Embracing Digital This Week

Artificial IntelligenceYet another thing parents need to be worried about. AI voice cloning! In a recent virtual abduction from a cyber bad actor, the mother of a 15 year old grow was called and spoofed using her daughter's voice to announce her abduction. Followed by ‘I’ve got your daughter’. Quick thinking, the mom texted her husband to check on the location of their daughter who was safe. The FBI is investigating this and several other instances.https://www.azfamily.com/2023/04/10/ive-got-your-daughter-scottsdale-mom-warns-close-encounter-with-ai-voice-cloning-scam/Eugenia Kuyda is the founder of Replika, a US chatbot app that says it offers users an "AI companion who cares, always here to listen and talk, always on your side". Launched in 2017, it now has more than two million active users. Each has a chatbot or "replika" unique to them, as the AI learns from their conversations. Users can also design their own cartoon avatar for their chatbot.https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65110680NVIDIA, Getty Images Collaborate on Generative AI. The companies aim to develop two generative AI models using NVIDIA Picasso, part of the new NVIDIA AI Foundations cloud services. Users could employ the models to create a custom image or video in seconds, simply by typing in a concept. Joint effort aims to customize text-to-image and text-to-video foundation models to spawn stunning visuals using fully licensed visual content.https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/03/21/generative-ai-getty-images/?ncid=so-link-748862&=&linkId=100000197541685#cid=gtcs23_so-link_en-usUbiquitous ComputeIs COBOL finally dead? GFT and Cloud Frame are joining forces to help organizations move their COBOL programs to more efficient platforms. COBOL was developed in 1959 as one of the first multi-vendor-supported languages for mainframe business users. It has become increasingly expensive to debug and maintain COBOL systems due to the lack of Programmers that still work with COBAL.https://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2023/apr/04/gft-and-cloudframe-help-industries-say-cheerio-to-cobol/Large language models (LLMs) are all the rage, with ChatGPT leading the way. This is only good for cloud service providers as LLMs require large amounts of computing and data storage for deployment and development. Not to be left behind, cloud service providers Azure, AWS, and Google have all announced their own LMS solutions to compete in this new battleground for Cloud dominance. Let’s ask ChatGPT who the winner will be.https://www.infoworld.com/article/3693330/large-language-models-are-the-new-cloud-battleground.htmlGoogle has thrown its hat into the ring of confidential computing with a new offering providing complete privacy of sensitive data by encrypting data at rest in transit and now in use. Azure and AWS have similar product offerings that provide confidential computing to public and private sector customers.https://www.wired.com/story/google-cloud-confidential-virtual-machines/Cyber SecurityIn an interesting DDoS attack, threat actors inundated npm, an open-source package repository for Node.js, by creating malicious websites and publishing empty packages with links to those malicious websites to take advantage of the ecosystem’s good reputation on search engines. Over 1.42 million bogus packages were uploaded.https://thehackernews.com/2023/04/hackers-flood-npm-with-bogus-packages.htmlOver 1,000,000 WordPress sites are estimated to be infected by an ongoing campaign to deploy Balada Injector malware. The attacks are known to play out in waves once every few weeks. The attacks redirect random subdomains to various scam sites, including websites with fake tech support. The best way to combat this is to update your plugins on your WordPress sites.https://thehackernews.com/2023/04/over-1-million-wordpress-sites-infected.htmlThe Iranian nation-state group, MuddyWater has been carrying out destructive attacks on hybrid cloud environments under the guise of ransomware operations. The threat actors are masquerading as a standard ransomware campaign but are essentially destroying and disrupting critical IT operations. Findings have shown that MuddyWater has collaborated with DEV-1084 to pull off these attacks.https://thehackernews.com/2023/04/iran-based-hackers-caught-carrying-out.html

CybersecurityNew MacStealer macOS Malware Steals iCloud Keychain Data and Passwords. A new information-stealing malware has set its sights on Apple's macOS operating system to siphon sensitive information from compromised devices. MacStealer is the latest example of a threat that uses Telegram as a command-and-control (C2) platform to exfiltrate data.Microsoft Issues Patch for aCropalypse Privacy Flaw in Windows Screenshot Tools. Microsoft released an out-of-band update to address a privacy-defeating flaw in its screenshot editing tool for Windows 10 and 11. The issue, dubbed aCropalypse, could enable malicious actors to recover edited portions of screenshots, potentially revealing sensitive information that may have been cropped out.OpenAI Reveals Redis Bug Behind ChatGPT User Data Exposure Incident. OpenAI disclosed that a bug in the Redis open-source library was responsible for exposing other users' personal information and chat titles in the upstart's ChatGPT service earlier this week. The glitch, which came to light on March 20, 2023, enabled certain users to view brief descriptions of other users' conversations from the chat history sidebar, prompting the company.Artificial IntelligenceThis is BIG: Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and other tech leaders call for a pause in the ‘out of control’ AI race. 1,100+ notable signatories just signed an open letter asking “all AI labs to pause for at least 6 months immediately”. The letter, which was also signed by the CEO of OpenAI, said the pause should apply to AI systems “more powerful than GPT-4.” It also said independent experts should use the proposed pause to jointly develop and implement a set of shared protocols for AI tools that are safe “beyond a reasonable doubt.”https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/28/1100-notable-signatories-just-signed-an-open-letter-asking-all-ai-labs-to-immediately-pause-for-at-least-6-months/Cerebras Systems Releases Seven New GPT Models Trained on CS-2 Wafer-Scale Systems. First time a company has used non-GPU-based AI systems to train LLMs up to 13 billion parameters and is sharing the models, weights, and training recipe via the industry standard Apache 2.0 license. A series of seven GPT models with 111M to 13B parameters. Typically a multi-month undertaking, this work was completed in a few weeks. All seven Cerebras-GPT models are immediately available on Hugging Face and Cerebras Model Zoo on GitHub.https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/cerebras-systems-releases-seven-new-gpt-models-trained-on-cs-2-wafer-scale-systems-2023-03-28Google Bard with Wordle – it could have gone better. After correcting the bot and reminding it only to guess five-letter words, it apologized and returned with SLANTS, then carried on with different variations of the word SLANT ☹https://www.techradar.com/news/i-tried-to-use-google-bard-to-help-me-with-wordle-but-it-didnt-go-wellIntelligent EdgeBT has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to test 5G edge computing in Manchester using AWS Wavelength. The trial will investigate how edge computing can enhance the performance of BT's 5G network in three key areas: augmented reality, immersive gaming and industrial automation. The aim is to improve customer experience by providing faster and more reliable services. The trial is part of a larger collaboration between the two companies to explore edge computing's potential in the UK.https://www.edgecomputing-news.com/2023/03/29/bt-uses-aws-wavelength-for-5g-edge-trial-in-manchester/Comcast has announced expanded partnerships aimed at improving connectivity in smart buildings and environments. The partnerships include agreements with advanced metering infrastructure provider Sensus and BuildingIQ, an artificial intelligence-based energy management solutions provider. The goal is to provide smarter energy management, better water management, and improved building automation. These partnerships are part of Comcast's efforts to improve connectivity for commercial customers through its network of Wi-Fi hotspots, sensors, and other IoT devices.https://www.edgeir.com/comcast-focuses-connectivity-on-smarter-buildings-environments-with-expanded-partnerships-20230331

Ubiquitous ComputeGordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel Corporation and inventor of Moore's Law, passed away on March 24, 2023, at 92. Born in 1929, Moore co-founded Intel in 1968 and served as its CEO from 1975 to 1987. He is best known for his prediction, Moore's Law, that the number of transistors on a microchip would double roughly every two years, leading to exponential growth in computing power. This prediction has held for over 50 years and has played a vital role in driving the advancement of the technology industry.The 4004, Intel's first microprocessor, debuted in 1971 as the first commercially available microprocessor. Initially designed for calculators, it quickly found applications in other areas, such as traffic light controllers and electronic cash registers. The 4004 contained 2,300 transistors on a single chip and helped establish Intel as a major player in the semiconductor industry. Today, microprocessors are used in various devices, from smartphones to supercomputers.Intel has announced the availability of its latest Xeon Max Scalable processor series, based on its Sapphire Rapids architecture. The Xeon Max series features 100 Billion, 10nm SuperFin transistors, AI and encryption acceleration, and PCIe 5.0 support, providing enhanced performance and security for enterprise computing workloads. This accounts for 40 Million times more transistors in the latest processor than their first processor over 50 years ago.https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/intel-announces-xeon-max-sapphire-rapids-cpus/Artificial IntelligenceChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI, experienced a technical issue that caused it to go down for several hours. The problem, which was caused by a bug in the system, affected the history function of the model, making it unable to access its previous conversations. OpenAI has since resolved the issue, and ChatGPT is now fully operational. The incident serves as a reminder of the potential risks of relying on AI and the importance of having robust systems to address technical issues.https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/chatgpt-down-bug-issue-history-b2306269.htmlBard, an artificial intelligence language model developed by Google as a competitor to OpenAI's GPT, is now available for public use. Bard, which uses a different approach to language modeling than GPT, aims to generate more creative and diverse text by allowing users to input their prompts and constraints. The release of Bard for public use is expected to accelerate the development of new natural language processing applications and advance the field of AI language modeling.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-21/google-chatgpt-rival-bard-now-open-to-public-useA new farming method, Synecoculture, involves planting multiple plant species together in high density. However, it can be a complex process due to varying growth speeds and seasons. Researchers have developed a robot to sow, prune, and harvest plants in dense vegetation growth to address this issue. The robot's small and flexible body will be helpful in large-scale Synecoculture, making it an essential step toward achieving sustainable farming and carbon neutrality.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230320102001.htmCybersecurityThe US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has released a new tool to detect malicious activity in Microsoft cloud services. The Sparrow tool can scan Azure and Microsoft 365 environments for signs of hacking and other unauthorized activities. Sparrow uses open-source data and artificial intelligence algorithms to identify potential threats and provides users with actionable recommendations to prevent further damage. The release of Sparrow is part of CISA's ongoing efforts to enhance the security of cloud-based systems and protect against cyber attacks.https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-cisa-tool-detects-hacking-activity-in-microsoft-cloud-services/Tesla's electric vehicles were hacked twice at the annual Pwn2Own exploit contest held by the Zero Day Initiative. A team of researchers was able to exploit a vulnerability in the infotainment system of a Model 3 to take control of the vehicle's headlights, speakers, and other methods. Another team used a bug in the same approach to execute code and gain access to the car's data. Tesla has since released an over-the-air patch to fix the vulnerabilities.https://www.securityweek.com/tesla-hacked-twice-at-pwn2own-exploit-contest/Intel has announced its new 13th-gen Core vPro platform, which features hardware-based security features designed to reduce the platform's attack surface. The new platform includes Intel Hardware Shield, which uses CPU-level threat detection to provide a secure boot process, and Intel Control-Flow Enforcement Technology, which helps prevent return-oriented programming (ROP) attacks. The platform also includes Intel's Threat Detection Technology, which uses machine learning to identify potential sec

Artificial IntelligenceIn the “Potential for Risky Emergent Behaviors” section of the company’s technical report, OpenAI partnered with the Alignment Research Center to test GPT-4's skills. The Center used the AI to convince a human to send the solution to a CAPTCHA code via text message—and it worked.https://gizmodo.com/gpt4-open-ai-chatbot-task-rabbit-chatgpt-1850227471Copilot features, Microsoft executives brought up the software’s tendency to produce inaccurate responses but pitched that as something that could be useful. If people realize that Copilot’s responses could be sloppy with the facts, they can edit the inaccuracies and more quickly send their emails or finish their presentation slides.https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/16/microsoft-justifies-ais-usefully-wrong-answers.html?__source=sharebar|linkedin&par=sharebarGoogle Health announced Med-PaLM 2, a new groundbreaking version of its large medical language model. Med-PaLM 2 consistently performs at an expert level on medical exam questions and reaches an 85% accuracy, scoring 18% higher than its predecessor.Ubiquitous ComputeYou may soon be swimming on top of a data center 😊 A British tech firm, Deep Green, plans to set up small data centers at public pools across the UK. An innovative solution for data center cooling and energy efficiency, this approach uses the excess heat generated by servers installed beneath a public pool to warm the water via a heat exchanger.The US government has launched a new initiative to help organizations detect security flaws in Microsoft's cloud services. The "Microsoft Cloud Security Technical Reference Architecture" initiative collaborates with the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Microsoft. The program aims to provide organizations with a comprehensive set of guidelines, tools, and best practices to improve the security of their Microsoft cloud services. The initiative is part of a more significant effort by the US government to enhance critical systems and infrastructure cybersecurity.https://www.techradar.com/news/the-us-government-wants-to-help-you-spot-flaws-in-microsoft-cloud-servicesAccording to a recent survey, 83% of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) feel they must do more with less in 2023. The survey, which polled 500 CIOs in the US and the UK, found that budget constraints are the main factor driving this sentiment, with 74% of respondents citing it as a significant challenge. Additionally, CIOs expressed concerns about the difficulty of finding qualified personnel (55% of respondents) and the need to meet constantly changing business requirements (51%). The survey also found that 87% of CIOs plan to accelerate their adoption of cloud computing this year to help meet their business needs.https://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2023/mar/13/83-of-cios-must-do-more-with-less-in-2023/Data ManagementA survey by TDWI found that organizations are adopting a data management strategy to improve data quality and reduce silos. 71% of respondents have implemented or planned to implement a data management strategy, but challenges such as data governance and lack of skilled personnel still need to be solved. Organizations are investing in cloud-based data management solutions, master data management, and data integration tools.https://tdwi.org/articles/2023/03/23/diq-all-data-management-0323.aspxArtificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to help solve the problem of IT data overload. IT departments need help managing the sheer volume of data. AI can benefit by analyzing and identifying patterns in large data sets, providing insights that would be difficult to uncover manually. However, AI is not a silver bullet, and organizations must ensure that their data is accurate and high-quality to achieve the full benefits of AI.https://www.infoworld.com/article/3689668/can-ai-solve-it-s-eternal-data-problem.htmlA new report reveals the importance of data management to enterprises. The report highlights how effective data management can help organizations improve decision-making, reduce costs, and comply with regulations. The report recommends that organizations establish a data management strategy, prioritize data quality, and ensure they have the right tools and technologies. The report also stresses the importance of data governance and the need for organizations to foster a culture that values data as a strategic asset.https://solutionsreview.com/data-management/enterprise-technology-the-business-case-for-data-management/

Artificial IntelligenceMicrosoft confirms new version of its popular AI chatbot will be able to turn text into VIDEO. GPT-4 and future developments will forever change how we think about artificial intelligence. This powerful AI can process text and numbers, videos, images, and more. Microsoft explained that GPT-4 would be “multimodal.” Holger Kenn, Director of Business Strategy at Microsoft Germany, explained that this would allow the company’s AI to translate a user’s text into images, music, and video.AI to replace actors? Imagine using AI to create a film without hiring real actors or writing a fully illustrated 200-page book in just one day. Yes, you read that right, GPT-4 makes it possible to use artificial intelligence for almost anything you can imagine.Schrodinger: A ChatGPT-Integrated Fully Interactive Multi-Agent Financial Market Simulator Citadel, one of the world's most successful hedge funds, is in talks to secure an enterprise-wide ChatGPT license. ChatGPT can produce correct code with a (simple) trade execution strategy.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvzO79V9uq4Data Management“Zero” is the new word of the day, with the “Data Alliance” coining the word Zero-Copy for new distributed data architectures. Zero-copy integration is a concept that enables data to be shared between different systems without copying it. The traditional approach of copying data from one system to another can lead to inefficiencies, data consistency issues, and security vulnerabilities.http://tdan.com/the-data-centric-revolution-zero-copy-integration/30462The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the vision of data everywhere, in the cloud, the data center, laptops, and IoT devices. This data sprawl has caused IT organizations to re-evaluate their data strategies. New distributed data management strategies and solutions need to be developed that are more comprehensive in managing heterogenous data types, including structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data.https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/modern-data-management-platforms-are-vital-for-solving-modern-data-management-problems-2023-03-14/rep_id:4136The complexity of data governance is driving organizational changes, including the emergence of the data steward role in organizations. Data stewards are beginning to manage data access, privacy concerns, and data lifecycle management. Placing data stewards in the organization is still up for a healthy debate as organizations mature their data-centric organizations.https://www.techtarget.com/searchdatamanagement/tip/Data-stewardship-Essential-to-data-governance-strategiesCybersecurityAn open-source adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) phishing kit has found several takers in the cybercrime world for its ability to orchestrate attacks at scale. Microsoft Threat Intelligence tracks the threat actor behind the kit’s development under its emerging moniker DEV-1101. An AiTM phishing attack typically involves a threat actor attempting to steal and intercept a target's password and session cookies by deploying a proxy server between the user and the website.https://thehackernews.com/2023/03/microsoft-warns-of-large-scale-use-of.htmlThe Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has warned organizations that operate critical infrastructure about ransomware vulnerabilities in their devices. The advisory includes a list of devices that attackers may target and recommends that organizations assess their networks for possible risks. CISA has a newly established Ransomware Vulnerability Warning Pilot (RVWP) program with two goals: to scan critical infrastructure entities' networks and help vulnerable organizations fix the flaws before they get hacked.https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-now-warns-critical-infrastructure-of-ransomware-vulnerable-devices/A report by Drata highlights key compliance trends for 2023. The report outlines the shift towards continuous compliance monitoring and the need for automation tools to achieve compliance. It also highlights the increasing focus on privacy regulations and the growing importance of vendor risk management. The report recommends that companies prioritize their compliance efforts, utilize automation tools, and stay current with evolving regulatory requirements to avoid potential fines and reputational damage.https://drata.com/resources/2023-compliance-trendsEmbracing Digital Transformation PodcastCheck out this weeks full length episode "Closing the Digital Skills Gap" where Darren interviews Jon Gottfried from Major League Hacking.https://www.embracingdigital.org/episode-EDT128

Artificial IntelligenceGenerative AI based Chatbots are far from perfect. ChatGPT, Microsoft's Bing chatbot, Meta's Galactica (a generative AI designed to help scientists with tasks like annotating proteins or writing code), and other systems have been taken down or reined in after they've been found to generate unreliable or incorrect information or spiraled into emotional-seeming reactions and even threats.The US and European governments are collaborating on an AI research study to develop strategies for regulating and fostering AI innovation. The study will cover five areas: extreme weather and climate forecasting, emergency response management, health and medicine improvements, electric grid optimization, and agriculture optimization. Participants include the US Energy Department, the Department of Agriculture, the Pentagon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, health and science agencies, and their European counterparts.https://www.axios.com/2023/03/01/ai-research-us-euAirdot Deploy: Automatically deploy ML models and scale them. Automatically identifies the required packages, understands module dependency, re-factors the code, builds REST APIs around the ML model, packages it in a container, spins up the infra, automatically scales it up and down, and sets up automated alerts and monitoring, all with just one line of code. So much for you DevOps team.https://www.airdot.io/blog/announcing-airdot-deploy-mlCybersecurityA report by Tenable reveals that cyberattacks are primarily carried out using known vulnerabilities for which patches are already available. Threat actors continue to exploit vulnerabilities that organizations have failed to patch or remediate, including high-severity flaws in Microsoft Exchange and virtual private network solutions.https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/03/03/known-exploitable-vulnerabilities/?web_view=trueMunicipal CISOs face challenges as cyber threats increase, with ransomware attacks being the largest concern. Oakland, California, recently declared a state of emergency following a ransomware attack by the Playgroup that disrupted phone systems and non-emergency services. This attack is one in a series of ransomware attacks on local governments in the US, including those in Baltimore, New Orleans, Pensacola, and Atlanta.https://www.csoonline.com/article/3688958/municipal-cisos-grapple-with-challenges-as-cyber-threats-soar.htmlPresident Biden signed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, requiring federal agencies to prioritize using quantum-resistant technology. The law mandates guidance for assessing critical systems with post-quantum cryptography standards. This is in response to fears of quantum technology making existing encryption vulnerable to being cracked quickly.https://fedscoop.com/biden-signs-quantum-computing-cybersecurity-act-into-law/Ubiquitous ComputeAccenture's annual banking cloud report found that banks targeting core systems for cloud migration face a major risk factor in the difficulty of sourcing cloud talent. Banks perceive core migration as high-risk due to a lack of staff with cloud expertise and the difficulty of recruiting the required skills in the current environment. Public cloud adoption represents both a security upgrade and a risk factor, reflected in the banking industry's lack of cloud adoption.https://www.ciodive.com/news/banks-finance-cloud-migration-skils-gap-cybersecurity/644169/Cloud-based data warehouse company Snowflake plans to add over 1,000 employees in the current fiscal year, according to CFO Mike Scarpelli during the company's Q4 earnings call. This follows the addition of 1,900 people last year, in contrast to the downsizing trend among other big tech companies. Snowflake plans to prioritize hiring in product, engineering, and sales.https://www.ciodive.com/news/Snowflake-expands-workforce-extends-AWS-partnership/644034/According to industry experts, CIOs must restructure their IT departments and strategies to take advantage of cloud transformation fully. Neil Holden, CIO at Halfords Group, believes IT departments must operate differently because of the cloud and what it means to the business. Holden reorganized his team to ensure they could maximize the capabilities and business opportunities provided by the cloud.https://www.cio.com/article/463595/transforming-it-for-cloud-success.htmlEmbracing Digital Transformation PodcastCheck out this weeks full length episode "Innovation as a Service" where Darren interview Andrew Cohen Managing Director at Netsurit.https://www.embracingdigital.org/episode-EDT127

Artificial IntelligenceOpenAI and Bain & Company formed Global AI Services Alliance to transform business potential. Bain will combine its deep digital implementation capabilities and strategic expertise with OpenAI’s AI tools and platforms, including ChatGPT, to help its clients worldwide identify and implement AI's value to maximizing business potential. The Coca-Cola Company is the first company to engage with the new alliance.Amazon’s cloud unit has partnered with Hugging Face, the maker of ChatGPT rival. Hugging Face will build the next version of its language model, called BLOOM, on AWS.https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazons-cloud-unit-partners-with-hugging-face-maker-of-chatgpt-rival/AI can also be used for actual good in the world too. AI is dreaming up drugs that no one has ever seen. Now we’ve got to see if they work. The first drugs designed with the help of AI are now in clinical trials, the rigorous tests done on human volunteers to see if a treatment is safe—and works—before regulators clear them for widespread use.https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/02/15/1067904/ai-automation-drug-developmentIntelligent EdgeSecurity vulnerabilities have been found in wireless industrial IoT devices from four vendors, creating a significant attack surface for threat actors looking to exploit operational technology (OT) environments. The flaws offer remote attack entry points, allowing unauthenticated adversaries to gain a foothold and use it as leverage to spread to other hosts, thereby causing serious damage.https://thehackernews.com/2023/02/critical-infrastructure-at-risk-from.htmlThe Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) has formed a working group dedicated to promoting the adoption of "Matter" for healthcare purposes. Matter is an interoperable standard for smart home devices released by the CSA last year. The Health and Wellness Working Group will align major contributors in the healthcare industry around the Matter standard to ensure secure and interoperable health and wellness devices.https://www.iottechnews.com/news/2023/feb/10/matter-creator-csa-announces-healthcare-working-group/Robo-taxis from Amazon’s self-driving vehicle biz Zoox are now on the streets of Foster City, California. Zoox’s vehicles are purpose-built for autonomous driving and do not feature any manual controls. The company’s full-time employees are the first to use the autonomous shuttle service between their campuses. This requires absolute trust in the quality of your team’s work!https://www.iottechnews.com/news/2023/feb/14/amazon-robotaxis-hit-the-streets-of-california/Data ManagementIn a recent study from Informatica on data sprawl, Informatica found that dispersed data and the need for unified management are widespread pain points for many organizations. Additionally, data quality and governance are top priorities. This is leading to increased investment in data technologies this year. The survey-based research found that 78% of CDOs said they must strategically align with revenue-generating organizations to justify the additional spending to improve data analytics and governance.https://accelerationeconomy.com/data/informatica-research-highlights-data-sprawl-why-management-needs-to-be-unified/Alation Inc., an enterprise data intelligence solutions provider, has released Alation Marketplaces. This new product allows third-party datasets to augment existing data in the Alation Data Catalog, enabling users to explore external third-party data and supplement existing data sets. In addition, the company has expanded its Alation Anywhere to Microsoft Teams and Alation Connected Sheets to Microsoft Excel to allow data users to access contextual information from the catalog directly within their tool of choice.https://www.alation.com/press-releases/alation-launches-data-marketplaces/

Artificial IntelligenceThe ethics and regulations of using generative AI-enabled Chatbots are starting to come into play as more people are starting to use ChatGPT and other. Chatbots will now need to include a Warning: We may not produce output that is real. Believe at your own risk. You revoke your right to sue us if you reproduce conversations, images, and videos for high-risk use cases that cause hate, harassment, violence, self-harm, illegal activity, deception, discrimination, or spam. https://swisscognitive.ch/2023/02/15/honest-lying-why-scaling-generative-ai-responsibly-is-not-a-technology-dilemma-in-as-much-as-a-people-problem/As AI becomes increasingly important in various industries, the role of Chief AI Officer (CAIO) is emerging as a new addition to the C-Suite. A good CAIO should clearly define the desired impact of AI projects and continuously focus the organization on delivering that outcome. A great CAIO should also track the real impact of those projects and update the business on their performance over time. Additionally, the CAIO should be able to understand and communicate how competitors may leverage AI to disrupt the business or add new competitive pressures. This role therefore escalates the expectations for driving transformation and impact, as well as anticipating and responding to competitors' use of AI. https://applieddatascience.medium.com/the-case-for-the-chief-ai-officer-the-newest-c-suite-role-d55cca40c01IBM’s latest supercomputer is taking several innovative new directions – it is IBM’s first AI-optimized, cloud-native supercomputer, and it is housed entirely within the IBM Cloud rather than on-premises like traditional supercomputers. Its “go-to environment for IBM Researchers creating most advanced AI capabilities, including our work on foundation models and is where we collaborate with partners to train models of many kinds.” https://futurumresearch.com/research-notes/ibms-latest-supercomputer-is-cloud-based-and-ai-focused/Ubiquitous ComputeAccording to a study by 451 Research commissioned by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, almost every cloud journey in enterprises is now becoming a multicloud journey. The study found that 98% of enterprises surveyed are using or plan to use at least two cloud infrastructure providers, and 96% reported they are using or plan to use at least two cloud application providers. The top drivers of multicloud strategies are data sovereignty and cost optimization. Enterprises are proactively planning multicloud strategies for the future, with data redundancy being the most anticipated future use case. https://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2023/feb/21/98-of-firms-using-public-cloud-adopt-multicloud-infrastructure-provider-strategy/The "supercloud," a cloud architecture that allows seamless migration of applications across different cloud providers, was first proposed by Cornell University researchers in 2016. The concept has resurfaced as a solution to the challenges of multi-cloud, providing a homogeneous network to tie cloud resources together, resulting in seamless migration, consistent security, and optimal performance. The supercloud simplifies design and operations by employing a single fabric that connects on-premises sites to the cloud, across clouds and cloud providers, allowing businesses to stay competitive. https://www.cloudcomputing-news.net/news/2023/feb/22/here-comes-the-supercloud-what-does-it-mean-for-multi-cloud-complexity/Demand for DRAM for servers to exceed that for smartphones due to the growing use of cloud, AI, and HPC apps; DRAM content for servers forecast to increase by 12.1% YoY in 2023 compared to 6.7% for smartphones; server memory to make up 37.6% of total DRAM bit output, up from 36.8% for mobile DRAM; COVID-19 pandemic has driven demand for cloud services, resulting in sharp increase in server shipments and memory content; server DRAM capacity for smartphones limited due to supply chain issues.CybersecurityCybersecurity company Resecurity has warned of a series of cyberattacks that have targeted data centers globally over the past 18 months, resulting in data exfiltration and publishing of access credentials on the dark web. Although Resecurity did not name the victims, Bloomberg claims that major corporations, including Alibaba, Amazon, Apple, BMW, Goldman Sachs, Huawei Technologies, Microsoft, and Walmart, had their data center credentials stolen. The activity aimed to steal sensitive data from enterprises and government organizations that are customers of the data centers. Resecurity expects attackers to increase malicious cyber activity targeting data centers and customers. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3688909/cyberattacks-hit-data-centers-to-steal-information-from-global-companies.html#tk.rss_allCybersecurity firm Menlo Labs has uncovered an unknown threat actor group that is targeting government entities via a Discord-based campaign using the PureCrypter downloader. The campaign uses the domain of a comp

Artificial IntelligenceAI mistakes: Blame it on the inaccuracies in the input datasets.* Alphabet's shares dropped by $100 billion after Google's AI chatbot, Bard, shared inaccurate information in a promotional video, and a company event failed to impress. During a live event, Bard stumbled, prompting Google to pull the live stream, which fueled concerns that the tech giant is losing ground to its rival, Microsoft. Reuters reported that Bard credited the James Webb Space Telescope for taking the first pictures of a planet outside the solar system. In reality, the first pictures were taken by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The incident highlights the importance of fact-checking before training AI models.* Not to be left behind Meta launched BlenderBot, a prototype conversational AI that soon told journalists it had deleted its Facebook account after learning about the company’s privacy scandals. “Since deleting Facebook my life has been much better,” it said. (oh oh)* In 2016 Microsoft apologized after a Twitter chatbot, Tay, started generating racist and sexist messages. It was forced to shut down the bot after users tweeted hateful remarks at Tay, which it then parroted. Its posts included likening feminism to cancer and suggesting the Holocaust did not happen.Microsoft’s Satya Nadella told CNBC that AI-powered search is the biggest thing to happen to the company in the nine years he’s been CEO.Otter.ai from FastCompany can automatically record meetings, take notes, and provide summaries, making it easier to track essential points. It can even perform these tasks over Zoom. https://www.fastcompany.com/90834773/how-to-use-ai-to-improve-employee-performance-and-engagementCybersecurityNew ESXiArgs Ransomware Variant Emerges After CISA Releases Decryptor Tool.The threat actors behind the ESXiArgs ransomware attack have released an updated version that encrypts more data and removes the Bitcoin address from the ransom note, instead asking victims to contact them on Tox to obtain the wallet information. The new variant was reported by a system administrator, who said files larger than 128MB will have 50% of their data encrypted. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) had earlier released a decryptor to help affected victims recover from the attack. According to Censys, the attackers likely knew that the original encryption process was easy to circumvent and were aware that researchers were tracking their payments. https://thehackernews.com/2023/02/new-esxiargs-ransomware-variant-emerges.htmlMicrosoft, Google, and Apple are looking at replacing traditional passwords with secure passkeys to authenticate users. Passkeys, which offer greater security and resistance to phishing attempts, are becoming more popular as password security continues to be threatened by hackers. Internet security experts suggest that passkeys could become standard within a year, with companies such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft already pushing users towards using them. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/11/why-apple-google-microsoft-passkey-should-replace-your-own-password.htmlIntelligent EdgeAT&T is collaborating with Ghost Robotics to use robotic dogs to improve public safety and national defense. The initiative will enhance the FirstNet emergency responder service, and network-connected robotic dogs can deliver a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT) use cases, including those that previously required putting personnel in dangerous situations. Lance Spencer, Client Executive VP - Defense at AT&T, said that this is one way to demonstrate the innovation and transformative possibilities of 5G and IoT. https://www.iottechnews.com/news/2023/jan/26/att-touts-robotic-dogs-public-safety-national-defense/A study by Juniper Research predicts that the global number of 5G IoT connections will exceed 100 million by 2026, up 1,100% from 17 million connections in 2023. Healthcare and smart city services are expected to drive this growth. Over 60 million 5G smart city connections are expected globally. 5G will enable more efficient healthcare provision and IoT technologies can address healthcare inefficiencies exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Connected emergency services, telemedicine, and real-time remote monitoring will be the most useful applications of 5G IoT. https://www.iottechnews.com/news/2023/jan/24/5g-iot-connections-exceed-100m-by-2026/

For the week of February 6, 2023. News from around the world of digital transformation in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and cybersecurity. Artificial IntelligenceAccording to Forbes, by 2030, AI will potentially deliver $13 trillion to the global economy, or 16% of the world's current GDP.ChatGPT lets scammers craft emails that are so convincing they can get cash from victims without even relying on malware Some fear the powerful chatbot will make it far easier for non-coders to create malware and become cybercriminals ChatGPT Cybersecurity Social EngineeringGoogle has invested almost $400 million in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, which is testing a rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/google-invests-anthropic-battle-chatgpt Google will be holding an event about how it’s “using the power of AI to reimagine how people search" A 40-minute event will be streamed on YouTube on February 8th at 8:30AM ET.An AI detection tool, that checks for chatGPT written content, says Macbeth written by William Shakespeare was generated by AI. I guess chatGPT was not trained in Old English. https://venturebeat.com/ai/chatgpt-detection-tool-thinks-macbeth-was-generated-by-ai-what-happens-now/ Guess it was not trained on old English (aka Shakespearean English)Ubiquitous ComputeGlobal public cloud revenues continue to increase, with the projected 26% growth to hit $525 billion this year, according to Statista. Software as a service is projected to be $253 Billion of that revenue. However, as the growth of the cloud continues, cloud services providers are feeling the pain, as there have been several outages over the last 12 months. This has been such a problem that multiple websites have popped up that monitor and report public cloud availability like cloudharmony.com and thousandeyes.com.https://cloudharmony.com/statushttps://www.thousandeyes.com/outages/https://www.statista.com/outlook/tmo/public-cloud/worldwideOracle and Red Hat have teamed up to provide RHEL-based virtual machine instances in Oracle’s Cloud running on Intel, AMD, and Arm processors. This teaming between former competitors is providing customers with a one stop shop for workloads that utilize oracle’s suite of products and traditional linux based workloads. This move continues to push Oracle into competition with the big Hyper-scalers like Azure, AWS, and Google.https://www.networkworld.com/article/3686513/red-hat-enterprise-linux-arrives-in-oracle-s-cloud.htmlCybersecurityE-commerce in South Korea and the U.S. are being attacked by an ongoing GuLoader malware campaign, cybersecurity firm Trellix disclosed late last month. The cyber attackers are shifting away from Microsoft Word document approach to NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) an open source tool for writing installers on the Windows Operating system. GuLoader Malware Using Malicious NSISPro-Russian hackers are using a new DDoS-as-a-Service Platform named Passion to target medical instituitons in the U. S., Portugal, Spain, Germany, Poland, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, and the U.K. This software as a service offering is a subscription servivce allowing customers to select their desired attack vectors, duration and intensity. Russian Cybercriminals Launch New Passion Attack PlatformThe US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Thursday announced the release of a Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC) guide that can help organizations prioritize vulnerability patching using a decision tree model. The SSVC system was created in 2019 by CISA and Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute (SEI), and a year later CISA developed its own customized SSVC decision tree for security flaws relevant to government and critical infrastructure organizations. CISA Releases Decsiion Tree ModelEmbracing Digital Transformation PodcastThis week Darren Pulsipher interviews chatGPT. Check it out here.