the Company, intentionally made erroneous accounting entries and falsified underlying documentation, to understate delivery expenses from the fourth quarter of 2021 through the third quarter of 2024.When Macys first reported the incident, it used the word hidden and made no reference to falsified underlying documentation. Those are big clues about what likely happened.The material weakness was the result of deficiencies in the design of controls over delivery expense and certain other non-merchandise expenses, and the related accrued liabilities, whereby the design of the controls did not consider the potential for employee circumvention of these controls, the company said in its filing, adding there were failures to obtain, or generate and use, relevant, quality information to support the functioning of these controls, including validation of the reliability of the information.Heres the key youve got to be kidding point: The design of the controls did not consider the potential for employee circumvention of these controls.Really? The designers for an accounting system managing $24 billion in cash flow never considered that somebody might try to circumvent controls? Like perhaps someone engaged in naughtiness?The filing also showed some seeming contradictions. It stressed, for example, that this problem was done by just one employee as though thats a good thing. Imagine a Pentagon official explaining how 40 nuclear warheads were stolen and said, I know this sounds bad, but this wasnt done by a squadron on enemy fighters. This theft was just done by one guy, so all is fine.Macys also tried to say that this was not that big a deal. The Company evaluated the errors and determined that the related impact was not material to results of operations or financial position for any historical annual or interim period.But by the end of the filing, Macys attorneys used a lot of words to essentially say this actually was a big deal.As a result of the material weakness in the Companys internal control over financial reporting described above, on December 10, 2024 the Audit Committee of the Board of the Company determined, based on the recommendation of management following its consultation with the Companys independent registered public accounting firm KPMG LLP, that managements report on internal control over financial reporting as of February 3, 2024should no longer be relied upon. Additionally, KPMG LLPs opinion as to the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting as of February 3, 2024 included within the Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 3, 2024,should no longer be relied upon.In accounting speak, declaring that their financials are not to be trusted is admitting that this is a big deal. Why? Given the lack of meaningful controls and strong safeguards in this one business unit, there is every reason to believe that the same lack of safeguards exist elsewhere in the company andaccording to accountants, in just about every enterprise.Stefan van Duyvendijk, an industry principal with accounting software vendor FloQast, reviewed Macys filing and said that the retailer is trying to distract people by implying that the small package delivery unit is the only place where Macys has this weakness.This happened because that small package area was likely deemed low-risk, van Duyvendijk said, but Macys reviews over journal entries are the same across the company.That means Macys likely knows that other similar issues could easily crop up andthatis what is tainting all of their reported financials and audits.The lone employee apparently reported that the small package unit owed less than it really did. ERP is incapable of catching something like this, van Duyvendijk said.For other enterprises, this glaring hole in controls could be worse. The Macys problem appears so far to be one employee manipulating numbers to make the department look better.It wasnt outright fraud or theft. But thats merely because the employee didnt try to steal. But the same lax safeguards that allowed expense dollars to be underreported could have just as easily allowed actual theft.What will happen when someone actually has motivation to commit fraud? They could have just as easily kept the $150 million, van Duyvendijk said. They easily could have committed mass fraud without this company knowing. (Macys) people are not reviewing manual journals very carefully.Another accounting specialist,JR Kunkle, an auditor andGRCspecialist who runs his own consulting firm, Kunkle Consulting, agreed that the ERP and accounting systems used today cant prevent accounting fraud in the way they should.If an individual is hellbent, he can change codes in the software. (Management) is going to rely on the accountant to setup the accruals, Kunkle said. Any kind of accounting entry requires judgment. And todays business software systems are incapable of reviewing and managing human judgment.Once you get inside (the accounting decision process) and there is a judgment factor, ERP can give you data about it, saying that its a shipping expense, but I dont think systems in general can figure out what an accountant should enter, Kunkle said. I dont know that you can automate that.Another financial specialist, Emburse CFO Adriana Carpenter, said that the software problem exists, but thereareaccounting tactics that can minimize exposure.Its true that most ERPs are not designed to catch erroneous accounting, she said. However, there are software tools that allow CFOs and CAOs to create more robust controls around accounting processes and to ensure the expenses get booked to the correct P&L designation. Initiating, approving, recording transactions, and reconciling balances are each steps that should be handled by a separate member of the team. There are software tools that can assist with this process, such as those that enable use of AI analytics to assess actual spend and compare that spend to your reported expenses. Some such tools use AI to look for overriding journal entries that reverse expense items and move those expenses to a balance sheet account.The specific problem Macys is struggling with could be minimized for others, she said. For example, someone bypassing safeguards can eventually be detected.In the event of management overriding accounting controls, leveraging the spend data on an end-to-end spend management platform and using AI analytics can identify this type of override by automatically comparing total spend to your P&L and identifying discrepancies, Carpenter said. In the case of this Macys accounting error, AI analytics would have identified differences in total payments versus the expense that was being reported.The ultimate problem here involves enterprise CIOs and their teams who trust software controls too much. Trusting software to religiously do what it is supposed to do is asking for trouble. Trusting that software to do what it was never designed to do? That is justdemandingtrouble.

Microsoft released 74 updates in its December Patch Tuesday update, with patches for Windows, Office and Edge but none for Microsoft Exchange Server or SQL server. One zero-day (CVE-2024-49138) affecting how Windows desktops handle error logs requires a Patch Now warning, but the Office, Visual Studio and Edge patches can be added to your standard release schedule. There are also several revisions this month that require attention before deployment, including two (CVE-2023-36435andCVE-2023-38171) that will need extensive testing.TheReadiness teamhas provided thisinfographicoutlining the risks associated with each of the updates this cycle.(More information about the previous six months of Patch Tuesday releases is available here.)Known issuesOther than theRoblox issue, Microsoft has published a reduced set of known issues for December:There have been reports that the OpenSSH (Open Secure Shell) service fails to start, preventing SSH connections. The service fails with no detailed logging, and manual intervention is required to run the sshd.exe process. Microsoft has offeredseveral mitigationoptions for those still affected.For those still on Windows Server 2008 you might receive warnings that Windows Update failed to complete successfully. Microsoft is working on this issue and expects a fix to be released soon. Many users will now have to move to the second stage of Extended Support Updates) or ESU.Major revisionsFor the final Patch Tuesday in 2024, there are these revisions to previously released updates:CVE-2023-36435andCVE-2023-38171: Microsoft QUIC Denial of Service Vulnerability. This is the third update to this two-year-old series of patches to the Microsoft .NET platform. Rather than a strictly information update, these patches will need to be added to your December release schedule.CVE-2024-49112: Windows Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. This is a release for this months update. This does not happen often, as this patch was only released 24 hours ago. (In fact, due to an error in the documentation, this patch was duplicated in the release notes as well.)CVE-2023-44487: HTTP/2 Rapid Reset Attack. The update relates to a change in affected software meaning all recent supported versions of Microsoft .NET and Visual Studio are included in the scope of the patch. Add this to your development update release schedule for the month.CVE-2024-43451: NTLM Hash Disclosure Spoofing Vulnerability. This late edition revision has been widely reported in thenewsas it affects older versions of Windows Server (2008 and 2012) and has received somegenerous technical supportfrom outside Microsoft.This is an unusual month for revisions, with several patches from 2023 updated in the final months of 2024, with increased scopes and associated testing requirements. The Readiness team advises extra caution addressing bothCVE-2023-36435andCVE-2023-38171.Windows lifecycle and enforcement updatesThere were no product or security enforcements for this update cycle. However,Microsoft has noted that:There wont be a non-security preview release for the month of December 2024. There will be a monthly security release for December 2024. Normal monthly servicing for both security and non-security preview releases will resume in January 2025.Each month, we analyze the latest Patch Tuesday updates from Microsoft and provide detailed, actionable testing guidance based on a large application portfolio and a detailed analysis of the patches and their potential impact on the Windows platforms and application installations.For this cycle, we have grouped the critical updates and required testing efforts into different functional areas including:Networking and Remote Desktop ServicesThis months update addresses key components of Microsofts Remote Desktop Services with the following testing guidance:Test RDP connections over the Microsoft Remote DesktopGateway.Try RPC over HTTP/HTTPS pathways while validating Remote Desktopbrokerfeatures.Test out DNSsigning keyoperations forRRASenvironments.Validate WAN port operations (trynetshcommands).Local Windows File System and StorageMinor changes to the Windows desktop file system will require a test of the ReFS system (lightCRUDtesting required). Due to changes in how Windows handles non-English characters, a test of Input Method Editors (IMEs) is required for Japanese formats.Virtual Machines and Microsoft Hyper-VA minor update to a key virtualization driver will require some traffic testing andmonitoringfor Microsofts Hyper-V and virtualization platforms.While these recent updates are generally low-profile patches to Windows subsystems, we feel that the primary testing this month should focus on validating remote network traffic. The file system and Hyper-V changes require light testing. The goal for most enterprises is to get these Microsoft updates deployed before change control lock-down arrives.Each month, we break down the update cycle into product families (as defined by Microsoft) with the following basic groupings:Browsers (Microsoft IE and Edge)Microsoft Windows (both desktop and server)Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft Exchange ServerMicrosoft development platforms (ASP.NETCore, .NET Core and Chakra Core)Adobe (if you get this far)BrowsersThere were just two minor updates for Microsoft Edge this month, withCVE-2024-12053andCVE-2024-49041both rated as important. Add these low-profile changes to your standard release schedule.WindowsThough there is a strong focus on networking, this release also affects the following Windows features:Windows Remote Desktop and related routing serversWindows Kernel and Kernel Mode DriversPrintingMicrosoft Hyper-VMicrosoftLDAPandLSASSWindows Error ReportingUnfortunately, there is a zero-day (CVE-2024-49138) that has been reported as publicly disclosed and exploited in the wild that affects how Windows creates error log files. Add these Windows updates your Patch Now cycle.Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft released nine patches to Office, all rated important. In addition, the companyoffered some additional security measures and mitigations to the platform with the release of the advisoryADV240002, which covers the following areas:Perimeter DefenseNetwork SecurityEndpoint ProtectionApplication SecurityThis months update affects Microsoft Excel, SharePoint and core Microsoft Office libraries. Add these patches to your standard Office release schedule.Microsoft SQL (nee Exchange) ServerThere were no updates for either Microsoft SQL or Exchange server.Microsoft development platformsMicrosoft released a single update to the experimental AI music projectMuzicwithCVE-2024-49063. Well take this as a win with no further updates to Microsoft .NET or Visual Studio.Adobe Reader (and other third-party updates)Adobe has released a completely normal, run-of-the millupdateto both Reader and Acrobat (Adobe Release notes). This is good news. This update has not been included in the Microsoft release cycle, which is as it should be. Adding to the huge, globally shared sense of relief, Adobe has chosen to modify its patching methodology to fall in line with industry best practices. Long-suffering IT admins have had to create (and maintain) process workflow exceptions to handle Adobe updates, usually with complex PowerShell scripts. No longer!Thank you, Adobe; there is no greater gift than a few less things to do (repeatedly).For those readers who have enjoyed delving into the deeper details of all things patching, the Readiness team would like to say, Thank you for the time and attention and we look forward to the New Year.No surprises, right?

Apple has introduced significant improvements for enterprise IT admins in thenewly-released iOS 18.2, including the power to manage the latest salvo ofadditional Apple Intelligence features and more.Heres a swift look at whats new.Giving you control of Apple IntelligenceApples approach to generative AI (genAI) is all about combining convenience with privacy.That means it has built large language models (LLMs) that work on the device, supplemented by highly secure cloud-based models that usehighly secure Apple serversin data centers, and partnerships with third-party services to handle tasks the companys own models cant accommodate.That last thing use of third-party services is where some Apple customers might need reassurance.Thats because people might at times share what should be confidential data with these services, which could place companies or individuals at risk of running afoul of data protection laws. Apple has only one genAI partner at this time, OpenAI, and to help mitigate such issues the ChatGPT developer says it does not keep private information pertaining to a request. With cloud queriesheavily encrypted, Apple keeps no information at all, which is part of the attraction of using its own LLM models, and users can choose not to work with ChatGPT at all, if they prefer.But what about unauthorized use of ChatGPT? Or even Apples own genAI models? Is there any way a data security-conscious company can try to protect its data against unauthorized sharing?Now, there is. Starting in iOS 18.2, Apple has,as promised, introduced tools that let Mobile Device Management (MDM) services manage all the latest Apple Intelligence integrations,including ChatGPT,which itself includes search.What this means is that IT admins can permit use of some, none, or all of the available Apple Intelligence tools, including the capacity to generate images in Image Playground. How this control is made available will likely differ between MDM providers, but you should see tools to manage iOS 18.2s newly-added Apple Intelligence features arrive in your management console soon. Apple introduced MDM controls for Writing tools, Mail summarization, phone call recoding, and hiding apps in iOS 18.1.Setting a default browserWhile it took time to be convinced, Apple is beginning to allow people to use more browsers than before, potentially opening up competition in the browser industry. The thing is, not all browsers are created equal and its possible that some companies might require employees to use a specific browser on a managed device. This has now been made possible with an MDM tool that lets admins set a default browser and prevent users from modifying that browser, or choosing an alternative. (This should help companies maintain specified browser security policies, for example.)What else is new?These additions supplement an earlier wave of enterprise-focused admin enhancements introduced with iOS 18.1.Hardware-based MFA in Safari is now more reliable when used with security keys.You can disable RCS messages on managed devices essential, given the standard doesnt yet support encryption.It is possible to prevent users from deactivating VPN use on a per-app basis.Admins can prevent apps from being locked or hidden by users.Service discovery in enrollment can request well-known resources from alternative locations specified by MDMTell it from the rooftopsEach time Apple makes one of these iterative enhancements for enterprise deployments of its devices, it shows the extent to which it now deeply supports enterprise markets. If Im honest, the company should try to make more out of this, particularly as its approach toward building an ecosystem for trusted AI marries so well and so deeply with its existing reputationaround security, ease-of-use, customer satisfaction, employee loyalty and TCO advantages in contrast to other platforms.But for most admins, the critical piece in the companys most recent MDM updates will likely be the control it gives them over Apple Intelligence, which should reassure business users that limited deployment of these tools can be accomplished in a deliberate and responsible manner.You can follow me on social media! Join me onBlueSky, LinkedIn,Mastodon, andMeWe.