Move over cloud — edge computing is going to be Wall Street's next big thing.
That's at least the sentiment of one of the top tech executives at the largest US bank by assets.
While much of the recent tech talk on Wall Street has focused on the pubic cloud, "it's going to be yesterday's conversation" in as little as five years, George Sherman, JPMorgan's chief information officer overseeing public and private cloud infrastructure, recently told Insider. 
"I actually think the conversation is going to be more about, 'How do you move workloads closer to the point of consumption?' which isn't necessarily a cloud construct. It's an edge construct," Sherman said

Edge computing involves analyzing data closer to the point of collection as opposed to transporting it back to the cloud and doing it there. Computations run on the so-called "edge of the network" can be done faster.

Latency, or the speed at which calculations can be done, has long been a barrier to Wall Street's full adoption of the public cloud.
By combining edge with cloud computing, financial institutions stand to collect and analyze data faster.
"I think that'll be the kind of flavor of the day in the next five to 10, it's already kind of starting but if we think about where it is in its maturity curve, it's still very new," Sherman said of edge computing. 
5G and IoT are leading the push to edge computing
The rise of the internet-of-things (IoT) — or the network of devices, like toasters or smart watches, that are connected to the internet and collect data — has played a role in the increased interest in edge computing.  
The roll out of 5G technology, which is the fifth-generation wireless network standard, is also key to edge computing since it speeds and broadens connectivity. But the tech has taken a while to get deployed worldwide, Sherman added. 
Still, that hasn't stopped the bank, which operates a $12 billion annual tech budget, from exploring applications for edge computing. 
Continue reading: https://www.businessinsider.com/jpmorgan-edge-computing-public-cloud-innovation-tech-strategy-iot-2021-11

Live video streaming is taking off with the global video streaming market estimated to exceed $240 billion by 2030. Driven by the media and entertainment industries which are joined by an ever-increasing number of vertical use cases, it’s hard to think of a sector where live video streaming isn’t a fundamental parameter. 
However, video itself is changing. Once a passive medium delivered to be “consumed” by audiences, video today is an actionable resource that facilitates processes, enables analytical insights, and, in many cases, generates new income.
But as live video streaming is changing rapidly, transforming industries, and opening up new opportunities to content owners, the ways in which media companies capture, process, and distribute live video streams needs to be reconsidered. For video to become actionable, traceable, and monetizable, media industry players need more control and more freedom to shape the workflows they actually require and distribute video to all the right destinations.
Edge computing at the point of video origin is a paradigm shift, taking live video to the next level.  
The problem with live video workflows Historically, media organizations have relied on traditional broadcast-grade equipment capturing and encoding video. While reliable, these devices are also costly and largely inflexible as they are designed for TV applications and not smaller-scale events. 
On the other hand, there are the lower-end video encoders utilized by content creators for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch. However, these encoders are tailored for specific use cases and only offer limited reliability, functionality, and flexibility. 
In nearly every streaming video application, the cloud is relied upon for a significant part of the solution, be it for higher-end broadcast TV workflows all the way down to low-end workflows.  The cloud overcomes compromises of the video encoder, acting as an intermediary for processing video streams and distributing them to the right platforms. However, these workflows are still subject to delays as they add extra steps to the video supply chain. 
Continue reading: https://www.tvtechnology.com/opinion/how-edge-computing-unleashes-innovation-in-live-streaming

The world is entering the age of hyperconnectivity, where devices, data and information systems talk constantly, sharing data between and among numerous applications programmed to do everything from safeguarding our homes to running oil rigs.
This world of hyperconnectivity is awash in data.
IDC's Global DataSphere Forecast, 2021-2025 predicted that global data creation and replication will grow from 64.2 zettabytes of data in 2020 to 181 zettabytes in 2025.
More and more of that data creation will happen at the very end of computing networks, thanks to the rapid growth of IoT and its collection of connected endpoint devices.
And the amount of data that's processed at the edge of those computing networks is expected to grow just as rapidly.
Figures from Gartner, a tech research and advisory firm, confirm this dramatic shift. The firm found that approximately 10% of enterprise-generated data was created and processed outside of traditional centralized data centers and the cloud in 2018. But it predicted that 75% of data will be processed at the edge by 2025.

What is edge computing?
Edge computing is -- as the name so succinctly says -- is computer power that exists on the edge of a connected ecosystem. It's positioned physically close to the endpoint devices, such as sensors or mobile phones, that are generating the data.
The role of edge computing is to ingest data generated from the nearby endpoint devices and then use a machine learning program to first analyze that data and then direct an action in response to that analysis.
Edge computing is an alternative to sending endpoint-generated data to centralized servers -- whether on premises or, more likely, in the cloud -- for processing.
This edge computing capability is commonly housed in purpose-built devices, such as IoT gateways, but it can sometimes be housed in the endpoints themselves.
Benefits of edge computing
True to its name, edge computing takes compute out of an enterprise's core data center and places it close to endpoint devices where data is being generated, which brings several key benefits, such as:
1. Improved speed/reduced latency
By its definition and design, edge computing eliminates the need to move data from endpoints to the cloud and back again. Decreasing that travel shaves time off the entire process; this time savings can be measured in seconds, sometimes even milliseconds. That might not seem like much, but travel time -- known as latency -- is a critical consideration in a connected world where real-time decision-making capabilities are necessary for proper functioning of the endpoint devices.
For example, autonomous vehicles, industrial and manufacturing IoT deployments and medical use cases all require machines to analyze data and return instructions nearly instantaneously in order to function safely.
Continue reading: https://internetofthingsagenda.techtarget.com/tip/Top-5-benefits-of-edge-computing-for-businesses

Keeping it simple, “smart cities” utilize emerging technologies such as 5G and IoT to create and deliver connected solutions for the well-being of a community. While the innovation of 5G technology will not facilitate the advancement of smart cities on its own, the new 5G infrastructure vastly expands the opportunity for cities to utilize smart devices, sensors, and data to improve operations and functions.
With 5G being the newest wireless technology, everything from smart sensors to self-driving cars can now communicate at incredibly fast speeds with low latency and without being tethered to an ethernet cable – resulting in more efficient systems and resources.
So, why is 5G technology vital to the advancement of smart cities?

• Public Safety and Security. Officers and emergency officials will be able to locate and receive real-time information regarding accidents and emergency calls from intelligent sensors that are placed throughout the city.
• Mobility. 5G networks will provide faster and lower latency connectivity for public transit systems, making it easier for autonomous vehicles and people to navigate cities.
• Traffic Management. The combination of 5G networks and IoT devices are expected to intelligently track and manage traffic flows, monitor road conditions, and reduce traffic congestion.
• Energy Efficiency. 5G creates huge opportunities for connected devices within buildings and cities to help track, monitor, and control energy. This helps buildings and cities better manage their energy supply, save money, and become more sustainable.

Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/future-of-5g-and-iot-in-smart-cities

Women in tech are challenging the gender disparity in their field and are inspiring more women to pursue careers the male-dominated industry.
Software developers Mikaela Gabriels and Tegwen Galant want to show other women that working in tech can be a viable and fulfilling career.
The pair met through UWC’s Future-Innovation Lab in collaboration with Samsung, a program created to address gender and diversity imbalances in the sector.
Gabriels and Galant are graduates of the program, in multi-platform software development and social innovation and describe themselves as women wanting to make their mark in the tech industry.
A report by PwC about women in tech confirmed that women hold 19% of tech-related jobs at top ten global companies, compared to men who hold 81%.
In leadership roles, women make up 28%.
Galant said it has been tough as a woman in software development.
“I feel like we sometimes need to work ten times harder, but I am hopeful that the work we do will change that.
Continue reading: https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/tech-savvy-women-committed-to-inspiring-other-women-32265037-8283-4ab4-9f01-9a7aeae1a3b9

Women in Tech is a monthly spotlight feature, which documents and highlights the role of female trailblazers in the IT industry across the Middle East, and in our latest installment we spoke to the wonderful Loubna Imenchal from Logitech and formerly of Johnson Control and Honeywell to find out more about her journey.
It has been documented that gender disparity is still very prevalent in the IT industry and in my capacity as a journalist at GITEX Global, I witnessed first-hand the disproportionate breakdown that exists between genders when it comes to C-Level positions within the IT ecosystem.
In a compelling and very forthright interview, Imenchal charts the difficulties she has faced and admitted that during her ascent up the corporate ladder she was forced to fight, and it is evident that nothing has been handed to her.
“I’ve been lucky that I have worked for multinationals that started to proactively encourage the integration of women within the IT industry. However, when I began my career, especially at companies like Honeywell and Johnson Control, they were very male dominated organizations, and it was extremely rare to have a woman in a leadership position within the company, it just was something that did not happen. It was a very good journey for me though, because it was so uncommon and against the grain, it was great to be able to show and use my story as a use case and an example that women could indeed attain leadership positions within companies such as these. I think it’s fair to say that it is easier to attain leadership positions in the IT industry as opposed to an industrial environment, but many barriers still exist within IT”, said Imenchal.
Continue reading: https://www.tahawultech.com/features/women-in-tech-logitechs-loubna-imenchal-is-inspiring-the-next-generation-of-female-leaders-in-it/

Cryptocurrencies have exploded in popularity over the last decade, and almost everyone is talking about them or investing in them. However, cryptocurrency investments are unlike any other in the financial system. They defy conventional investment trends and are prone to ludicrous swings.
There are over 10,000 cryptocurrencies and a slew of cryptocurrency exchanges, with more being added daily. That's a lot to take in, especially for first-time investors. This article will go over the biggest risks that new and experienced investors should be aware of in this wildly volatile market.
The 9 Biggest Risks for Crypto Investors
Unlike physical money (or fiat), cryptocurrencies are not backed by banks or governments and are highly speculative. Cryptocurrency transactions exist as digital entries on a blockchain. Cryptocurrencies are a trustworthy and secure system because of the public ledger system.
While the blockchain may aid crypto security, the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency, combined with the anonymity it provides, poses risks. The following are nine significant risks associated with investing in cryptocurrency:
Continue reading: https://www.makeuseof.com/biggest-risks-crypto-investors/

The blockchain data structure was actually invented by Dr. Stuart Haber and his colleagues back in the early 1990s and was supposed to be used for digital document timestamping. It wasn’t until late 2008 when Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, proposed using blockchain or distributed ledger tech (DLT) to serve as part of the foundation for the Bitcoin protocol and network. In mid-2015, Russian-Canadian programmer Vitalik Buterin and many other colleagues introduced Ethereum, which is a more advanced blockchain-based network because it also features smart contracts.
This added functionality makes Ethereum Turing Complete, which basically means it can be used to build and deploy decentralized applications (dApps). At present, Ethereum is in the process of transitioning from the computationally-intensive proof-of-work (PoW) consensus algorithm to a proof-of-stake (PoS)-based blockchain consensus mechanism. This should address the significant (lack of) scalability issues that Ethereum is facing. If you’re an active ETH network user, then you may have seen how impractical it can become to conduct crypto transactions with ERC-20/ERC-721 tokens, due to the exorbitant gas fees. 
Addressing the Blockchain Trilemma: Security, Scalability, Decentralization
In addition to high fees, transactions can take a very long time to complete. Then there’s also the issue of front-running, where certain users may get ahead of the queue by paying higher fees, so their transactions can be (unfairly) prioritized over other users who may be waiting for a very long time. Clearly, these problems need to be addressed if Ethereum and other smart contract platforms want to deploy enterprise-grade dApps and support mainstream adoption. 
Continue reading: https://cryptonews.com/news/all-systems-go-can-current-crypto-chains-scale-up-for-mass-adoption.htm

DESPITE naysayers dispelling the benefits of blockchain technology, more have embraced its true nature. Enhanced security, greater transparency, and improved traceability and efficiency are among blockchain’s main disruptive virtues, so much so that it is now making strides into other industries beyond just the financial sector.
According to CB Insight’s Market Sizing Tool, annual spending on blockchain solutions is expected to hit US$16 billion (RM68 billion) by 2023. Considering that US$8.7 billion of blockchain and cryptocurrency investments were spent in the first half of 2021, the estimated US$16 billion is potentially within reach of future investments.
Aware of this, the Malaysian government, through the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital), is working together with agencies like Malaysia Digital Economy Corp (MDEC) in rolling out programs, initiatives, and grants in support of building a sustainable ecosystem for the nation’s tech and fintech industry.
Through the Digital Investments Future5 Strategy and the Digital Investments Office, MDEC is looking to drive digital investments to Malaysia, with a focus on blockchain as one of the five key emerging technologies.
As the world acclimatizes to the new business environment brought forth by the Covid-19 pandemic, technology-driven solutions have taken precedence in future economic growth.
Cognisant of the current changing landscape, IIB Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB), launched the Iskandar Global Innovation and Technology Exchange (Ignite) in July 2021, with the goal to bring innovative minds together in sharing innovative solutions, thoughts, and knowledge on emerging technologies.
Continue reading: https://www.thesundaily.my/business/blockchain-embracing-the-technology-for-change-AB8605233

The growing popularity of cryptocurrencies is revolutionizing the financial industry.
With the rise of bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, there is no denying fintech is taking on an entirely new meaning.
This article discusses how cryptocurrency is reshaping fintech and the world economy at large. If you're looking to stay ahead of the curve, then read on!
Digital currencies are now worth more than fintech companies
While the combined valuation of the top 100 fintech companies was at circa $1.82 trillion USD at the time of publication, the total market capitalization of the top 100 cryptocurrencies stood at around $2.44 trillion USD. 
It begs the question: what else might cryptocurrencies accomplish in the future if it can already outpace fintech companies by more than $620bn USD at such an early stage?
According to Stephen Pair, co-founder and CEO of BitPay, "Crypto usage has increased exponentially because it disrupted traditional financial systems. The ability to accept cryptocurrency expands a business' sales opportunity into international markets where accepting traditional credit cards is not practical. Credit cards were not designed for the Internet, and crypto has proven to reduce high fees, increase payment transparency and efficiency while also eliminating fraud risk. Similar to paying in cash, the consumer sends the exact amount needed for the transaction."
The rise of cryptocurrencies has also been driven by a desire for decentralization and trustless transactions, two features currently lacking from the legacy financial system, but mastering this new technology will not be smooth sailing.
Continue reading: https://fintechmagazine.com/crypto/how-crypto-reshaping-finance-and-world-large

After many months without travel, the 20-month COVID-19 travel ban was finally lifted to the United States, affecting all non-U.S. citizens from over 30 countries. With countries slowly reopening, travel has once again become top of mind to the world, with expectations that more and more countries will begin loosening their restrictions in response to the actions of the U.S.
Unfortunately, with a rising number of people looking to travel again, prices are following closely behind. Gas prices, airfare and hotels are all reaching new heights as travelers and vacationers try to snatch up whatever is available. Unfortunately, for many, this means paying more for a vacation than they might be able to and even missing out on the trip of their dreams.
Although it might come as a surprise, the capabilities of blockchain technology may be able to address this sudden rise in prices. BitBook, a platform launched in October, provides its community with opportunities to book travel and earn crypto. Everyone deserves to travel, and BitBook is making this reality possible by rewarding people who book through their site, invite others or create compelling content.
Operating with a community focus, BitBook is making travel rewarding in more ways than experience, with a diverse set of offerings that now include access to over 400,000 hotels, over 300 airlines and car rentals from Hertz and Sixtz.
Continue reading: https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-based-booking-platform-allows-everyone-to-experience-travel

Marketing communications of a company have never been personalized and targeted to the level that they are today. All thanks to data! Our each and every touchpoint and interaction with a company, gives the company an idea of what type of customers we are and the same data points are used to reach us back and and tell us ‘You’d like this too’. It all began with creating the personas of the customer segmentation. It is important because everything in marketing revolves around this. If you segment your customers well, it means you have a fair understanding of what your customers want. It is important because everything in marketing revolves around this. If a marketer has segmented its customers well, it means he has a fair understanding of what his customers want.
And then came personalization, personalizing the campaigns and the product recommendation engines. "A very powerful use case of data and AI in marketing is the next best product. Think of this as a product recommendation engine but conditioned upon your previous customer behavior. Within marketing, a famous strategy is cross-selling and up-selling. But the science behind the next best product is that you put the data into ML models and create experiments. So, you are not just assuming what your customer will like but it's he ML model which is giving you recommendations based on the historical data and reasoning," said Aswini Thota, Principal Data Scientist at Bose Corporation.
Continue reading: https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/next-gen-technologies/how-data-ai-have-revolutionized-digital-marketing/87981631

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and other emerging technologies have potential to solve complex problems for organizations. Yet despite increased adoption over the past two years, only a small percentage of companies feel they are gaining significant value from their AI initiatives. Where are their efforts going wrong? Simple missteps can derail any AI initiative, but there are ways to avoid these missteps and achieve success.
Following are four mistakes that can lead to a failed AI implementation and what you should do to avoid or resolve these issues for a successful AI rollout.
Don’t solve the wrong problem
When determining where to apply AI to solve problems, look at the situation through the right lens and engage both sides of your organization in design thinking sessions, as neither business nor IT have all the answers. Business leaders know which levers can be pulled to achieve a competitive advantage, while technology leaders know how to use technology to achieve those objectives. Design thinking can help create a complete picture of the problem, requirements and desired outcome, and can prioritize which changes will have the biggest operational and financial impact.
Continue reading: https://venturebeat.com/2021/11/28/is-your-ai-project-doomed-to-fail-before-it-begins/

Are AI influencers are the future or is it a prevailing fashion that will pass?
From 2018 a new and unexplored market experienced impressive growth in AI Influencers. By now, you might have already heard about AI influencers but if you have the interest to learn more is in human nature. Or this is the first time you are coming across this peculiarity, and you are anxious to become familiar with AI influencers and digital models. Notwithstanding, you have come to the right place, where you learn everything you want to know about AI influencers and the eventual fate of influencer marketing.
What Is an AI Influencer?
The idea of AI influencers has been around starting around 2016 and sometimes much sooner than that. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until 2018 that AI influencers began acquiring footing, and according to most predictions, 2021 will be a significantly greater year for digital influencers. As you can tell from the name, an AI influencer is an influencer based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Note that there are also genuine individuals alluded to as AI influencers, and they are generally prominent developers and specialists in the field of artificial intelligence. But this article talks about AI influencers that are not humans.
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/ai-influencers-what-makes-them-so-successful/

Mehreen Mushtaq Shamim, a teacher from Bengaluru’s Delhi Public School, was one of the ‘Grand Winners’ who won the First Intel AI Global Impact Festival under the AI Impact Shapers Category: Teachers with Innovative AI Teaching Learning Practices Ideas. She received an Intel certificate and a prize worth USD 5,000.
Mehreen is very positive about AI and the way it is being introduced to children at a young age. In an exclusive interview with Analytics India Magazine, she expressed how it is essential for children to learn AI. “In the future, there will be a lot of jobs that require the skill, and I believe that every child should learn AI, and no one should be left behind. AI will be the facilitator in some or another way, and children will be dealing with the technology. It is crucial for them at this point in time to gain knowledge of AI,” said Mehreen, telling how she believes that learning AI should not be limited to children in STEM education. “Children are interested in learning AI, and future jobs might depend on it. AI is not related to one field like IT. It’s multidimensional and takes all streams into account. Students of humanities and commerce will also find AI interesting,” she added.
Mehreen has trained 250 teachers on how AI can be integrated with the English subject. She believes that AI can be present with subject pedagogies like English, Hindi, Math, and even Social Sciences.
Continue reading: https://analyticsindiamag.com/it-is-crucial-for-children-to-gain-knowledge-of-ai-mehreen-shamim-intels-ai-impact-shapers-awardee/

Blockchain technology isn’t just about cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Imagine becoming a business owner through the blockchain! Imagine owning HISTORY!

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Well, my crypto companion …
So far, this crypto education has revealed many exciting prospects in the digital world of decentralized finance.
Indeed, a simple cryptocurrency route seems like the shortest way to profit from blockchain technology … but cryptocurrencies are really just the tip of the iceberg.
Many people are talking about NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). This is a digital asset that is unique to the buyer.
Yes, it seems strange to own digitally something that can be easily copied by right-clicking, but these things are generating billions. A single digital art piece sold for over $ 30 million.
That’s why GaryVee, the crypto expert I mentioned a few days ago, is huge in NFTs. He says they are the future of technology, and he may be right … but he may be wrong too.
Why do I say one of the most prominent entrepreneurs could be wrong about NFTs?
After a little research, I think there are bigger opportunities than NFTs and cryptocurrencies …
And it is blockchain technology that opens the door.
Business DAO
Already saturated with the acronyms in this area, I’m about to throw you three more letters. DAO..
What is DAO? It stands for “Decentralized Autonomous Organization” and is basically a large online group of strangers, with or without anonymous members. In most cases, DAO members often do not know each other and are organized into aggregates, specifically centralized leadership and non-hierarchical aggregates.
These DAO groups usually have articles of association and interactions are governed by blockchain technology, including both financial transactions and member voting.
Basically, DAO allows you to start something similar to a listed company. The company can use its assets to buy things or create a business of their choice as long as they vote.
When I started researching crypto and blockchain, I came across this idea, but I wasn’t ready to explore it yet.
I’ve read that DAO offered to buy a building, which would have made a big difference in real estate ownership. Efforts to succeed will avoid the need for specific insurance due to the fact that buyers do not need to raise money for mortgages.
Continue reading: https://californianewstimes.com/how-blockchain-is-changing-business/603858/

Blockchain affects the business intelligence sector big time
Any firm, no matter what sector it belongs to, develops every now and then. This expansion is frequently aided by ever-changing business environments and industry breakthroughs. Technology plays a vital role in the growth of today’s world. Blockchain is the most significant technological advancement in recent years.
It has become necessary for firms and organizations to be open to dramatic reform in order to have a long-term business strategy and remain relevant. One such breakthrough that will connect businesses and society is blockchain. Let’s take a look at how it impacts the business intelligence field.
 
What is Business Intelligence?
Both analytics and business intelligence are functional business systems. They are aiming for big data management to be adopted in firms and enterprises to collect statistics from the past and present, as well as statistical methodologies and software to analyze the raw data and produce deep insights that will contribute to informed decision-making.
Business intelligence is concerned with the past, how it occurred, and the path that resulted in the present. It will discover trends and patterns to aid strategists in comprehending the past and making future judgments.
Business analytics is concerned with the ‘why’ of data and historical events. It dissects the relevant elements and examines each one separately in order to make effective choices regarding the future.
 
Role of Blockchain in Business Intelligence
Various businesses are combining business analytics and blockchain technology. Many of these businesses are attempting to secure their data by utilizing the blockchain’s encrypted ledgers.
One of the benefits of adopting blockchain for business intelligence is that it is no longer linked with technology any more than it is with business intelligence, and there’s a purpose for that: blockchain has by far the most widely used business intelligence functions.
Due to the availability of records within networking, blockchain, which is well recognized in the Bitcoin industry, offers consumers data that cannot be modified.
Various businesses can use blockchain to transform the way they conduct global commercial transactions. Because both parties are unfamiliar with each other, such transactions are especially prone to exploitation.
Many firms choose to make payments through a third-party individual or corporation rather than using a Nostro or Vostro account, which might cause delays in payments and item deliveries.
In the case of some worldwide businesses, such operations, if delayed, can be dangerous and result in significant losses.
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/how-is-blockchain-used-in-business-intelligence/

Today, new research has been released from the “Project XCelerate” Consortium, led by BT and Altitude Angel, finding that more than two thirds (68%) of the British public believe drones will have a positive impact on their life in the future, with nearly half (49%) saying they are optimistic or excited about the potential drone technology holds.
The British public is most positive about the impact drones can have on society for the greater good, with research finding that 49% hope to see drones used in place of people for risky jobs like firefighting (76%) and inspecting infrastructure (70%). Meanwhile, two in five wish to see drones employed in order to extend human capabilities and reach otherwise inaccessible areas (42%), such as in tracking criminals (65%) or investigating crime scenes (73%).
The over 65 range prioritized human safety, agreeing it was the biggest benefit of drone use. The under 30 group (36%) found the environmental benefits of drones to be equally important to human safety, with a focus on utilizing drones to support reduction in air pollution.
Despite the positive attitude towards the potential for drone applications, 38% of people were still found to have concerns about drone use in the UK, with nearly half of all adults saying drone misuse (46%) and public safety, alongside privacy (48%) around personal data and private property, were their primary concerns. Some concerns may be the result of public misconceptions, as 47% of British citizens were found to believe that drone usage remains unregulated, when in reality, strict regulations are in place for drone operation across the UK and continue to be developed and implemented by the Civil Aviation Authority as usage expands.
This report is just one part of Project XCelerate’s broader work on the UK Government’s Future Flight Programme. The findings will be leveraged to inform the consortium’s work in addressing some of the challenges surrounding the public acceptance of drones.
Continue reading: https://dronelife.com/2021/11/25/public-perception-of-drones-in-the-uk-68-see-positive-impact/

IoT applications have grown in size, complexity, and functionality over the last decade. In early IoT installations, networks of sensors, wireless sensor networks, and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) devices were deployed in small to medium-size deployments within an enterprise. Furthermore, they were primarily concerned with data collecting and processing, with little intelligence. In this article, we will discuss enhancing IoT devices to make them able to reason without the need for human intervention. We will go through concepts about ‘Smart object’ and how AI enables the ability to make the decision of ‘things’.
What are “Smart Objects”?
The Internet of Things (IoT) envisions a world in which ordinary things are linked to the Internet, recognized, and communicate with other devices. These are commonly referred to as “smart objects”. The goal is to digitize applications and processes in order to make them simpler and more efficient.
Smart objects (also known as Intelligent Objects) are objects that have location and communication technology and are linked to a communication network, called the Internet of Things (IoT). These intelligent things are capable of entering, storing, and processing data, as well as interacting with other objects, systems, or people. They can be embedded or fixed in other objects so that they can collect location and sensor data, as well as perform decision and control activities.
Smart objects in the Internet of Things bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds and provide new capabilities:

• Acquisition of real-time data inside operational processes.
• Information processing and decision-making are decentralized.
• Completely independent execution.

These features provide substantial added value to both businesses and individuals:

• Work Support: Assisting individuals with intuitive, user-friendly gadgets and new cyber-physical services.
• Digital data processing: obtaining more information about operations at more frequent intervals.
• High-Resolution Management: Planning, management, and control are aided by automated data collecting.

Continue reading: https://securityboulevard.com/2021/11/cognitive-and-reasoning-about-things-and-smart-objects/

Heading into the holiday weekend, Kevin and I share what we’re thankful for (mostly y’all, our sponsors, each other, and Thread), while also talking about the sad sale of Tile to Life360. We also discuss Clevr, Qeexo, and efforts to make AI accessible to people who can’t or don’t want to code. After that, I discuss my desire for a new activity tracker and the rise of Wear OS. We also talk about a new HomeKit camera from Aqara that’s pretty fancy without having a high-end price tag before diving into some of the financials and data from Samsara’s IPO filing. This week on the IoT Podcast Hotline, we answer a listener question about the anti-drunk driving provision in the Build Back Better legislation.
Our guest this week is Stefan Scherer, the CEO of Smaxtec, a company making health sensors for dairy cows. First, we learn a lot about cows and how to assess temperature, motion, and data on acidity from a cow’s stomach and translate that into health metrics. Then we talk about the challenges of building a sensor that’s rugged enough to last three to five years in a cow’s stomach as well as the challenges of keeping such a device connected. With this data, farmers are able to track disease spread in dairy cows and prevent costly illnesses that could mean their milk gets tossed, while also tracking data that can help prevent cow farts from causing as much damage to the environment through the release of methane. You’re going to learn a lot about cows and a lot about solving a connectivity problem I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Listen in: https://staceyoniot.com/podcast-were-thankful-for-smart-cows/

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the fastest-growing areas in the IT industry today. Analysts predict $1.1 trillion worldwide will be spent on IoT in 2023. The growth rate in this area is evidenced by the fact that in 2021, users paid for IoT devices and related software solutions “only” 123 billion dollars.
The sphere of application of the Internet of Things has long gone beyond smart homes. IoT is now the foundation for entire smart cities. So far, the amounts circulating in such cities are pretty comparable to the average in other IT sectors — $129.02 billion. However, statistics point to the exponential growth of this market.
High demand — high criteria
In this context, it is impossible to overestimate the role of a high-tech software testing outsourcing company, which is an essential and integral element in the process of bringing any IoT element to the market.
The growing demand for IoT products also gives rise to high user requirements for their quality. The success of any product in this market is impossible without the most comprehensive pre-release testing in authorized quality assurance agencies. Moreover, any company that neglects this stage is doomed to a quick and utterly predictable collapse.
It’s necessary to consider that today IoT devices all over the world operate on more than 620 platforms, and the technological chain of any device included on the Internet of Things can consist of dozens or even hundreds of the most diverse — hardware and software — links. Obviously, in such conditions, the role of experienced QA engineers becomes no less significant than that of developers and designers.
IoT product testing has some fundamental differences from the usual software testing. Therefore, when starting a conversation on this topic, it is essential to give an accurate usability testing definition for each stage of the quality assurance process.
Continue reading: https://southfloridareporter.com/importance-of-internet-of-things-iot-software-testing/

The tech-driven world should start utilizing this latest IoT trends to gain a competitive edge
IoT or the Internet of Things refers to a technology that connects smart devices to the same network through sensors and software for data collection and exchange over the internet. IoT powers household devices as well as industrial devices for seamless communication between people and things. With minimum human involvement, physical devices can share and collect information with technology that makes IoT possible such as low-cost computing, cloud, big data, analytics, and mobile technologies. With IoT, industries can achieve new automation applications that will improve their revenue and business models. IoT is a major of the fourth industrial revolution as it enables smart manufacturing, smart power grids, smart cities, etc.
 
Here are the latest IoT trends:

• Smart Office Initiatives: IoT will power the real estate industry with smart office features for employees who have to work remotely in the coming future. This will be possible through smart monitoring.
• Behavior Monitoring: Behavior monitoring through IoT has many benefits for mental health and personal security. Activities like handwashing and wearing a mask can also be monitored to create a safe environment.

Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/internet-of-things-look-out-for-latest-iot-trends-in-industry-4-0/

AI is, say the experts, set to revolutionise every aspect of connectivity. The zero-touch, software-defined, self-healing, threat-aware networks of tomorrow will be light years from the clunky, hardware-heavy, manually-driven connections of the recent past. We are currently at a transition point between these worlds, says Guy Matthews, editor of NetReporter.
AI-driven change is clearly needed if mounting challenges are to be addressed, argues Mark Leary, research director for network analytics and automation with independent consulting firm IDC, “The recent Google Cloud outage is still being investigated, but it was identified as a networking issue,” he notes. “The Facebook problem a month ago, same thing, another networking matter. We’ve seen a wealth of these problems over the last few years. This is Facebook, Google, AWS, people with a lot of sophisticated expertise available to them. And yet they’re having trouble with the complexity that networks present to them.”
Pressure on network professionals is building, “The reality for most networking staff these days is that they’re faced with new kinds of responsibility,” believes Leary. “They are no longer simply deploying routers and switches, changing configurations and making minor tuning adjustments. They’re worried about the digital experience of the user, and getting involved in business outcomes. They’re doing more evangelism for the network with line of business units, talking about what the network can do for digital transformation.”
The drive is on to make networks better, but also simpler: “For that, we really have to turn to smarter systems that are driven by AI and machine learning,” he believes. “We need systems that take care of themselves so they can avoid the kind of problems we’ve seen in the last month. Da Vinci really did say it best when he said ‘Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’.”
And yet while AI is riding a wave of popularity and recognition in multiple use cases across the enterprise, its role behind the scenes in the network is, says Leary, somewhat undercelebrated: “It’s not thought of like, say, robotics on the manufacturing floor, or the kinds of automation we’re seeing in healthcare and retail. Those draw a lot of attention from the press.”
Continue reading: https://www.vanillaplus.com/2021/11/25/65691-the-future-of-ai-in-networking/

In a recent Mind Matters podcast, “Artificial General Intelligence: the Modern Homunculus,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks, a and computer engineering prof, spoke with Justin Bui from his own research group at Baylor University in Texas on what is — and isn’t — really happening in artificial intelligence today. Some of the more far-fetched claims remind Dr. Marks of the homunculus, the “little man” of alchemy.
So what are the AI engineers really doing and how do they do it? Call it science non-fiction, if you like…
This portion begins at 00:44 sec. A partial transcript and notes, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow.
Robert J. Marks: Isaac Newton was the genius who founded classical physics. He also invented calculus. He also did other things. Newton was a student of the Bible, specifically Bible prophecy, and he wrote extensively on his research.
Newton also dabbled in alchemy. Now, most think of alchemy as the quest to turn lead into gold but there’s a lot more to alchemy. Some in alchemy pursued the creation of a so-called homunculus, a little person created in a test tube. If you watched the 1935 classic monster movie, The Bride of Frankenstein, you see a scene where the mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, shows off his homunculi to Henry Frankenstein:
No one, to date, has created the alchemist’s dream of a homunculus. And if you exclude, maybe, cloning, I don’t think that they probably ever will. The search for the homunculus today has been replaced by a search for artificial general intelligence or AGI.
What does AGI do? AGI seeks to duplicate and exceed what you and I do. If artificial general intelligence is achieved, some say we will become pets of computers. The point where AI becomes superior to humans is called the the Singularity by Google’s Ray Kurzweil. If this happens, watch out. AI will write better software that writes better software that writes better software on an endless staircase of ever-increasing intelligence.
There are smart people who believe this will happen. but AGI is not happening, and there’s growing evidence it never will. AI can be written to mimic many human traits, but there are some human characteristics that will never be duplicated by AI. We cover this a lot on Mind Matters News.
Continue reading: https://mindmatters.ai/2021/11/if-not-hal-or-skynet-whats-really-happening-in-ai-today/

Artificial intelligence is present in everyday life, from booking flights and applying for loans to steering driverless cars. It is also used in specialized fields such as cancer screening or to help create inclusive environments for the disabled.
According to UNESCO, AI is also supporting the decision-making of governments and the private sector, as well as helping combat global problems such as climate change and world hunger.
However, the agency warns that the technology ‘is bringing unprecedented challenges’.
“We see increased gender and ethnic bias, significant threats to privacy, dignity and agency, dangers of mass surveillance, and increased use of unreliable AI technologies in law enforcement, to name a few. Until now, there were no universal standards to provide an answer to these issues”, UNESCO explained in a statement.
Considering this, the adopted text aims to guide the construction of the necessary legal infrastructure to ensure the ethical development of this technology.
“The world needs rules for artificial intelligence to benefit humanity. The Recommendation on the ethics of AI is a major answer. It sets the first global normative framework while giving States the responsibility to apply it at their level. UNESCO will support its 193 Member States in its implementation and ask them to report regularly on their progress and practices”, said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO chief.
Read more: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1106612