Today in Tech

More details have emerged from the National Public Data breach that exposed millions of Social Security numbers to hackers, showing a potential lack of security knowledge by companies that need to protect data. Brandon Mahne, CTO at Glasshouse and owner of Mangrove Collective, joins the show as guest co-host to discuss this story, as well as other tech news. Chick-fil-a as a streaming provider? A future “space gas station”? Our weekly tech news roundup has you covered.

The money flow for generative artificial intelligence projects is starting to slow down, as companies begin to scrutinize the return on investment for these projects, and doubts creep in about accuracy, hallucinations and other potential problems. Hidden costs are also becoming less-than-hidden, leading many companies to wonder whether all of this hype was perhaps overblown. Keith chats with Mike Sinoway, CEO of Lucidworks, about their recent survey that showed a slowing down of AI investments across the industry and around the world.

With another potentially large data breach of 2.7 billion records that included Social Security numbers, as well as a first half of the year revealing major data breaches, is it time to adjust your security strategy? Brandon Mahne joins the show as guest co-host this week to talk about these issues and other technology news stories from the week, including Elon Musk’s new AI image generator that appears to have no guardrails, and why Waymo vehicles in San Francisco are all honking at each other.

A new survey indicates that companies are looking to train internal employees for key AI skills. Gustavo Alba, global managing partner of Technology & Service practice at Heidrick & Struggles, chats with Keith about ways that companies can help employees get better at learning critical generative AI skills.

What kind of impact will losing its antitrust lawsuit have on Google, and does anyone even care given all of the hype around generative AI? In addition, Microsoft strikes back against Delta over the CrowdStrike outage, and we are wondering if anyone is paying attention to the two American astronauts that remain on the International Space Station. Evan Kirstel, the Techfluencer, joins the show as guest co-host to discuss this and other technology news from previous weeks.

The recent CrowdStrike and Microsoft outages have raised several red flags at companies about their preparedness for when disaster strikes. Could adopting a Chief Risk Officer or Chief Resilience Officer helped with either predicting such vulnerabilities, or at least helped with recovery efforts? Spencer Kimball, CEO and co-founder at Cockroach Labs, chats with Keith about the benefits and challenges for companies around the idea of a Chief Risk Officer, and what companies need to be thinking about in a post-outage world.

Many signs, both on the business side and consumer side, indicate that the technology industry’s love affair is about to head down a slippery slope. In other words, the “Bubble Pop Brigade” is ramping up, whether it’s companies abandoning AI projects or Big Tech firms dropping AI tools. Evan Kirstel, the Techfluencer, joins the show as guest co-host to discuss this and other technology news from previous weeks.

A new survey on potential cybersecurity threats across the landscape and how companies are responding to them suggests many challenges ahead and grim outlooks. Keith chats with Brandon Traffansted, field CTO at CyberArk, about what the survey results mean, and whether there is hope for optimism across the ransomware, machine identity, generative AI and threat landscapes.

Companies going through digital transformation efforts are discovering that they don’t have enough people on the traditional development side to meet ever-expanding and ever-demanding requests from the business side for fast application creation. Could creating ‘citizen developers’ be the answer? Keith chats with Andie Dovgan, chief growth officer at Creatio, about the rise of citizen developers within companies, what misconceptions companies have about the trend, and how companies succeed and fail with these efforts.

Despite security training and improved security systems that aim to keep the bad guys out, ransomware and other malware continue to invade our systems due to human mistakes. Keith chats with Tulsa University Professor Justin Miller, a former Secret Service agent, about the top mistakes that end users, companies and governments continue to make in the realm of cybersecurity.

A range of high-profile computer hacks have shut down car dealerships, furniture manufacturers, and even had an effect on Disney, showcasing that as temperatures rise, so do the security attacks. Tech Influencer Evan Kirstel joins the show this week as guest co-host to discuss those stories and others from the week, including whether Amazon Prime Day is still a big deal, and whether we want an AI Burt Reynolds to read us the news or an audio book.

As generative artificial intelligence continues to make strides and make mistakes, a growing number of experts and businesses are trying to figure out whether AI needs to be used by everyone within a company. Will this technology eventually fade into the background, or does it need to remain as “the great disruptor”? Keith chats with Ryan Cox, head of artificial intelligence at Synechron, about where AI heads over the next few years.

Market analyst firm IDC said the Apple Vision Pro has yet to sell 100,000 units, leading many to believe that the ‘spatial computing’ device is a flop. Meanwhile, Apple fans turn their attention to a potential robotics device with AI features. Computerworld columnist and journalist extraordinaire Mike Elgan joins the show to discuss this and other technology topics, including whether we will all become cyborgs eventually, and if we think Mark Zuckerberg is “king of the millennials.”

While we continue to see ‘meh’ reactions to products like Apple’s Vision Pro headset and Meta continues to struggle with its Oculus headsets, there is still a feeling that spatial computing will be with us in the future. Deloitte Consulting takes a futuristic look at the ups, downs and everything in between of the technology – not through a list of charts and graphs, but through the use of speculative fiction and “What If?” types of stories. Mike Bechtel, chief futurist and managing director at Deloitte, joins the show to discuss this world of 2030 and how different spatial technology will have both positive and negative impacts on the world we live in.

The U.S. attempting to ban TikTok goes beyond just stopping a social media app that shows funny dance videos or makeup tips. Experts in national intelligence say it’s about stopping a foreign state (China) from waging information warfare against the U.S. and protecting citizens from propaganda campaigns. Keith chats with Craig Albert, Ph.D., from Augusta University about the dangers of TikTok, as well as how foreign nations and other cyberhacker groups utilize social media to subtly (and not-so-subtly) influence the opinions of American citizens.

The Recording Industry Association of America and big music groups sue some artificial intelligence companies over the use of copyrighted materials in training data sets, the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between content holders and AI startups. Also, is Amazon late to the AI party with a potential ChatGPT competitor? Analyst Jack Gold joins the show as guest co-host this week to discuss the latest technology news with Keith.

Today’s technology leaders and entrepreneurs are completely different from the tech giants that created and dominated Silicon Valley over the past 20 to 30 years. The next generation of technology leaders will need even different skills from today’s bigwigs. Keith chats with Robert Eric Siegel, a lecturer in management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a venture partner at Piva, about how tech leadership is evolving.

In the news these days: The U.S. Surgeon General declares that social media is creating a mental health crisis for adolescents, and is looking to Congress to put warning labels on apps; AI continues to have its ups and downs – ChatGPT passes the Turing Test, but AI technology gets dumped at the McDonald’s drive-through. Computerworld contributing columnist Mike Elgan joins the crew as guest co-host to discuss these and other technology news stories from the past few weeks.

For years, there existed a church and state separation between the world of video games and business training. Even concepts of ‘gamification’ haven’t much moved the needle when it comes to figuring out new ways to train people beyond papers, lectures and presentations. But with better technology now available, businesses can create “games” that will offer better training and education for workers. Keith Shaw chats with Sam Glassenberg, CEO of medical games company Level Ex, about what is causing this shift in the market.

Apple finally enters the artificial intelligence space with its ‘personal intelligence’ tools – what does this mean for the market, competitors and, most importantly, users of Apple products? Will consumers who have been saying mostly ‘meh’ to AI now start using the tools? Computerworld’s Ken Mingis and Macworld’s Mike Simon join the show to discuss Apple’s AI announcements from WWDC 24, including what features they like best from the Apple Intelligence package.

Nvidia becomes a $3T company based on its latest AI chips (with Intel and AMD also in the game), leading the AI hype machine to go into overdrive. But at the same time, some are suggesting that the bubble is about to burst, and that AI investments may not pan out as users feel less enthusiastic. Computerworld contributing columnist and author Mike Elgan joins the show to discuss these and other technology news items from the past week.

While the technology job market remains vibrant and strong for many workers, people over the age of 50 are finding it more difficult to get a new job, or navigate past the layers of hiring with the institution of new AI screening tools. Keith talks with Christina Matz, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Boston Collee School of Social Work and director of the Center on Aging & Work, about why age discrimination still exists within much of the corporate world, including in the tech sector.

Between having an AI tool that recommends crazy suggestions like putting glue on pizza and a “leak” around how its search engine works, Google is facing lots of criticism about its technology and operations. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show this week to talk with the crew about Google’s issues, why general consumers are saying ‘meh’ to AI tools, and why the American worker is lonelier at work than ever before.

As computing has developed over the past four decades, we increasingly see products designed to be more ‘disposable’ rather than upgradeable or made to last longer. However, there are still bright spots within the ecosystem that allow consumers to get more out of their devices or extend their life. Keith chats with Larry O’Connor, founder and CEO of Other World Computing, about these issues, as well as how improving speeds through cables and connectors enabled more external products such as storage (and why Keith needs to backup his data more often).

Big Tech companies trying to roll out new AI tools face some blowback in recent weeks, whether it was OpenAI using a Scarlett Johannson-like voice (without her permission or licensing) to tout new voice AI features; or Microsoft hyping a new feature that takes screen shots of your computer every few seconds; or Google proudly announcing that AI overviews and paid sponsors will bury search results even further. Chris Shaw from NTT Research joins the show as guest co-host with the crew to discuss these and other top technology stories from the week.

Four years after most workers began using video calls for meetings, workers are discovering that we are still not good with the technology. In addition, a new survey suggests that video calls cause anxiety and fatigue. Keith chats with Sylvia Johnson, head of methodology at Preply, about the survey and how we can ease the anxiety around video calls.

OpenAI launches a new AI model that lets users have voice conversations with ChatGPT, creating the world of ‘Her’. With rumors of Apple creating a “better Siri” at some point, are we getting to a world with better AI voice assistants? Guest co-host Chris Shaw joins the crew to discuss these topics and also news around autonomous vehicles making a comeback, why solar storms disrupted tractors in the Midwest, and whether people just don’t want to work anymore.

The onslaught of new artificial intelligence tools is causing burnout for many engineers, while another research paper suggests that AI will produce generic, bland content if humans don’t challenge the AI systems to be better. Also, Apple faces backlash for its ‘Crush’ ad promoting its new iPad, and TikTok heads to the courts to try and prevent its sale in the U.S. Chris Shaw from NTT Research joins the crew as guest co-host as they discuss these stories and other technology topics.

As businesses look to deploy artificial intelligence, many are concerned about making sure the systems are 100% accurate in their responses, and that ‘AI hallucinations’, where the system seems to make up answers, are eliminated. However, there are cases where AI hallucinations can be good for a business. Keith chats with Ryan Welsh, Field CTO for Generative AI at Qlik, about how companies can determine the right level of accuracy for their AI needs, and whether hallucinations are OK in certain situations.

Elon Musk gets rid of most of his Supercharger team, confusing and stunning others in the automotive industry, which leads us to ask whether Musk is playing chess while the rest of us play checkers. Chris Shaw, CMO of NTT Research, joins the show as guest co-host to discuss this with Keith and Chris. Also covered – UnitedHealth CEO admits a security failure that caused a huge ransomware attack, Google continues to act ‘evil’ with its latest layoffs, the Rabbit R1 gadget could have just been an Android app, and a Catholic group deploys an ‘AI priest’ chatbot with easily predictable disastrous effects.

Despite low unemployment numbers and reports of “plenty of jobs available” in the technology space, many job seekers are still struggling to find work. Encountering hurdles such as AI-driven applicant tracking systems, fake job listings, recruitment scams and ageism, many job seekers are becoming more frustrated. Keith chats with Chui Senanyake from The Job Helpers to see if there are other ways that job seekers can beat (or bypass) several of these hurdles.

The countdown clock for TikTok in the U.S. continues to run, as the Senate passes a bill and President Biden signs it into law, giving the Chinese-owned company up to a year to sell to a new owner, or face a U.S. ban. Analyst Jack Gold joins the show as guest co-host this week to discuss this news, as well as the ‘earthquake effect’ of the FTC’s ban on non-compete agreements for workers, and whether an AI dogfighting demonstration by the U.S. Air Force is just a dog-and-pony show.

Companies like Apple and Meta are grabbing the headlines for augmented and virtual reality technology (or calling it ‘spatial computing’), but is there still a market for the idea of mixed reality, which merges both technology into an augmented and virtual experience? Keith chats with Mark Day, CEO of AlensiaXR, about the history of XR’s ups and downs, and what it would take for the technology to become more mainstream with consumers and businesses.

While some company layoffs at companies like Tesla and Rivian indicate a lower demand for electric vehicles, companies like Google and Best Buy may have said the quiet part out loud – investments in AI might be one of the reasons they are letting people go. Keith and Chris talk with guest co-host Brandon Mahne about the reasons behind the latest bunch of tech layoffs, as well as whether anyone will buy an AI PC, and why the Fallout TV show hit a home run with viewers and gamers alike.

Before we all got obsessed with generative artificial intelligence, the technology world was obsessed with connecting everything to “the Internet of Things” – street lights, water sensors, buildings, locks, cameras, etc. Disruptions from the pandemic era quelled a lot of that movement, so where are IoT deployments happening now? Keith chats with David Howard, director of technical sales at Quectel and an industry leader on IoT matters, about where IoT stands these days.

Advances in battery performance, design, form factors and lightweight materials are all contributing to a potential boost in wearable computing devices that move beyond the smart watch. Whether devices will be worn on your face, neck, hands or even feet, companies are looking to find new ways for users to monitor their health or provide other data for convenience purposes. Keith chats with Semir Haddad, chief product and strategy officer for MicroEJ, about the new world of wearables we might see in the next five years.

With the arrival of the Apple Vision Pro and renewed interest in virtual reality offerings by Meta, it looks like shipments of the devices will grow in 2024 and beyond. Keith chats with IDC’s Ramon Llamas about the impact of Apple’s entrance into the market, and what the future holds for the augmented reality / virtual reality / mixed reality / spatial computing world.

OpenAI announces a tool that can clone a person’s voice based only on a 15-second audio clip, while a song generator can now generate a three-minute song from natural language prompts. Brandon Mahne joins the crew as guest co-host as they also discuss Amazon ditching its ‘Just Walk Out’ grocery technology, and we find out who was really responsible for the MGM Resorts hack.

The rise of social media addiction and behavioral issues has also corresponded with the rise of smartphone usage, especially among adolescents. When talking about the behavioral issues caused by social media addiction, how much of this can also be attributed to a device that we have attached to our hip almost 24 hours a day? Keith chats with Professor Joseph Trunzo, a professor of psychology at Bryant University about how smartphones are affecting behaviors, as well as whether there will be long-term effects of social media addiction as this generation moves into the workforce.

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried will be in federal prison for a very long time for his role in conspiracy and fraud charges from the collapse of the crypto exchange he started. Guest co-host Brandon Mahne joins Keith and Chris to discuss these and other tech stories of the week, including the under-the-radar rise of NVIDIA and Anthropic, as well as the new AI song-writing tool that everyone is obsessed with.

Parents and end users who are worried about the potential effects of social media addiction can take more proactive steps to help stave off potential behavioral issues as a result. Keith chats with John Paul Simon, director of clinical interventions in schools for CarePlus New Jersey, about how to recognize the signs of social media addition, as well as advice to help users become more aware of the dangers.

Using tactics like how Las Vegas casinos keep customers in their seats, big social media companies are designing interfaces to keep users on the platform for longer periods of times. This can be very problematic for younger users, who have brains that are still developing and can be seriously affected by addiction behavior. Keith chats with Dr. Lisa Strohman, a licensed psychologist and director of the Digital Citizen Academy, about the harmful effects of social media addiction.

The last two years has seen more than 310,000 layoffs from more than 200 tech companies, indicating an issue with employment in the technology sector. While some experts say there are plenty of open technology positions at companies, anecdotal evidence suggests that it’s becoming harder to find work. AI-based hiring tools that often screen out qualified candidates before they reach a hiring manager also seems problematic. In our latest technology roundup, Keith and Chris are joined by guest co-host Brandon Mahne, a Silicon Valley veteran technologist and CTO, to discuss the issue. Also discussed is whether Apple and Google teaming up on AI is a good idea, and why people under 30 are so unhappy.

A multi-district lawsuit against the major social media companies (Meta, TikTok, Google, Snapchat) alleges their algorithms are defective because they are designed to maximize screen time, which can encourage addictive behavior in adolescents. Keith chats with Jayne Conroy, a partner at Simmons Hanly Conroy, about the lawsuit, its origins and potential consequences, and the process moving forward.

While news publishers have often used ‘clickbait’ and other misleading headlines to sell newspapers and content for years, the rise of generative artificial intelligence means that we can expect even more “junk content” that could be misleading, fake or otherwise unreliable. Add in other AI-based generation such as voice content, images and videos and the world will suddenly become very unreliable when it comes to news. Keith chats with Alex Fink, founder and CEO of Otherweb, to discuss AI-generated junk content and what publishers, companies and even users need to do to combat the issue.

The U.S. Congress takes the first step against a potential ban or sale of TikTok through House legislation, but will this mean the end of the social media app as we know it? Meanwhile, Europe begins adding safeguards around artificial intelligence technology to help protect the privacy of its citizens. Guest co-host Paul Desmond from Saratoga B2B Group joins the show to discuss these issues, as well as whether the U.S. power infrastructure will eventually be unable to support new AI efforts and electric vehicle applications.

With more AI models and tools coming out from companies on a weekly basis, we are beginning to wonder whether this will turn many companies away from the technology as they look for the ‘best tool possible.’ Meanwhile, continued errors and AI hallucinations have companies holding back on fully deploying the technology. Keith chats with Rebecca Parsons, CTO Emerita at Thoughtworks, about how companies need to remain vigilant and responsible in their AI development, while also accepting that we are still in the early days and that errors will happen.

The BlackCat ransomware gang, which attacked a large U.S. healthcare company that delivers prescription drug services, has apparently received a $22 million payment and then stiffed their affiliates. Guest co-host Paul Desmond joins the Today in Tech crew to discuss this story and other technology news, including why it’s a bad idea for scientists to try and create a new wooly mammoth species.

The ongoing saga between the LockBit ransomware gang and law enforcement officials feels like a made-for-TV movie with back-and-forth ‘trolling’, while at the same time the FBI provides warnings about ransomware aimed at hospitals. Paul Desmond joins the crew for another week of guest co-hosting on the show, where they also talk about ongoing AI mishaps from Microsoft and Google, as well as whether they’ll ever wear a smartphone bracelet (no) or use a transparent laptop screen (possibly).

Over the past 20 years, innovation and new products seemed to come mainly from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and other venture capitalist investments. But that may be changing, as research labs, academics and research and development groups come up with new ways to develop “what’s coming next.” In this episode, Keith chats with Chris Shaw, CMO at NTT Research, about some of the big trends in how new products and technologies will be developed over the next 10 to 20 years.