John Edwards, Technology Journalist & AuthorJune 5, 20254 Min ReadSailGP Australia, USA, and Great Britain racing on San Francisco Bay, CaliforniaDannaphotos via Alamy StockWarren Jones is CTO at SailGP, the organizer of what he describes as the world's most exciting race on water. The event features high-tech F50 boats that speed across the waves at 100 kilometers-per-hour (62 miles-per-hour).  Working in cooperation with Oracle, Jones focuses on innovative solutions for remote broadcast production, data management and distribution, and a newly introduced fan engagement platform. He also leads the team that has won an IBC Innovation Awards for its ambitious and ground-breaking remote production strategy. Among the races Jones organizes is the Rolex SailGP Championship, a global competition featuring national teams battling each other in identical high-tech, high-speed 50-foot foiling catamarans at celebrated venues around the world. The event attracts the sport's top athletes, with national pride, personal glory, and bonus prize money of $12.8 million at stake. Jones also supports event and office infrastructures in London and New York, and at each of the global grand prix events over the course of the season. Prior to joining SailGP, he was IT leader at the America's Cup Event Authority and Oracle Racing. In an online interview, Jones discusses the challenges he faces in bringing reliable data services to event vessels, as well as onshore officials and fans. Related:Warren JonesWhat's the biggest challenge you've faced during your tenure? One of the biggest challenges I faced was ensuring real-time data transmission from our high-performance F50 foiling catamarans to teams, broadcasters, and fans worldwide. SailGP relies heavily on technology to deliver high-speed racing insights, but ensuring seamless connectivity across different venues with variable conditions was a significant hurdle. What caused the problem? The challenge arose due to a combination of factors. The high speeds and dynamic nature of the boats made data capture and transmission difficult. Varying network infrastructure at different race locations created connectivity issues. The need to process and visualize massive amounts of data in real time placed immense pressure on our systems. How did you resolve the problem? We tackled the issue by working with T-Mobile and Ericsson in a robust and adaptive telemetry system capable of transmitting data with minimal latency over 5G. Deploying custom-built race management software that could process and distribute data efficiently [was also important]. Working closely with our global partner Oracle, we optimized Cloud Compute with the Oracle Cloud.  Related:What would have happened if the problem wasn't quickly resolved? Spectator experience would have suffered. Teams rely on real-time analytics for performance optimization, and broadcasters need accurate telemetry for storytelling. A failure here could have resulted in delays, miscommunication, and a diminished fan experience. How long did it take to resolve the problem? It was an ongoing challenge that required continuous innovation. The initial solution took several months to implement, but we’ve refined and improved it over multiple seasons as technology advances and new challenges emerge. Who supported you during this challenge? This was a team effort -- with our partners Oracle, T-Mobile, and Ericsson with our in-house engineers, data scientists, and IT specialists all working closely. The support from SailGP's leadership was also crucial in securing the necessary resources. Did anyone let you down? Rather than seeing it as being let down, I'd say there were unexpected challenges with some technology providers who underestimated the complexity of what we needed. However, we adapted by seeking alternative solutions and working collaboratively to overcome the hurdles. What advice do you have for other leaders who may face a similar challenge? Related:Embrace adaptability. No matter how well you plan, unforeseen challenges will arise, so build flexible solutions. Leverage partnerships. Collaborate with the best in the industry to ensure you have the expertise needed. Stay ahead of technology trends. The landscape is constantly evolving; being proactive rather than reactive is key. Prioritize resilience. Build redundancy into critical systems to ensure continuity even in the face of disruptions. Is there anything else you would like to add? SailGP is as much a technology company as it is a sports league. The intersection of innovation and competition drives us forward and solving challenges like these is what makes this role both demanding and incredibly rewarding. About the AuthorJohn EdwardsTechnology Journalist & AuthorJohn Edwards is a veteran business technology journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and numerous business and technology publications, including Computerworld, CFO Magazine, IBM Data Management Magazine, RFID Journal, and Electronic Design. He has also written columns for The Economist's Business Intelligence Unit and PricewaterhouseCoopers' Communications Direct. John has authored several books on business technology topics. His work began appearing online as early as 1983. Throughout the 1980s and 90s, he wrote daily news and feature articles for both the CompuServe and Prodigy online services. His "Behind the Screens" commentaries made him the world's first known professional blogger.See more from John EdwardsWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like

An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: A lack of action by big tech firms is enabling the "industrial scale theft" of premium video services, especially live sport, a new report says. The research by Enders Analysis accuses Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft of "ambivalence and inertia" over a problem it says costs broadcasters revenue and puts users at an increased risk of cyber-crime. Gareth Sutcliffe and Ollie Meir, who authored the research, described the Amazon Fire Stick -- which they argue is the device many people use to access illegal streams -- as "a piracy enabler." [...] The device plugs into TVs and gives the viewer thousands of options to watch programs from legitimate services including the BBC iPlayer and Netflix. They are also being used to access illegal streams, particularly of live sport. In November last year, a Liverpool man who sold Fire Stick devices he reconfigured to allow people to illegally stream Premier League football matches was jailed. After uploading the unauthorized services on the Amazon product, he advertised them on Facebook. Another man from Liverpool was given a two-year suspended sentence last year after modifying fire sticks and selling them on Facebook and WhatsApp. According to data for the first quarter of this year, provided to Enders by Sky, 59% of people in UK who said they had watched pirated material in the last year while using a physical device said they had used a Amazon fire product. The Enders report says the fire stick enables "billions of dollars in piracy" overall. [...] The researchers also pointed to the role played by the "continued depreciation" of Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems, particularly those from Google and Microsoft. This technology enables high quality streaming of premium content to devices. Two of the big players are Microsoft's PlayReady and Google's Widevine. The authors argue the architecture of the DRM is largely unchanged, and due to a lack of maintenance by the big tech companies, PlayReady and Widevine "are now compromised across various security levels." Mr Sutcliffe and Mr Meir said this has had "a seismic impact across the industry, and ultimately given piracy the upper hand by enabling theft of the highest quality content." They added: "Over twenty years since launch, the DRM solutions provided by Google and Microsoft are in steep decline. A complete overhaul of the technology architecture, licensing, and support model is needed. Lack of engagement with content owners indicates this a low priority." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Photo Credit: Anthropic Anthropic’s lawyer was recently forced to apologise after Claude made a citation error Highlights Anthropic also released new Claude 4 AI models at the event Amodei had previously said that AGI could arrive as early as 2026 Anthropic has released several papers on ways AI models can be grounded Advertisement Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei reportedly said that artificial intelligence (AI) models hallucinate less than humans. As per the report, the statement was made by the CEO at the company's inaugural Code With Claude event on Thursday. During the event, the San Francisco-based AI firm released two new Claude 4 models, as well as multiple new capabilities, including improved memory and tool use. Amodei reportedly also suggested that while critics are trying to find roadblocks for AI, “they are nowhere to be seen.”Anthropic CEO Downplays AI HallucinationsTechCrunch reports that Amodei's made the comment during a press briefing, while he was explaining how hallucinations are not a limitation for AI to reach artificial general intelligence (AGI). Answering a question from the publication, the CEO reportedly said, “It really depends how you measure it, but I suspect that AI models probably hallucinate less than humans, but they hallucinate in more surprising ways.”Amodei further added that TV broadcasters, politicians, and humans involved in other professions make mistakes regularly, so AI making mistakes does not take away from its intelligence, as per the report. However, the CEO reportedly acknowledged that AI models confidently responding with untrue responses is a problem.Earlier this month, Anthropic's lawyer was forced to apologise in a courtroom after its Claude chatbot added an incorrect citation in a filing, according to a Bloomberg report. The incident occurred during the AI firm's ongoing lawsuit against music publishers over alleged copyright infringement of lyrics of at least 500 songs.In a October 2024 paper, Amodei claimed that Anthropic might achieve AGI as soon as next year. AGI refers to a type of AI technology that can understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks and execute actions without requiring human intervention. As part of its vision, Anthropic released Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 during the developer conference. These models bring major improvements in coding, tool use, and writing. Claude Sonnet 4 scored 72.7 percent on the SWE-Bench benchmark, achieving state-of-the-art (SOTA) distinction in code writing. For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube. Further reading: Anthropic, AI, AI hallucination, Artificial Intelligence Akash Dutta Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More Related Stories

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei believes today’s AI models hallucinate, or make things up and present them as if they’re true, at a lower rate than humans do, he said during a press briefing at Anthropic’s first developer event, Code with Claude, in San Francisco on Thursday. Amodei said all this in the midst of a larger point he was making: that AI hallucinations are not a limitation on Anthropic’s path to AGI — AI systems with human-level intelligence or better. “It really depends how you measure it, but I suspect that AI models probably hallucinate less than humans, but they hallucinate in more surprising ways,” Amodei said, responding to TechCrunch’s question. Anthropic’s CEO is one of the most bullish leaders in the industry on the prospect of AI models achieving AGI. In a widely circulated paper he wrote last year, Amodei said he believed AGI could arrive as soon as 2026. During Thursday’s press briefing, the Anthropic CEO said he was seeing steady progress to that end, noting that “the water is rising everywhere.” “Everyone’s always looking for these hard blocks on what [AI] can do,” said Amodei. “They’re nowhere to be seen. There’s no such thing.” Other AI leaders believe hallucination presents a large obstacle to achieving AGI. Earlier this week, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said today’s AI models have too many “holes,” and get too many obvious questions wrong. For example, earlier this month, a lawyer representing Anthropic was forced to apologize in court after they used Claude to create citations in a court filing, and the AI chatbot hallucinated and got names and titles wrong. It’s difficult to verify Amodei’s claim, largely because most hallucination benchmarks pit AI models against each other; they don’t compare models to humans. Certain techniques seem to be helping lower hallucination rates, such as giving AI models access to web search. Separately, some AI models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4.5, have notably lower hallucination rates on benchmarks compared to early generations of systems. Techcrunch event Join us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot for our leading AI industry event with speakers from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Cohere. For a limited time, tickets are just $292 for an entire day of expert talks, workshops, and potent networking. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you’ve built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | June 5 REGISTER NOW However, there’s also evidence to suggest hallucinations are actually getting worse in advanced reasoning AI models. OpenAI’s o3 and o4-mini models have higher hallucination rates than OpenAI’s previous-gen reasoning models, and the company doesn’t really understand why. Later in the press briefing, Amodei pointed out that TV broadcasters, politicians, and humans in all types of professions make mistakes all the time. The fact that AI makes mistakes too is not a knock on its intelligence, according to Amodei. However, Anthropic’s CEO acknowledged the confidence with which AI models present untrue things as facts might be a problem. In fact, Anthropic has done a fair amount of research on the tendency for AI models to deceive humans, a problem that seemed especially prevalent in the company’s recently launched Claude Opus 4. Apollo Research, a safety institute given early access to test the AI model, found that an early version of Claude Opus 4 exhibited a high tendency to scheme against humans and deceive them. Apollo went as far as to suggest Anthropic shouldn’t have released that early model. Anthropic said it came up with some mitigations that appeared to address the issues Apollo raised. Amodei’s comments suggest that Anthropic may consider an AI model to be AGI, or equal to human-level intelligence, even if it still hallucinates. An AI that hallucinates may fall short of AGI by many people’s definition, though.

How is the discipline of sports analytics evolving to deliver marginal gains to the performance of players and teams? Rugby football is no stranger to analytics. But what difference does it make at an elite competitive level? Dan Biggar (pictured above) is a Welsh professional rugby player, primarily known for his role as a fly-half – a position that is known as the creative brain of a rugby team, like the number 10 position in football. Biggar is currently playing for French Top 14 side Toulon, and has twice been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions. He earned his first cap for Wales in 2008 and has been a mainstay in the national team, representing his country in Rugby World Cups and Six Nations Championships. With 112 caps, he is the most-capped fly-half for Wales and has scored over 600 points in his career. Over his international career, he has won three Six Nations titles and a Grand Slam with Wales, and was captain for the 2022 Six Nations campaign. What does Biggar think of the role of analytics in rugby? Compared with, for example, more traditional aspects of team sports, like the culture of a specific group of players at a particular moment in time? “I’m always really intrigued by the word ‘culture’ because you can’t coach it. As soon as you start coaching culture, it becomes forced, and some people, especially in a team environment, may not agree, or it’s difficult to get,” he said. Wales bucked the culture of being the underdogs, but we only did that because of the hard work we put in Dan Biggar, professional rugby player “And culture is very difficult to measure. How do you measure the All Blacks’ culture against England’s culture, or Wales’s culture, or Scotland’s culture? It’s just something that you create without knowing you’re creating it,” added Biggar. “The culture of Welsh rugby is always wanting to be, or always thinking of ourselves as, the underdogs. Wanting to punch above your weight. Now, one thing I will say on that is, when we had our most successful years, 2011 to 2021, we bucked every cultural trend of Wales because, during those 10 years, we were not underdogs very often. We weren’t expected to punch above our weight. We were the guys who were the standard bearers in a sense, certainly in the northern hemisphere,” he recalled. “It’s a fascinating discussion, which probably can’t be measured. But what can be measured is how hard you work, how many metres you’ve run, how many minutes you’ve spent on the training pitch, and so on. If you combine those numbers and put them into, say, a Welsh culture of being hard-working underdogs, that’s where you’d find an overlap between the two. “So, we bucked the culture of being the underdogs, but we only did that because of the hard work we put in. If you have a hard-working culture with the stats to back it up, you have an overlap. But if the stats say you are way off it compared with other teams, you don’t have a hard-working culture.” He also says you can hold team members to account with data, and vice versa. “I used to act on what I felt, and I think that has stood me in good stead in general. But then, when you go back and look at the data, or the video analysis, or whatever, you can think that probably wasn’t the right way to handle this or that situation. Wales had a culture where we could hold each other to account. And if we had a heated disagreement on the field, in the moment, we were brilliant as a group by the time we’d got off the pitch or showered or had dinner together in the hotel afterwards – it was gone,” said Biggar. “It’s always helpful if you’ve got something to back [your theory] up, whether that’s a video analysis, a stats pack, data analysis, whatever it is” Dan Biggar, professional rugby player “We could then look back and say, ‘What do you think here? What do you think the stats say here? If we did it that way, we’d have been better off. Or if we did it the other way, we would have got more success out of it’, you know? “It’s always helpful if you’ve got something to back it up, whether that’s a video analysis, a stats pack, data analysis, whatever it is. If you’ve got something to make your point more valid, and you do it in the right way, you’re generally going to get a lot more out of your players, employees, workers, whatever.” On the question of whether data analytics is landing with professional rugby players better than it might have done 10 to 15 years ago, Biggar says 100% yes. “The game has changed dramatically in the last 25 years, but the game has changed even from five to 10 years ago. And I think nowadays players are very much more wanting to look at certain examples on laptops or get provided with stats and analysis pieces,” he said. And that is especially true of his position, he says, which is a playmaker position. “[Others can] go through the whole game and just know their role, just know their positions and what they need to do individually. Probably positions like myself, I need to know, ‘What does Dan Biggar need?’ But also, ‘What does the number 12 for Australia do? What does the number 6 for Argentina do? And how often do Ireland lose playing into the wind?’ When you are in a position of real leadership, you probably need to know more about the data and the analytics.” Biggar was speaking at a recent media event where the possible data analytics generated by Sportable’s “smart ball” were being demonstrated. Sage, which provides accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses, set up the event alongside Sportable, a global data collection and analytics platform. Sage has been sponsoring Six Nations Rugby since October 2022, bringing fans of the game real-time data and analytics captured through the smart ball technology and advanced predictive analytics. Sage has been collaborating with Sportable, which specialises in technology that tracks balls and players across various sports, including rugby, Australian rules football, American football and soccer. Its hardware is underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which turn thousands of data points into real-time, automated insights on how players and the ball move during a game and in training.  The Gilbert x Sportable Smart Ball, which has been used in elite professional-level rugby games since 2022, works with wireless beacons around the field to show live game data, such as how far the ball is kicked or passed, and how much territory a team gains as they attack. The technology helps players, coaches and teams use these insights to make performance improvement, tactical and recruitment decisions, while broadcasters and fans benefit from immediate game analysis.Raphael Brandon, director of performance science at Sportable, spoke at the Sage event about the novelty of the use of the analytics generated by the ball. “The chip in the ball provides new sets of data that cannot be got manually. For example, Arsenal coaches are able to put objectivity on many things, using the smart ball data, against which they are judging players and looking for improvement” Raphael Brandon, Sportable “The chip in the ball provides new sets of data that cannot be got manually. For example, Arsenal coaches, who use our system, are able to put objectivity on many things, using the smart ball data, against which they are judging players and looking for improvement,” he said. “It can be as simple as, ‘We want our midfield player to move the ball faster’. The chip means they can put a number on that. You can put a level of specificity on player technical performance, say comparing the tempo of the first team and the under-18s,” added Brandon. “Also, the automation of the game analysis [with the smart ball analysis] is novel. Otherwise, you either have a person doing manual analysis or semi-automated computer vision from a camera, which can’t track the movement of the ball sufficiently well. The smart ball makes the analysis fully automated. And that means the democratisation of advanced sports analytics down the levels. So, not just Six Nations or the Premiership, but, say, Dutch Division Two, or youth or many women’s sports where advanced analytics is not affordable.” Read more about data analytics in sport Football players are seeking to gain more control of their performance data through ‘stop processing’ requests, in an attempt to strike a better balance between firms’ commercial interests and the data rights of footballers. Spain’s La Liga has turned to Databricks’ Lakehouse Platform to analyse footballer performance and engage with fans. Leicester City Football Club was the surprise winner of the 2016 season’s English Premier League, thanks, in part, to data analytics.

Choose wisely! The correct answer, the explanation, and an intriguing story await. Correct Answer: $20,000 A little background Although it wasn't initially intended for the general public, the first commercial audio CD recorder made its debut in 1991 at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention in Las Vegas (later simply known as the NAB Show). Japanese electronics maker Denon introduced the DN-770R, a pro-grade Compact Disc recorder designed to appeal to radio stations and audio production facilities. These institutions could use the device to master demo discs, archive broadcasts, or distribute pre-recorded content to affiliate stations more efficiently than analog tape allowed. According to an article written by The Syracuse Newspapers at the time, the Denon DN-770R was the first of its kind and was being tendered by the electronics maker for $20,000: "Denon DN-770R audio CD recorder debuts as the first of its kind...The CDs it produces can be played on any CD player." However, the DN-770R was far from a plug-and-play solution. Contemporary reports noted that to make the system fully functional, users also needed around $100,000 worth of ancillary equipment, such as digital audio processors, mastering consoles, and synchronization gear. The cost of consumables added further barriers: blank CDs sold for approximately $35 to $40 each and could only be recorded once. Unlike cassette tapes, which were cheap, reusable, and ubiquitous in both professional and consumer audio environments, CD-Rs were a costly and rigid medium at the time. Despite the early limitations, the introduction of CD recording technology marked a turning point in digital audio. Until then, the compact disc – first launched commercially in 1982 – had been a strictly read-only format used for music distribution. The arrival of CD recording devices opened new possibilities for content creation and data storage. Denon's innovation was clearly aimed at a niche audience and focused solely on audio playback. The first modern CD burners were introduced between 1991 and 1992, when Sony, Philips, (the two creators of de CD format) and Yamaha each released CD recorders around the same time. The Philips CDD521, Sony CDW-900E, and Yamaha YPR-201 were some of the entry-level professional models still sold for over $10,000. Throughout the early 1990s, CD recorders remained out of reach for most consumers, however the landscape began to change rapidly in the years that followed. In 1995, Hewlett-Packard introduced the HP SureStore 4020i, one of the first CD-R drives marketed to consumers. Priced at $995, it was a significant milestone in making CD recording accessible to small businesses, hobbyists, and eventually the mass market. The 4020i could write both data and audio CDs. This democratization of CD recording paved the way for a surge in home media production during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It enabled users to burn custom music CDs, back up data, and share multimedia content in a way that had previously required professional studio equipment. As the price of CD-R drives and blank media continued to fall, the format became an essential part of personal computing and digital media until it was gradually overtaken by DVD, flash storage, and eventually cloud-based solutions.

The UK-founded design and engineering giant will support the Nordic Office of Architecture, which has studios in Norway, Denmark and Iceland, and Oslo-based Rodeo Arkitekter. The team won the commission ahead of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in collaboration with Danish practice AART Architects and local practices Snøhetta with LINK Arkitektur. Entries were judged anonymously. The building, located at Normannsløkka in Oslo, will be arranged across two sections: a four-storey base, aligned with the surrounding urban scale, containing studios, workshops, newsrooms and support spaces; and a recessed, circular upper structure offering modern workspaces with panoramic views across the city.Advertisement The upper structure reflects the public broadcaster’s circular branding. It will include 60,000m² of gross floor area and 50,000m² of utility floor area, to include modern studios, publishing desks, post-production facilities, concert studios, workshops, and warehouses. A statement from the Nordic Office of Architecture said its sustainable development would ‘enhance the visibility and integration of NRK in the cityscape, promoting interaction with the local community’. It also described the ‘signal building surrounded by a park that extends onto the roof, with stormwater management and biodiversity enhancing the environment and ecological connections’. NRK broadcasting director Vibeke Fürst Haugen, who was on the competition jury, said panel members supported the Nordic Office of Architecture/Arup/Rodeo proposal unanimously, adding: ‘The solution appears good, robust, open and inviting.’Advertisement Arup director Nick Jackson said the facility would become a ‘world-class media production and an outstanding workplace for future generations’. He added: ‘The collaboration on its new headquarters reflects a shared ambition to create a flexible, future-ready media environment that fosters creativity, collaboration and innovation.’ Planning permission is still being sought for the building, with the broadcaster hoping to occupy it in 2029. Jackson said the win built on Arup’s London team’s recent win with Nordic Office of Architecture on a new stadium for the northern Norwegian football team FK Bodø/Glimt. The wood and recyclable aluminum Arctic Arena, for this season's Europa League semi-finalists, is set to have a capacity of 10,000.