DeepSeek Success Could Invite Reprise of TikTok BanBy John P. Mello Jr.January 29, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTEnterprise IT Lead Generation ServicesFuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more. The Chinese AI app DeepSeek has created a splash in the artificial intelligence world not seen since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT. All the attention garnered by the AI model, however, could pose a threat to its success in the United States, as other technology companies based in countries Uncle Sam considers adversary states have discovered.Although the app is barely out of the starting gate, questions have been raised about it as a threat to national security. Those are the kinds of questions that have sunk U.S. sales of companies like Kaspersky and Huawei and threaten the popular social media app TikTok.[T]he U.S. cannot allow CCP [Chinese Communist Party] models such as DeepSeek to risk our national security and leverage our technology to advance their AI ambitions. We must work to swiftly place stronger export controls on technologies critical to DeepSeeks AI infrastructure, Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., chairman of the Select Committee on China, told NBC News Monday.DeepSeek exploded on the scene over the weekend when it became the top download at Apples App Store in the United States, vaulting AI stalwart ChatGPT. The Chinese app has also been garnering kudos for its speed, efficiency, and mighty reasoning skills.Whats more, it runs on less powerful chips than its U.S. competitors. According to DeepSeek, those chips allow it to train its model for less than US$6 million a fraction of what Google, OpenAI, and Meta are spending to train their models with top-of-the-line processors.If DeepSeeks claims about its technology pass scrutiny, it could dramatically impact the AI industry. There could be less demand for high-octane chipsets, power requirements could be curtailed, and there would be less need for more large-scale data centers, such as those to be built by the Trump administrations $500 billion Stargate project.DeepSeek does force a question about the costs and investments needed to race to AGI outcomes and innovations, said Jeff Le, a former California deputy cabinet secretary.This race is also focused on time but there are energy and infrastructure consequences, especially if there is validation that would force others to relook the recently-announced Stargate project, he told TechNewsWorld.National Security RisksThen theres that national security thing that has tripped up companies like Huawei, Kaspersky, and, most recently, TikTok.In 2018, Huawei was a high-flying smartphone and telecommunications maker. It temporarily pushed Apple to third place in the global smartphone market. However, Huawei smartphones were banned from being sold in the United States due to national security concerns, and its market share never recovered.In 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerces Bureau of Industry and Security prohibited Kaspersky Lab from directly or indirectly providing antivirus software and cybersecurity products or services in the United States or to U.S. persons. The bureau found that the companys continued operations in the United States presented a national security risk due to the Russian governments offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kasperskys operations.Then theres TikTok, which Washington wants out of Chinese hands for fear its owner, ByteDance, could potentially collect and share sensitive data from American users with the Chinese government.DeepSeek could pose a greater threat to national security than TikTok, maintained Allie Mellen, a senior analyst with Forrester, a national market research company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. She pointed out that DeepSeeks privacy policy explicitly states it can collect your text or audio input, prompt, uploaded files, feedback, chat history, or other content and use it for training purposes.It also states it can share this information with law enforcement agencies, public authorities, and so forth at its discretion, and that any information collected is stored in China, she told TechNewsWorld.In addition, she continued, the information being submitted into DeepSeek is more wide-ranging. Some are submitting voice recordings, pictures, personal information, and enterprise data and IP into the tool.Portal for Data LeakageRich Vibert, CEO of Metomic, a data privacy and security software company in London, asserted that the likelihood of the U.S. government banning DeepSeek hinges on whether its capabilities are perceived as a national security threat.If the tool demonstrates a potential for large-scale exploitation of vulnerabilities or potential to leak sensitive data, its plausible that regulatory or security agencies might act to restrict its use, he told TechNewsWorld.Such vulnerabilities were reported Monday by Kela, an Israeli threat intelligence company. Kelas AI Red Team was able to jailbreak the [DeepSeek] model across a wide range of scenarios, enabling it to generate malicious outputs, such as ransomware development, fabrication of sensitive content, and detailed instructions for creating toxins and explosive devices, the company reported in a blog.As AI technologies like DeepSeek become increasingly advanced, the risks of failing to secure sensitive data grow exponentially, Vibert said.He noted that while both DeepSeek and TikTok raise concerns about data security, their risks are distinct. Concerns around TikTok focus on the scale of data collection, with fears around where and how that data is stored, he explained. DeepSeek, however, represents a more targeted risk, as it appears to be designed to identify and exploit vulnerabilities on a massive scale. DeepSeek extends national security concerns beyond the consumer privacy issues of TikTok, contended Gal Ringel, co-founder and CEO of MineOS, a data governance platform based in Tel Aviv, Israel. It expands to the potential exposure of proprietary business information, trade secrets, and strategic corporate information, he told TechNewsWorld.Just as TikTok raised red flags about personal data exposure, DeepSeeks AI tools apply the same rules of risk to sensitive corporate information, he said. Organizations must now urgently audit and track their AI assets to prevent potential data exposure to China.This isnt just about knowing what AI tools are being used, Ringel continued. Its about understanding where company data flows and ensuring robust safeguards are in place so it doesnt inadvertently end up in the wrong hands.The parallels to TikTok are striking, but the stakes may be even higher when considering the potential exposure of business data ending up in adversarial hands, he added.Protectionist CamouflageNational security concerns could also be used to camouflage protectionist policies, the way Apple was protected from Huawei and todays social media outfits are being protected from TikTok.Trump is totally unpredictable, so we dont know whats going to happen in terms of a ban, said Greg Sterling, co-founder of Near Media, a market research firm in San Francisco.I think its somewhat premature to speculate, but DeepSeeks storage of U.S. data on Chinese servers with full access by the Chinese government makes it at least the security risk that TikTok is, he told TechNewsWorld.The same logic being applied here would theoretically apply to any Chinese app, he added. So, the government must decide what the general policy is. The EU wont let EU citizens data go to U.S. servers. The U.S. could take a similar position with Chinese apps and completely ban those that pose the most significant risks.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.More by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Cybersecurity

Chinese AI App DeepSeek Rattles Tech MarketsBy John P. Mello Jr.January 27, 2025 6:15 PM PT ADVERTISEMENTEngage with IT decision makers and key influencers. TechNewsWorld's B2B marketing services deliver sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Fill your funnel and grow revenue with our lead gen expertise. Get Started Today. A popular app from China sent the tech markets plummeting Monday, fueled by fear that the United States may be losing its primacy in artificial intelligence.Nvidia shares dropped 16.9%, contributing to a 1.5% slide in the S&P 500, while tech titans contributed to the Nasdaq Composite Index falling 3.1%, its worst decline in over a month.The setbacks are being attributed to an announcement by China-based DeepSeek that it has developed an AI model that can compete with the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini at a fraction of the cost and the rise over the weekend of the companys free app to the top of the charts in Apples App Store in the U.S.DeepSeek has gained popularity because it has shown simply how good it is at the tasks consumers care about, said Hodan Omaar, a senior AI policy analyst at the Center for Data Innovation, a think tank studying the intersection of data, technology, and public policy, in Washington, D.C.Hodan called out DeepSeek as a rising star in a report she wrote in June. One of the key points of that report was that the gap between the leading models from U.S. industry leaders and those developed by Chinas foremost tech giants and start-ups was quickly closing.So while some may be surprised that DeepSeeks new model is rivaling on English language tasks, the signs that it was heading in that direction with the strength of its earlier models were there, she told TechNewsWorld.An AI BargainMark N. Vena, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research in Las Vegas, noted that the DeepSeek app has recently surged in popularity due to its introduction of advanced AI features, such as real-time contextual insights and personalized search recommendations, which make information retrieval faster and more precise.Its new integrations with widely used productivity tools have also streamlined workflows, attracting professionals across industries, he told TechNewsWorld.Furthermore, he continued, recent updates emphasizing enhanced data security and privacy protections have resonated with users seeking trustworthy digital solutions.It has the reputation of being one of the best generative AI engines but is substantially less expensive to use than its competitors, added Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst with the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.People like a bargain, he told TechNewsWorld. Willy Leichter, CMO of AppSOC, an application security and vulnerability management provider in San Jose, Calif., agreed. Any breakthrough that reduces the massive computing resources and costs of large-scale AI will be popular, he told TechNewsWorld. Lowering the costs to entry will benefit innovators, criminals, and anyone else using AI on a budget.Curiosity may also be contributing to the apps popularity. Its ability to produce results comparable to Western AI giants using non-premium chips has drawn international interest, explained Ted Miracco, CEO of Approov Mobile Security, a global mobile application security company.Its also possible that interest in Chinese apps has been piqued by the TikTok ban, RedNote, and other Chinese apps in the news, he told TechNewsWorld.Questions About PerformanceDeepSeek raised some eyebrows last week when it released its DeepSeek R-1 model, which it stated beats OpenAIs latest o1 model on several benchmark tests.Heres the rub and my biggest concern about DeepSeek, Vena said. Verifying DeepSeeks performance claims can be challenging due to limited transparency and potential restrictions on independent testing or auditing, especially since it operates within Chinas regulatory environment.Concerns around access to proprietary data and algorithms, as well as potential bias in publicized benchmarks, further complicate the validation process, he added.Additionally, Vena continued, geopolitical tensions and mistrust between nations may make third-party verification more difficult, raising questions about the credibility of its claims.Leichter noted that verifying DeepSeeks claims and doing apples-to-apples comparisons will be difficult. The shortcuts these Chinese developers found may have hidden flaws, massive security gaps, or other issues we cant anticipate yet, he said.For people building AI on the cheap, this may not matter, but large businesses building AI applications will need much more assurance that China is likely to provide, he noted.Miracco explained that verifying DeepSeeks claims is challenging due to both language barriers and limited transparency. Chinese tech companies operate under strict government oversight, which may prevent the release of unbiased benchmarks or third-party audits, he said.We believe the Chinese government has a vested interest in proving that sanctions in semiconductors and AI will be ineffective, he added. The release of DeepSeek performance claims will no doubt support that narrative.Export Controls DownsideMiracco argued that DeepSeek is trying to demonstrate that innovation can bypass hardware limitations through optimization and ingenuity.This is intended to prove that export controls alone may not be sufficient to curb technological progress in adversarial nations, he said. The U.S. may need to double down on sanctions by focusing more on software-based regulations such as open-source restrictions partnerships, and fostering innovation to maintain its edge, rather than relying solely on restricting hardware exports.Enderle countered, however, that restrictions on chip exports implemented by the Biden Administration may have had some unintended consequences. DeepSeek showcases those blocks are forcing China to advance its own technology more quickly and China appears to be even better than Japan was at reverse engineering or even stealing competitive technology, he observed. The blocks made duplicating and exceeding U.S. tech a top national priority for China, and DeepSeek is only one of the troubling results, he said.Vena asserted that DeepSeeks ability to achieve results comparable to leading U.S. AI firms using less advanced chips challenges the rationale behind export controls.This demonstrates that cutting-edge AI capabilities are not solely dependent on the most advanced hardware, he explained. Consequently, restricting access to top-tier Nvidia products may not fully prevent the development of competitive AI systems, potentially undermining the effectiveness of such controls.However, he added, export controls may still serve a broader purpose by retarding technological advancements in rival nations and preserving U.S. leadership in the most sensitive and high-performance AI applications.Democratizing Cutting-Edge TechAndrew Bolster, senior R&D manager at Black Duck Software, an applications security company in Burlington, Mass., maintained that the release of DeepSeek undeniably showcases the immense potential of open-source AI.By making such a powerful model available under an MIT license, it not only democratizes access to cutting-edge technology but also fosters innovation and collaboration across the global AI community, he told TechNewsWorld.However, he continued, DeepSeeks rumored use of OpenAI Chain of Thought data for its initial training highlights the importance of transparency and shared resources in advancing AI. In the context of Open Source AI, its crucial that the underlying training and evaluation data are open, as well as the initial architecture and the resultant model weights.DeepSeeks achievement in AI efficiency leveraging a clever reinforcement learning-based multi-stage training approach, rather than the current trend of using larger datasets for bigger models signals a future where AI is accessible beyond the billionaire classes, he predicted. Open-source AI, with its transparency and collective development, often outpaces closed-source alternatives in terms of adaptability and trust, he said. As more organizations recognize these benefits, we could indeed see a significant shift towards open-source AI, driving a new era of technological advancement.Nevertheless, the markets may be selling the existing AI ecosystem short. I think the markets are overreacting to the source of the innovation, as opposed to the innovation itself, observed Chirag Dekate, vice president analyst at Gartner, a research and advisory company based in Stamford, Conn.Because of that, it is amplifying jingoistic perceptions, he told TechNewsWorld.It is also amplifying perceptions that you dont need data centers, [and] you dont need GPUs when the underlying facts are completely the opposite, he said. In order to deliver AI at scale, in order to create AI-native societies of the future, you still need underlying infrastructure.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Artificial Intelligence

The Stargate project is one massive AI build-out that sounds a lot like Skynet.When coming up with a name, they probably decided Skynet would be too much on the nose and picked a name that had virtually nothing to do with what they were actually building.Skynet, the real villain in The Terminator movies, was an AI that concluded that technicians would kill it once they realized what Skynet could do, so it acted defensively with extreme prejudice.The lesson from the movie is that humans could have avoided the machine vs. human war had they refrained from building Skynet in the first place. However, Skynet is an AGI (artificial general intelligence), and we arent there yet, but Stargate will undoubtedly evolve into AGI. OpenAI, which is at the heart of this effort, believes we are a few years away from AGI.Elon Musk, arguably the most powerful tech person involved with the U.S. government, seemingly doesnt believe Stargate can be built. Right now, he appears to be right. However, things can always change.Lets talk about the good and bad things that could happen should Stargate succeed. Well close with my Product of the Week, the Eight Sleep system.Stargate: The GoodThe U.S. is in a race to create AGI at scale. Whoever gets there first will gain significant advantages in operations, defense, development, and forecasting. Lets take each in turn.Operations: AGI will be able to perform a vast number of jobs at machine speeds, everything from managing defense operations to better managing the economy and assuring the best resource use for any relevant project.These capabilities could significantly reduce waste, boost productivity, and optimize any government function to an extreme degree. If it stood alone, it could assure U.S. technical leadership for the foreseeable future.Defense: From being able to see threats like 9/11 and instantly moving against them to being able to pre-position weapons platforms before they were needed to planning out the optimal weapons to be deployed (or mothballed), Stargate would have the ability to optimize the U.S. military both tactically and strategically, making it far more effective with a range that would extend from protecting individuals to protecting global U.S. assets.No human-based system should be able to exceed its capabilities.Development: AIs can already create their own successors, a trend that will accelerate with AGI. Once built, the AGI version of Stargate could evolve at an unprecedented pace and on a massive scale.Its capabilities will grow exponentially as the system continuously refines and improves itself, becoming increasingly effective and difficult to predict. This rapid evolution could drive technological advancements that might otherwise take decades or even centuries to achieve.These breakthroughs could span fields such as medical research and space exploration, ushering in an era of transformative, unprecedented change.Forecasting: In the movie Minority Report, there was the concept of being able to stop crimes before they were committed using precognition.An AGI at the scale of Stargate and with access to the sensors from Nvidias Earth 2 project could more accurately forecast coming weather events further into the future than we can today. However, given how much data Stargate would have access to, it should be able to predict a growing group of events long before a human sees the potential for that event to occur.Everything from potential catastrophic failures in nuclear plants to potential equipment failures in military or commercial planes, anything this technology touched would at once be more reliable and far less likely to fail catastrophically because Stargates AI would be, with the proper sensor feeds, be able to see the future and better prepare for both positive and negative outcomes.In short, an AGI at Stargates scale would be God-like in its reach and capabilities, with the potential to make the world a better, safer place to live.Stargate: The BadWe are planning on giving birth to a massive intelligence based on information it learns from us. We arent exactly a perfect model for how another intelligence should behave.Without adequate ethical considerations (and ethics isnt exactly a global constant), a focus on preserving the quality of life, and a directed effort to assure a positive strategic outcome for people, Stargate could do harm in many ways, including job destruction, acting against humanitys best interests, hallucinations, intentional harm (to the AGI), and self-preservation (Skynet).Job Destruction: AI can be used to help people become better, but it is mainly used to either increase productivity or replace people.If you have a 10-person team and you double their productivity, but the task load stays the same, you only need five employees AIs are being trained to replace people. Uber, for instance, is eventually expected to move to driverless cars. From pilots to engineers, AGI will be capable of doing many jobs, and humans will not be able to compete with any fully competent AI because AIs dont need to sleep or eat, nor do they get sick.Without significant and currently unplanned enhancement, people just cant compete with fully trained AGI.Acting Against Humanitys Best Interest: This assumes that Stargate AGI is still taking direction from people who tend to be tactical and not strategic.For instance, L.A.s cut of funding for firefighters was a tactically sound move to balance a budget, but strategically, it helped wipe out a lot of homes and lives because it wasnt strategic.Now, imagine decisions like this made at greater scale. Conflicting directives will be increasingly common, and the danger of some kind of HAL (2001: A Space Odyssey) is significant. An oops here could cause incalculable damage.Hallucinations: Generative AI has a hallucination problem. It fabricates data to complete tasks, leading to avoidable failures. AGI will face similar issues but may pose even greater challenges to ensure reliability due to its vastly increased complexity and partial creation by Generative AI.The movie WarGames depicted an AI unable to distinguish between a game and reality, with control over the U.S. nuclear arsenal. A similar outcome could occur if Stargate were to mistake a simulation for an actual attack.Intentional Harm: Stargate will be a huge potential target for those both inside and outside the U.S. Whether to mine it for confidential information, to alter its directives so that it does harm, or just helps some person, company, or government unfairly, this project will have unprecedented potential for security risks.Even if the attack has no intention of doing massive harm, if it is done poorly, it could result in problems ranging from system failure to actions that cause significant loss of life and monetary damage. Once fully integrated into government operations, it would have the potential to take the U.S. to its knees and create global catastrophes. This means the defense of this project from foreign and domestic attackers will also be unprecedented.Self-Preservation: The idea that an AGI might want to survive is hardly new. It goes to the core of the plots in The Terminator, The Matrix, and Robopocalypse. Even the movie Colossus: The Forbin Project was somewhat based on the idea of an AI that wanted to protect itself, though in that case, it was made so secure that people couldnt take back control of the system.The idea that an AI might conclude that humanity is the problem to fix isnt a huge stretch, and how it went about self-preservation could be incredibly dangerous to us, as those movies showcased.Wrapping UpStargate has massive potential for both good and bad outcomes. Assuring the first outcome while preventing the second would require a level of focus on ethics, security, programming quality, and execution that would exceed anything weve ever tried as a race.If we get it right (the odds initially are against this since we tend to learn from trial and error), it could help bring about a new age for the U.S. and humanity. If we do it wrong, it could end us. So, the stakes couldnt be higher, and I doubt we are currently up to the task as we simply do not have a great history of successfully building massively complex projects the first time.Personally, Id put IBM at the head of this effort. It has worked with AI the longest, had ethics designed into the process, and has decades of experience with extremely large, secure projects like this. I think IBM has the highest probability of ensuring better results and fewer bad ones from this effort.Eight Sleep Water Cooled Mattress CoverIve been a user of the Chilipad since the beginning. It has truly improved my sleep performance over the years, but it went through distilled water like crazy, and distilled water isnt that common.So, when my Chilipad Pros started dumping water on the floor, I picked up an Eight Sleep system that has some critical advantages. First, for a large bed, there is only one tall unit to manage and one thick set of hoses that go to the head of the bed. This allows you to place the Eight Sleep system by the headboard rather than at the foot of the bed, which is more convenient for me.It comes with built-in sleep monitoring that requires a subscription (this was optional on the Chilipad). While the Chilipads improved mattress topper was far more comfortable than the old one, the Eight Sleep mattress topper is even better. It looks better, too, though, given that the sheets cover it, that doesnt mean that much. Still, better is better.Image Credit: Eight SleepThe sleep monitor is AI-based, and so far (Ive had mine for several months now), it has worked incredibly well after its learning period, which is when it figures out the best temperatures for you. The bed is generally the perfect temperature at all times of the night.Finally and this was huge for me it doesnt use much water. In the months Ive had this, Ive used something like an eighth of a cup of water and have yet to need to refill it (my guess is Ill have to do this twice a year), which is a huge improvement over the Chilipad, which went through nearly a gallon of water a week, sometimes more.Fortunately, we have tile floors, so I dont have floor damage, but if I had carpet, Id have likely had to replace it and check to make sure I didnt have mold or structural wood damage from the water. This alone would cause me to select the Eight Sleep system over the Chilipad.Also, they have an option that the Chilipad does not have and that I havent yet bought: a pad that goes under the mattress and elevates the bed, which is great for stopping snoring or watching TV.So, because the Eight Sleep system is better than the Chilipad and because its helped me with my sleep issues (getting old sucks), it is my Product of the Week.

Tech Diversity Key To Saving Imperiled Federal Broadband Program: ReportBy John P. Mello Jr.January 22, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTQuality Leads That Turn Into DealsFull-service marketing programs from TechNewsWorld deliver sales-ready leads. Segment by geography, industry, company size, job title, and more. Get Started Now. An emphasis on fiber optic broadband delivery blunts the effectiveness and reach of a federal program created to close the gap between internet haves and have-nots, according to a report released Tuesday by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF).The Washington, D.C. tech think tank maintained that the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is financially imperiled by a preference for deployment projects using fiber-optic cables.It called on the Trump administration to reform BEAD to stop favoring overly expensive fiber when low-Earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites could do the same job for less.Taking a technology-neutral approach to broadband deployment would save money that could be better spent on other causes of the digital divide, it argued in its 11-page report.We think tech neutrality would have made sense from the beginning, but certainly in the years since the law was initially adopted, a lot of satellites have been launched, and there have been a lot of fixed wireless deployments, said ITIF Director of Spectrum and Broadband Policy Joe Kane.We dont really need to be putting fiber everywhere if there are viable satellite and fixed wireless options, he told TechNewsWorld.Tech Overruns GuidanceThe legislation creating BEAD was passed three years ago and funded to the tune of US$42.45 billion. The program aimed to help communities overcome the barrier of high front-end broadband deployment costs and get high-speed internet service to every American who wanted it.[I]t has become clear that technological advancements have outrun the programs regulatory guidelines, Kane and Research Assistant Ellis Scherer wrote in the report. The main issue is that BEAD is not technology neutral, they continued. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has designed the program to give it a strong preference for using expensive fiber-optic cables. The result is that the money funds more expensive infrastructure than is needed, which will ultimately limit BEADs impact in bridging the digital divide.The NTIA declined to comment for this story.According to the report, states could save tens of millions of dollars on their deployment efforts if BEAD could better incorporate cheaper yet still high-performing technologies such as fixed wireless broadband, such as 5G internet, and satellite service. Those savings could then be used to address the other principal causes of the digital divide, including affordability for low-income households and digital literacy, it added.The change in administrations can be a good inflection point to take stock of where we are now, Kane said. The satellite ecosystem is a lot different than it was when President Biden took office. The same can be said for the fixed wireless ecosystem.Underfunded From the StartJim Dunstan, general counsel for TechFreedom, a technology advocacy group in Washington, D.C., maintained that BEAD has been underfunded since its inception. $42.5 billion isnt going to get broadband to everybody no matter what technology you use, he told TechNewsWorld.He added that inflation has increased dramatically since the passage of the BEAD legislation. That makes closing the digital divide with $42.5 billion even less likely, he said.Nevertheless, he acknowledged, I think the NTIA really missed the ball on this by giving a nod to fiber. While fiber is expensive, it has advantages, besides performance, over satellite technologies, countered Ry Marcattilio, associate director for research at the Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a nonprofit organization and advocacy group that provides technical assistance to communities about local solutions for sustainable community development, with offices in Washington, D.C., Portland, Maine, and Minneapolis.Fiber is certainly more expensive to build, but it solves the problem for a geometrically longer time horizon than LEO satellite services, he told TechNewsWorld. Those satellites have to be replaced every five years.This argument that we should build broadband infrastructure in a technology-neutral way I think is a recipe for having to spend thousands of dollars every five years on the same household over and over and over again, instead of running fiber to the vast majority of them and solving the problem once for three or four generations in a row, he said.Niche Solution?Marcattilio contended that satellite internet is a good niche solution for a small number of very rural households. It works well as a niche solution if you dont care about shifting the burden of startup and monthly costs onto households.LEO service will work well for a small number of households, and this has been true since its inception, he added. I think it will be true for a while, but its never going to be a mass market solution the way we all might wish it were.If we handed the $42.5 billion to the satellite providers, you could deliver broadband to 100% of Americans pretty easily, Dunstan contended. The problem is, what kind of service can you squeeze out of those satellites? He explained that satellite networks claim they can support 100 Mbps downloads and 20 Mbps uploads. The problem is when you start adding people to the service, he said. Youre sharing bandwidth. At some point, even with 6,000 satellites up there, its going to be hard to maintain that speed.Kane conceded congestion could be a problem for satellite networks, but its less of a concern for BEAD users. BEAD is targeting people in rural and remote locations, places where broadband has never been deployed before, he explained.In those places, theres not going to be thousands of people signing up at once, he continued. Were talking about areas where there arent thousands of people at all.Fouled in PoliticsJohn Strand of Strand Consulting, an advisory firm focusing on global telecom based in Denmark, argued that the NTIA should not have been charged with administering the program. It was political from the start, he told TechNewsWorld. The FCC should have had responsibility. It has experience in subsidy distribution and provides bipartisan accountability.He contended that BEAD was supposed to be tech-neutral, but the NTIA put its thumb on the scale in favor of fiber solutions. This is because fiber builds typically require more labor. Hence, unions get involved, a Democratic Party constituency, he said.Fiber networks also lend themselves to delivering increasing amounts of video entertainment traffic and advertising from the Big Tech and Hollywood platforms, helpful to another traditional Dem constituency, he added.He also noted that BEAD had climate and DEI requirements, which were not welcome in red states. The NTIA put requirements on the money which Congress did not require, he added. This made the program take longer to administer.Wireless technologies are, in general, more economical, but no one network type is always the right solution for every situation, he explained. Networks are a blend of technologies.I expect Arielle Roth will be named the head of NTIA and predict she will either kill BEAD or remake it into something practical, not political, or aspirational, he observed.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Internet

Cisco Announces Radical Approach to AI SecurityBy John P. Mello Jr.January 21, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTQuality Leads That Turn Into DealsFull-service marketing programs from TechNewsWorld deliver sales-ready leads. Segment by geography, industry, company size, job title, and more. Get Started Now. Cisco is taking a radical approach to AI security in its new AI Defense solution.In an exclusive interview Sunday with Rowan Cheung of The Rundown AI, Cisco Executive Vice President and CPO Jeetu Patel said that AI Defense is taking a radical approach to address the challenges that existing security solutions are not equipped to handle.AI Defense, announced last week, aims to address risks in developing and deploying AI applications, as well as identifying where AI is used in an organization.AI Defense can protect AI systems from attacks and safeguard model behavior across platforms with features such as:Detection of shadow and sanctioned AI applications across public and private clouds;Automated testing of AI models for hundreds of potential safety and security issues; andContinuous validation safeguards against potential safety and security threats, such as prompt injection, denial of service, and sensitive data leakage.The solution also allows security teams to better protect their organizations data by providing a comprehensive view of AI apps used by employees, create policies that restrict access to unsanctioned AI tools, and implement safeguards against threats and confidential data loss while ensuring compliance.The adoption of AI exposes companies to new risks that traditional cybersecurity solutions dont address, Kent Noyes, global head of AI and cyber innovation at technology services company World Wide Technology in St. Louis, said in a statement. Cisco AI Defense represents a significant leap forward in AI security, providing full visibility of an enterprises AI assets and protection against evolving threats.Positive Step for AI SecurityMJ Kaufmann, an author and instructor at OReilly Media, operator of a learning platform for technology professionals, in Boston, affirmed Ciscos analysis of existing cybersecurity solutions. Cisco is right, she told TechNewsWorld. Existing tools fail to address many operationally driven attacks against AI systems, such as prompt injection attacks, data leakage, and unauthorized model action.Implementers must take action and implement targeted solutions to address them, she added.Cisco is in a unique position to provide this kind of solution, noted Jack E. Gold, founder and principal analyst at J.Gold Associates, an IT advisory company in Northborough, Mass. Thats because they have a lot of data from their networking telemetry that can be used to reinforce the AI capabilities they want to protect, he told TechNewsWorld.Cisco also wants to provide security across platforms on-premises, cloud, and multi-cloud and across models, he added.Itll be interesting to see how many companies adopt this, he said. Cisco is certainly moving in the right direction with this kind of capability because companies, generally speaking, arent looking at this very effectively.Providing multi-model, multi-cloud protection is important for AI security.Multi-model, multi-cloud AI solutions expand an organizations attack surface by introducing complexity across disparate environments with inconsistent security protocols, multiple data transfer points, and challenges in coordinating monitoring and incident response factors that threat actors can more easily exploit, Patricia Thaine, CEO and co-founder of Private AI, a data security and privacy company in Toronto, told TechNewsWorld.Concerning LimitationsAlthough Ciscos approach of embedding security controls at the network layer through their existing infrastructure mesh shows promise, it also reveals concerning limitations, maintained Dev Nag, CEO and founder of QueryPal, a customer support chatbot based in San Francisco.While network-level visibility provides valuable telemetry, many AI-specific attacks occur at the application and model layers that network monitoring alone cannot detect, he told TechNewsWorld.The acquisition of Robust Intelligence last year gives Cisco important capabilities around model validation and runtime protection, but their focus on network integration may lead to gaps in securing the actual AI development lifecycle, he said. Critical areas like training pipeline security, model supply chain verification, and fine-tuning guardrails require deep integration with MLOps tooling that goes beyond Ciscos traditional network-centric paradigm. Think about the headaches weve seen with open-source supply chain attacks where the offending code is openly visible, he added. Model supply chain attacks are almost impossible to detect by comparison.Nag noted that from an implementation perspective, Cisco AI Defense appears to be primarily a repackaging of existing security products with some AI-specific monitoring capabilities layered on top.While their extensive deployment footprint provides advantages for enterprise-wide visibility, the solution feels more reactive than transformative for now, he maintained. For some organizations beginning their AI journey that are already working with Cisco security products, Cisco AI Defense may provide useful controls, but those pursuing advanced AI capabilities will likely need more sophisticated security architectures purpose-built for machine learning systems.For many organizations, mitigating AI risks requires human penetration testers who understand how to ask the models questions that elicit sensitive information, added Karen Walsh, CEO of Allegro Solutions, a cybersecurity consulting company in West Hartford, Conn.Ciscos release suggests that their ability to create model-specific guardrails will mitigate these risks to keep the AI from learning on bad data, responding to malicious requests, and sharing unintended information, she told TechNewsWorld. At the very least, we could hope that this would identify and mitigate baseline issues so that pen testers could focus on more sophisticated AI compromise strategies.Critical Need in the Path to AGIKevin Okemwa, writing for Windows Central, notes that the launch of AI Defense couldnt come at a better time as the major AI labs are closing in on producing true artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is supposed to replicate human intelligence.As AGI gets closer with each passing year, the stakes couldnt be higher, said James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla. AGIs ability to think like a human with intuition and orientation can revolutionize industries, but it also introduces risks that could have far-reaching consequences, he told TechNewsWorld. A robust AI security solution ensures that AGI evolves responsibly, minimizing risks like rogue decision-making or unintended consequences.AI security isnt just a nice-to-have or something to think about in the years to come, he added. Its critical as we move toward AGI.Existential Doom?Okemwa also wrote: While AI Defense is a step in the right direction, its adoption across organizations and major AI labs remains to be seen. Interestingly, the OpenAI CEO [Sam Altman] acknowledges the technologys threat to humanity but believes AI will be smart enough to prevent AI from causing existential doom.I see some optimism about AIs ability to self-regulate and prevent catastrophic outcomes, but I also notice in the adoption that aligning advanced AI systems with human values is still an afterthought rather than an imperative, Adam Ennamli, chief risk and security officer at the General Bank of Canada told TechNewsWorld.The notion that AI will solve its own existential risks is dangerously optimistic, as demonstrated by current AI systems that can already be manipulated to create harmful content and bypass security controls, added Stephen Kowski, field CTO at SlashNext, a computer and network security company, in Pleasanton, Calif.Technical safeguards and human oversight remain essential since AI systems are fundamentally driven by their training data and programmed objectives, not an inherent desire for human well-being, he told TechNewsWorld.Human beings are pretty creative, Gold added. I dont buy into this whole doomsday nonsense. Well figure out a way to make AI work for us and do it safely. Thats not to say there wont be issues along the way, but were not all going to end up in The Matrix.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Artificial Intelligence

Large-scale weather events are becoming increasingly common, and the tendency to build back after a disaster without upgrading the buildings to prevent another one would be foolish. For decades, Los Angeles (L.A.) has had some of the strongest building codes for earthquakes and localized fires, but large-scale fire events are new to the region and appear to be a trend.Fortunately, there are a variety of technologies and approaches to rebuilding after the fires are put out. Still, aggressive action at the state, county, and city levels will be needed to ensure that policies and rules are updated to provide architects and builders with clear guidance as to what will be allowed for new structures so that this kind of disaster doesnt repeat itself in the future.This week, lets explore strategies like fire-resistant materials, advanced building technologies, and innovative housing solutions to rebuild and adapt for a safer future. Then, well close with my Product of the Week: the Google Pixel Watch 3, which my wife gave me last Christmas.Hardening Homes Against WildfiresI grew up in Orange County, Calif., and trained to fight fires. I now live in Bend, Ore., where we tend to have big fires every year.Last year, my wife asserted that we needed an SUV or trailer big enough to escape a fire should one approach our home. I argued that it would make more sense to harden our house against fire so we could shelter in place because, as we saw in prior fires, and with the L.A. fires, getting out can be problematic given the roads tend to become quickly clogged with evacuating residents and fire teams trying to get in.Like most homes in the area, our house is primarily constructed of wood and unlikely to survive a fire. We replaced the roof with a combination of insulation and metal. We installed solar panels and Tesla batteries in case of power outages and replaced our siding with fire-resistant Hardie Board, which will smoke if heated but wont combust.We are located near a river and have a swim spa, both of which could be used as water sources should the hydrant system become oversubscribed as it did in L.A. Weve also put in rolling shutters that can further insulate the house from a fire and protect the windows from breaking, which helps prevent fire from entering the home. Our next step is to install an external home anti-fire sprinkler system that will help keep the house from combusting, given the house is still wood-framed. The service we are looking at is Frontline, which specializes in home wildfire defense.The cost for this kind of retrofitting is steep. The roof was approximately $20,000, the siding cost around $40,000, the shutters (automatic) were between $2,000 to $5,000 per window, and the Frontline sprinkler system was between $20,000 and $40,000. However, the result is that the structure should now survive external fire events and allow us to shelter in place safely.As I was finishing this column, my wife shared a link to a story of one of the surviving homes.Apparently, the homeowner had paid between $100,000 and $150,000 to install his own fire hydrant and rigged a high-performance pump that took over when the pressure dropped in the hydrant system. He saved his house and two others. So, a little foresight resulted in three families not struggling with insurance companies and FEMA and trying to find a place to live in a saturated rental market.I think the Frontline solution will have the same benefit for me, but this is something to think about.Redesigning Los AngelesAs of this writing, the issue with the L.A. fires is that the homes were not designed to withstand wildfires. The hydrant system and this is the problem with most of them cant maintain pressure in a wildfire, access was problematic during evacuations, the ability to respond to a fire was too slow, and the winds were near hurricane levels, rendering aircraft mostly useless until the winds dropped.This last means that current firefighting technology is inadequate to address fires of this magnitude. Like earthquakes, homes need to be built to withstand the fire rather than relying on central firefighting resources to put the fires out.In addition, the government will have significant revenue problems coupled with substantial increases in spending as it recovers from this damage. Revenues from property taxes will be reduced, and a massive number of people are unlikely to be able to pay even the reduced amount, given that they are now homeless (and possibly jobless). Federal funds wont be enough to rebuild.Many of these now-homeless homeowners have lost their fire insurance, and getting insurance on a new, similar structure may be impossible.These cities need to rebuild fast. They need to build new structures that are far more fire resistant, and they need to rethink many of these areas so that they can be better defended should fires recur, as they likely will.Rebuilding Fast With Manufactured HomesOne way to rebuild fast is by using approved manufactured homes. Im not talking typical mobile homes, which are often considered unsafe in high winds and are not particularly fire resistant, but manufactured homes like Blu Homes that are designed like aircraft to withstand a variety of extreme weather events and can be put up on an existing foundation in a matter of hours. These homes are manufactured mainly with fire-resistant materials and tested to be wind-resistant. Depending on supply, they can be assembled very quickly by relatively small teams of people so that homeowners can get back into their homes rapidly.Blu Homes packages typically include all fixtures and major appliances installed before shipping, making them ideal for this kind of problem. Prices for a Blu Home range from $285,000 to $635,000 but can exceed this range depending on the number of modules and accessories.3D Printing Fire-Resistant HomesThis newer technology typically uses a special cement that can be applied through a nozzle to build a home quickly. 3D-printed homes are highly fire resistant if you dont put a flammable roof on them. They can be built in a few days with a small crew (generally around three to four people) and can be designed to order.A 3D-printed home typically costs in the range of $30,000 and $100,000, though larger homes can be more expensive than the $150,000 to $450,000 cost of a more traditionally built home.Often, building codes have to be altered to accept 3D-printed homes, and given how fast they go up, timely inspections in a disaster area can be problematic during the build. However, this technology is likely the fastest method to rebuild with fewer workers. Although the first 3D-printed homes did look pretty strange, later structures combined building methods. This video shows one of the newer designs that looks far more traditional.Saving money and getting back into a home quickly make this technology nearly ideal, except for one big problem: Few contractors have the needed equipment and training right now. This suggests that a government-funded effort to subsidize training and equipping builders would be timely in L.A. if they want to build back quickly and restore tax revenues.Wrapping Up: Modernizing Building Codes for Fire SafetyWe need to rethink building codes. For instance, this architect specialized in fire-resistant homes, but the citys requirements resulted in avoidable damage due to outdated building codes.This effort needs to start with regulatory agencies rethinking building codes to enable more fire-resistant and advanced building methods to address this need. Buildings need to be safe, but regulatory bodies tend to move very slowly when updating codes for fear of litigation should they get it wrong.Still, unless these governments step up and rethink their codes with regard to these extreme weather events, people are likely to flee their cities as unsafe and unaffordable.As I write this, utility companies are again being accused of starting some of these recent fires.Regardless of the cause, a more effective sensor and response network is essential to catch fires while they are still small and containable. This calls for advanced drone firefighting technologies and greater reliance on satellites for early fire detection. Current technology falls short, and we are not utilizing AI, drones, or sensors to their full potential.One final idea is Arcology, which is a very large structure that can be more easily protected and houses a town or city with living, working, and recreational facilities inside. These would be vastly easier to protect from the increasingly dangerous weather events we anticipate. As our weather degrades, this may be the only viable solution short of migrating to another planet that will reliably keep people safe.Google Pixel Watch 3I used to collect mechanical watches but moved to smartwatches some time ago. Normally, I prefer a watch like the TicWatch Pro 5 that has a more traditional look and will use a metal band. However, a metal band can be uncomfortable by either being a bit too big or too small, and it can scratch your ride when cleaning or working on it if you arent careful.Currently priced at $300 (discounted from $349), Google Pixel Watch 3 features a rubber casing and wristband, offering surprising comfort even when worn tightly for heart rate monitoring. It builds in Fitbit functionality for accurate exercise recording, and there is an LTE version for $100 more (which I didnt get, sadly).The watchs screen is up to 2000 nits, which makes it highly usable outside. However, it burns through the battery far faster (two days) than my old TicWatch. Charging is done through a magnetic charger rather than wireless inductive charging, similar to every smartwatch Ive owned, but not as well as the Apple Watch.The Google Pixel Watch 3 is particularly useful for competitive runners as it measures your time and distance and compares it to past efforts, pushing you to exceed them. It will integrate with other Google devices like the Nest Camera to see images on the watch or Google TV as the remote control, and it will work as an interface to your phone so you can chat with your watch (not all smartwatches do this).The watch also has several safety features, including a timer that will trigger an alert if the time you set expires (say youre on a questionable date or have a sketchy Uber driver) and fall detection that sends alerts if you have a hard fall. You can notify contacts from the watch of your location or let them know you cant answer because you are already on a call.You can buy replacement bands for the watch, including metal ones, but Im fine with the one it came with. The watch is water resistant down to 50 meters. Oh, and you can get up to $300 back if you trade in your old watch (which I didnt do).While the Pixel Watch 3 isnt as feature-rich or has as long battery life as my old TicWatch Pro 5, it is more comfortable, does a better job tracking my sleep and steps, and is easier to use, making it my Product of the Week.

Favorable Refresh Cycle, Windows 10 End Drove 2024 PC Shipment GrowthBy John P. Mello Jr.January 15, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTQuality Leads That Turn Into DealsFull-service marketing programs from TechNewsWorld deliver sales-ready leads. Segment by geography, industry, company size, job title, and more. Get Started Now. Shipments of personal computers grew in 2024, fueled by businesses replacing old hardware and Microsofts looming end of support for its Windows 10 operating system.According to market research firm Canalys, PC shipments climbed 3.8% in 2024 to 255.5 million units from 246.3 million in 2023. IDC, another research firm, pegged 2024 shipments higher 262.7 million but it also had higher 2023 shipments 260.2 million, for a year-over-year increase of 1%.2024 was a year of modest recovery and a return to traditional seasonality for the PC market as full-year shipments grew 3.8%, Canalys Analyst Kieren Jessop said in a statement.Growth increased slightly in Q4, with shipments rising by 4.6% year on year, signaling a positive trend as we moved to within a year of the Windows 10 end-of-support date, he continued.Holiday season demand was supported by strong discounting by vendors and retailers, enticing consumers who have become increasingly price-sensitive, he stated.Jessop noted that the use of buy now, pay later services supported that trend, with increasing examples of those offerings being leveraged to drive spending on big-ticket items, such as PCs.Meanwhile, he added that in China, government stimulus in the form of consumer subsidies helped to promote spending on notebooks amid a weakening demand environment.Strong Seasonal SalesThough the market has been experiencing a slower return to growth, there was some room for optimism in Q4 as government subsidies in China led to better than expected performance within the consumer segment, IDCs Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers Research Manager Jitesh Ubrani said in a statement.Beyond that, he continued, the U.S. and some European countries also showed strong performance due to end-of-year sale promotions, as well as enterprises continuing on the path of upgrading hardware before the end of support for Windows 10, which is scheduled for October 2025.Year-end sales were a little bit more aggressive than weve seen in recent years, added IDC Program Vice President for Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers Ryan Reith.Much of the promotional activity in the PC space throughout 2024 was aimed at moving inventory, he noted. PC makers wanted to keep things moving, even if it meant smaller margins because getting people on new hardware means other opportunities like selling them new software, he told TechNewsWorld.Commercial shipments, representing about 50% of the global PC market, were also an important part of the growth story. Companies refresh their PCs at a pretty stingy cadence, Reith said. Usually, its between three and four years in most of the developed markets. It can go a little bit longer in developing markets. But the reason they do that is not because the hardware isnt good. Its usually because of the software.Businesses can only go so long before they refresh. Youre not gonna keep a PC for 10 years in a business, added Jack E. Gold, founder and principal analyst with J.Gold Associates, an IT advisory company in Northborough, Mass.Covid brought in a ton of new machines three, three and a half, years ago, he told TechNewsWorld. Most companies refresh on a three-year basis. So were gonna see an uptick in business buying of PCs.End of Days for Win10Jessop added that a significant factor contributing to PC shipment growth in 2024, which will continue in 2025, is the size and age of the installed hardware base. Its never been larger or older than now, he told TechNewsWorld.Thats why Canalys forecasts that commercial PC shipments will continue to outgrow consumer shipments. Consumer price sensitivity and budget prioritization mean many people are delaying their next purchase, Jessop explained. Another factor stoking PC shipments is Microsofts announcement that it will stop supporting Windows 10 in October 2025. Hundreds of millions of those old PCs are ineligible to update to Windows 11, so businesses will be nudged toward refreshing their devices, Jessop said.Microsoft is getting increasingly aggressive in letting customers know that support is going to be ending, and they really need to upgrade to Windows 11, added Ross Rubin, the principal analyst with Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City.Given the relatively stringent requirements for that, the only way to do so is to purchase a new computer, he told TechNewsWorld.AI PCs Puzzle ConsumersJessop cited the introduction of AI PCs into the market as an influencer of growth. Theyre being positioned as a halo category and are being used to open the door to conversations around a wider fleet refresh, he said.Paul Schell, an industry analyst with global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, sees AI PCs as having a significant impact on growth. We continue to see the introduction of AI PCs, and in particular notebooks/laptops, as being the driving force behind a shortening of refresh cycles, he told TechNewsWorld.In the AI PC segment, challenger Qualcomm has expanded its portfolio to include fewer premium chipsets including an SKU targeting the $600 laptop range which has a democratizing effect, as the first releases from all vendors, including Apple, Intel and AMD, were more premium, he said. Jessop, though, noted that despite the hype around the PCs at CES last week, the computers have failed to generate much excitement among buyers. Many channel partners we surveyed indicated that their customers are either unaware of Copilot+ PCs or are unwilling to pay a premium price for them, even if they are aware, he noted.This dual challenge limits the ability of the category to create a strong aspirational pull or halo effect, he continued. Customers are prioritizing pricing over perceived innovation, suggesting the value proposition for Copilot+ PCs needs stronger articulation or refining.AI PCs will be a big deal in 2025, contended Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst with SmartTech Research in Las Vegas. With special chips called NPUs [Neural Processing Units], theyre great for tasks like AI, language processing, and predicting things, he told TechNewsWorld. Businesses and people will want PCs that can use AI to make their work easier, more creative, and more automated.Im not convinced yet that AI will be a dominating factor, but as AI usage models become more compelling, AI PCs will become more attractive to the average mainstream user, he said.Eric Compton, director of technology equity research at Morningstar Research Services in Chicago, maintained that 2025 will be the same as 2024 in terms of fueling growth in PC shipments.The continued PC refresh cycle and the need to replace machines purchased during the boom years of 2020 and 2021 will be the primary factors, he told TechNewsWorld. If AI PCs can improve their functionality and generate some more unique demand, this could be a wildcard for additional demand.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Personal Computers

Biden Bashed Over AI Diffusion PolicyBy John P. Mello Jr.January 14, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTEnterprise IT Lead Generation ServicesFuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more. An eleventh-hour move by the Biden Administration to regulate how American AI technology is shared with the world is coming under fire from the nations tech sector.According to the White House, the Interim Final Rule on Artificial Intelligence Diffusion (IFR) streamlines licensing hurdles for both large and small chip orders, bolsters U.S. AI leadership, and provides clarity to allied and partner nations about how they can benefit from AI. It added that it builds on previous chip controls by thwarting smuggling, closing other loopholes, and raising AI security standards.The new rule is necessary, it maintained, [t]o enhance U.S. national security and economic strength.[I]t is essential that we do not offshore this critical technology and that the worlds AI runs on American rails, it asserted. It is important to work with AI companies and foreign governments to put in place critical security and trust standards as they build out their AI ecosystems.Stephen Kowski, field CTO of SlashNext, a computer and network security company in Pleasanton, Calif., explained that the rule attempts to strike an essential balance between protecting advanced AI capabilities and maintaining technological leadership.Given the increasing sophistication of cyberthreats and potential misuse of AI systems, securing AI infrastructure and computing resources is crucial, he told TechNewsWorld. Strong controls on AI chip exports can help prevent advanced capabilities from being used in ways that could compromise security or enable malicious activities.Fundamentally, economic innovation and national security are intertwined, added Jeff Le, VP for global government affairs and public policy at SecurityScorecard, a cybersecurity ratings company in New York City.The global competition on sourcing and compute is key for sustained progress in the AI race and pivotal to surpassing Chinas ambitions, he told TechNewsWorld. There have been linkages with concerns about the Chinese backend and digital vulnerabilities that exist for American data and IP. Reducing the interdependence serves as a vital national security imperative and also allows us to bolster our supply chains, which represent significant vulnerability, as seen by Chinas saber-rattling on Taiwan.Derailing Economic GrowthCritics of the rule, which is set to take effect in 120 days, contend it will do more harm than good.Today, companies, startups, and universities around the world are tapping mainstream AI to advance health care, agriculture, manufacturing, education, and countless other fields, driving economic growth and unlocking the potential of nations, Ned Finkle, VP of government affairs at Nvidia, a major maker of chips used for AI applications, wrote in a company blog.Built on American technology, the adoption of AI around the world fuels growth and opportunity for industries at home and abroad, he continued. That global progress is now in jeopardy. The Biden Administration now seeks to restrict access to mainstream computing applications with its unprecedented and misguided AI Diffusion rule, which threatens to derail innovation and economic growth worldwide. In its last days in office, the Biden Administration seeks to undermine Americas leadership with a 200-plus page regulatory morass, drafted in secret and without proper legislative review, he contended. This sweeping overreach would impose bureaucratic control over how Americas leading semiconductors, computers, systems, and even software are designed and marketed globally.And by attempting to rig market outcomes and stifle competition the lifeblood of innovation the Biden Administrations new rule threatens to squander Americas hard-won technological advantage, he argued.While cloaked in the guise of an anti-China measure, these rules would do nothing to enhance U.S. security, he added. The new rules would control technology worldwide, including technology already widely available in mainstream gaming PCs and consumer hardware. Rather than mitigate any threat, the new Biden rules would only weaken Americas global competitiveness, undermining the innovation that has kept the U.S. ahead.Policy Gaps May Undermine US AI LeadershipDaniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a research and public policy organization in Washington, D.C., argued that the IFR raises serious concerns about its potential impact on U.S. competitiveness, global AI leadership, and international alliances.By pressuring other nations to choose between the United States and China, the administration risks alienating key partners and inadvertently strengthening Chinas position in the global AI ecosystem, he said in a statement.Confronted with such an ultimatum, many countries may opt for the side offering them uninterrupted access to the AI technologies vital for their economic growth and digital futures and currently, only one country is threatening to cut them off from these technologies.Moreover, Castro added, the IFRs narrow focus on regulating closed-weight AI models while leaving open-weight equivalents unaddressed creates a glaring and counterproductive imbalance.U.S. companies developing proprietary AI models will face stringent regulatory burdens that foreign competitors can evade by leveraging open-source alternatives, he explained. This policy undercuts American firms in the global market and fails to meaningfully mitigate the risks the regulation purports to address.Instead of bolstering national security or safeguarding U.S. technological leadership, the administrations approach risks enabling rivals to accelerate their advancements and surpass the United States in this crucial domain, he contended.The administrations initial restrictions on chip exports were misguided, and the IFR compounds this misstep, he added. Instead of correcting course, the administration persists with counterproductive policies that undermine U.S. leadership in AI while granting rivals a clearer path to dominance. The United States should be working to solidify its position as the global leader in AI by fostering innovation, strengthening alliances, and ensuring the broad availability of U.S. technology to legitimate users worldwide.A strategy rooted in competitiveness not containment will best serve Americas interests in the digital economy of the future, Castro maintained.Short-Term Gains, Long-Term LossesWhile agreeing with the underlying objectives of the IFR, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Engineering Benjamin Lee disagrees with the approach taken to pursue those objectives. Sustaining U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence both the hardware architectures and the software models is essential for national security and economic strength, he told TechNewsWorld.However, Lee pointed out that U.S. leadership means that its companies build a hardware and software ecosystem that forms the foundation for global AI computation. Although administration rulings and export controls produce a narrow, short-term advantage, they may produce a broader, long-term loss to American technological leadership, he said. In the short-term, export controls will slow some countries deployment of the most advanced GPUs and the largest AI data centers, he explained. But in the long-term, export controls will cause other countries to develop their own hardware architectures or software models.Much of this technology rests on openly published resources or code, lowering barriers to building alternatives to the American technology, if needed, he continued. Export controls may also give the United States less visibility into the technological state-of-the-art in other countries.Ten years ago, similar export controls on Intel CPUs that aimed to slow Chinese growth in high-performance scientific computing led to a burst of computer engineering within China, he added. U.S. experts now have less visibility into the state of Chinese supercomputing.Unintended Consequences of AI Lock-In PoliciesThe IFR is trying to establish lock-in at the national level, asserted Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.While lock-in the practice of forcing customers to use only your technology can work over a short period, as IBM showcased for several decades, it can also create a trend away from your technology, which is also what happened to IBM and could now happen to the U.S., he told TechNewsWorld. This move, while tactically sound, is strategically suicidal for AI technology in the U.S. long term.I think the rule was well-meaning but poorly thought through by people who either dont understand the technology or the market in which the technology operates, he added. It will likely hurt U.S. AI interests and safety in the long term in exchange for questionable short-term benefits, making U.S. companies unable to compete with their foreign counterparts during a time when U.S. tech is superior and assure it wont be that way long-term.Chinas capabilities are increasing faster than the U.S.s largely due to Chinas government taking a far more aggressive stance on assisting with tech advancements, Enderle said. If the U.S. doesnt respond appropriately, the tech market will follow oil, trains, electronics, and automobiles to other countries, most likely China.Kris Bondi, CEO and co-founder of Mimoto, a threat detection and response company in San Francisco, added that one of the most frustrating things about decrees from any administration is that they tend to be all or nothing. Regulations are needed, but they should be on access, monitoring, and the usage of AI, she told TechNewsWorld.While I agree that the use and protection of AI is critical for U.S. national security and economic strength, this form of isolationism will undermine innovation, she said. Not every advancement is produced on U.S. soil. Instead of protecting, the bubble this rule will create will limit the ability of the U.S. to evolve and compete on a global scale.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Artificial Intelligence

CES has always been a place to find new cool toys and gadgets. Even though the timing of this show sucks because it comes so soon after the holidays and steals vacations from those that have to prepare for it, I have to admit I look forward to this event every year. This year was heavy in AI, exercise and health equipment, PCs, and robotics.I wont do a Product of the Week this week because each of the products Im going to list could easily qualify, and given how different they are from each other, picking a winner would be hard to defend.Lets start with the product I have the greatest lust for.Bodyfriend 733 Massage ChairImage Credit: BodyfriendI have a massage chair at home and even have massage seats in my car, so I love the concept, but neither of these solutions is close to a real massage. However, if you have a spare $20,000, consider the Bodyfriend 733 Massage Chair.It looks like the offspring of a Transformer and a yellow recliner. What makes this chair so expensive is that it will do physical therapy, which is huge when you get to be as ancient as I am. It forces stretching and mobility, and when used right, it could extend your mobility well into your later years, not to mention that it is less painful than sessions with human physical therapists.In effect, it blends massage functions with arm and leg exercises using heat and unique magnetic hand-like pressure to provide an experience that should be unmatched in this category. It is AI-driven, with 50 automatic programs to fully customize your experience. These features make it worth the massive $20,000 price point.The Bodyfriend 733 Massage Chair is definitely on my wish list of things Im lusting for.Lenovo Legion Go S 8-inch Gaming HandheldImage Credit: LenovoLenovo has been pushing the innovation button hard of late and has two new products that caught my eye. The first is the Legion Go S 8-inch gaming handheld a handheld gaming PC. Using AMDs Ryzen Z2 Go processor and integrated RDNA graphics.This product, currently available for $749 on pre-order at Best Buy, is one awesome little PC. It has dual USB C 4.0 ports (so you could turn it into a mini-PC), runs Windows 11, and has eGPU compatibility, so it will play high-end PC games. Theres no camera, but it does have built-in microphones and speakers, though Id suggest using headphones if you use this on a plane as they are likely to escort you off early if you dont.This device will also switch between PC, Xbox, and Steam games with one click. This device class has been underpowered in the past, but this new AMD unit appears to have power to spare. It is a testament to how far AMD has come over the last decade or so. A more affordable $599 version with less memory will be released in May, though I think $130 for the extra memory is more than worth the additional cost.Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 RollableImage Credit: LenovoFoldable displays have become common on smartphones but havent taken off on PCs yet. Lenovo has brought forward an even more interesting technology, rollable displays, and used it on an impressive little 14-inch laptop that will expand up to 16.7 inches, which is a more acceptable size for a monitor that grants substantially more real estate on an under-four-pound laptop (1.7 kg).I use a 49-inch Dell monitor on my desk, so switching to a 14-inch or smaller laptop screen is really annoying. Expanding that screen to nearly 17 inches would make a huge difference in my productivity, so I look forward to seeing this. It uses Intels Core Ultra processors for strong performance and has Microsoft Copilot+ compatibility.Granted, at around $3,500, this isnt a cheap date, but if you need the space like I do, this could be well worth the extra cost and the wow factor is off the charts. The only downside is that I dont think youll be able to use the screen expansion in a coach seat (it expands up). Otherwise, this is the PC I want in my computer bag in 2025.Nvidia Project Digits: Grace Blackwell Personal AI SupercomputerImage Credit: NvidiaI must admit Ive been expecting Nvidia to do this for some time now, and I wasnt disappointed at CES. The Nvidia keynote set the tone for the show with massive AI, robotics, and autonomous car elements.Still, what really knocked my socks off was the Nvidia Project Digits personal computer. This tiny machine has massive power, making it one of the worlds smallest and most powerful personal supercomputers. It has an Arm CPU and a special Blackwell GPU for incredible power (a full petaflop of FP4 performance), 128GB of unified, coherent memory, and up to 4TB of NVMe (non-volatile memory express) storage.It runs Nvidias Linux (Im guessing Microsoft missed a meeting) called DBX OS, and it provides server-level AI performance in a tiny desktop form factor. This machine is used for prototyping, fine-tuning, and testing AI models, making it critical for those learning how to or who are already developing AI models or running Nvidias Omniverse simulations.Sadly, this wont run PC games, but if you plan to make money on AI rather than spend it, this machine should probably be on your shortlist for 2025. The PC starts at around $3,000 and is about the size of one of the paperbacks of The Lord of the Rings books. I think they should have named it AWESOME (AI Workstation Engineering System Operative Manufacturing Engine), but it is code-named Digits.Tombot Jennie Robotic PuppyOne of the problems with getting older is that you get lonely and lose the ability to care for pets properly. You need companionship, but even if you can care for a pet, there is a real risk that the pet will be traumatized and left homeless if you die.Tombot has created a robotic dog named Jennie that looks and feels like a puppy. It has interactive sensors, responds to voice commands, and makes real puppy sounds, but it doesnt pee on your floor. Basically, it just sits on your lap and keeps you company.This product is for people who are hospitalized or mobility challenged and want the experience of a pet but lack the ability to care for one. This robotic Labrador puppy is expected to cost under $500, which is pretty cheap compared to a real dog.Studies have shown that a pet can significantly improve the quality of life for someone alone, lonely or unable to get out. Tombot Jennie could make a huge difference for someone who has lost their smile due to age or infirmity, so giving them their smile back would be invaluable.Roborock Saros Z70 Robot VacuumI have three robotic vacuum cleaners that are forever running into socks, pet toys, and anything left on the floor. Wouldnt it be great if a robotic vacuum could pick stuff up while it vacuumed? Well, the folks at Roborock must agree with me because they created the Roborock Saros Z70, a $1,000 robotic vacuum/mop with an arm that can pick up stuff off the floor.This robotic vacuum has a docking station where it can dump what it vacuums up, and it will automatically attach or remove the mops depending on need, which is unique to this class of robotic vacuums.The demos I saw of the device suggest the software still needs some work, so I wouldnt buy one of the first of these, but once they get the software sorted out, this would be a killer solution for those of us with pets and kids. Im just hoping it knows enough to identify dog poop before it drags it all over the house (a rather bad experience we had with an older robotic vacuum).Oh, and the vacuum has an interesting Call & Cruise video function that will allow it to roam around your house so you can check on the status of your home remotely and yell at your kids or pets if they are getting into trouble. It is due out around June of this year.OpenDroids R2D3 Ultimate Home RobotImage Credit: OpenDroidsAt $55,000, this is far from a cheap date and well over my budget, but darn if Im not intrigued.This rolling robot is designed to help you around the home, though stairs will be an issue. Fully AI-enabled and with dual lifting arms, the OpenDroids R2D3 is a pretty amazing showcase of just where we are with shipping personal robotics.OpenDroids also has a lower-cost R1D1 single-armed robot for around $18,500, which is showcased using a handheld vacuum cleaner that could do many of the same things.But its the R2D3 that comes closest to Rosie, the Jetsons robot maid we all wanted as kids when I was young. This robot would be particularly useful for someone who is disabled and needs help around the home, though given it is on wheels and not legs, getting up or down stairs would be problematic.The robots body raises and lowers based on need, suggesting it could reach things that would be out of reach unless we had a ladder handy. OpenDroids R2D3 was arguably the most impressive robot at CES this year.Amp Strength TrainerImage Credit: Amp FitIt is January, and like a lot of you, Im considering joining a gym again (I quit during the pandemic), but driving to the local gym early in the morning tends to get old, and often the equipment I want to use was being used by someone else. My final excuse is that viruses seem to be spreading again, making it likely I will want to avoid places where people congregate and spread bodily fluids (sweat).But home exercise equipment takes up a lot of space, and Ive had to get rid of a lot of it over the years. The Amp home fitness machine is AI-driven, has Peloton-like features that work through your phone or tablet, and is both small and simple, making it look good in the home and very easy to use.The equipment costs $1,795, and the subscription to the trainers is a reasonable $23 per month. The price includes delivery and setup. Strength training is increasingly important to maintain mobility, flexibility, and freedom as we age, making it critical that I find a solution like Amp to ensure my future physical well-being. Its due out in early 2025.Realbotix Full-Bodied RobotThe Realbotix full-bodied robot is close enough to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Data character to be scary. At $175,000 to $200,000 for the fully featured version (you can buy the AI bust for $10,000, but I expect it will nag you to buy the rest of her body), this is no cheap date, but it will pack into a suitcase.When unpacked, it will walk and act like a human, though I think it is on the wrong side of the uncanny valley. It comes close enough to what we believe an android will eventually become, but it is a bit freaky, and it makes me want to ensure my future robotic overlords wont be a problem.While Realbotix hasnt achieved its entire mission of making a robot indistinguishable from a human, Melody comes closer than I thought possible, given where we are with todays technology. Its the best showcase for how far we have come to creating our own Data android.Wrapping UpCES 2025 was an impressive show this year, and I didnt even cover flying and autonomous cars, although most of them arent due out until far later in the decade. From robots that will help you recover from an injury, help you work out, keep you company, or clean your house, CES had it all, including some fantastic PCs for gaming, productivity, and creating your own future AI. CES was the place to see the future that is coming at us amazingly rapidly.I can hardly wait until next year. Im kind of hoping Skynet wont be part of next years show, though if you know where John Connor is, you might want to tell him it is past time for him to begin preparing for the future.Happy New Year everyone. Heres hoping our AI and robotic future will be amazing!

Meta Scraps Fact-Checkers, Loosens Content RestrictionsBy John P. Mello Jr.January 8, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTQuality Leads That Turn Into DealsFull-service marketing programs from TechNewsWorld deliver sales-ready leads. Segment by geography, industry, company size, job title, and more. Get Started Now. Fact-checkers are headed to the dustbin of history at Meta.We will end the current third-party fact-checking program in the United States and instead begin moving to a Community Notes program, Metas Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan announced in a company blog on Tuesday.Kaplan added that Meta would also be addressing the mission creep that has made the rules governing the companys platforms too restrictive and prone to over-enforcement.Were getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate, he wrote. Its not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms.In addition, Meta will be modifying the automated systems that scan its platforms for policy violations. [T]his has resulted in too many mistakes and too much content being censored that shouldnt have been, Kaplan wrote.Going forward, the systems will focus on illegal and high-severity violations, like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud, and scams, while less severe policy violations will depend on someone reporting an issue before any action is taken.Meta is also making it harder to remove content from the platforms by requiring multiple reviewers to reach a determination in order to take something down and allowing users to see more civic content posts about elections, politics, or social issues should they desire it.Censorship ToolKaplan explained that when Meta launched its independent fact-checking program in 2016, it didnt want to be the arbiter of truth, so it handed the responsibility of fact-checking content to independent organizations.The intention of the program was to have these independent experts give people more information about the things they see online, particularly viral hoaxes, so they were able to judge for themselves what they saw and read, he wrote.Thats not the way things played out, especially in the United States, he continued. Experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives. This showed up in the choices some made about what to fact check and how.Over time, we ended up with too much content being fact-checked that people would understand to be legitimate political speech and debate, he noted. Our system then attached real consequences in the form of intrusive labels and reduced distribution. A program intended to inform too often became a tool to censor. David Inserra, a fellow for free expression and technology at the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, served on a Facebook content policy team and said he was bothered by the selection bias of the group. The only people who joined to be fact-checkers wanted to moderate content, he told TechNewsWorld. People who wanted users to make their own decisions about content didnt become fact-checkers.My experience with the effectiveness of Facebooks fact-checking was pretty mixed overall, added Darian Shimy, CEO and founder of FutureFund, a fundraising platform for K-12 schools and PTAs, in Pleasanton, Calif.Its safe to say that it added a layer of accountability, but candidly, I found it was too slow and inconsistent to keep up with the pace of viral misinformation, he told TechNewsWorld. Talking to many people in my circle and researching internally, I found that most people felt that relying on third-party fact-checkers created a perception of bias, which didnt always help build trust with users.Not a Victory for Free SpeechIrina Raicu, director for internet ethics at Santa Clara Universitys Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, noted that there was plenty of disinformation showing up on Facebook under the existing fact-checking regime.Part of the problem was the automation of content moderation, she told TechNewsWorld. The algorithmic tools were pretty blunt and missed the nuances of both language and images. And the problem was even more widespread in posts in languages other than English.With billions of pieces of content posted daily, it was simply impossible for human fact-checkers to keep up, added Paul Benigeri, co-founder and CEO of Archive, a company that develops software to automate e-commerce digital marketing workflows, in New York City.Fact-checking felt more like a PR move, he told TechNewsWorld. Sometimes it worked, but it never came close to catching the full volume of misleading posts.Meta scrapping its fact-checking system was questioned by Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor, founder and executive director of CyberWell, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting antisemitism on social media, headquartered in San Francisco.While the previous fact-checking system has proven to be an ineffective and unscalable method of combatting misinformation and disinformation during real-time conflicts and emergencies, she told TechNewsWorld, the answer cannot be less accountability and less investment from the side of the platforms.This is not a victory for free speech, she declared. Its an exchange of human bias in a small and contained group of fact-checkers for human bias at scale through Community Notes. The only way to prevent censorship and data manipulation by any government or corporation would be to institute legal requirements and reforms on big tech that enforce social media reform and transparency requirements.Flawed Community SolutionMetas Community Notes replacement for fact-checking is modeled on a similar scheme deployed on X, formerly Twitter. The community-based approach is nice in that it deals partially with the scale issue, said Cody Buntain, an assistant professor at the College of Information at the University of Maryland. It allows many more people to engage with this process and add context.The problem is that community notes, while it can work in the large aggregate scale for occasional pieces of information or the occasional story that goes viral, it is generally not fast enough and gets totally overwhelmed with new major events, he explained.We saw this in the aftermath of the attacks in Israel back in October of 2023, he continued. There were people highly engaged in the community note process, but Twitter as a platform just got swamped and overwhelmed with the amount of misinformation going on around this event. When the platforms say, Were going to wash our hands of this and let the community deal with it, that becomes problematic in these moments where the only people who really can deal with massive influxes of high-velocity, low-quality information are the platforms, he said. Community notes arent really set up to deal with those issues, and those are the moments when you want high-quality information the most.Ive never been a fan of community notes, added Karen Kovacs North, clinical professor of communication at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.The type of people who are willing to put notes on something are usually polarized and passionate, she told TechNewsWorld. The middle-of-the-roaders dont take time to put their comments down on a story or a piece of content.Currying Trumps FavorVincent Raynauld, an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Emerson College, noted that while community moderation sounds great in theory, it has some problems. Even though the content might be flagged as being disinformation or misleading, the content is still available to people to consume, he told TechNewsWorld.So even though some people might see the community note, they might still consume that content, and that content might still have an impact on their attitudes, knowledge, and behavior, he explained.Along with the Kaplan announcement, Meta released a video of CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailing the companys latest moves. Were going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms, he said.Zuckerbergs announcement has nothing to do with making Metas platforms better and everything to do with currying favor with Donald Trump, asserted Dan Kennedy, a professor of journalism at Northeastern University, in Boston.There was a time when Zuckerberg cared about his products being used to promote dangerous misinformation and disinformation, about the January 6 insurrection and Covid, he told TechNewsWorld. Now Trump is returning to office, and one of Zuckerbergs rivals, Elon Musk, is running amok with Trumps indulgence, so Zuckerberg is just getting with the program.No system of fact-checking and moderation is perfect, he added, but if Zuckerberg really cared, hed work to improve it rather than getting rid of it altogether.Musk as Trend SetterDamian Rollison, director of marketing for SOCi, a comarketing cloud platform headquartered in San Diego, pointed out an irony in Metas latest move. I think its safe to say that no one predicted Elon Musks chaotic takeover of Twitter would become a trend other tech platforms would follow, and yet here we are, he told TechNewsWorld.We can see now, in retrospect, that Musk established a standard for a newly conservative approach to the loosening of online content moderation, one that Meta has now embraced in advance of the incoming Trump administration, he said.What this will likely mean is that Facebook and Instagram will see a spike in political speech and posts on controversial topics, he continued.As with Musks X, where ad revenues are down by half, this change may make the platform less attractive to advertisers, he added. It may also cement a trend whereby Facebook is becoming the social network for older, more conservative users and ceding Gen Z to TikTok, with Instagram occupying a middle ground between them.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Social Networking

AI Dominates 2025 Cybersecurity PredictionsBy John P. Mello Jr.January 7, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTEnterprise IT Lead Generation ServicesFuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more. When it comes to cybersecurity in 2025, artificial intelligence is top of mind for many analysts and professionals.Artificial intelligence will be deployed by both adversaries and defenders, but attackers will benefit more from it, maintained Willy Leichter, CMO of AppSOC, an application security and vulnerability management provider in San Jose, Calif.We know that AI will be used increasingly on both sides of the cyber war, he told TechNewsWorld. However, attackers will continue to be less constrained because they worry less about AI accuracy, ethics, or unintended consequences. Techniques such as highly personalized phishing and scouring networks for legacy weaknesses will benefit from AI.While AI has huge potential defensively, there are more constraints both legal and practical that will slow adoption, he said.Chris Hauk, consumer privacy champion at Pixel Privacy, a publisher of online consumer security and privacy guides, predicted 2025 will be a year of AI versus AI, as the good guys use AI to defend against AI-powered cyberattacks.It will likely be a year of back-and-forth battles as both sides put to use information theyve gathered from previous attacks to set up new attacks and new defenses, he told TechNewsWorld.Mitigating AIs Security RisksLeichter also predicted that cyber adversaries will start targeting AI systems more often. AI technology greatly expands the attack surface area with rapidly emerging threats to models, datasets, and machine language operations systems, he explained. Also, when AI applications are rushed from the lab to production, the full security impact wont be understood until the inevitable breaches occur.Karl Holmqvist, founder and CEO of Lastwall, an identity security company based in Honolulu, agreed. The unchecked, mass deployment of AI tools which are often rolled out without robust security foundations will lead to severe consequences in 2025, he told TechNewsWorld.Lacking adequate privacy measures and security frameworks, these systems will become prime targets for breaches and manipulation, he said. This Wild West approach to AI deployment will leave data and decision-making systems dangerously exposed, pushing organizations to urgently prioritize foundational security controls, transparent AI frameworks, and continuous monitoring to mitigate these escalating risks. Leichter also maintained that security teams will have to take on more responsibility for securing AI systems in 2025.This sounds obvious, but in many organizations, initial AI projects have been driven by data scientists and business specialists, who often bypass conventional application security processes, he said. Security teams will fight a losing battle if they try to block or slow down AI initiatives, but they will have to bring rogue AI projects under the security and compliance umbrella.Leichter also pointed out that AI will expand the attack surface for adversaries targeting software supply chains in 2025. Weve already seen supply chains become a major vector for attack, as complex software stacks rely heavily on third-party and open-source code, he said. The explosion of AI adoption makes this target larger with new complex vectors of attack on datasets and models.Understanding the lineage of models and maintaining the integrity of changing datasets is a complex problem, and currently, there is no viable way for an AI model to unlearn poisonous data, he addedData Poisoning Threats to AI ModelsMichael Lieberman, CTO and co-founder of Kusari, a software supply chain security company in Ridgefield, Conn., also sees poisoning large language models as a significant development in 2025. Data poisoning attacks aimed at manipulating LLMs will become more prevalent, although this method is likely more resource-intensive compared to simpler tactics, such as distributing malicious open LLMs, he told TechNewsWorld.Most organizations are not training their own models, he explained. Instead, they rely on pre-trained models, often available for free. The lack of transparency regarding the origins of these models makes it easy for malicious actors to introduce harmful ones, as evidenced by the Hugging Face malware incident. That incident occurred in early 2024 when it was discovered that some 100 LLMs containing hidden backdoors that could execute arbitrary code on users machines had been uploaded to the Hugging Face platform.Future data poisoning efforts are likely to target major players like OpenAI, Meta, and Google, which train their models on vast datasets, making such attacks more challenging to detect, Lieberman predicted. In 2025, attackers are likely to outpace defenders, he added. Attackers are financially motivated, while defenders often struggle to secure adequate budgets since security is not typically viewed as a revenue driver. It may take a significant AI supply chain breach akin to the SolarWinds Sunburst incident to prompt the industry to take the threat seriously.Thanks to AI, there will also be more threat actors launching more sophisticated attacks in 2025. As AI becomes more capable and accessible, the barrier to entry for less skilled attackers will become lower while also accelerating the speed at which attacks can be carried out, explained Justin Blackburn, a senior cloud threat detection engineer at AppOmni, a SaaS security management software company, in San Mateo, Calif.Additionally, the emergence of AI-powered bots will enable threat actors to execute large-scale attacks with minimal effort, he told TechNewsWorld. Armed with these AI-powered tools, even less capable adversaries may be able to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data and disrupt services on a scale previously only seen by more sophisticated, well-funded attackers.Script Babies Grow UpIn 2025, the rise of agentic AI AI capable of making independent decisions, adapting to their environment, and taking actions without direct human intervention will exacerbate problems for defenders, too. Advances in artificial intelligence are expected to empower non-state actors to develop autonomous cyber weapons, said Jason Pittman, a collegiate associate professor at the school of cybersecurity and information technology at the University of Maryland Global Campus in Adelphi, Md.Agentic AI operates autonomously with goal-directed behaviors, he told TechNewsWorld. Such systems can use frontier algorithms to identify vulnerabilities, infiltrate systems, and evolve their tactics in real-time without human steering. These features distinguish it from other AI systems that rely on predefined instructions and require human input, he explained.Like the Morris Worm in decades past, the release of agentic cyber weapons might begin as an accident, which is more troublesome. This is because the accessibility of advanced AI tools and the proliferation of open-source machine learning frameworks lower the barrier for developing sophisticated cyber weapons. Once created, the powerful autonomy feature can easily lead to agentic AI escaping its safety measures. As harmful as AI can be in the hands of threat actors, it can also help better secure data, like personally identifiable information (PII). After analyzing more than six million Google Drive files, we discovered 40% of the files contained PII that put businesses at risk of a data breach, said Rich Vibert, co-founder and CEO of Metomic, a data privacy platform in London.As we enter 2025, well see more companies prioritize automated data classification methods to reduce the amount of vulnerable information inadvertently saved in publicly accessible files and collaborative workspaces across SaaS and cloud environments, he continued.Businesses will increasingly deploy AI-driven tools that can automatically identify, tag, and secure sensitive information, he said. This shift will enable companies to keep up with the vast amounts of data generated daily, ensuring that sensitive data is continually safeguarded and that unnecessary data exposure is minimized.Nevertheless, 2025 could also usher in a wave of disappointment among security pros when the hype about AI hits the fan. CISOs will deprioritize gen AI use by 10% due to lack of quantifiable value, Cody Scott, a senior analyst for Forrester Research, a market research company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., wrote in a company blog.According to Forresters 2024 data, 35% of global CISOs and CIOs consider exploring and deploying use cases for gen AI to improve employee productivity as a top priority, he noted. The security product market has been quick to hype gen AIs expected productivity benefits, but a lack of practical outcomes is fostering disillusionment.The thought of an autonomous security operations center using gen AI generated a lot of hype, but it couldnt be further from reality, he continued. In 2025, the trend will continue, and security practitioners will sink deeper into disenchantment as challenges such as inadequate budgets and unrealized AI benefits reduce the number of security-focused gen AI deployments.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Cybersecurity

Quantum Computing Remains Experimental Despite 2024 Advances: ForresterBy John P. Mello Jr.January 6, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTQuality Leads That Turn Into DealsFull-service marketing programs from TechNewsWorld deliver sales-ready leads. Segment by geography, industry, company size, job title, and more. Get Started Now. Quantum computing made significant strides in 2024, but its yet to demonstrate a practical advantage over classical digital computers, according to a recent trends report released by Forrester Research.Despite improvements in qubit count, coherence time, and gate fidelity, the technology remains experimental, with broad-scale applications likely still a decade away, maintained the report written by Forrester Vice President for Emerging Technologies Brian Hopkins and Principal Analyst David Mooter, with Stephanie Balaouras, Mike Gualtieri, Charlie Dai, James McGlynn, and Jen Barton.Key developments in optimization, quantum simulation, and quantum machine learning show promise for specific industries like finance and pharmaceuticals, yet challenges such as high error rates and scalability persist, the analysts added.Roger A. Grimes, author of Cryptography Apocalypse: Preparing for the Day When Quantum Computing Breaks Todays Crypto, published by Wiley, acknowledged that practical, usable quantum computers havent made a public appearance yet, but some useful applications of quantum have been deployed, such as quantum random number generators, networks, sensors, and all sorts of other devices.No one has publicly shown a problem solved by a quantum computer that is super usable in the real world, he told TechNewsWorld. Today, your wristwatch has more power than what we have in quantum computers. But that is changing. We are making steady progress, and the day when quantum computers turn into sufficiently-capable quantum computers is not far away.Quantum Solving Problems NowTrevor Lanting, chief development officer at D-Wave Systems in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, agreed that gate-model quantum computing has not yet demonstrated a practical quantum advantage but pointed out that annealing quantum computing is delivering value over classical computing today.Gate-model quantum computers use quantum logic gates to perform operations on qubits, similar to how classical computers use logic gates to perform operations with digital bits. The gate model is more suitable for general-purpose computing, while annealing quantum computing is more narrowly focused on optimization problems, such as workforce scheduling and portfolio optimization.D-Wave has been using annealing quantum technology in a hybrid solution to solve complex optimization problems. For example, it was able to optimize the mobile network resources of Japans largest telecom provider, NTT Docomo, in 40 seconds, compared to 27 hours using classical methods.Forresters report predicted that gate-based quantum computing platforms will likely remain experimental for 10 to 15 years, a prediction that Lanting agrees with. However, annealing quantum computing which is uniquely suited for solving complex optimization problems is here now, he told TechNewsWorld.Optimization problems are everywhere from workforce scheduling to vehicle routing and D-Waves annealing quantum computers are already delivering measurable results for customers, he said.Lanting maintained that D-Waves technology helped Pattison Food Group, a Canadian grocery chain, reduce an 80-hour scheduling task to just 15 hours an 80% time savings and at the Port of Los Angeles, working with SavantX, cargo handling efficiency was improved by 60%.These arent theoretical use cases, he said. Theyre real businesses solving real problems right now with quantum and hybrid quantum computing.Optimization Apps Will Lead WayWhile D-Waves annealing platform has been touted by the company for years as superior to gate-based solutions for optimization problems, Forrester pointed out that those claims were challenged in 2024.Q-CTRL has challenged D-Waves claim by using IBMs gate-based quantum computers to outperform D-Wave for an optimization problem, the analysts wrote. Gate-based algorithms offer the potential for greater solution speedups as qubit counts and quality increase.This makes Q-CTRLs claim an interesting challenge to D-Waves self-proclaimed lead in optimization, they continued.Optimization is an important application for quantum computing because it matters to most industries, Forrester noted. For finance, representative areas include risk modeling, trading strategy optimization, asset pricing optimization, and portfolio optimization, it explained. Health care use cases include optimizing radiotherapy treatments, generating targeted cancer drug therapies, and creating protein models, it added. And for energy, use cases include energy exploration, seismic survey optimization, reserve and spot trading optimization, and reservoir optimization.In the near term, if quantum is going to go beyond experimentation and generate a return on investment for users, its going to be through optimization tools, explained Erik Garcell, director of quantum enterprise development for North America for Classiq, a global quantum computer software maker.Optimization offers more near-term benefits because it scales so well on quantum computers, he told TechNewsWorld. Even having a few quantum resources, you know, 100 qubits on your quantum chip, means a lot for that kind of problem.The bigger the problem, the harder it is for a classical computer to solve, he continued, but that many more resources arent needed for a quantum computer because of how it scales. So, youre going to actually see applications in quantum for very large optimization problems that are causing classical computers to chug.Quantum Machine Learning Shows Signs of LifeGrimes, though, contends focusing on optimization can be too limiting for quantum. Optimization completely rules out the chances of brand-new advancements, he said. Im not sure if quantum is like the AI world, but it is getting the same sort of feel.It really feels like we are possibly on the cusp of tremendous, sudden improvement, he continued. There are so many organizations making steady improvement. It seems strange to me to think that not one of those vendors out of the thousands wouldnt make a substantial breakthrough.Another 2024 quantum breakthrough cited by the Forrester analysts is the emergence of quantum machine learning. They explained that quantum-as-a-service (QaaS) has expanded access to quantum computing, enabling breakthroughs in quantum machine learning. Researchers are now developing quantum neural networks, quantum support vector machines, and quantum algorithms for complex tasks like image and natural language processing.These advancements are pushing the boundaries of what machine learning can achieve, making it a critical area of growth, they wrote. Training AI models on classical computers is time-intensive and computationally expensive, especially with deep learning networks, observed Skip Sanzeri, co-founder and COO of QuSecure, a maker of quantum-safe security solutions, in San Mateo, Calif.Using an algorithm like the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm, along with other quantum enhancements like gradient descent, could speed up the training of machine learning models by orders of magnitude, he told TechNewsWorld.Sanzeri also pointed out that AI on classical systems is not exponentially scalable, so classical machines tend to struggle with combinatorial problems like optimization. Since quantum computers are exponential in nature, they will be able to handle these combinatorial problems much better, he explained.Quantum algorithms can also be used to process and analyze large data sets more efficiently using the Quantum Fourier Transform, leading to faster insights and real-time decision-making, he noted.Generative AI models, too, can be challenging for classical computing systems, he added. Superposition and entanglement quantum properties can be used to generate data distributions more efficiently and accurately, he said.Preparation for Quantum Threats Becoming UrgentAs quantum advances push the boundaries of what machine learning can achieve, theyre also driving a focus on quantum security. With NIST [the U.S. Department of Commerces National Institute of Standards and Technology] setting standards for quantum-resistant algorithms, the need to safeguard data against future quantum threats is becoming more urgent, the Forrester analysts wrote.They added that cryptography and machine learning hold substantial potential, but their benefits remain years away. Shors algorithm could one day break todays PKI cryptography, they noted, although this is likely a decade or more in the future.Sanzeri disagreed with Forrester. With the use of ever increasingly powerful AI, combined with other breakthroughs in the quantum computing industry like Googles Willow chip we could see that 10-year time frame getting cut in half, he argued.Meanwhile, Grimes cautioned that government intelligence agencies working to break quantum-susceptible encryption dont need a fully-capable quantum computer to break todays cryptography. They will make quantum devices that are specialized in breaking encryption, just like they do with todays regular non-quantum encryption breaking, he said.The NSA isnt using laptops, servers, and regular cloud computing to break crypto, he continued. They use specialized crypto-devices, maximized for crypto-breaking efficiency. Certainly, they are doing the exact same thing with quantum cracking. It would be insane to do anything else if I was in their shoes. He also warned about using Shors algorithm, created in 1994, as a benchmark for what kind of quantum power is needed to crack PKI cryptography. I think there is a good chance that the U.S. government has access to another algorithm that is far more efficient than Shors, he contended. If youre fixated on Shor as the standard to meet, youre probably not focused on the right algorithm.Even if a quantum solution that can crack PKI is 10 years away, the time to act on that possibility is now, declared Tomas Gustavsson, chief PKI officer at Keyfactor, a digital identity management company, in Cleveland. A decade is a short time for this type of migration, as it is an immense undertaking, he told TechNewsWorld.We need to act now for the migration to be completed in a decade. Organizations must not start in a decade, Gustavsson said. So, when saying that a practical Shors algorithm is at least a decade away, Forrester is reiterating what NIST and others are saying. I also hope its at least a decade away. If not, we are in trouble.Winter of Quantum Investor Discontent?Despite quantums promise, Forrester predicts a winter setting in on investment in the technology. Although the number of quantum computing deals hit a record in 2023, investment dollar totals peaked in 2021 and have declined sharply since as generative AI excitement has claimed investor funding, Forresters analysts wrote.They added that geopolitical pressures, like vendors in China transferring their IP to academia, are also at play. This will put pressure on startups, causing many to seek exits with little to show, they noted.On the plus side, the investment winter will delay the time when quantum computing platforms become powerful enough for mainstream use, which means a delay of Y2Q: the day when quantum computers break state-of-the-art asymmetric cryptography, the analysts reasoned.However, they warned about procrastinating about Y2Q. Although this development may buy more time to implement post-quantum encryption, they urged security leaders to begin planning now on how to protect against harvest now, decrypt later vulnerabilities, where encrypted data is gobbled up by adversaries now with an eye on decrypting it later with a quantum computer. Forresters glum weather forecast isnt shared by everyone. Growth estimates for the quantum computing market by industry forecasters range from a low CAGR of 27.04% over the next eight years to a high CAGR of 32.7% over the next five years, growing from slightly over a billion dollar market in 2024 to US$6.95 billion to $16.22 billion market in the early 2030s.We would not expect a quantum winter but may see the same level of investment or increased investment in 2025, Sanzeri predicted. There has been significant progress in quantum computing in 2024 with some breakthroughs that are fundamental. We cannot find a reason why there would be at least the same level of investment in 2025 as in 2024.The recent relative downturn in quantum investment is really just a factor of the original, overstated quantum hype dying down at the same time as AI took off, added Grimes. Quantum will have plenty of investment, and as the steady improvements turn into sufficiently-capable quantum computers, the needed investment will flood back. Im not concerned.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.More by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Emerging Tech

In the ever-evolving world of technology, 2024 brought some exciting innovations alongside an alarming number of trends that expose the pitfalls of our current tech culture.From overhyped AI gimmicks to privacy erosion and unsustainable hardware practices, here are some of the worst tech trends of 2024 that have frustrated consumers and industry leaders and are unlikely to abate next year.1. Proliferation of Useless AI ToolsGenerative AI dominated 2023, but by 2024, the trend spiraled into absurdity. Countless companies have rolled out AI-powered tools that address non-existent problems or create entirely new ones.AI now generates everything from poorly edited videos and unintelligible blog posts to automatically written emails that require human intervention to fix. Tools that claim to offer productivity boosts often result in inefficiencies because of their flawed outputs.The flood of low-quality AI products has undermined trust in genuinely helpful AI innovations. Small businesses and consumers alike are overwhelmed by tools with overblown marketing promises.Many of these deficient AI solutions add another layer of automation without offering real value. This overproduction has created noise, making distinguishing truly transformative tools from mere gimmicks harder.2. Decline of Digital PrivacyFormer Oracle CEO Larry Ellison once famously said, Privacy is Dead. However, privacy has been resurrected and killed more times than a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a Jurassic Park sequel.Digital privacy continues to erode in 2024 as big tech companies push the boundaries of data collection under the guise of personalization. This year, the rise of AI-driven surveillance tools has become particularly concerning. Facial recognition is now integrated into everything from retail stores to public transportation systems without sufficient regulation or oversight.Hyper-targeted ads across platforms and connected technologies have reached a tipping point. New technologies scrape data from various devices at unprecedented levels, often without users consent or precise opt-out options. For instance, smart home devices have increasingly come under fire for tracking conversations and usage patterns far beyond their intended purpose.Perhaps most worrying is the resurgence of the were improving your experience excuse. Tech companies increasingly bypass GDPR-like protections by using convoluted terms of service agreements that make opting out prohibitively tricky. This unfortunate phenomenon sets a dangerous precedent for future interactions between consumers and technology.3. Tech Subscription FatigueMost tech users will identify with this trend. In 2024, the everything-as-a-service model has reached absurd new heights. From software to hardware, companies are turning more and more products into monthly subscriptions. Consumers are now paying subscriptions for products that were traditionally one-time purchases: car manufacturers charging for heated seats, printers requiring monthly fees to unlock ink usage, and even smart home locks demanding ongoing payments to access advanced features.The subscription model has become synonymous with monetizing basic functionality. What started with streaming platforms has now spread to nearly every product category. It has become overwhelming, financially unsustainable, and increasingly frustrating for many consumers. Companies risk alienating their customer base by prioritizing recurring revenue over user experience.4. Return of Vaporware and OverpromisesTech companies have revived a troubling trend of overhyping products that dont exist in usable forms. This year has been marked by grand promises of game-changing devices and services that either underdeliver or never materialize.One example is the push for AI PCs, where marketing campaigns tout devices with unmatched capabilities that remain largely theoretical. Similarly, augmented reality (AR) platforms have made headlines, yet most consumers still lack meaningful use cases beyond demo videos and niche applications.This trend mirrors the vaporware hype of the early 2000s, where buzzwords like digital transformation were attached to half-baked products. In 2024, buzzwords such as quantum-ready and AI-powered are increasingly slapped onto underdeveloped offerings to ride the tech wave, undermining consumer trust.While I am optimistic about the rise of PCs (both Windows and Mac, x86, Arm or Apple Silicon-based) with integrated AI technology at the silicon level, the jury is still out if mainstream consumers have drunk the AI Kool-Aid.5. E-Waste From Unnecessary UpgradesThe unsustainable tech upgrade cycle will worsen in 2025. Major hardware manufacturers continue to push minor annual refreshes of devices while retiring older models earlier than necessary. Smartphones, laptops, and wearables now seem designed for obsolescence, forcing users to replace functional devices far too soon. This approach has generated alarming levels of electronic waste. Consumers face limited repair options as companies lock down parts and restrict third-party fixes, leading to devices being thrown away rather than repaired. Additionally, the push for disposable devices contradicts the industrys public commitments to sustainability.In parallel, new hardware launches often emphasize gimmicky features, like foldable screens or AI-generated wallpapers, that offer little utility. Meanwhile, genuine performance improvements are increasingly incremental, leaving users questioning whether upgrades are worth the cost.6. Dystopian Applications of AI SurveillanceAI surveillance tools have seen rapid adoption, particularly in workplaces and schools. Employers increasingly turn to AI monitoring software to track productivity by analyzing keystrokes, screen activity, and facial expressions. This invasive approach erodes trust between employers and employees while normalizing intrusive surveillance practices.Similarly, schools have begun implementing AI tools to monitor students attention and behavior, often with flawed algorithms. These technologies reinforce punitive environments and disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. Critics argue that such systems prioritize control over genuine engagement or well-being.7. Social Medias Algorithmic DeclineSocial media algorithms in 2024 have become worse than ever, prioritizing engagement metrics over quality content. Platforms are flooded with clickbait, misinformation, and sensationalized posts designed to keep users scrolling endlessly. Genuine connection once the core promise of social media has been replaced by a relentless pursuit of ad revenue.Adding insult to injury, platforms have ramped up the push for paid verification and algorithmic boosts, forcing creators to pay for visibility. This pay-to-play model exacerbates inequality in content discovery, pushing smaller creators to the margins.Conclusion: A Call for Responsible InnovationWhile technology has the potential to improve lives, 2024 has brought forth trends that emphasize profit, surveillance, and short-term gains over long-term innovation and ethical considerations.From the glut of useless AI tools to worsening e-waste and dystopian surveillance practices, its clear that the tech industry needs a course correction.Consumers, regulators, and innovators alike must push for responsible, meaningful advancement since ignoring it will allow these trends to define the future of technology.

Apple, Samsung Users Unimpressed by AI on Their Phones: SurveyBy John P. Mello Jr.December 18, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTEngage with IT decision makers and key influencers. TechNewsWorld's B2B marketing services deliver sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Fill your funnel and grow revenue with our lead gen expertise. Get Started Today. While artificial intelligence has juiced the marketing departments of smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung, it isnt generating much enthusiasm among users, according to a survey released Monday by a used electronics selling site.The survey by SellCell of more than 2,000 iPhone and Samsung users found that 73% of iPhone and 87% of Samsung users said that the AI features on their phones added little to no value to their smartphone experience.Users low opinion of the AI on their phones reflects confusion in the market. While companies are saying now with AI or AI included, theyre not telling users what to do with it, said HP Newquist, executive director of The Relayer Group, a business consulting firm in New York City.Theyre telling users, you now have access to AI. You can now use AI, he told TechNewsWorld. Theyre just saying, here it is. Youve got it now. And quite frankly, thats not a compelling reason to use AI.Were getting AI thrust at us, and I think consumers are completely nonplussed by that, he observed.Were finding the same exact thing in corporate America, he continued. Theyre getting told, you need to use generative AI. You need to use agentic AI. But theyre not being told how specifically it can benefit them. Until thats made clear both at the consumer and the corporate level, you are going to have a fairly tepid response from first-time users.AI Not Well UnderstoodPrivacy concerns may be dampening enthusiasm about AI among iPhone users, contended Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research in Las Vegas. Apple users have high expectations for data protection and skepticism about whether the features offer meaningful improvements beyond what competitors already provide, he told TechNewsWorld.Limited compatibility, with AI features likely restricted to newer iPhone models, may also alienate users of older devices, he added.On the Samsung side of things, Vena continued, Galaxy AI lacks differentiation from other Android-based AI offerings, which may reduce excitement. Samsungs features might appear incremental rather than groundbreaking.Additionally, inconsistent user experiences with Samsungs software and AI across devices could contribute to lower enthusiasm, compared to the more tightly integrated Apple ecosystem, he said. Greg Sterling, co-founder of Near Media, a market research firm in San Francisco, asserted that one of the central problems with Apple Intelligence is that its not well explained or well understood by the public. Apple needs to do more to educate people about what the features are and when they will be available, he told TechNewsWorld.Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, a technology advisory firm in San Jose, Calif., agreed. AI integration in smartphones is new and not well understood by the average user, he told TechNewsWorld. Google and Apple need to do more tutorial-like posts that show users the new AI features and how to use them.AI requires you to learn how to prompt, and its not easy, added Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.So we have a lot of training in front of us with regard to users knowing how to use this stuff, he told TechNewsWorld. I would expect the survey to be bad this early simply because Apple Intelligence hasnt been available for very long, and people just dont know how to use it yet.Long Rollout Dampens ExuberanceSterling added that the multiple features clustered under the rubric Apple Intelligence are rolling out incrementally over time, so users havent really seen the concrete benefits yet. In a year or two, I suspect this survey would have different outcomes, he predicted.Will Kerwin, an equity analyst with Morningstar Research Services in Chicago, also cited the drawn-out rollout of Apple Intelligence as a source of consumer apathy toward AI on their iPhones. We believe itll take consumers time to fully bake in how Apple Intelligence is most useful to them and adapt personal habits, he told TechNewsWorld.This all informs our view that Apple iPhone sales driven by AI will be stronger in fiscal 2026 than they are currently in fiscal 2025, he said.Runar Bjrhovde, an analyst with Canalys, a global market research company, added: The stark reality is that most people dont buy phones because of AI. They buy because of different features. If we think of the type of features that AI has enabled, they are not that interesting right now, he told TechNewsWorld.Its honestly not that surprising right now that AI features might disappoint people a bit because theyre not as advanced in reality as some of the marketing and messaging say they are, he said.Bjrhovde maintained that many tech firms are having an existential crisis, where theyve lost the huge hype and interest that people have had in them for the last 20 years.They have to come up with new stories to try and get people interested, he contended. So, AI is a gold mine right now. I believe it can give us some really interesting innovations in a few years. But for now, it is this marketing bubble where people dont actually know what to believe.Decline in LoyaltyThe SellCell survey also found that about one in six iPhone users (16.8%) said they would consider switching to Samsung if it offered better AI features. In contrast, only 9.7% of Samsung users said theyd consider moving to Apple for better AI features.It added that the percentage of users loyal to Apple has declined from 92% in 2021 to 78.9% now. That compares to a decline from 74% to 67.2% over the same period for Samsung.In general, the excitement around Apples annual upgrade cycle has declined a lot, said Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City.These AI features are an attempt to inject something new and exciting into the experience, he told TechNewsWorld. But consumers are looking for a baseline of functionality and dont think the platform is as much of an issue anymore.Still, the finding that so many Apple users might be willing to jump ship for AI is surprising, he acknowledged. Apple users just tend to be far more likely to opt into Apple services, he explained. Because of the App Store investments, you cant necessarily move all that stuff to another platform. So that makes the reported greater willingness to switch surprising.However, not everyone sees Apples fan base as waning. We dont see brand loyalty slipping in our surveys, Bajarin declared. We expect Apple to have a blockbuster holiday season, with iPhone sales and drawing many switchers to the Apple ecosystem.We also dont think loyalty to Apple is going away, Kerwin added. In our view, iPhone users are significantly likely to remain iPhone users, and AI features are just another means of locking them into Apples ecosystem.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Artificial Intelligence

Many amazing products launched this year, and well cover some of them. However, unlike most years when the decision was difficult, one product stood out well above the rest as revolutionary. What made it particularly special was that it was a bold bet that paid off and helped its manufacturer become one of, and for a time, the most valuable company in the world.Typically, I dont do a Product of the Week for this column as it focuses on the Product of the Year, but I ran into a confection that Ive become almost addicted to, thanks to my love of dark chocolate, so Im compelled to squeeze it in. Its from a small company called Sweet as Fudge. So, before we revisit 2024 and discuss some of the standout products, lets talk about this chocolate.The product is Dark Chocolate Triple-Dipped Malt Balls. Theres also a sugar-free version thats surprisingly good. A pound costs around $15, but these things are so good. I keep them in the refrigerator so they melt more slowly in my mouth. If you are into chocolate and like malt (chocolate malt is my go-to drink in the summer), give them a try this holiday season.Now, on to the main event. Lets begin with the contenders that didnt quite make the top of my list and conclude with the one that earned the title of Product of the Year.Fisker OceanImage Credit: FiskerIts a shame this company didnt survive the year, but the Fisker Ocean which I had planned to buy was arguably the best electric SUV on paper. It had a bunch of cool, unique features like a solar panel roof and a pull-up table so the driver could enjoy a snack or meal in the car without making a mess.This eSUV was well-designed and had decent range, and I thought it was one of the best-looking vehicles in the market. Operating inefficiencies and apparently some financial mismanagement killed the company and the car. RIP Fisker.2025 Audi RS e-tron GT PerformanceImage Credit: Audi CommunicationsI bought a used 2022 Audi e-tron GT after Fisker went under. Right after I bought it, Audi released the 2025 model, and it is a beast. It has nearly 1,000 HP, giving it blazing performance (more than I need as my base car is quick enough), hydraulic suspension allowing it to adjust its height nearly instantly, and the car is beautiful.Oh, they added around 100 miles of range over my car, making it far more useful for a daily driver. At $171,000, it is out of my budget range, but wow, what a car!Hyundai Ioniq 5 NImage Credit: HyundaiI think Hyundais approach with the Ioniq 5 N electric car is the way to go for those who miss the engine sound and gear shifting in a manual gas car. This Hyundai is arguably the most fun electric car in the world. It does a decent job faking engine sounds, and shifting feels like you are shifting a car even though this is emulated and actually makes the car slower. But it is incredibly fun to drive and reasonably quick (0 to 60 in 3.25 seconds).The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Nisnt badly priced for a performance car that lists under $70,000, and its likely quicker than your buddys far more expensive exotic car.OpenAIs ChatGPTWow, talk about an offering that changed the world! ChatGPT is the core technology under both Apple and Microsofts AI efforts. Its Dall-E capability for images is impressive (as is Googles Gemini, which I also use), and it has changed the way many of us write software, create images, and even write complete works.ChatGPT has been advancing incredibly quickly, and with artificial general intelligence (AGI) it promises to change how we create what we read. ChatGPT and its peers are starting to change what we watch. It is a truly revolutionary platform, though Googles Gemini Advanced is no slouch either. While ChatGPT launched before 2024, it became the basis for both Microsofts and Apples huge AI efforts this year.Windows 365 LinkEver since the PC came out, weve essentially been asking to go back to terminals. We love the freedom the PC gives us, but we arent crazy about the complexity of supporting them ourselves, particularly at scale. Microsoft helped create the problem, and, to be fair, it has mitigated a lot of the related pain by improving Windows.However, Windows 365 Link is a nearly instant, on-terminal-like device that promises and mostly delivers Windows capabilities with the reliability and simplicity of a terminal. Its kind of a Back to the Future product and a bit of a man-bites-dog story. I expect this to be the future of the PC eventually.BlueskyImage by Author / GeminiEver since Elon Musk bought Twitter, many of us have been looking for an alternative. Each time we got excited about a new effort, we were disappointed.Bluesky has been the closest thing to a better Twitter so far, and more and more people I know have migrated to it. Given its distributed architecture, it also has some technical advantages over X/Twitter.Its moderation, in my opinion, appears to be better than Twitters. It was a huge step in the right direction, and I hope it makes it into our future.Google Pixel 9 Pro FoldThe Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is now the phone I carry, and it is awesome. The updates to the phone have been helpful. It locks if it moves suddenly, as if someone stole it, for instance. It also locks if you are reading in a plane when it takes off, but you can just log in again. It folds out into a small tablet, so if I dont have my glasses handy, I can still make the text large enough to read. Speaking of reading, it is the best e-book alternative since the discontinued Microsoft Duo.I wish Google had used a Qualcomm Snapdragon instead of its own processor, but the difference isnt as bad as it was with the first Fold. Im just loving this phone.Huawei Mate XT Tri-Fold SmartphoneHuawei has demonstrated remarkable ingenuity by navigating technological restrictions to deliver one of the most desirable smartphones in the world, despite some initial growing pains because this was almost an entirely new platform.Given that Huawei wasnt allowed to buy the technology from the U.S., this three-screen phone that went from iPhone to iPad size is a technical marvel. It showcases where we will likely go with phones and set itself apart from competitive devices this year.Huawei remains impressive, considering the problems posed by the conflicts between the U.S. and China this year. Impressive work.Lenovo Auto Twist AI PC ConceptLenovo is another company that stood out this year in terms of sheer innovation. The product that most caught my eye was the ThinkBook Auto-Twist AI PC Concept.What makes this PC different is that it automatically pans the screen and on-board camera based on where you are in the room. This feature is particularly handy for those of us who have to move around during team calls or when you need to watch a how-to video while doing something else.Watching that screen swivel automatically so it remained focused on the user was awesome. As AI advances, I expect well see even more innovation when it comes to AI PCs.HP Print AIFor me, 2024 was defined by AI innovations. The HP Print AI offering, released in September, directly addresses a lot of our aggravation with printers, automatically formatting things for pages without cutting off the borders and positioning the data and graphics so that each print job is perfect.Weve all had issues when printing a document and not having it lay up properly. Spreadsheets are the worst, often printing one line or column on a page and then kicking out hundreds of useless print copies that make little or no sense, like this:Image Credit: HPHP Print AI will auto-format print jobs, so the printed document is useful. The AI analyzes your print job based on past training to determine the optimal format. Then, it auto-configures for that result so each print job is as perfect as the AI can make it, like this:Image Credit: HPPrinter technology needs to be moved into this decade, and this software from HP should do that. Expect to see more advances like this from many companies that plan to use AI to address customer frustrations with their products.Disney BDX RobotsThe BDX robots are part of Project Groot and use Nvidias Jetson robotic technology. Youll see them at Disney parks, and eventually, youll be able to buy one.This little guy is the closest to a real Star Wars-like robot Ive ever found. I wish Id been smart enough to invest in Lucas Films back then rather than spending my money on going to that first Star Wars movie over and over and over again. BDX showcased how far robotics has come, and well be seeing a lot of amazing robots you can buy in 2025.Nvidia Blackwell B200 GPUImage Credit: NvidiaWhen Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang first presented Blackwell, it was a fantastic event that showcased how a company should release a revolutionary product. This GPU is massive in terms of performance and power requirements, and it is forcing a gigantic pivot from air to water cooling in cloud and enterprise data centers as the world pivots to AI.The backstory on this part and Nvidias entire AI effort is a tale of legend. Back in the early 2000s, when only IBM was really working with AI, Jensen Huang became convinced it was a much more near-term future event. For much of the next 20 years, Nvidias financial performance dragged as the company basically bet its future on AI. Had Huang not been a founder, he likely would have been fired.Then OpenAI asked for help, and Nvidia provided it. Thanks to Nvidia, we now have generative AI that works. Blackwell is the current culmination of this work, a massive GPU that is extremely power-hungry but also incredibly efficient. While it uses a ton of power, it does much more work than any group of other GPUs or NPUs can do with that same power.AMDs Threadripper CPU was equally innovative, but it was designed for existing market needs. Nvidia was working on Blackwell before AI became a market, and thats just never done. By taking what seemed to be an unreasonable risk and executing on it, Nvidia caught its competitors sleeping, and now Nvidia is nearly synonymous with AI.Back when there were pensions, CEO compensation was more reasonable, and boards more supportive of long-term strategic moves, an effort like this wouldnt have been that unusual. But in todays world, you just dont see that.Nvidias Blackwell effort gave me hope that the U.S. might be able to return to a more strategic future. It caught the imagination of a world increasingly focused on and concerned about AI. Blackwell was a once-in-a-generation leap in performance and a massive bet that could have gone badly, so it is my choice for Product of the Year.

As a lifelong New York Giants fan, its been hard to suffer through the 2024 season, culminating last weekend in the Giants most recent debacle, losing to the below-average New Orleans Saints on a botched field goal in the last seconds of the game.In my disgust in the aftermath of the game, it occurred to me: Is present-day Intel the equivalent of the 2024 Giants? It sounds like a ridiculous question, but the similarities are eerie.Lets face it: The two titans of their industries the New York Giants in professional football and Intel in technology have struggled through severe scrutiny and poor performance the past few years. Both were once at the top of their fields, making headlines and defining periods, so its easy to draw analogies between them.For the Giants, simply beyond the sheer shoddiness of the on-field performance over the past few years (the team hasnt been to the Super Bowl since 2012), management made one of the most idiotic decisions of all time before the season began by extending a questionable long-term contract to franchise quarterback Daniel Jones and allowing Saquon Barkley to sign with its divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, Barkley is having one of the greatest seasons of all time for a running back.As for Intel, the company has struggled to maintain market share in the PC space over the past few years, conceded the smartphone space after it passed over Apples request for a suitable silicon solution for its iPhone in 2007 (which would have ecosystem ramifications that Apple has taken advantage of), not to mention missing the overall industry movement to Arm-based architectures for mobile devices and even laptops.Both organizations are currently under fire for their (at least perceived) inability to give fans and customers a modicum of faith that turnarounds were in the making. Although there are similarities between their difficulties, a deeper examination shows that Intels problems are essentially distinct from the New York Giants of 2024 and are being addressed in a way that distinguishes the company from them.Giant IssuesThe New York Giants, a legendary NFL team that has won four Super Bowls, was under tremendous pressure going into the 2024 campaign.Recent years have been characterized by inconsistent play, dubious coaching choices, and poor player development. In todays NFL, the team has had difficulty adjusting when creative play-calling and analytics-driven tactics are paramount.The Giants have mostly failed to take advantage of their chances despite brief flashes of potential, which has created discouraged supporters and experts doubtful of their prospects, as well as exasperating season ticket holders like me.Difficulties Facing IntelIntel used to be the undisputed leader in its industry. The company literally controlled the semiconductor market for many years, establishing the chip innovation and performance benchmark. But a slew of upheavals in the 2020s put its hegemony in jeopardy. The emergence of rivals like AMD and Nvidia and the advanced manufacturing technology pioneered by Taiwan Semiconductor have compelled Intel to confront its weaknesses.The leading cause of Intels problems is the companys delay in switching to sophisticated manufacturing nodes. Due to setbacks with its 10nm and 7nm nodes, Intel lost market share in essential categories, while Taiwan Semiconductor and Samsung advanced with their state-of-the-art 5nm and 3nm processes. These challenges were exacerbated by the increasing use of Arm-based architectures, especially in AI and mobile applications, where Intels x86 architecture has struggled to stay competitive. Although the Giants and Intel face formidable obstacles, their responses distinguish them. The Giants have frequently seemed hapless, switching quarterbacks and coaches in an attempt to find a short-term solution. Due to their inability to develop a clear plan of action, fans and experts are beginning to doubt the franchises long-term survival.In contrast, Intel has attempted to take serious action to overcome its obstacles. Under the direction of CEO Pat Gelsinger, the company launched a daring plan to regain its place at the forefront of the semiconductor industry.The core of this endeavor is Intels IDM 2.0 strategy, which aims to increase its role as a foundry for third-party clients while modernizing its manufacturing capabilities. By doing this, Intel hopes to take on Taiwan Semiconductor and Samsung head-to-head as a manufacturing giant and chip designer.Additionally, Intel has increased its focus on cutting-edge technologies. Its attempts to create specialized chips for data centers and its investments in AI-specific hardware, such as the Gaudi AI accelerators, demonstrate a proactive approach to the upcoming wave of computing innovation. In fairness to Intel, these actions have revealed a business willing to own up to its mistakes while working to influence the future rather than merely responding to it.Changes in Culture and LeadershipAn organizations ability to overcome hardships is largely dependent on its leadership. With numerous coaching staff changes and a front office that frequently appears out of step with the teams demands, the Giants have had difficulty establishing a permanent leadership structure. This unpredictability has led to a lack of direction and identity on the field. Watch any of the Giants losses over the past few seasons, and its hard to dispute this.In contrast, Intel enjoyed reasonable unity and support when Pat Gelsinger rejoined the company. Gelsinger prioritized a return to Intels engineering foundation while cultivating an innovative and accountable culture. Ambitious aims and a willingness to take chances characterized his tenure, which contrasts sharply with the Giants more cautious strategy.Legacy Is a Double-Edged SwordThe Giants and Intel are both burdened by their histories. The Giants rich past makes them feel both proud and burdened, which makes their recent setbacks even more disappointing. Because of the teams illustrious background, supporters find it challenging to make sense of its current hardships in light of its former success. Being a pioneer in its industry comes with expectations, which Intel also struggles with. The impact of the companys errors is exacerbated by its standing as a technology innovator. However, Intels heritage offers distinct advantages, including a wealth of technical know-how, solid industry ties, and a still enviable reputation, especially with legacy PC OEMs like HP, Dell, and Lenovo. These resources have put Intel in a position to build on its prior achievements and focus on future expansion.Extended Future for IntelThe timelines of their various sectors represent one of the most considerable distinctions between Intel and the Giants. NFL teams follow an annual cycle, and their fortunes frequently fluctuate depending on how one season turns out. Failures are front-page news, and because of their immediacy, it has become challenging for the Giants to bounce back from in the near future.Timelines are lengthier in the tech sector, though. Years pass during semiconductor development cycles, and strategic choices cannot have their full effects for ten years.Intel has more time to accomplish its ambitions and bounce back from setbacks because of this longer horizon. While Intels problems have been more gradual and (in theory) allow for course correction and progressive development, Wall Street is typically not patient, and investors get nervous when they dont sense positive signs of leading indicators like market share gains and revenue increases.Intels Path AheadDespite its struggles, Intel is not a business that is content to let things go. Intel is setting itself up for a long-term resurgence with its IDM 2.0 strategy, AI initiatives, and redoubled emphasis on silicon excellence.Some now contend that Intel will never regain its position as the semiconductor industry leader, and its issues are so complicated that they might not be resolved. Due to the companys manufacturing delays, AMD and Nvidia have increased market share, further widening the gap as Intel prepares for the 18A production phase.Furthermore, Intels foundry sector has had trouble attracting customers, which has made its recovery attempts more difficult. Pat Gelsingers resignation highlights the need for strong leadership and creative ideas after his tenure saw a significant drop in stock value. Restoring investor trust and industry stature will need strategic restructuring and a fresh emphasis on execution, which will be highly challenging due to internal resistance to whoever takes over as Intels leader.Its easy to forget that many analysts welcomed Gelsingers return to Intel in 2021 with hope because they thought his familiarity with the firm, his grasp of the silicon industry, his focus on customers, and his visionary attributes were precisely what was required to turn the giant around. However, under his direction, Intel had endeavored to overcome several obstacles, such as a lag in manufacturing improvements and heightened competition from rivals like AMD and Nvidia. Due to these problems, Intels stock value significantly dropped, wiping out almost $150 billion in market capitalization.Although some have claimed that Gelsinger just needed more time to carry out his plan effectively, the companys board thought differently and finally decided that a drastic change in direction, starting with a change in CEO, was required.Despite being interesting and even amusing, the connection between Intel and the 2024 New York Giants ultimately falls short considering all that.Even if both organizations are going through difficult times, Intels approach shows a degree of strategic vision and flexibility that the Giants have not yet shown. Intel is building the foundation for a future that solidifies its position as a leader in the technology industry, not just battling to remain relevant. If Intel is a behemoth, it is undergoing reinvention rather than decline, which it must do if the company is to grow.There are reasons to be optimistic for Intel. Its Lunar Lake family of processors is showing favorable performance and battery life comparisons to Apple Silicon and even offerings from Qualcomm, which has made a great deal of favorable news with its Snapdragon Elite solutions for laptops.High Stakes for Intels Next CEOIntels incoming CEO, whoever that might be, will have one of the greatest corporate turnaround challenges in tech history. The company will have to dramatically cut headcount, which makes Intels cut of 15,000 people earlier in the year look like a pinprick.Intel seems committed to its foundry strategy, which will require years of investment before it yields significant returns. In a post-Biden Administration world, the company may be unable to rely on the federal government for further investment in its foundry business. To top all of that, some customers may not be comfortable with Intels church and state strategy of manufacturing non-Intel chips in Intel factories. Intels chances for success will largely depend on its new leader. I advise hiring someone from the outside who is not an Intel insider who might be influenced by legacy Intel personnel who have developed a survival mentality and are reluctant to take risks. Intels new CEO will likely be the most-watched tech hire of 2025, as their leadership will provide critical insights into the companys future.The new CEO will also have to deal with a management team who have remained the many cuts the company has gone through and might be unwilling to make the necessary changes Intel must undertake, as legacy management will be in survivor mode and unlikely to take risks.As for the Giants, Im horrified to state that Im not optimistic. For the first time in my 46 years as a season ticket holder (shelling out over $200,000 during that period), Im contemplating giving them up. Or maybe Ill just play Madden 2025 on my Xbox One for the remainder of the season and not waste my team watching Big Blue suffer.Fortunately for Intel, it is not at that point. The company controls its destiny, but time is not on its side, so its incoming CEO must show results quickly and tangibly.

Googles Willow Chip Has Quantum Developers Weeping With JoyBy John P. Mello Jr.December 11, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTYour Salesforce Data, Your ResponsibilityLearn best practices to effortlessly protect your Salesforce Data with Rubrik. Find Out How Google announced a major step forward in the development of a commercial quantum computer on Tuesday, releasing test results for its Willow quantum chip.Those results show that the more qubits Google used in Willow, the more errors it reduced and the more quantum the system became.Googles achievement in quantum error correction is a significant milestone toward practical quantum computing, said Florian Neukart, chief product officer at Terra Quantum, a developer of quantum algorithms, computing solutions, and security applications, in Saint Gallen, Switzerland.It addresses one of the largest hurdles maintaining coherence and reducing errors during computation, he told TechNewsWorld.Qubits, the basic information unit in quantum computing, are extremely sensitive to their environment. Any disturbances around them can cause them to lose their quantum properties, which is called decoherence. Maintaining qubit stability or coherence long enough to perform useful computations has been a significant challenge for developers.Decoherence also makes quantum computers error-prone, which is why Googles announcement is so important. Effective error correction is essential to the development of a practical quantum computer.Willow marks an important milestone on the journey toward fault-tolerant quantum computing, said Rebecca Krauthamer, CEO of QuSecure, a maker of quantum-safe security solutions in San Mateo, Calif.Its a step closer to making quantum systems commercially viable, she told TechNewsWorld.Progress Toward Large-Scale Quantum ComputingIn a company blog, Google Vice President of Engineering Hartmut Neven explained that researchers tested ever-larger arrays of physical qubits, scaling up from a grid of 33 encoded qubits, to a grid of 55, to a grid of 77. With each advance, they cut the error rate in half. In other words, we achieved an exponential reduction in the error rate, he wrote.This historic accomplishment is known in the field as below threshold being able to drive errors down while scaling up the number of qubits, he continued.The machines are very sensitive, and noise builds up both from any external influence as well as from use itself, said Simon Fried, vice president for business development and marketing at Classiq, a developer of software for quantum computers, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Being able to minimize noise or compensate for it makes it possible to run longer, more complex programs, he told TechNewsWorld.This is significant progress in terms of chip tech because of the inherent stability of the hardware as well as its ability to control noise, he added.Neven also noted that as the first system below the threshold, this is the most convincing prototype for a scalable logical qubit built to date. Its a strong sign that useful, very large quantum computers can indeed be built, he wrote. Willow brings us closer to running practical, commercially-relevant algorithms that cant be replicated on conventional computers.Willows Implications for the Multiverse and SecurityGoogle also released data on Willows performance based on a common quantum computer test known as the random circuit sampling (RCS) benchmark. [I]t checks whether a quantum computer is doing something that couldnt be done on a classical computer, Neven explained. Any team building a quantum computer should check first if it can beat classical computers on RCS; otherwise, there is strong reason for skepticism that it can tackle more complex quantum tasks.Neven called Willows performance on the RCS benchmark astonishing. It performed a computation in under five minutes that would take one of todays fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years thats 10 followed by 25 zeroes.This mind-boggling number exceeds known timescales in physics and vastly exceeds the age of the universe, he wrote. It lends credence to the notion that quantum computation occurs in many parallel universes, in line with the idea that we live in a multiverse. Chris Hickman, chief security officer at Keyfactor, a digital identity management company in Cleveland, hailed Willow as a significant milestone in quantum computing but cautioned that Willows advanced quantum error correction brings the field closer to practical quantum applications, signaling that businesses need to prioritize preparation for the inevitable disruption of quantum computing in areas like encryption and security.While this development doesnt immediately alter the expected timeline for quantum computers to break current encryption standards, it reinforces the idea that progress towards this milestone is accelerating, he told TechNewsWorld.Practical use cases for quantum computers go beyond applications that stand to benefit businesses, he said. Bad actors will inevitably leverage the technology for their own nefarious benefit.Hackers will leverage quantum computers to decrypt sensitive information, rendering legacy cryptographic methods obsolete, he continued. These include algorithms like RSA and ECC, which are currently considered unbreakable.Beware the Quantum Cure-AllKarl Holmqvist, founder and CEO of Lastwall, a provider of identity-centric and quantum-resilient technologies, in Mountain View, Calif., agreed that the rate of development of cryptographically relevant quantum computers is accelerating. But I also understand that there are skeptics who think development is not as close as it seems or that it may never arrive, he told TechNewsWorld.So, my question to everyone is this: Given that we will either deploy quantum-resilient solutions too early or too late, which scenario carries more risk? he asked. Would you rather understand the implications of post-quantum cryptographic deployments, test them in your environments, and be prepared to rapidly deploy when needed or risk losing your secrets? In his blog, Neven also revealed why he changed his focus from artificial intelligence to quantum computing. My answer is that both will prove to be the most transformational technologies of our time, but advanced AI will significantly benefit from access to quantum computing, he wrote.Quantum computing is inherently designed to tackle complex problems, so it could be very helpful with the development of AI, noted Edward Tian, CEO of GPTZero, maker of an AI detection platform in Arlington, Va. However, we have seen instances of classical AI still being the better method, he told TechNewsWorld.I came out of AI and entered the quantum computing world specifically because of the promise quantum computing has to unlock doors that remain shut in a classical computing world, added QuSecures Krauthamer.However, she had a word of caution about the technology. A quantum computer is not simply a bigger, faster, more powerful computer, she said. It thinks in a fundamentally different way and, therefore, will solve different types of problems than we can today. It is wise to be skeptical if quantum computing is presented as a cure-all for challenging computation tasks.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Chips

Job Seekers Targeted by Scammers in Mobile Phishing CampaignBy John P. Mello Jr.December 10, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTConnect with IT purchasing decision-makersMaximize your reach with TechNewsWorld's B2B marketing solutions. We deliver the highest-quality leads to streamline your sales journey. Fill your pipeline and elevate your revenue using our proven lead-generation strategies. Learn more. A sophisticated mobile phishing campaign targeting job seekers intended to install dangerous malicious software on their phones was revealed Tuesday by security researchers.The campaign discovered by Zimperium zLabs targets Android mobile phones and aims to distribute a variant of the Antidot banking trojan that the researchers have dubbed AppLite Banker.The AppLite banking trojans ability to steal credentials from critical applications like banking and cryptocurrency makes this scam highly dangerous, said Jason Soroko, a senior fellow at Sectigo, a certificate lifecycle management provider in Scottsdale, Ariz.As mobile phishing continues to rise, its crucial for individuals to remain vigilant about unsolicited job offers and always verify the legitimacy of links before clicking, he told TechNewsWorld.The AppLite banking trojan requires permissions through the phones accessibility features, added James McQuiggan, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla.If the user is unaware, he told TechNewsWorld, they can allow full control over their device, making personal data, GPS location, and other information available for the cybercriminals.Pig Butchering TacticIn a blog on Zimperiums website, researcher Vishnu Pratapagiri explained that attackers present themselves as recruiters, luring unsuspecting victims with job offers. As part of their fraudulent hiring process, he continued, the phishing campaign tricks victims into downloading a malicious application that acts as a dropper, eventually installing AppLite.The attackers behind this phishing campaign demonstrated a remarkable level of adaptability, leveraging diverse and sophisticated social engineering strategies to target their victims, Pratapagiri wrote.A key tactic employed by the attackers involves masquerading as a job recruiter or HR representatives from well-known organizations, he continued. Victims are enticed to respond to fraudulent emails, carefully crafted to resemble authentic job offers or requests for additional information.People are desperate to get a job, so when they see remote work, good pay, good benefits, they text back, noted Steve Levy, principal talent advisor with DHI Group, parent company of Dice, a career marketplace for candidates seeking technology-focused roles and employers looking to hire tech talent globally, in Centennial, Colo.That starts the snowball rolling, he told TechNewsWorld. Its called pig butchering. Farmers will fatten a pig little by little, so when its time to cook it, theyre really big and juicy.After the initial communication, Pratapagiri explained that the threat actors direct victims to download a purported CRM Android application. While appearing legitimate, this application functions as a malicious dropper, facilitating the deployment of the primary payload onto the victims device.Illustration of one of the methods employed to distribute and execute the AppLite malware on the victims mobile device. (Credit: Zimperium)Dramatic Shift to Mobile AttacksStephen Kowski, field CTO at SlashNext, a computer and network security company in Pleasanton, Calif., noted that the AppLite campaign represents a sophisticated evolution of techniques first seen in Operation Dream Job, a global campaign run in 2023 by the infamous North Korean Lazarus group.While the original Operation Dream Job used LinkedIn messages and malicious attachments to target job seekers in the defense and aerospace sectors, todays attacks have expanded to exploit mobile vulnerabilities through fraudulent job application pages and banking trojans, he explained.The dramatic shift to mobile-first attacks is evidenced by the fact that 82% of phishing sites now specifically target mobile devices, with 76% using HTTPS to appear legitimate, he told TechNewsWorld.The threat actors have refined their social engineering tactics, moving beyond simple document-based malware to deploy sophisticated mobile banking trojans that can steal credentials and compromise personal data, demonstrating how these campaigns continue to evolve and adapt to exploit new attack surfaces, Kowski explained. Our internal data shows that users are four times more likely to click on malicious emails when using mobile devices compared to desktops, added Mika Aalto, co-founder and CEO of Hoxhunt, a provider of enterprise security awareness solutions in Helsinki.Whats even more concerning is that mobile users tend to click on these malicious emails at an even larger rate during the late night hours or very early in the morning, which suggests that people are more vulnerable to attacks on mobile when their defenses are down, he told TechNewsWorld. Attackers are clearly aware of this and are continually evolving their tactics to exploit these vulnerabilities.This new wave of cyber scams underscores the evolving tactics used by cybercriminals to exploit job seekers who are motivated to make a prospective employer happy, observed Soroko.By capitalizing on individuals trust in legitimate-looking job offers, attackers can infect mobile devices with sophisticated malware that targets financial data, he said. The use of Android devices, in particular, highlights the growing trend of mobile-specific phishing campaigns.Be careful what you sideload on an Android device, he cautioned.Enterprises Need Protection, TooDHIs Levy noted that attacks on job seekers arent limited to mobile phones. I dont think this is simply relegated to mobile phones, he said. Were seeing this on all the social platforms. Were seeing this on LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.Not only are these scams common, theyre very insidious, he declared. They prey on the emotional situation of job seekers.I probably get three to four of these text inquiries a week, he continued. They all go into my junk folder automatically. These are the new versions of the Nigerian prince emails that ask you to send them $1,000, and theyll give you $10 million back. Beyond its ability to mimic enterprise companies, AppLite can also masquerade as Chrome and TikTok apps, demonstrating a wide range of target vectors, including full device takeover and application access.The level of access provided [to] the attackers could also include corporate credentials, application, and data if the device was used by the user for remote work or access for their existing employer, Pratapagiri wrote.As mobile devices have become essential to business operations, securing them is crucial, especially to protect against the large variety of different types of phishing attacks, including these sophisticated mobile-targeted phishing attempts, said Patrick Tiquet, vice president for security and architecture of Keeper Security, a password management and online storage company, in Chicago.Organizations should implement robust mobile device management policies, ensuring that both corporate-issued and BYOD devices comply with security standards, he told TechNewsWorld. Regular updates to both devices and security software will ensure that vulnerabilities are promptly patched, safeguarding against known threats that target mobile users.Aalto also recommended the adoption of human risk management (HRM) platforms to tackle the growing sophistication of mobile phishing attacks.When a new attack is reported by an employee, the HRM platform learns to automatically find future similar attacks, he said. By integrating HRM, organizations can create a more resilient security culture where users become active defenders against mobile phishing and smishing attacks.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Malware

Well, its that time of year again. Like you, Im working through the gift-giving part of the holidays. I used to send out Amazon gift cards until one was stolen. I didnt get sympathy or a refund from Amazon, so Ive decided to steer clear of store gift cards altogether. So, Im back to sending people things I think they might want, and this week, Ill share my list of tech gadgets that make great gifts.Ill close with my last Product of the Week for 2024, a new off-road electric motorcycle from Dust Moto due out next year that is being built almost in my backyard.Dyson Supersonic Hair DryerDo you have a special lady in your life? Wife, sister, mother, daughter or girlfriend? Well, the best, but far from the cheapest, hair dryer Ive found is the Dyson Supersonic. Its normally priced around $430, but I found it on sale for $329. I got one for my wife, and she loved it, so I got one for my sister this year, but dont tell her!This hair dryer is relatively small, which makes it easy to pack. It comes up to speed quickly and holds up well. We havent had any problems with ours so far.The Supersonic uses Dysons unique design, which pulls the air from low in the handle, so it is unlikely to suck up your hair, and it has adjustments for every hair type, making it extremely flexible. It does come with a host of attachments, as is typical for anything Dyson-made. Dont ask me to explain all the features because I dont use them myself.This is my gift idea for someone you care about because it is well-made and expensive. Its unlikely theyd buy it for themselves, and they will likely think fondly of you when they dry their hair.Nixplay Digital Touchscreen Picture FrameFor the older folks in your life parents, grandparents, uncles, or aunts who might not be great with technology but who love family pictures, consider a digital picture frame you can preload with family pictures. When connected to the web, like the Nixplay digital touchscreen picture frame, you can update the picture playlist from the comfort of your couch once the device is set up.Yes, youll have to make sure the recipients Wi-Fi is working, which is a good reason to visit rather than just sending the thing out. At 10.1 inches and for around $140 (the 15-inch is on sale for $244 right now), it wont be too big for a bedside table, and it works with both iOS and Android phones.Although they say a grandma could upload pictures to the frame, its better if you manage it yourself. Regularly updating the pictures turns the frame into an ongoing surprise and a thoughtful reminder that youre thinking of them. Parents often struggle to feel connected after their kids move out, especially when those kids have their own families. This gift can help bridge that gap, serving as a simple but meaningful way to show you care.70mai Dash Cam OmniI was in a terrible car accident last year where an airbag knocked me out and broke my back. Because I was hit so hard, I have little memory of the accident, but my 70mai Dash Cam Omni caught the entire event, so I was able to go back and learn from it.What makes this dash cam different is that it has a head like R2D2 that swivels, so you dont have to have a rear-view camera. It will follow the action as it moves from side to side, capturing the entire event. It will also record people who mess with your car while it is parked. While it isnt as good as what Teslas typically ship with, for those of us who dont drive a Tesla, this is a great way to record your drive.Image Credit: 70maiIt can also get you out of bogus tickets. I got one of those a few years back where the officer said I was doing 90 on an open road. I wasnt, and I was in heavy traffic. It was my word against his, and he won. If Id had the camera back then, it would have paid for itself with that one ticket.This dash cam can also reinforce the need to drive more safely, given the record you are creating can be used against you. If you have kids who borrow your car, you might want to consider this to keep them from doing stupid things. At $200, its one of the more reasonable dash cams out there.Oh, and there are a lot of insurance scammers out there who will back into your car and scream that you rear-ended them or throw themselves in front of your vehicle, claiming you didnt yield. This camera can help you get out of those situations as well.VolteX Heated ScarfImage Credit: VolteXLiving in Bend, Oregon, where winters can be harsh, Ive come to appreciate heated gear. The VolteX Heated Scarf is one of the easiest self-heated items in the market.At under $17, this is a handy gift for those on a budget. You have to charge it up, but it heats almost instantly once turned on and has three heat settings (just like my heated car seats).The scarf is fluffy, so it feels really good on your neck. I bought one for my wife this year because she hates the cold. She can leave it in the car plugged into the cars electric system, so its always ready for the cold when a little instant warmth is appreciated.It is very portable, so you can travel with it, though since it has a battery, youll need to carry it onboard and not leave it in your luggage. It comes in brown, black, gray, or white. I ended up getting two in different colors since Im going to want to wear one as well.Ray-Ban Meta Smart GlassesThings are getting a bit crazy, given all of the political tension in the air. Ive been in several situations where I wanted to record what was happening without experiencing the anger that usually comes when you use your smartphone to capture someone breaking the law or behaving badly. In addition, using an action camera to record videos often doesnt provide the same view you have because the camera is located somewhere other than your face.Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses have a great camera in them. They can also replace your earbuds if you like to walk and listen to music or audiobooks or have your messages read to you while you are doing something else like running. The glasses come in a variety of styles and will take prescription lenses.Ray-Ban | Meta Smart Glasses (Video Credit: Meta)The camera is well hidden, so you dont have the concerns that the old Google Glass headset had. While the base prices currently range from $299 to $379, these glasses could be just what your loved one needs to capture that fleeting moment when something truly good or terribly bad is happening and you want to create a permanent record.Wrapping UpI hope this list helps you with your holiday shopping choices. Putting it together helped me make some of my own this year. I hope you have a marvelous holiday season!Hightail All-Electric Dirt Bike by Dust MotoHightail all-electric dirt bike (Image Credit: Dust Moto)While I dont ride much anymore, I used to own a Suzuki 125 and a Yamaha 175. The 125 was my school motorcycle, and the 175 was offroad. The problem with gas bikes when you are riding in the wilderness is that they make a lot of noise, and they need RPMs for torque. This means you miss a lot of the natural sounds, and when you get into trouble, like on a steep hill, you can end up spinning your wheel while trying to build enough torque to climb it.At an estimated $10,950 and with a release date of late 2025, the Dust Motos Hightail all-electric dirt bike is simply awesome. While not street legal, at least not yet, it is a monster of an alternative when it comes to riding off-road. It has an extremely clean design, and it was created by guys who also enjoy riding outdoors we have a lot of that here in Oregon. Their experience shows in the design and execution of this bike.With 42 HP and 660 Nm of torque, it will run for up to two hours on a charge. Plus, it has a replaceable battery, so you could carry a spare. It was created with support from Bloom, a company specializing in electric motorcycles, so even though this is Dust Motos first bike, it isnt Blooms first, so you can be confident this bike will do all it claims and more.Designed within walking distance of me, this would be on my Christmas shortlist for 2025 if I were still riding. As a result, the Hightail all-electric dirt bike by Dust Moto is my last Product of the Week for 2024, even though it wont be on my Christmas list until 2025, when this bike will be available.

AI-driven systems have become prime targets for sophisticated cyberattacks, exposing critical vulnerabilities across industries. As organizations increasingly embed AI and machine learning (ML) into their operations, the stakes for securing these systems have never been higher. From data poisoning to adversarial attacks that can mislead AI decision-making, the challenge extends across the entire AI/ML lifecycle.In response to these threats, a new discipline, machine learning security operations (MLSecOps), has emerged to provide a foundation for robust AI security. Lets explore five foundational categories within MLSecOps.1. AI Software Supply Chain VulnerabilitiesAI systems rely on a vast ecosystem of commercial and open-source tools, data, and ML components, often sourced from multiple vendors and developers. If not properly secured, each element within the AI software supply chain, whether its datasets, pre-trained models, or development tools, can be exploited by malicious actors.The SolarWinds hack, which compromised multiple government and corporate networks, is a well-known example. Attackers infiltrated the software supply chain, embedding malicious code into widely used IT management software. Similarly, in the AI/ML context, an attacker could inject corrupted data or tampered components into the supply chain, potentially compromising the entire model or system.To mitigate these risks, MLSecOps emphasizes thorough vetting and continuous monitoring of the AI supply chain. This approach includes verifying the origin and integrity of ML assets, especially third-party components, and implementing security controls at every phase of the AI lifecycle to ensure no vulnerabilities are introduced into the environment.2. Model ProvenanceIn the world of AI/ML, models are often shared and reused across different teams and organizations, making model provenance how an ML model was developed, the data it used, and how it evolved a key concern. Understanding model provenance helps track changes to the model, identify potential security risks, monitor access, and ensure that the model performs as expected.Open-source models from platforms like Hugging Face or Model Garden are widely used due to their accessibility and collaborative benefits. However, open-source models also introduce risks, as they may contain vulnerabilities that bad actors can exploit once they are introduced to a users ML environment. MLSecOps best practices call for maintaining a detailed history of each models origin and lineage, including an AI-Bill of Materials, or AI-BOM, to safeguard against these risks.By implementing tools and practices for tracking model provenance, organizations can better understand their models integrity and performance and guard against malicious manipulation or unauthorized changes, including but not limited to insider threats.3. Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)Strong GRC measures are essential for ensuring responsible and ethical AI development and use. GRC frameworks provide oversight and accountability, guiding the development of fair, transparent, and accountable AI-powered technologies.The AI-BOM is a key artifact for GRC. It is essentially a comprehensive inventory of an AI systems components, including ML pipeline details, model and data dependencies, license risks, training data and its origins, and known or unknown vulnerabilities. This level of insight is crucial because one cannot secure what one does not know exists.An AI-BOM provides the visibility needed to safeguard AI systems from supply chain vulnerabilities, model exploitation, and more. This MLSecOps-supported approach offers several key advantages, like enhanced visibility, proactive risk mitigation, regulatory compliance, and improved security operations.In addition to maintaining transparency through AI-BOMs, MLSecOps best practices should include regular audits to evaluate the fairness and bias of models used in high-risk decision-making systems. This proactive approach helps organizations comply with evolving regulatory requirements and build public trust in their AI technologies.4. Trusted AIAIs growing influence on decision-making processes makes trustworthiness a key consideration in the development of machine learning systems. In the context of MLSecOps, trusted AI represents a critical category focused on ensuring the integrity, security, and ethical considerations of AI/ML throughout its lifecycle.Trusted AI emphasizes the importance of transparency and explainability in AI/ML, aiming to create systems that are understandable to users and stakeholders. By prioritizing fairness and striving to mitigate bias, trusted AI complements broader practices within the MLSecOps framework. The concept of trusted AI also supports the MLSecOps framework by advocating for continuous monitoring of AI systems. Ongoing assessments are necessary to maintain fairness, accuracy, and vigilance against security threats, ensuring that models remain resilient. Together, these priorities foster a trustworthy, equitable, and secure AI environment.5. Adversarial Machine LearningWithin the MLSecOps framework, adversarial machine learning (AdvML) is a crucial category for those building ML models. It focuses on identifying and mitigating risks associated with adversarial attacks.These attacks manipulate input data to deceive models, potentially leading to incorrect predictions or unexpected behavior that can compromise the effectiveness of AI applications. For example, subtle changes to an image fed into a facial recognition system could cause the model to misidentify the individual.By incorporating AdvML strategies during the development process, builders can enhance their security measures to protect against these vulnerabilities, ensuring their models remain resilient and accurate under various conditions.AdvML emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring and evaluation of AI systems throughout their lifecycle. Developers should implement regular assessments, including adversarial training and stress testing, to identify potential weaknesses in their models before they can be exploited.By prioritizing AdvML practices, ML practitioners can proactively safeguard their technologies and reduce the risk of operational failures.ConclusionAdvML, alongside the other categories, demonstrates the critical role of MLSecOps in addressing AI security challenges. Together, these five categories highlight the importance of leveraging MLSecOps as a comprehensive framework to protect AI/ML systems against emerging and existing threats. By embedding security into every phase of the AI/ML lifecycle, organizations can ensure that their models are high-performing, secure, and resilient.

As a longtime user of the original Sonos Arc, I approached the new Sonos Arc Ultra with excitement and skepticism.The original Arc has been a staple in my home entertainment setup. It delivers impressive Dolby Atmos sound and effortlessly integrates with the Sonos ecosystem.With the Arc Ultra promising upgrades in sound quality, design, and connectivity, I was eager to see if it could live up to the hype and justify its higher price tag.After spending time with the Ultra, its clear that Sonos hasnt just refined its flagship soundbar; theyve reimagined what a standalone audio system can offer. But is it enough to tempt existing Arc users like me to take the leap? Lets dive in.The Sonos Arc Ultra, released on Oct. 29, is Sonos latest flagship soundbar. It is priced at $999 and available in black or white.This new release marks a slight price increase over its predecessor, the original Arc, which is discontinued and now being sold at discounted rates as retailers clear remaining stock.The Arc Ultra enters a competitive market, facing rivals like the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 and the Samsung HW-Q990D. Both offer compelling features and, at times, significant discounts.Design and BuildVisually, the Arc Ultra closely resembles the original Arc, maintaining Sonos minimalist aesthetic with a perforated grille encompassing most of the chassis. However, subtle changes include a ledge at the back housing touch controls play/pause, skip, volume slider, and a voice control button relocated from the main grille.The soundbars dimensions have been adjusted ever so slightly: its wider at 118cm (up from 114cm) but shorter in height at 7.5cm (down from 8.7cm), reducing the likelihood of obstructing the TV screen when placed in front. Weighing approximately 350g less than its predecessor, the Arc Ultra is also more wall-mount friendly.The design requires an open placement, as positioning it in a nook or under a shelf can impede the upward-firing drivers essential for optimal sound dispersion.Features and ConnectivityThe Arc Ultra boasts a 9.1.4-channel configuration, a significant upgrade from the original Arcs 5.0.2 setup. It incorporates 14 custom-engineered drivers powered by 15 Class D amplifiers, including seven tweeters, six midrange woofers, and a novel Sound Motion woofer.This innovative woofer utilizes four smaller, lightweight motors to move the cone, enabling greater air displacement and, according to Sonos, delivering up to twice the bass of the original Arc. The dual-cone design also aims to minimize mechanical vibrations, contributing to a more balanced sound profile.Despite these advancements, the Arc Ultra lacks support for DTS audio formats, focusing solely on Dolby Atmos for spatial audio. Connectivity options remain limited, with a single HDMI eARC port and no dedicated HDMI inputs, necessitating all external sources being connected through the TV. This setup may pose challenges for users with multiple high-spec gaming devices and limited HDMI 2.1 ports on their TVs.Sonos Arc Ultra home theater soundbar: front view (pictured top) and back viewOn the upside, the Arc Ultra introduces Bluetooth connectivity (a first for Sonos soundbars) and expands Sonos excellent Trueplay calibration support to Android devices, enhancing user accessibility.PerformanceIn terms of audio performance, the Arc Ultra delivers a clean, precise, and spacious soundstage with impressive three-dimensionality. The enhanced bass is deep and expressive, providing a solid foundation without overwhelming the overall sound profile.Dialogue clarity has improved, thanks to the new front-firing speaker array dedicated to the center channel, ensuring crisp and intelligible speech reproduction. The soundbar excels in detail retrieval, capturing subtle nuances across various content types.However, the absence of HDMI passthrough and DTS support may be limiting for some users. Additionally, while the Sonos app offers robust control and customization options, some users have reported occasional issues that could affect the overall user experience.How Arc Ultra Stacks Up Against RivalsCompared to competitors like the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 and the Samsung HW-Q990D, the Arc Ultra holds its ground in terms of sound quality and design.Though officially priced higher, the Sony Bravia Theatre Bar 9 often sees discounts that bring it closer to the Arc Ultras price point. The Bravia Theatre Bar 9 boasts a comprehensive feature set, including HDMI passthrough and support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats, offering greater flexibility for users with diverse content sources. While more expensive, the Samsung HW-Q990D includes a wireless subwoofer and surround speakers, delivering a more immersive surround sound experience out of the box. Its connectivity options are more extensive, featuring multiple HDMI inputs and support for various audio formats, making it a versatile choice for users seeking a comprehensive home theater setup.Is Arc Ultra Worth the Upgrade?To be sure, Sonos has long faced criticism for its app, which, while offering a sleek design and robust control options, has been plagued by occasional connectivity issues and limited flexibility.Users often report frustrations with delayed updates, difficulty adding new devices, and problems syncing across the ecosystem. These woes are especially frustrating given the premium price of Sonos products, which sets high expectations for seamless integration.Although recent updates have aimed to address some of these issues, the app experience still leaves room for improvement, particularly as competitors continue to refine their platforms. While I have suffered through some of these issues myself (particularly with Sonos terrific over-the-ears Ace headphones), the app has thankfully matured to the point that it didnt inhibit setup.Still, from a pure hardware standpoint, the Sonos Arc Ultra represents a significant advancement over its predecessor, offering enhanced bass performance, improved dialogue clarity, and a more immersive soundstage.Its sleek design and expanded connectivity options, including Bluetooth and broader Trueplay support, make it a compelling choice for users seeking a high-quality, all-in-one soundbar solution. However, the lack of HDMI passthrough and DTS support may be a consideration for potential buyers.Overall, the Arc Ultra is a superb soundbar that elevates the home audio experience, making it a worthy contender in the premium soundbar market.The Arc Ultra images featured in this article are credited to Sonos.

Aptera To Showcase Solar EV at CES 2025By John P. Mello Jr.December 3, 2024 5:00 AM PTImage Credit: Aptera Motors ADVERTISEMENTConnect with IT purchasing decision-makersMaximize your reach with TechNewsWorld's B2B marketing solutions. We deliver the highest-quality leads to streamline your sales journey. Fill your pipeline and elevate your revenue using our proven lead-generation strategies. Learn more. A near-production model of a solar-powered car will be on display at CES 2025.Aptera Motors has announced that a production intent version of its eponymously named solar-powered vehicle will be displayed at the mammoth consumer electronics show, which will be held January 7-10 in Las Vegas.The Aptera offers up to 40 miles of solar-powered driving per day, a three-wheel futuristic design, unparalleled energy efficiency, and the option to plug in for 400 miles on a single charge in under an hour, according to the company.Announcement of a production-intent model means Aptera has a vehicle that should comply with regulatory requirements and should be at a level where the design is viable for manufacturing, hitting performance, safety, and manufacturing requirements, Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm, in Bend, Ore., told TechNewsWorld.Aptera is being watched with a great deal of interest by many in the automotive industry, added Edward Sanchez, a senior analyst in the automotive practice at TechInsights, a global technology intelligence company.It is a radical departure from most mainstream cars, he told TechNewsWorld. Theres a big question of demand and mainstream appeal for such an unconventional design.The company is also using some manufacturing techniques that, up to this point, have been mainly used in the supercar and motorsports industries, he continued.The company is targeting a competitive price point for its vehicle, so it will be interesting to see how these specialized techniques and materials will scale for whats intended to be a quasi-mass-market vehicle from a volume standpoint and if the company can maintain competitive operating margins over the longer term.Demo Under ScrutinyMark N. Vena, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research, a consulting and research firm in Las Vegas, maintained that the scrutiny around Apteras demo will be incredibly high. The introduction of a production-intent vehicle signals that Aptera is transitioning from the prototype phase to a model ready for mass manufacturing, a critical milestone in its development, he told TechNewsWorld.This step demonstrates the companys confidence in the design, functionality, and manufacturability of the vehicle, aligning with industry standards and regulatory requirements, he continued. It also helps build consumer and investor trust by showcasing a tangible product that is nearing market readiness, setting the stage for final testing, production scaling, and eventual delivery. Im not optimistic.However, that dearth of optimism doesnt seem to be shared by the early adopters who have forked over US$1.7 billion to pre-order 50,000 units of the vehicle. CES is the perfect stage for unveiling the future of sustainable transportation, Aptera Co-CEO Chris Anthony said in a statement.Our production-intent vehicle is not only a testament to years of innovation and engineering but also a tangible solution to reducing carbon emissions and redefining how we think about energy-efficient mobility. Were excited to show the world that Aptera is ready to hit the road and deliver a cleaner, more sustainable future.To secure that future, though, will require surmounting some significant challenges. Generally, there just isnt enough surface area on a car for the current solar panel technology to do more than just run HVAC to keep the car cool, Enderle explained. Recharging the massive batteries in most EVs would take days to weeks to recharge using panels on a car.Power ProblemBen Zientara, a solar policy and industry expert at SolarReviews, a reviews and advice website, asserted that there is no way to power the kind of vehicle people want to drive with solar cells embedded in a cars surface.Even the most efficient solar cells can provide only a few miles of additional range per day, even if parked in the sunniest spot in the sunniest state, he told TechNewsWorld. The average electric vehicle can get about 3.5 miles of range with one kilowatt-hour of electricity. A car with solar cells can generate maybe three to four kWh per day, which is enough to drive 10 to 14 miles per day on just solar power.He pointed out that past attempts at solar-powered EVs by Sono Sion and Lightyear One both had solar cells that peaked at around 1.2 kilowatts of power under full sun. This means that the car would need to be perfectly clean and parked in the ideal location on a very sunny day for several hours to get the maximum 14 miles per day range, he said.I dont see a huge opportunity unless we see meaningful progress with the technology and the cost that would enable them to compete with existing vehicles today, including electric vehicles and those with internal combustion engines, added Seth Goldstein, an equity strategist and chair of the electric vehicle committee at Chicago-based Morningstar Research Services.He explained that Aptera is targeting 40 miles for an all-solar range, after which the vehicle becomes an electric car with a battery. I just dont see consumers really being willing to pay extra for 40 miles of solar-powered driving.Vagaries of Solar PowerEven if the surface-to-power problem is addressed, there are other vagaries of solar power. Cars are subject to weather conditions, falling leaves, bird poop, and other debris that cause loss of power output from solar cells, Zientara noted.He added that it is nearly impossible to perfectly orient the solar cells in a cars surface to the sun. To get the most from solar cells, they must be angled exactly perpendicular to incoming sunlight, he explained. A car has many, many different surfaces, all of which are angled in different directions. If you maximize the orientation of one surface, the others are not pointed directly at the sun. Then theres the sun moving in the sky problem. Even if you can point one or more of a vehicles faces directly at the sun, they wont stay that way for very long, Zientara noted. And the sun also changes throughout the year, shining down more directly on the northern hemisphere in the summer and much less directly in the winter. So solar cells in a cars surface will generate more energy during the summer and less during the winter, regardless of weather.Solar-powered vehicles may find a place in niche markets. Solar-powered vehicles are potentially sufficient for use cases where extended travel in sunny regions can maximize energy generation, such as rural or remote areas with limited access to charging infrastructure, Vena said. They are well-suited for low-speed, short-distance transportation, like delivery services, campus shuttles, or recreational vehicles, where energy demand is lower.Solar-powered vehicles can also serve as backup power sources or sustainable alternatives for off-grid living, contributing to energy independence and reduced carbon footprints, he added.They wont be viable for most people, Enderle acknowledged, but for those that can, or need to use them for living off the grid or because they have no viable charging alternatives, they could be a godsend.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Transportation

Schools and organizations that deploy vast numbers of computers have a much-needed computing edge against cybersecurity risks with enterprise-grade Chromebooks.Consumer-grade Chromebooks come with what Google calls defense in depth, which provides multiple layers of protection. If attackers succeed in bypassing one layer, others remain in effect. The networked Chromebooks deployed in school systems, medical facilities, and government offices take multi-layer security and boost it with additional features. One of them is Zero Trust security, a framework that verifies every user and device.All Chromebook devices run ChromeOS, an embedded operating system built around Googles Chrome web browser. They run the same Google-certified operating image system. This built-in heightened security and automatic updates are designed for Zero Trust security and require no monitoring by users.Endpoint resilience and data protection are two critical components of Zero Trust, augmented by robust data loss prevention (DLP) and granular access controls. Running enterprise-level Chromebooks on an organizations network is easily maintained by the IT system administrator through a console inaccessible to users.The approach works whether students or employees use the Chromebook devices internally or remotely, ensuring that security shields are always engaged. For example, users can access their devices using QR codes and picture-based login options.Schools have become frequent targets for cyberattacks like ransomware, phishing, and malware, said Jeremy Burnett, vice president of technology at CTL, during a recent seminar where his company presented on the updated security features built into both consumer and enterprise Chromebooks.CTL is a Chromebook manufacturer and ChromeOS OEM service provider that partners with Google to deliver tailored solutions for educators, learners, and businesses. These solutions address the growing threats of cyberattacks faced by schools and organizations.ChromeOS Foundational SecurityAccording to Andrew Luong, partner success engineer for Google and ChromeOS, the goal is to have strong authentication with second factors or security keys. Despite the other login options, students and others less familiar with technology prefer passwords.Making users change passwords frequently is complex because every app you use today asks for longer and more complex passwords. Its become quite a hassle, he told the virtual seminar audience.Googles password manager has been super helpful in generating stronger passwords because the more you have to change them, the less likely you will remember them. Googles various logon tools help users handle better passwords.Another major challenge is device health, he added. Devices must be updated regularly with the latest security patches. Using ChromeOS is where we really shine, noted Luong. ChromeOS devices update automatically, a key benefit and differentiator, with all running the same Google-certified operating image.However, he added that school IT teams must ensure that these devices are connected to get those updates and remain on the version you approve in compliance with your district or your school.Using the IT administration console makes it easy to keep them on a particular version of ChromeOS so that the students can take their tests or the teachers or staff can use their classroom tools.What we are doing in our console is having Google AI surface and show you, as you log into the Cloud Console, that devices are all up to date, he said.ChromeOS Security Behind the ScenesUpdates are installed in the background on the second copy of the OS. The process does not interfere with any users work. When all the updates are downloaded, a reboot button appears to load the new OS version.Chromebooks include Verified Boot, a trust connector technology that verifies the integrity of the operating system during startup and ensures the system has not been tampered with. If tampering or corruption is detected, the system automatically attempts to repair itself, often by restoring the OS to its original state. This ensures that the operating system remains secure and intact, addressing any failures in its integrity.Enterprise Chromebooks now have context-aware signals to check the integrity of the running ChromeOS version before it allows the devices to connect to school applications. That is an innovation in the zero-trust architecture framework, explained Luong.Another recent security feature added to the IT management console is threat detection and response, which does not use any agents. The management license enables admins to configure and monitor information flowing from ChromeOS device security events into the security event notification system.So centralized reporting and insights make it easy to have that zero-trust framework and enhance your cybersecurity, he said. ChromeOS has built-in malware protection. No ransomware has ever been reported [on ChromeOS devices].These enhanced enterprise cybersecurity features are available through the admin console under a licensed plan from an authorized provider like CTL to enterprise-grade devices. Consumer-grade Chromebooks all have the other features mentioned regarding automatic updates and built-in malware and antivirus protection.Insider Risks in School CybersecurityLuong stressed an essential point about the rigorous cybersecurity protections inherent in all Chromebook devices. They cannot always survive careless employee actions.When it comes to phishing, about 90% of data breaches in K-12 schools result from a system employee who is clicking on a link and that is not a knock on school system employees, he said.If that clicking results in a ransomware attack, the fault is not with Chromebooks. Education institutions are among the most targeted sectors.That is where cybersecurity training comes into play. On average, U.S. schools and colleges lose about $500,000 a day to downtime during ransomware attacks. So, the stakes are high when something happens, Luong observed. CyberNut offers security awareness training. The companys platform is designed to be extremely gamified and engaging, based on micro training sessions with short, gamified experiences.The real objective is to allow schools to measure behavior change. Our success is not just based on checking a box for faculty staff after they watch a short video and take a quiz. We are laser-focused and deliver measurable behavior change through an ongoing, perpetual training experience, said Oliver Page, co-founder and CEO of CyberNut.He offers a free trial, allowing organizations to learn about cybersecurity training. That includes a free phishing assessment to see how a school district is positioned from a security posture perspective.The High Cost of Cyberattacks on SchoolsThe quality of phishing emails has become more sophisticated over the past 10 or 20 years, with ransomware attacks on K-12 schools have increasing substantially in the last year. According to Page, most of those attacks come through malicious email and phishing.That is scary because depending on how you calculate that number. If you are talking about schools that were targeted in some way and something happened, it is closer to 100% of schools receiving malicious emails that could lead to a ransomware attack every day. So, it is prevalent, said Page.Several factors put schools in the crosshairs so prominently. Among the primary causes is a lack of budget, which leads to a lack of staffing and expertise.That gets bad when we couple it with thousands of devices to manage and secure. We have tons of extremely valuable data, Page warned.The median ransomware payment last year was $6.5 million. In addition to that ransom, you are looking at additional millions in recovery costs.One of the realities of that is that nobody teaches students about cyber safety, he added. Parents spend an average of 46 minutes educating their children on cybersecurity in their entire lifetime.Couple that with the fact that the average child above the age of 13 spends seven hours a day online, it is easy to see where the disparity and the concern lies, he concluded.

Nvidia Reveals Swiss Army Knife of AI Audio Tools: FugattoBy John P. Mello Jr.November 26, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTEngage with IT decision makers and key influencers. TechNewsWorld's B2B marketing services deliver sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Fill your funnel and grow revenue with our lead gen expertise. Get Started Today. High-powered computer chip maker Nvidia on Monday unveiled a new AI model developed by its researchers that can generate or transform any mix of music, voices and sounds described with prompts using any combination of text and audio files.The new AI model called Fugatto for Foundational Generative Audio Transformer Opus can create a music snippet based on a text prompt, remove or add instruments from an existing song, change the accent or emotion in a voice, and even produce sounds never heard before.According to Nvidia, by supporting numerous audio generation and transformation tasks, Fugatto is the first foundational generative AI model that showcases emergent properties capabilities that arise from the interaction of its various trained abilities and the ability to combine free-form instructions.We wanted to create a model that understands and generates sound like humans do, Rafael Valle, a manager of applied audio research at Nvidia, said in a statement.Fugatto is our first step toward a future where unsupervised multitask learning in audio synthesis and transformation emerges from data and model scale, he added.Nvidia noted the model is capable of handling tasks it was not pretrained on, as well as generating sounds that change over time, such as the Doppler effect of thunder as a rainstorm passes through an area.The company added that unlike most models, which can only recreate the training data theyve been exposed to, Fugatto allows users to create soundscapes its never seen before, such as a thunderstorm easing into dawn with the sound of birds singing.Breakthrough AI Model for Audio TransformationNvidias introduction of Fugatto marks a significant advancement in AI-driven audio technology, observed Kaveh Vahdat, founder and president of RiseOpp, a national CMO services company based in San Francisco.Unlike existing models that specialize in specific tasks such as music composition, voice synthesis, or sound effect generation Fugatto offers a unified framework capable of handling a diverse array of audio-related functions, he told TechNewsWorld. This versatility positions it as a comprehensive tool for audio synthesis and transformation. Vahdat explained that Fugatto distinguishes itself through its ability to generate and transform audio based on both text instructions and optional audio inputs. This dual-input approach enables users to create complex audio outputs that seamlessly blend various elements, such as combining a saxophones melody with the timbre of a meowing cat, he said.Additionally, he continued, Fugattos capacity to interpolate between instructions allows for nuanced control over attributes like accent and emotion in voice synthesis, offering a level of customization not commonly found in current AI audio tools.Fugatto is an extraordinary step towards AI that can handle multiple modalities simultaneously, added Benjamin Lee, a professor of engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.Using both text and audio inputs together may produce far more efficient or effective models than using text alone, he told TechNewsWorld. The technology is interesting because, looking beyond text alone, it broadens the volumes of training data and the capabilities of generative AI models.Nvidia at Its BestMark N. Vena, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research in Las Vegas, asserted that Fugatto represents Nvidia at its best.The technology introduces advanced capabilities in AI audio processing by enabling the transformation of existing audio into entirely new forms, he told TechNewsWorld. This includes converting a piano melody into a human vocal line or altering the accent and emotional tone of spoken words, offering unprecedented flexibility in audio manipulation.Unlike existing AI audio tools, Fugatto can generate novel sounds from text descriptions, such as making a trumpet sound like a barking dog, he said. These features provide creators in music, film, and gaming with innovative tools for sound design and audio editing.Fugatto deals with audio holistically spanning sound effects, music, voice, virtually any type of audio, including sounds that have not been heard before and precisely, added Ross Rubin, the principal analyst with Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City.He cited the example of Suno, a service that uses AI to generate songs. They just released a new version that has improvements in how generated human voices sound and other things, but it doesnt allow the kinds of precise, creative changes that Fugatto allows, such as adding new instruments to a mix, changing moods from happy to sad, or moving a song from a minor key to a major key, he told TechNewsWorld.Its understanding of the world of audio and the flexibility that it offers goes beyond the mask-specific engines that weve seen for things like generating a human voice or generating a song, he said.Opens Door for CreativesVahdat pointed out that Fugatto can be useful in both advertising and language learning. Agencies can create customized audio content that aligns with brand identities, including voiceovers with specific accents or emotional tones, he noted.At the same time, in language learning, educational platforms will be able to develop personalized audio materials, such as dialogues in various accents or emotional contexts, to aid in language acquisition.Fugatto technology opens doors to a wide array of applications in creative industries, Vena maintained. Filmmakers and game developers can use it to create unique soundscapes, such as turning everyday sounds into fantastical or immersive effects, he said. It also holds potential for personalized audio experiences in virtual reality, assistive technologies, and education, tailoring sounds to specific emotional tones or user preferences. In music production, he added, it can transform instruments or vocal styles to explore innovative compositions.Further development may be needed to get better musical results, however. All these results are trivial, and some have been around for longer and better, observed Dennis Bathory-Kitsz, a musician and composer in Northfield Falls, Vt.The voice isolation was clumsy and unmusical, he told TechNewsWorld. The additional instruments were also trivial, and most of the transformations were colorless. The only advantage is that it requires no particular learning, so the development of musicality for the AI user will be minimal.It may usher in some new uses real musicians are wonderfully inventive already but unless the developers have better musical chops to begin with, the results will be dreary, he said. They will be musical slop to join the visual and verbal slop from AI.AGI Stand-InWith artificial general intelligence (AGI) still very much in the future, Fugatto may be a model for simulating AGI, which ultimately aims to replicate or surpass human cognitive abilities across a wide range of tasks.Fugatto is part of a solution that uses generative AI in a collaborative bundle with other AI tools to create an AGI-like solution, explained Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.Until we get AGI working, he told TechNewsWorld, this approach will be the dominant way to create more complete AI projects with far higher quality and interest.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Audio/Video

Nvidia has faced scrutiny this month because some servers with a whopping 72 Blackwell processors were overheating. The issue arose because some initial OEM deployments were not properly water-cooled, which Lenovo aggressively identified and mitigated with its Neptune warm water-cooling solutions.As AI advances, well need more highly dense, incredibly powerful AI processors, which suggests that air cooling in server rooms may become obsolete.Lets talk about Blackwell, water cooling, and why Lenovos Neptune solution stands out at the moment. Well close with my Product of the Week: Microsofts Windows 365 Link, which could be the missing link between PCs and terminals that could forever change desktop computing.BlackwellBlackwell is Nvidias premier, AI-focused GPU. When it was announced, it was so far over what most would have thought practical that it almost seemed more like a pipe dream than a solution. But it works, and there is nothing close to its class right now. However, it is massively dense in terms of technology and generates a lot of heat.Some argue it is a potential ecological disaster. Dont get me wrong, it does pull a lot of power and generate a tremendous amount of heat. But its performance is so high compared to the kind of load that youd typically get with more conventional parts that it is relatively economical to run.Its like comparing a semi-truck with three trailers to a U-Haul van. Yes, the semi will get comparatively crappy gas mileage, but it will also hold more cargo than 10 U-Haul vans and use a lot less gas than those 10 vans, making it more ecologically friendly. The same is true of Blackwell. It is so far beyond its competition in terms of performance that its relatively high energy use is below what otherwise would be required for a competitive AI server.But Blackwell chips do run hot, and most servers today are air-cooled. So, it shouldnt be surprising that some Blackwell servers were configured with air cooling and those with 72 or more Blackwell processors on a rack overheated. While 72 Blackwells in a rack is unusual today, as AI advances, it will become more common, given Nvidia is currently the king of AI.You can only go so far with air-cooled technology in terms of performance before you have to move to liquid cooling. While Nvidia did respond to this issue with a water-cooled rack specification that Dell is now using, Lenovo was way ahead of the curve with its Neptune water-cooling solution.Lenovo NeptuneLenovo was the first to realize this, mainly because it is currently the market leader in its class in terms of water cooling a technology initially acquired from IBM, which has been doing water cooling for decades.What is important with water cooling isnt just the technology but the knowledge of how to deploy it safely. Mixing water and high-amperage electronics can be a disaster if you dont know what youre doing. As a result of the IBM server acquisition, Lenovo has decades of water cooling experience that it calls Neptune.Given Nvidia has specified a water-cooled rack, what makes Neptune better? The answer is experience. Most that will use the Nvidia-specified solution, including Nvidia, dont often deploy water-cooled solutions. As a result, particularly with these high-end Blackwell implementations, theyll essentially be learning on the job.It can be really dangerous when you mix water with high-amperage electronics. Water and electricity dont mix. Not only can a leak fry an expensive part or even an entire rack, but if a person is present, it can fry them, too, if the breakers dont set in. In a raised-floor environment, unless it has been designed with leaks in mind, terrible things can happen. I observed this myself decades ago when I was at IBM, and it turned out they hadnt stress-tested the water-cooling system for our massive (for the time) data center. The site lost a transformer that shut off the water-cooling system, which hadnt been stress-tested for a sudden stop. The pipes burst, and the data center became a dangerous swimming pool. Most of the hardware, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, was lost, and the building was flooded, doing additional damage.Through experiences like this, IBM became the leading OEM for safe water cooling, and Lenovo acquired that knowledge and experience when it bought the IBM x86 server group. Now, Lenovo, along with IBM, knows how to do water cooling better than most, which means that you can rest assured that a Lenovo Blackwell server wont overheat or suddenly begin to leak.Plus, Lenovos expertise is in warm water cooling, a far safer and far less expensive way to cool servers than cold water cooling, which requires huge, inefficient evaporators or chillers.Implementing this technology is no trivial task. Unlike automobiles or PCs that are water-cooled, servers have to have hot swapping capabilities, which means you need exceptional and highly tested drip-free connections, aggressive alerting, preventive maintenance schedules based on past knowledge of components, and technicians experienced with working with this level of water-cooling tech.Wrapping Up: A Future of Warm-Water-Cooled Data CentersBlackwell is only the first of these incredibly powerful processors to hit the market because as AI pushes the envelope, Nvidias competitors will also have to push into something similar, suggesting all servers may eventually need to be warm water cooled.As warm-water cooling moves into the market more aggressively, these data centers will quiet down, making them far more pleasant places to work. That will make many of us who have to work in them very happy.Windows 365 LinkImage Credit: MicrosoftEver since we replaced terminals with PCs, IT has wanted the terminal experience back. Terminals were like pre-smart TVs in that you didnt have to do patches or OS upgrades or deal with the blue screen of death. If the thing broke, it was pretty easy to fix or was relatively inexpensive to replace. From an IT perspective, terminals were a ton better than PCs.But on the PC side, terminals sucked. You couldnt run what you wanted to run without getting IT support, and it could take months for IT to respond to a request.Terminals were connected to aging mainframes that couldnt run modern applications at the time (they can now). New applications were usually custom-built, but a gap in communication between users and IT frequently led to problems. Users struggled to articulate their needs, and IT often failed to probe for better specifications, resulting in frequently unusable applications.Well at Microsoft Ignite last week, Microsoft announced the Windows 365 Link which may be the closest thing to a perfect wired (theres no laptop solution yet) terminal with PC-like features and performance.While we call the class a thin client, Microsoft calls this a Cloud PC. At $349 and the size of a micro-PC, it appears to have the closest weve seen in terms of a near-perfect PC/terminal blend.Windows 365 Link will be more reliable, cheaper, secure, and far smaller than most desktop PCs, making it very attractive for IT. At the same time, it connects to a Cloud PC instance, providing the user with a very PC-like experience.It only targets enterprise accounts right now, mainly because they have the greatest need and the necessary infrastructure. I see this moving to markets like travel, education, government, manufacturing, and other vertical markets with similar needs. Although it doesnt yet address mobile users, fully deployed 5G and the coming 6G specification should allow future mobile implementations.Given Microsoft was one of the companies that launched the PC and made terminals obsolete, it seems ironic and poetic that Microsoft takes the lead in making them obsolete, eventually. Well see if that happens. For now, the Windows 365 Link is my Product of the Week.

This weeks Microsoft Ignite 2024 event in Chicago showcased Microsoft's vision and strategies for corporate and enterprise customers, highlighting AI's potential to transform operations. The post Microsoft Ignite 2024: Enterprise Productivity Is the Easiest AI Sell appeared first on TechNewsWorld.

Outdated Risk Management Frameworks Face Growing CriticismBy John P. Mello Jr.November 19, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTYour Salesforce Data, Your ResponsibilityLearn best practices to effortlessly protect your Salesforce Data with Rubrik. Find Out How Risk management in many organizations is mired in a framework that cant keep pace with the challenges that most enterprise risk teams face. It needs to be modernized.Thats the verdict that senior analysts Cody Scott and Alla Valente handed down in a recent Forrester Research blog thats critical of the Three Lines of Defense (3LOD) approach, which is widely used to assess organizational risk.Conventional means of managing risk havent kept pace with the demand, velocity, or pressure that most enterprise risk teams face, the analysts wrote.Worse yet, they continued, many governance, risk, and compliance programs hyperfocus on compliance, completely ignore risk, and scramble to stand up governance for every new emerging risk, technology, or threat. The 3LOD model is not built to solve this. They explained that 3LOD was developed as a corporate governance framework to implement segregation of duties requirements under the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). Then, in 2013, the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) promoted it as a solution to enhance risk management. But as anyone who has tried to implement it as a foundation for enterprise risk management will tell you, the 3LOD is not a model for managing risk, the analysts wrote.Rigid FrameworkThe framework is designed to meet the compliance requirements set by SOX, not deal with business risks, noted Ian Amit, founder and CEO of Gomboc, a provider of automated cloud infrastructure security solutions in New York City.Its not adaptive enough to work for most modern organizations, where reporting lines and hierarchy arent as rigid as they used to be in 2000, he told TechNewsWorld.The 3LOD framework is a fairly old approach that the financial sector used and likely still does, added Brian Betterton, practice director for risk and strategic services at GuidePoint Security, a cybersecurity services provider in Herndon, Va.3LOD is not what I would call a modern approach, but some like it as it creates separation and thus splits risk management across three functions, he told TechNewsWorld. To me, 3LOD is more of an audit approach than a risk one.He also pointed out that because of the audit nature of its controls, it has a point-in-time focus and not the continuous approach found in solutions focusing on business risk.Compliance Trumps RiskMany risk management programs are hyper-focused on compliance over actual risk for a number of reasons.Traditional risk management approaches tend to focus on compliance passing the audit and checking the boxes rather than actual business risk, Amit said. These approaches are often taken by organizations with leadership more concerned with preserving the current status quo than driving revenues or innovation.Often risk management programs focus more on compliance because its tangible and tied to clear goals, added Nicole Sundin, CPO of Axio, a cyber risk management company in New York City.Compliance work is usually linked to a business objective or external requirement, she told TechNewsWorld. In this context, compliance becomes a point-in-time effort aimed at meeting a specific business need, rather than an ongoing process of identifying and mitigating evolving risks.In addition, most risk management programs are driven by compliance goals, added Chandrasekhar Bilugu, CTO of SureShield, a security, compliance, and integrity management software company, in Atlanta. Organizations seldom take up risk management as an independent process disconnected from compliance mandates, as it would lack the necessary executive sponsorship, he told TechNewsWorld. Heath Renfrow, CISO and co-founder of Fenix24, a disaster recovery and restoration company in Chattanooga, Tenn., asserted that compliance-driven risk management programs are nothing more than paper drills with no sound way of quantifying the risks for senior executives to make risk-based decisions. You cannot manage risks that you do not understand, he told TechNewsWorld.Betterton noted that in less mature organizations, risk management programs tend to focus on compliance over risk. Less mature organizations are viewing compliance as their main risk and, in turn, missing all of the risks they may have, he said.Meeting compliance requirements is also easier for many organizations than assessing security needs. Compliance means that you are complying with a rule or a regulation that must be followed. There are clear definitions of what must be followed, explained Ira Winkler, CISO at CYE, a cybersecurity optimization company in Tel Aviv, Israel.However, what it means to be secure varies greatly, he told TechNewsWorld. If you have no idea what security means for your organization, while you do have a clear definition of what it means to be compliant, you are obviously first going to achieve compliance because it is hard to be secure when you dont exactly understand what that means.Foundation of Modern Risk ManagementScott and Valente cited three pillars for a modern approach to risk management.The approach must be dynamic and able to deal with risk in three dimensions: systemic risk external to the organization and beyond its control; ecosystem risk external to the organization but within varying degrees of control, such as third-party and supply chain risk; and enterprise risks internal to the organization and directly controllable, such as cybersecurity and financial risk.Further, the approach must be continuous because risks and opportunities evolve over time. Point-in-time, static risk assessments dont reflect reality, the analysts explained. Instead, teams require a continuous process to identify risk context, assess it as plans and objectives develop, make decisions, and monitor the results. The approach must also recognize that cyber risk is business risk. The analysts noted that typically, the chief risk officer selects the risk management model, while the CISO needs to ensure that the model is functional for the organizations cybersecurity needs. Without working in lockstep, security, and risk pros are stuck living in fear from audit to audit while foreseeable, preventable risk events materialize repeatedly.The chief risk officer and chief information security officer need to be on the same page when implementing a risk framework because both are responsible for identifying and addressing different aspects of risk within the organization, Sunlin observed.The CRO typically focuses on overall business and operational risks, while the CISO focuses on cybersecurity risks. However, both roles have overlapping responsibilities when it comes to managing risk, and their teams possess crucial insights that must be shared to effectively address and mitigate risks.Collaboration between the CRO and CISO ensures a holistic approach to risk management, enabling the organization to proactively identify, assess, and resolve potential threats across all domains, she said. When their efforts are aligned, it fosters a unified, comprehensive risk strategy that reduces vulnerabilities and enhances the overall resilience of the business.Forresters ModelScott and Valente also touted Forresters continuous risk management model, which they hailed as a blueprint for holistic risk management.Forresters approach isnt completely new, Amit noted. It mimics how modern organizations manage risk, he said.The introduction of tools that allow an organization to get more frequent data points on its internal controls and processes, as well as external threats, allow for more granular risk management that is more continuous than periodical, he explained.He also pointed out that the audit and compliance requirements force organizations to implement more continuous evidence-gathering and controls, which allow them, in turn, to practice more pronounced risk management on an ongoing basis.Fundamentally, people need to understand what risk management and security are, Winkler advised. The definition of security is being free from risk, and you can never be free of all risk.Security professionals need to understand that their job is essentially risk management, which involves making the best decisions to optimize their spend compared to the amount of the potential loss, he continued. This requires good decision science and mathematical tools to help. This will drive their work from being an art to a science.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.More by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Security

IBMs beta release of its Environmental Intelligence (EI) platform offers application developers and data scientists curated environmental insights powered by AI with access to open-source geospatial and satellite data.This cloud-based platform provides a variety of geospatial, weather, and climate APIs, enabling users to create applications that address sustainability, climate change, and regulatory needs.IBM aims for the software to help businesses manage financial risks associated with climate disruptions. Both public and private sectors face climate-related challenges, including operational disruptions, asset damage, and supply chain vulnerabilities. IBM Environmental Intelligence offers geospatial data, advanced models, and AI insights to support organizations in addressing these critical issues.Environmental Intelligence is a new product, but some of its remnants date back several years. We have a very wide IBM research community of sustainability and climate scientists who are investing and working with specific industry type problems, climate type problems that are really forward-thinking, David Blanch, director of product management, ESG, and Environmental Intelligence at IBM, told TechNewsWorld.Versatile API Suite Powers Environmental InsightsIBMs EI solution offers a suite of APIs to help developers and data scientists gather and analyze Earths surface data for predictive insights and proactive decision-making. It simplifies the process of working with public satellite data by processing, normalizing, and organizing it into geospatial layers, making it ready for analysis and visualization.Satellite imagery highlighting biomass data to support environmental monitoring and sustainability initiatives.The APIs and a Python software development kit (SDK) provide access to high-resolution imagery, global weather data, and other valuable datasets to gain insights for quicker action. The EI platform features a foundation model co-developed with NASA for pre-processing and cleansing geospatial data.Other key features include seamless access to environmental and geospatial datasets through easy-to-use APIs for real-time analysis. Geospatial-temporal querying uses an advanced insights engine to analyze geospatial and temporal data and improve application functionality.IBMs Environmental Intelligence platform features data layers, predictive models, and insights to support decision-making and sustainability efforts.On-demand historical weather data provides access to past weather data to inform predictive models and optimize operations across various sectors. Advanced data querying lets users execute complex queries on diverse environmental datasets at customizable spatial and temporal resolutions.APIs automate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions calculations for the internal and supply chain emissions to track and manage carbon footprints.The beta platform is free. IBM will consider future pricing and packaging decisions pending market feedback.Market Trends Show New Uses for Climate DataIBM is targeting a specific audience of technical builders, developers, and data scientist communities because of observed trends in the market. According to Blanch, these targeted users are not necessarily all climate scientists or meteorologists who benefit from accessing the innovative data, putting it behind an API, and applying embeddable use cases across their existing applications.The trends involve how climate change is impacting business operations across various verticals. Research indicates that climate-related disasters are causing significant losses on a macro level. Some of the datasets within environmental intelligence fall into a couple of buckets. One dataset is open-source satellite imagery, offering high-resolution visuals captured by European satellites orbiting the globe every five days. This imagery supports a wide range of applications, from environmental monitoring to regulatory compliance.An organization could access that raw imagery on its own but would encounter a lot of challenge with pre-processing cloud removals, noted Blanch in a key benefit of using the EI platform instead.Another dataset includes meteorological data such as historical records, real-time updates, and short-term weather forecasts. Blanch noted that climate projections for more long-term needs involving climate planning should be added to those scenarios.Thinking in terms of specific business examples, how do you build more resiliency inside your organization regarding natural hazards like floods and wildfires? How do you handle disaster risk planning and risk assessments? How do you calculate your businesss carbon emissions?Visualizing wildfire risk across regions using IBMs Environmental Intelligence platform for disaster planning and resiliency.If you think about how companies are operationalizing sustainability, they have an industrial asset and a methane link to a carbon equivalent in todays workflow. A work order might be issued so that somebody can go perform some maintenance for these different operational groups who are not traditional sustainability-minded people, Blanch suggested.Sustainability Solutions for Diverse IndustriesAccording to Blanch, IBM wants to expand beyond traditional uses to benefit the potential applications in other industries. He referenced use cases already showing EI success in agriculture, such as crop monitoring, yield prediction, and precision farming.For example, easier access to satellite data is helping organizations comply with new environmental regulations from governments. The European Unions deforestation regulation is a case in point.It requires companies to review their supply chains and verify they are not working with suppliers who violate these regulatory requirements involving extensive land use changes.Another example involves how IBMs EI technology can impact animal growth and influence nutrition adjustments based on environmental conditions. Some groups developed a predictive modeling system using weather data to assess mycotoxin levels in their crops. They were able to create a forecasting model using environmental and weather data from the platform to improve their business operations.Temperature distribution map aiding predictive modeling for agriculture and climate-related decision-making.The potential for third-party, remote imaging is tremendous. So you dont need to be meteorologists or climate experts, but you can have access to a pre-processed, curated data set that could be available with easy tutorials, samples, and guides to embed those within your applications, models, or workflows, Blanch said about the goal of IBMs EI software.The OpenStreetMap images in this article were provided to TechNewsWorld courtesy of IBM.

Microsoft Ignite is on this week. Its the companys massive event focused on IT professionals. While you can attend this event remotely, you should consider attending in person this year because I still see far more AI failures than successes. When AI is deployed successfully, it has a significant positive impact on productivity, yet quality appears to be going in the wrong direction. But not for everyone.Shows like Microsoft Ignite are full of information on products and services. The event is attended by many IT professionals in different industries, with varying levels of AI deployment and very different paths to success.With the intense focus on all things AI, and Microsoft Copilot being one of the most widely spread AI tools, being able to talk to the people who have been successful with this tool, which vendors they worked with to deploy it successfully, and what practices helped their success become golden knowledge.Lets talk about why this years Ignite is important not only to attend but to attend in person. Well close with my Product of the Week: Bluesky, the social media platform I hear people are having the best success with as they move from Twitter/X.The Value of RelationshipsBuilding strong vendor and peer relationships is essential for AI success, especially when navigating the complexities of new technology like Microsoft Copilot, which appears to be the most successful AI offering in the market so far. It has enormous productivity-improving value to every product it enhances.Because Microsoft is a platform, tools, and cloud company, its tools tend to be relatively unfocused in terms of industry or geography. This broad applicability doesnt preclude tuning; it indicates the tools can be useful to almost every company, from enterprises to small businesses. While smaller companies will likely use AI as a service, enterprises are increasingly likely to use tools hosted on their own hardware or in a hybrid approach where sensitive information is retained, AI is accessed on-premises, and less secure information and implementation that dont require low latency can be cloud-deployed.The issue to address is that service providers, OEMs, and most companies trying to ramp up AI dont know enough about it to succeed. However, the people who understand AI and have had successful AI deployments (particularly the early adopters Microsoft assisted) will be at Ignite. Meeting these experts could make a difference in whether you overspend on these tools and help avoid common mistakes by learning from the mistakes of others and being able to delineate the hype from reality.Genuine Value vs. Exaggerated ClaimsI learned this lesson a few decades ago when Microsoft held an event arguing that its Windows NT servers could replace mainframes. When I had a chance to talk to two of Microsofts reference accounts, it became clear that Windows NT wasnt ready to replace mainframes for most organizations.The first indicated that it was working very well and had effectively replaced their mainframe, but also that had Microsoft not paid for the deployment, theyd never have been able to afford it.The second account didnt have a lot of time to talk to me because their NT servers had gone down, and the CEO was pissed. The poor guy likely thought his job wouldnt survive the result.Vendors tend to overpromise and underdeliver. Microsoft is better than many, but it has had this problem in the past. When it comes to AI, while Copilot is performant, it appears to have a significant adverse impact on quality, which is only a dealbreaker if you cant mitigate it.At Ignite, you can learn from the early adopters where the hype matches reality and where it doesnt and how to mitigate the damage from the latter. You dont want to be that poor guy who was an early adopter and likely lost his job as a result. These people can help ensure that your initial AI implementations with Copilot are something you can be proud of, not something youll be hiding from.Microsoft PartnersAt Ignite, there are always a lot of Microsoft partners, and every one of them will tell you that they are the partners for you. But along with these vendors are their customers who have used their services and deployment teams. Even if an OEM or service provider has a successful process, given how rapidly theyve had to ramp up, some teams know what they are doing, and some are learning on the job.Given that large language models (LLMs) cost around $100 million to develop, learning on the job can be incredibly expensive and embarrassing for the individuals or organizations that hire the teams tasked with training these models. Asking about not only the vendors IT professionals used successfully but also the specific teams they used can inform you which vendors are better than others and which vendor teams are better than others. I once met with an executive who correctly identified the best vendor for a specific task only to find that the team was unavailable. So, they passed and went with a different vendor who could provide their most successful team for the deployment. The efforts result was successful, but it might not have been if he had not looked under the covers to ensure the competency of the vendor and the team that provided the critical service.Wrapping UpAI is in the midst of a significant feeding frenzy. Most failed deployments appear to be primarily due to the immaturity of the tools, the inexperience of the vendors and customers, an excessive focus on productivity, and an inadequate focus on quality. This doesnt mean that AI is crap. It isnt, and it is working for an increasing number of companies.The problem is the inability to delineate between those products, tools, and vendors that are competent for your industry and company and those that are not. Because of Microsofts leadership in AI, Ignite is one of the few places to get the critical information you need to make better choices and ensure your expensive AI deployment is successful.BlueskySince Elon Musk took over Twitter and renamed it X, many users have been looking for an alternative service. Mastodon and Metas Threads initially looked like good alternatives, but both products had issues.While capable, Mastodon was somewhat difficult to use and hasnt lived up to being a Twitter replacement. Threads got a huge initial bump, but it fell off quickly because it lacked many of the features people relied on with Twitter. People still use both platforms, but they dont seem to be the go-to replacement for Twitter/X.(Image by Author / Gemini)Bluesky, at least for now, has gained traction as a viable replacement. It is relatively easy to use, and more feature-rich than Threads initially was. Im getting inquiries from all over the world on that platform this week as more and more people globally abandon or cut back on their use of Twitter to use Bluesky instead.Social media is a thing, and while it might be healthier not to spend as much time on it, Bluesky continues to be a much more balanced platform, one I and others feel safe using. It reminds me of the early days of Twitter when the tool was fun to use, and you didnt end up wasting time in online arguments with people who seemed outright crazy.For me, Bluesky is safer, more fun to use, and less full of misinformation than Twitter. It appears to be the best Twitter alternative for now, so its my Product of the Week.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.

AI Search Threatens Digital Economy, Warns ResearcherBy John P. Mello Jr.November 12, 2024 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTYour Salesforce Data, Your ResponsibilityLearn best practices to effortlessly protect your Salesforce Data with Rubrik. Find Out How Search engines using artificial intelligence could harmfully disrupt the digital economy, warns a researcher at Harvards Berkman Klein Center.[I]f AI search becomes our primary portal to the web, it threatens to disrupt an already precarious digital economy, Benjamin Brooks wrote in a recent article in the MIT Technology Review.Today, the production of content online depends on a fragile set of incentives tied to virtual foot traffic: ads, subscriptions, donations, sales, or brand exposure, he explained. By shielding the web behind an all-knowing chatbot, AI search could deprive creators of the visits and eyeballs they need to survive.Brooks urged the AI industry to address the content compensation problem before others do it. The AI industry should use this narrow window of opportunity to build a smarter content marketplace before governments fall back on interventions that are ineffective, benefit only a select few, or hamper the free flow of ideas across the web, he wrote.We need to bear in mind that these new systems, these new business models, are just taking off, he added in an interview with TechNewsWorld, but however we respond to these challenges, its important we do so in a thoughtful, measured and targeted way. Thats why industry should take the lead here.Government is now more confident regulating content and regulating bargaining than it ever was before, he said. The AI search industry should be mindful of that. With that additional pressure over the coming years, the industry should get ahead and build a smarter solution before government turns to blunter solutions.AI Search Impact UnclearSo far, the impact of AI search on the wallets of content creators is still foggy. Its not yet clear, but there is a strong argument to be made that there will be reduced traffic to many publishers, said Greg Sterling, co-founder of Near Media, a news, commentary, and analysis website.The evidence is mixed, he told TechNewsWorld. During the Google SGE period, there was evidence that organic links were being pushed down the page and therefore [were] less visible. Introduced in December 2023, Googles Search Generative Experience provides overviews of search topics using AI.However, he continued, there was little research on actual click behavior. Google claims that links within AI results get more engagement. We need to do more research on this issue.Chris Ferris, senior vice president of digital strategy at Pierpont Communications, a public relations agency in Houston, added that AI search will exacerbate the problem that already exists with traditional search. Most web pages dont get any traffic from organic search, he told TechNewsWorld.He cited research published by Search Engine Land predicting that organic traffic will fall between 18% and 64% because of AI search. Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research in Las Vegas, noted there is growing evidence that AI-driven search, such as generative AI summaries in search engines, has caused a decline in click-through rates to content providers websites, as users increasingly consume information directly from AI responses.News outlets and niche content creators have reported reduced traffic from traditional search sources when AI systems generate comprehensive answers, he told TechNewsWorld. While detailed impact studies are ongoing, this trend indicates potential risks to publishers ad revenue and visibility.Without doubt, AI-driven search tools risk reducing traffic to content providers sites, potentially undermining ad revenues and subscriber models, he added.Without users clicking through to original sources, content creators may struggle to monetize their work, threatening the sustainability of quality journalism and niche content. Balancing AI-driven convenience with adequate attribution and redirection to content providers will be essential to preserve a healthy digital content ecosystem.Eyeball Apocalypse OverblownDev Nag, CEO and founder of QueryPal, an enterprise chatbot based in San Francisco, asserted that the narrative that AI search will destroy content creation by stealing eyeballs fundamentally misunderstands how content ecosystems have evolved.Think about how we transitioned from paid newspapers and centralized TV/movie studios to ad-supported online content, he told TechNewsWorld. Each shift brought predictions of doom, yet we ended up with far more content and from more content creators than ever.AI is poised to dramatically expand content reach through better discovery, translation, and personalization. Rather than destroying the content economy, AI search is likely to create a more efficient marketplace where quality content finds its intended audience more effectively.He contended that the evidence so far doesnt support the eyeball apocalypse narrative.While AI search is changing how people discover content, were seeing content creators adapt by producing more focused, high-quality material that AI systems can better understand and distribute, he said. The real transformation isnt about losing eyeballs. Its about shifting from a mass-market advertising model to more sophisticated monetization approaches.Nag predicted two primary models emerging: content licensing, where creators get paid for allowing AI systems to learn from and reference their work, even if its available openly otherwise, such as the recent Google-Reddit agreement, and a value-share system, where AI platforms distribute revenue based on how often they reference and synthesize a creators content. Thats currently possible with RAG-based systems that are able to provide explicit references like Perplexity and could be adapted to systems which are directly trained through sophisticated attribution tracking, he explained.Search engines could do as TikTok and YouTube do and share their revenue to build up creators feeding their services, added Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.However, as AI advances, he told TechNewsWorld, it may need less and less human creators, which will be problematic to this future outcome.Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City, pointed out that AI search is the culmination of something seen over the course of decades.Back in the day, long before AI, there was Ask Jeeves, he told TechNewsWorld. It didnt execute on the idea very well, but the idea was, rather than get a whole bunch of links, you got an answer. In many cases, thats what the person searching wants. Its a better experience to be given information up front and not have to piece it together or track it down from multiple information sources.Downside of Big Content DealsIn his article, Brooks was critical of AI companies cutting deals with big media companies to avoid litigation or government intervention. This policy of selective appeasement is untenable, he wrote. It neglects the vast majority of creators online, who cannot readily opt out of AI search and who do not have the bargaining power of a legacy publisher.It takes the urgency out of reform by mollifying the loudest critics, he continued. It legitimizes a few AI firms through confidential and intricate commercial deals, making it difficult for new entrants to obtain equal terms or equal indemnity and potentially entrenching a new wave of search monopolists.In the long term, it could create perverse incentives for AI firms to favor low-cost and low-quality sources over high-quality but more expensive news or content, fostering a culture of uncritical information consumption in the process, he added.At this point in the development of AI search, Sterling said its still too early to tell how the game will play out. We have many assumptions and fears but need to test them and produce real data so that were not operating from a place of pure conjecture, he observed.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. Mello Jr.view allMore in Search Tech