Hackers are most often seen as the bad guys. And for good reasons too. According to Security Magazine, there is a hacker attack every 39 seconds, with hundreds of thousands of innocent users falling victim to cybercrimes every year. However, cybersecurity is getting stronger by the day, and while it may sound absurd, some of this progress can actually be attributed to the work of hackers.
But these are ethical hackers, also called white-hat hackers, who use their hacking skills to identify loopholes in hardware, software or network security. These hackers operate within legal boundaries and do not cross over to the wrong side of the law.
Let's look at how some of these white hat hackers are making the decentralized finance (DeFi) space more secure.
Recently, hacking veteran Jay Freeman was in the limelight for discovering a billion-dollar vulnerability in three of Ethereum’s layer-2 networks. The bugs were found in the Optimism, Boba, and Metis networks of Ethereum, which he then christened the “Unbridled Optimism.” According to Coindesk, Optimism, Boba and Metis had about $750 million locked in DeFi on the day this issue came to light, and almost all of it was reportedly at risk at the time. The gravity of the situation speaks for itself.
In the first week of February 2022, Freeman discovered an issue with the ‘self-destruct’ function of the Ethereum smart contracts. This function is designed to eliminate expired or obsolete smart contracts and transfer the associated balance of the network’s native currency ether (ETH) to a different address. This can be exploited to suck out billions of dollars worth of liquidity from the system and leave DeFi service providers in losses.
Continue reading: https://www.cnbctv18.com/cryptocurrency/ll-you-need-to-know-about-white-hat-hackers-and-how-they-make-blockchains-more-secure-12673612.htm

When Colonial Pipeline was hit by ransomware on May 7, 2021, it paid 75 bitcoins to restore its systems. But the money was not entirely lost. The FBI was able to trace it as it jumped from one digital wallet to another. At one point, on May 27, 63.7 of the bitcoins were transferred to an address and stopped moving. The FBI got the private key to unlock that bitcoin wallet and was able to retrieve the funds.
The seizure was a big win for the U.S. Justice Department's ransomware task force, dedicated to investigating and disrupting cybercriminal gangs. Ransomware crippled more than one-third of organizations worldwide in a single year, and two-thirds of the victims reported a significant loss of revenue. Payments exceed $600 million in total in 2021, according to a recent report by blockchain data platform Chainalysis.
While the FBI said little on how it got the private key and how it helped Colonial Pipeline retrieve part of the ransom, tracing transactions on the blockchain is becoming an essential part of cybercriminal investigations. Law enforcement agencies often work with analytics companies that have dedicated experts or offer software tools designed to take raw blockchain data and provide insights into it.
"We are able to trace and track the flow of funds in ways that were never possible," says Ari Redbord, head of legal and government affairs at blockchain intelligence company TRM Labs, which provides software to trace cryptocurrency transactions.
Making sense of raw blockchain data can help ransomware victims get some of their money back, but it can also shed light on other types of criminal activities, from that of nation-state actors that operate on the blockchain to any financial fraud or even kidnapping cases.
Often, investigations require weeks of work, niche technical knowledge, and some creativity, but "there's definitely a not insignificant chance of getting at least 25% [of the money back]," says Paul Sibenik, lead case manager at blockchain investigation agency CipherBlade.
Continue reading: https://www.csoonline.com/article/3651670/how-blockchain-investigations-work.html

The utility of blockchain in the digital world is increasing. Despite being new in this digital era, it is rapidly growing in popularity as one of the most efficient ways to store digital information and not have to worry about any unlawful access from hackers. This rapid distribution technique removes third-party sources to allow immediate transactions between two parties.
Blockchain is being used in every possible aspect of technology for digital businesses. It is being seen as a real solution to some of today’s marketing problems. Marketing experts say that “Blockchain is creating new ways of doing business across industries, particularly where greater trust and transparency is required.”
What Is Blockchain?
To put it simply, blockchain is a distributed ledger, a system where data and information can be recorded. It is impossible to change or hack the information stored in blockchain, which makes it so efficient in this digital age where we are bombarded with hackers and their shameful attempts to access our private information.
Blockchain can be used to compile sales and payment data as well. Every cryptocurrency transaction can be found on the blockchain.
Continue reading: https://techbullion.com/what-is-blockchain-and-how-is-it-changing-marketing/

Blockchain is an integral part of our future, but it’s also intimidating for those who are still getting to know the technology. It has come to our attention that there is decidedly an audience for a more basic approach to Blockchain, cryptocurrency, the Metaverse, Web 3.0, and related topics.
To that end, we’re publishing a “Back to Basics” series that will hopefully be of use to our readers. The first entry, “Blockchain Explained,” can be found here. This is the third entry,  explaining how blockchain technology can help your business. Keep in mind that what we’re presenting isn’t unlearnable; it only requires patience. At one point, everyone was a beginner.
So now that we have a basic grasp on what blockchain tech is, how can it help your business?
1)Blockchain is revolutionizing supply chain technology
 
Anyone who’s worked in an industry that receives products from more than one supplier (which encompasses about 75% of the industries on the planet), knows how difficult it can be to track and receive inventory. A supplier’s inventory system isn’t the same as the trucking company’s system, which isn’t the same as your system. It can take hours or days, countless phone calls,  and plenty of yelling to track down a shipment. And inevitably, inventory invoices wind up in a  pile on someone’s desk, covered in stains of indeterminate origin. It’s been estimated that paperwork and paperwork processing results in nearly 50% of the cost of shipping.
Blockchain technology changes all of that. With a private blockchain network, a trucking company can give both vendors and retailers real-time access to inventory status, shipping location, and any delays, overages or shortages. You’ll also know where a product originated,  whether it’s a genuine item or a forgery, and have easy access to any recalled product.
Continue reading: 
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/22/02/25765985/jrod-blockchain-for-your-business-back-to-basics

The eye may be a window to the soul, but the retina is a window to health and wellness. A retinal test can help diagnose sight-threatening diseases, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and other dangerous conditions.
AEYE Health, an Israeli startup with offices in Tel Aviv and New York, is on a mission to make early detection of those illnesses – starting with preventable blindness – as easy as taking a photograph.
One day in the not-too-distant future, screening for potential loss of sight “will be as easy as walking into a CVS, putting your chin on a chinrest, and learning within seconds if you’re at risk of going blind or not,” says Dr. Zack Dvey-Aharon, co-founder and CEO of AEYE. (The name sounds like “AI.”)
In the United States alone, some 35 million diabetics and 90 million prediabetics are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, the prime cause of blindness at working age. Another 55 million Americans aged 65 or older are at risk for glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Some 75 percent of the high-risk population does not undergo annual screening.
Continue reading: https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/seeing-straight-with-the-help-of-artificial-intelligence/

Many organizations have found artificial intelligence to be a game-changer when it comes to boosting productivity and efficiency. However, shoehorning AI tools into existing processes without a well-considered plan is likely to backfire. Many companies overestimate AI’s current capabilities, while others may overlook its potential downsides. 
Determining if AI will be a helpful tool for your organization and, if so, how and where to deploy it takes careful planning, groundwork and teamwide buy-in. Below, 16 tech industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council share helpful advice for companies considering implementing an AI plan.
1. Define The Problem You Need AI To Solve
Every company should establish an AI plan, even if that plan is not implemented immediately. The first step is to have a detailed and realistic understanding of what problems AI can solve today and how it can be used to address tangible problems in a business. All too often, businesses approach AI as a solution in search of a problem when instead they should have a defined problem for AI to solve. - Matt Dickson, Stericycle Communication Solutions
2. Start Small
I think all online businesses can benefit from the power of AI. The key to making this tech work for your business is to start small. You don’t want to get confused or overwhelmed by adding several new automated processes at once. Instead, pick one thing you want to speed up and improve. As you use this technology, you’ll undoubtedly find other clever ways to implement AI. - Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/03/01/16-tech-experts-share-advice-for-companies-considering-an-ai-plan/?sh=722819444b6c

Many organizations have begun tiptoeing into artificial intelligence (A.I.) and machine learning, figuring out what to spend and who to hire in order to make apps, services, and internal processes “smarter.” It’s a difficult and often confusing journey, and some organizations are better at it than others.
What differentiates the organizations getting A.I. “right”? McKinsey and MIT’s Machine Intelligence for Manufacturing and Operations (MIMO) recently studied 100 businesses in sectors from automotive to mining, and used the data to determine best practices for adopting A.I. The Harvard Business Review breaks down the report in exhaustive detail, but here are some of the ways that certain organizations manage to stand out in their A.I. and machine-learning work: 

• Governance: Smart companies continually refine and adjust their A.I. and machine-learning process. In addition, they also put a lot of internal emphasis on resourcing and guiding A.I. projects to success.
• Deployment: Broad deployment of A.I. and machine-learning processes is key; narrowing the scope of these technologies means that fewer parts of the company will ultimately benefit from them.
• Partnerships: Partnerships with academics, third-party vendors, and consultants can help accelerate the adoption and iteration of A.I. and machine learning.

Continue reading: https://insights.dice.com/2022/03/02/5-ways-companies-succeed-with-a-i-projects/

Deepa Purushothaman was one of the youngest people and the first Indian American woman to make partner in Deloitte’s history. But having ascended high up the corporate ladder, she realized that her work life wasn’t working. It took conversations with more than 500 other women of color leading in the workplace to clarify her next steps and make the tough choice to leave her role. In her new book, The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America (Harper Business, 2022), she explores her own experience as a “first,” shares stories from a host of women of color about their work experiences, and provides insight and guidance on how leaders can drive equity in their organizations.
Deborah Milstein, associate editor at MIT SMR, recently spoke with Purushothaman about her book and her work. What follows is an edited and condensed version of their conversation.
MIT Sloan Management Review: Early in the book, you introduce the idea of airplane design as a metaphor for corporate America. Airplanes were built by men with men in mind, as any woman who’s ever struggled to lift luggage into an overhead bin can attest to. There are countless examples of how corporate structures were not built for women, let alone women of color. What does this mean for women of color today?
Deepa Purushothaman: The corporate world was initially formed by a group of White men, most of whom had stay-at-home wives and reflected a now outdated social structure. We all fit ourselves into that model, but the model doesn’t fit many people’s lives anymore. The global workforce has changed enormously along with the social structure. It’s uncommon these days to find a couple with a distinct division of labor, in which one person is working and the other stays home and raises the children.
Continue reading: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-women-of-color-can-drive-corporate-transformation/

Gender inequality has been an issue around the world for thousands of years. Fortunately, women are now speaking up and gaining an equal footing to men in work, family life, and social status. Within the tech industry, we've seen big strides being made in the name of equality, especially during the 21st century. So, what progress has been made, and what do we still need to do to ensure that women are truly equal in the tech world?
Past Gender Inequality in the Tech Industry
Technology has often been seen as a man's world, but we now know this is not the case. Millions of women worldwide have an interest in tech, but it took some time for the rest of the world to catch up with this.
Women have been working within tech since the industry itself began. Even hundreds of years ago, when technology was in its infancy, women still played a role in its advancement. In the 1700s, French astronomer and mathematician Nicole-Reine Lepautre used the timing of the solar eclipse to predict the return of Halley's comet past Earth almost perfectly. And, when electronic technology became commercialized, women were there, too.
Back in the 1950s, many women worked in software development, though this was viewed as a menial job, so hardware creation was more of a man's job. It wasn't until the 1980s that men realized how changes in software development could revolutionize tech, so software became the name of the game. But this view that women were better suited to carrying out what was perceived as more basic jobs spoke volumes about the gender inequality within the industry at that point in time.
Continue reading: https://www.makeuseof.com/how-gender-gap-has-narrowed-tech-what-more-can-be-done/

For over a year now, many NFT projects attempted to revolutionize the metaverse, or rather create it. Few did and now stand in a position to represent NFTs, be the face of it; namely CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club and Beeple’s Everyday: the First 5000 days.
While this is worth applauding, not many projects provide value to the real world. There are few exceptions, like Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin donating $1 billion to help India fight Covid-19, but this isn’t exactly NFT’s.
It’s important that what changes the metaverse, lends a hand in changing the real world, for the better. And this is where we are introduced to Women Rise.
Women Rise is an NFT project that represents women, stands for a cause and improves the lives of people beyond the internet.
Women Rise
The ART
Women Rise is a collection of 10,000 randomly generated NFTs created by the widely acclaimed artist Mahile Abidi. The collection is centered around representing women by breaking the bounds of race, color and prejudices.
The collection represents women from various backgrounds, including but not limited to women in science, art, technology and activism. Along with that, the collection aims to represent women in NFTs and blockchain, which for the most part has been male-dominated. The project hopes to encourage the participation of women in the space, narrowing the gender gap & promoting equal representation.
Every NFT in the collection is a combination of randomly generated traits. There are in total 453 traits, all of which are hand-drawn. A certain combination of traits makes an NFT rarer than the other, therefore more collectable. In all the diversity, there’s one attribute that all of them share; every NFT is aesthetically pleasing.
Continue reading: https://insidebitcoins.com/news/women-rise-representing-women-in-nfts-blockchain

Like so many sectors, the worlds of blockchain, crypto, and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are significantly dominated by men. Ironically, cryptocurrency was designed to create a level playing field overcoming many of the biases found in the more closed-off areas of traditional investment. Yet, the disparities in gender for crypto are, disappointingly, similar to those found in fields such as finance and technology. 
Last year, a study by CNBC found a considerable lack of diversity in the sector, with 67% of cryptocurrency investors being men. However, this is a notable improvement – a survey conducted in 2019 calculated women accounted for around 8% of all crypto users.
What about NFTs?
Predictably, the situation is mirrored when it comes to NFTs. The world of finance and technology are primarily male, and so is the art world. For example, an analysis of 18 major art museums in the US found 87% of the art collections were by male artists. As NFTs attract those interested in tech, finance, and art, it is no surprise to find this gender disparity.
A recent study conducted by research agency Art Tactic examined the sale of NFTs between January 2020 and September 2021. The study found that at least 77% of NFT art sales went to male artists, with only around 5% going to female artists. Even accounting for the 16% of artists of unknown gender, there is still a vast gap. 
With so many male investors and artists, there is increased pressure for the market to be geared toward men. An example of this is CryptoPunks, an NFT collection often credited with starting the craze for NFTs. Of the 10,000 unique CryptoPunks, only 3,840 are female. Furthermore, all of the top ten CryptoPunks sold so far – each for over US$2 million – appear to be men, increasing the pressure on artists and sellers to focus on male avatars. 
The good news is that the situation is starting to change. A number of female-only collectives and communities are forming in the blockchain space and are rapidly growing in popularity.
Continue reading: 
https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/22/02/25869568/are-women-finally-breaking-into-the-male-dominated-crypto-scene

There is considerable interest around blockchain these days and for good reason. The innovative characteristics of blockchain-like decentralization, immutability, transparency and automation are extremely useful for many industry verticals and will inspire the creation of a multitude of use cases. However, blockchain technology is still in its nascent phase. While cryptocurrency platforms like Bitcoin and Ethereum are gaining popularity, the adoption of blockchain into the mainstream software industry is still somewhat limited. But an increasing number of technology companies are making the decision to leverage the unique value of blockchain in their products.
I have worked on blockchain implementations for companies in many domains. If you are considering using blockchain, I’ve found there are seven key decisions necessary to successfully implement a blockchain in a product.
1. On-Chain or Off-Chain
One of the key architectural decisions while working on blockchain-based products is to understand where to go off-chain and where to go on-chain. This is an essential consideration when transaction data and business validation logic play a crucial role. The primary constraint is the network latency due to the data replication across the blockchain network. The degree of latency keeps increasing when the levels of data replication expand. To determine whether to on or off-blockchain, here are some general guidelines:

• Data that is either directly required for transaction validation or needs auditability should be stored on-chain. It is better to store referential data off-chain.
• If eventual consistency is good, it is possible to develop transactions off-chain and update only the first and last state on-chain. This will increase overall throughput without utilizing additional network resources.

Public or Private Permissioned
Another important decision is the scope/access of the blockchain itself, ranging from an open and permissionless system to a private and controlled one. Public Blockchains are useful where the users are anonymous and equally. Public chains require a community around them to ensure that no one person has the authority to change rules. They need to be community-driven and a single user cannot change the rules of the entire network. However, a large number of nodes may limit the throughput of the transactions. It is better to have some incentivization to carry out effective processing.
Permissioned Blockchain platforms control who can write/read on the blockchain. If you compare them with public chains, they are scalable. Permissioned Blockchains are suitable when controlled governance and compliance/regulations are important. Popular examples of a public permissionless chain are Ethereum, Bitcoin. An Insurance claim processing platform is a good use case to exemplify private permissioned blockchain.
Continue reading: https://www.analyticsinsight.net/7-decisions-that-can-make-or-break-a-blockchain-implementation/

The emergence of blockchain technology as a tool to transfer data and value between parties could prove transformative for industries on a global basis, including financial services.
A recently published primer on blockchain from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an international organization focused on a range of economic, social and environmental challenges, highlights the array of opportunities and challenges that blockchain’s growing popularity could have on the financial industry, among many other fields.
Not just for cryptocurrency
Blockchain uses distributed ledger technology to store information that is verified using cryptography among a group of users. So far, blockchain is most widely known for its use with digital financial asset applications (cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum).
However, the OECD and others have noted that the potential uses for blockchain are wide-ranging because it can diminish the role of intermediaries in the transfer of data and improve the security and cost of those transfers.
“Blockchain has the potential to transform the functioning of a wide range of industries,” according to the OECD. “Its features can increase the transparency and traceability of goods, data and financial assets, facilitate market access and improve the efficiency of transactions.”
Blockchain operates as a shared ledger of transactions between parties in a network. All transactions between the parties in the network are stored and recorded in the network without a central authority, and each party has access to all the same records.
Because of blockchain’s basic characteristics, the OECD sees far-reaching potential for blockchain in the global economy.
Continue reading: https://www.benefitspro.com/2022/03/01/blockchain-on-the-rise-making-sense-of-the-tech-behind-cryptocurrencies/

If you’ve ever asked a question of Alexa or Siri, you’re familiar with artificial intelligence (AI), whether you realize it or not. AI has become almost ubiquitous in our personal lives, and its usefulness hasn’t been overlooked by the business world either. In fact, AI is being used by a wide variety of businesses and business professionals in a wide array of roles to automate rote and repetitive tasks and to make predictions based on insights gleaned from massive amounts of data.
These two capabilities make AI an obvious business solution for marketers. The difference between AI and traditional marketing automation is that in the past people had to tell systems what to do through human programming. AI is based on the concept of machine learning—the AI itself makes decisions and becomes more “knowledgeable” with every interaction it has.
“AI-driven data analysis has the potential to provide marketing decision makers with strategic information about their target audiences in record time,” says Paul Herrera, chief operating officer and cofounder of Maven Road, a business intelligence firm.
These capabilities are helping marketers in a variety of ways.
The Marketing AI Institute’s “2021 State of Marketing AI Report” offers some insights into how marketers are currently using AI and how they might use it in the future, based on responses from 400 marketers. The majority of those respondents (71 percent) say that AI is already either “very” (37 percent) or “somewhat” (34 percent) important to their success. Those already using AI say that they’re using it for the following:
Continue reading: https://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Editorial/Magazine-Features/Can-AI-Really-Be-Trusted-151636.aspx

According to Technavio, the global artificial intelligence-as-a-service (AIaaS) market is expected to grow by $14.7 billion from 2021 to 2025. AI has proven itself to be vital to businesses for everything from customer experiences to automating redundant tasks. The use cases of AIaaS align closely with goals of digital transformation. Achieving growth for your organization requires not only the right talent, but future-focused technology as well.
In an era where data is accumulating faster than ever, implementing technology that can quickly process it to enable companies to act in a matter of minutes versus months will put them ahead of their competitors.
The Quickest, Cheapest Way to Implement AI: Third-Party Services
The quickest and most cost efficient way to deploy AIaaS is through third-party services. Building a team of AI experts internally is more expensive, and the recruiting process can be quite challenging. When finding the right experts, recruiters need to evaluate technical skills, creativity, business acumen and — because AI systems amplify any biases of its creators — an unwavering sense of ethical and moral responsibility.
Not only is the talent behind the technology expensive, but developing in-house AIaaS processes and frameworks is a long, complicated process and requires significant capital investment. Going through the process of implementing AI with current processes within a company results in significant cost and effort, often without a guaranteed return. Even when such talent is secured, teams are often bogged down by laborious tasks associated with data preparation, model selection, as well as operational tasks such as the deployment of models into a production environment.
To start, companies are well advised to seek out external experts who have experience working with a variety of clients and already possess the latest AI tools and unique intellectual assets. But, successful projects start with upfront acknowledgement that the organization will have to address more than just the technical aspects of AI — they will also be examining what AI really means to the organization and how the most value can be derived from it. There are many benefits to this approach, including a frictionless onboarding process, short time to prove value, and incremental return on investment through a focus on business outcomes, applied with experience and a knowledge of industry best practices. Without the ramp-up required in an otherwise new context, their services save time, effort, and money.  
Continue reading: https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/AIaaS-ai-as-a-service-6-capabilities

AI is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot in cybersecurity — often, it seems, to obscure and impress, rather than to clarify how products and services work. This is unfortunate, because beyond the hype, artificial intelligence's role in cybersecurity is becoming increasingly indispensable. While AI won't solve all problems, it provides a growing toolbox for accelerating security workflows and better detecting threats. In fact, there are several ways in which AI is already revolutionizing cybersecurity.
Pattern Matching and Threat Detection Until the past half decade or so, most cyber-threat detection was performed using small, handwritten pattern-matching programs (called signatures, rules, or indicators of compromise). The widespread adoption of AI has changed this. Now, security vendors are on a long march to augment signature-based detection technology with AI in every context for making detections: detecting phishing emails, malicious mobile apps, malicious command executions, and the like.
AI won't replace signatures, nor should it, because these technologies complement each other. Whereas signatures are good at detecting known threat artifacts, AI algorithms — trained on vast threat databases that cybersecurity companies have accumulated over the years, are better at detecting previously unseen artifacts. Whereas signatures can be written and deployed quickly, AI technologies take a lot longer to train and deploy. And while signature authors can control precisely what threats their signatures will and won't detect, AI is fundamentally probabilistic and harder to control.
Continue reading: https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/beyond-the-hype-ai-s-future-in-defensive-cybersecurity

As the commercial use of drones continues to accelerate, making them increasingly integral to the effective and efficient functioning of certain sectors, the global drone industry is predicted to be worth about $43 billion by 2024, with some 2.7 million drones already in operation by 2020.
The latest research indicates that the global drone market is set to grow at a conservative rate of 16% year-on-year, with exponential investment growth resulting in $6.88 billion invested in the drone industry since 2010.
Similarly, South Africa’s fledgling drone market is also on a growth trajectory, estimated to reach $134.5 million by 2025, according to a report by IndustryARC. The research house found that local market expansion is underpinned by growth in the mining industry, developments in more data-accurate drone technology, the presence of dominant players in hardware and niche applications.
“What we’re seeing is that the increase in global investment has resulted in an increased number of drone applications and density of drones within an airspace. For example, Australia has about a million drones in operation, with estimates that 8% of the population now own a drone,” says Greg Dillon, Lead – Sport, Events, Entertainment & Drones at specialist insurer iTOO.
Diverse and effective platform
 
Drones are being adopted by an increasing number of industry sectors as they offer a diverse and effective platform, either as a drone service provider or as an internal business service. The various applications include inspection/maintenance, mapping, surveying, photography/filming, monitoring, localisation/detection, drone delivery and spraying/seeding.
“The uptake of drones across various industry sectors is driven by a strong focus on time and quality. Companies tend to deploy drones to gain time and cost savings, as well as to improve quality and work safety,” says Dillon.
He explains that, with the rapid growth of commercial drone adoption, there is room to evolve an insurance-based product that, as an active risk management insurer’s tool, covers the in-flight portion of drone operations, where this is typically excluded from most insurance policies.
Continue reading: https://www.iol.co.za/technology/techsperts/drone-boom-driving-operational-efficiency-safety-and-cost-savings-713831bb-ec4a-4414-8c53-6ef786cf8f04

In late 2019, we published “7 Classic Books To Deepen Your Understanding Of Artificial Intelligence.”
It’s time to run it back. Here are 7 more thought-provoking books that explore the technology, business, politics, and ethics of artificial intelligence.
Few topics are more important to be well-informed and thoughtful about in the twenty-first century. Read up!
A World Without Work
By Daniel Susskind
For centuries, people have worried that new technologies—from the mechanical loom to the internal combustion engine—would replace human labor and render us superfluous. And for centuries, these fears have proven misplaced as new technologies have increased our productivity and created new jobs.
In A World Without Work, Susskind convincingly makes the case that this time truly is different—that in the coming decades, artificial intelligence will put broad swaths of the human population out of work.
What will it mean for society as more and more of the jobs that underpin our economy are automated? What steps can we take to mitigate the worst side effects of this transition? And most profoundly: how will we use our time, measure our lives and find purpose in a world in which people no longer need to work?
These questions are among the most important of our era. There are no easy answers. But this book does an excellent job of framing the issues.
Genius Makers
By Cade Metz
Genius Makers is the enthralling, entertaining story of how the modern field of artificial intelligence came to be. Informed by hundreds of exclusive interviews, the book is brimming with colorful anecdotes and behind-the-scenes details about the birth of deep learning. It focuses above all on the characters who ushered in today’s AI revolution: Geoff Hinton, Demis Hassabis, Yann LeCun, Fei-Fei Li, Jeff Dean and more.
For anyone interested in the field of artificial intelligence and its roots, this book is essential reading.
What Computers Still Can’t Do
By Hubert Dreyfus
Originally published in 1972 and then updated in 1992, this classic text argues from first principles that digital computers may never be able to fully replicate higher mental functions. Thoughtfully fusing philosophy, history, psychology and engineering, the book’s skeptical perspective cannot easily be dismissed.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/robtoews/2022/03/01/7-must-read-books-about-artificial-intelligence/?sh=27f6f7f946e9

Many of us are familiar with the knock of a delivery driver bringing us take-away food, groceries or our latest online splurge. Now, a company backed by Google's owner is replacing the driver with a drone.

Key points:

• A startup owned by Google's parent company Alphabet is trialling food delivery by drone
• Wing has signed a deal with supermarket chain Coles to deliver 250 types of products
• The idea is not yet profitable and there are lots of barriers on what this pilot project can and can't do

Wing is today launching a pilot program in Canberra, in tandem with major Australian supermarket Coles, to deliver groceries by drone to households in several suburbs.
It is pledging to fly the groceries to people within minutes of them ordering online.
If that sounds like a literal pie in the sky concept, Sydney University supply chain expert Professor Rico Merkert said the idea could take off widely within five years. 
"I think this is what the future will look like, and it's obviously not just happening in Australia, although Australia has been at the forefront," he said.

"We've been trialling delivering coffee through to pizzas, and delivering pharmaceutical goods by air. Groceries [are] the next logical step."

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How do you deliver groceries by drone?
Wing is not flying groceries directly from Coles supermarkets.
Instead, it has a hub in Canberra which has been stocked up with 250 of the supermarket's top-selling items. This is similar to the so-called "dark warehouse" model currently being picked up by other tech startups targeting groceries.

The groceries are being delivered to a handful of suburbs in Canberra.(Supplied: Wing)
People can order these items through a specially designed app.
When an order comes in, Wing has packers ready to fulfil it. The drones are then sent up into the air, and flown to their delivery address using automated technology.
"The drone system is a type of autonomous system that maps the routes and schedules the flight," Wing's managing director Simon Rossi told the ABC.

"So we have live pilots monitoring the drones, but to all intents and purposes the system is autonomous."

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Read More: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-02/google-alphabet-wing-coles-drone-grocery-delivery/100868514

• Alphabet’s drone-delivery company reaches milestone: A little under the radar, but Alphabet’s Wing division has been busy flying deliveries to customers with drones at an increasingly rapid pace. Wing just announced that it reached 200,000 commercial deliveries, about half a year after it reached 100,000. With much of the flights taking place in Australia, it’s not a shock that Wing also said today that it is linking up what Aussie chain Coles.

Continue reading: https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/01/daily-crunch-drone-service-wing-completes-200k-commercial-deliveries-partners-with-supermarket-chain/

The perception of digital assets on the part of investors has changed significantly. Once viewed with skepticism, digital assets – and blockchain, the technology upon which they are based – have cemented their place in the financial mainstream, with a number of crypto companies such as Coinbase going public, and some of the world’s largest asset managers developing crypto services.
It is now 13 years since cryptocurrencies first entered public consciousness, in the form of the Bitcoin white paper. This period has seen plenty of innovation, including the creation of an entire industry of decentralized finance, the rapid rise of tokenized assets in the form of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, and a virtual reality web experience powered by blockchain in the form of the metaverse.
Today, the digital assets sector stands at an inflection point. The barriers that once hampered engagement and adoption of digital assets and blockchain have been eroded. The availability of mature institutional-grade infrastructure and regulated counterparties in the industry offers a secure and trusted means for stakeholders to access the digital asset sector.
Regulation was the final hurdle. Corporates, institutions and investors need clarity to operate in the space and countries with clear legislative frameworks on digital assets have already established themselves as leaders in attracting such activity. Switzerland continues to uphold its financial pedigree by establishing itself as the de facto European crypto capital, having enacted a law that allows for a wide range of crypto and blockchain-based enterprise activity. It has also cultivated an ecosystem of more than a thousand blockchain companies, including 14 unicorns.
Continue reading: https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2022/02/28/uae-could-become-a-blockchain-superpower/

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are going mainstream in 2022. You can now show off your favorite NFTs as your Twitter or Reddit profile picture, with Facebook and Instagram soon to follow. Driven in part by a FOMO reminiscent of the 1990s dotcom anxiety of bricks-and-mortar companies, mass-market players and luxury brands alike are launching NFT collections at a dizzying pace.
Granted, a vast majority of mainstream consumers still struggle to make sense of the 2021 NFT world of Bored Apes and CryptoPunks. And the usability of the underlying blockchain technology is still a long way from being consumer friendly.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking that NFTs are a passing fad. While the current hype cycle might be fueled by crypto-millions and Discord-obsessed Gen-Z users, NFTs could be the killer app of Web3 and its gateway into traditional commerce. The really interesting thing about NFTs is the tech they run on, which reveals their broader promise as a vehicle by which brands bypass the platform-centric marketing world of Web2 and reclaim ownership of their digital consumer relationships.
Early days: From collectibles to digital product-line extensions.
Right now, NFTs seem inextricably intertwined with digital collectibles, and many brands’ first step into the NFT waters has thus been to launch their own collections. These early efforts range from exclusive releases of Campbell’s soup can art and Coca-Cola digital apparel to generative art of burgers from White Castle.
But a first step isn’t a strategy. Successful brands didn’t call it a day after buying a domain name and posting a website in the dotcom era and, similarly, smart brands today need to be asking themselves what comes next.
Continue reading: https://hbr.org/2022/02/how-your-brand-should-use-nfts

This article explores how blockchain technology is driving value within supply chain operations
Supply chain operations have evolved rapidly over the past two years, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Innovation to increase efficiency while staying protected from cyber attacks have become paramount for ensuring that products safely reach customers. Blockchain technology has been playing its role in supporting the supply chain from start to finish. With this in mind, we take a look at some of the most valuable use cases for blockchain in the supply chain.
The benefits of immutability
One of the biggest selling points for blockchain technology generally, which is driving value in sectors from financial services to healthcare, is its immutability. Any information stored on a ledger cannot be altered, making the technology ideal for keeping records of any products being distributed through the supply chain.
Alejandro Tornero, general manager OARO Eco-NFT at OARO, explained: “The best way to ensure a secure supply chain is an indisputable ledger – a record of product and its provenance. Blockchain can provide that ledger.
Continue reading: https://www.information-age.com/blockchain-technology-for-supply-chain-123498757/

Managing branding and talent engagement for AWS in the APJC region since October 2017, Singapore-based Teh also conceptualised the first AWS DeepRacer Women’s League in ASEAN and is AWS GetIT’s chief ambassador in Asia.
Teh constantly communicates with industry on collaborations to develop the cloud leaders of tomorrow. She is always keen to discuss with customers, the media, and the community Amazon’s culture of innovation and its mission to be Earth’s most customer-centric company and best employer.
She also speaks on topics related to inclusion and diversity, and how Amazon hires and develops talent and is enthusiastic about the ways technology can be more inclusive, equitable, and flexible for all.
During an interaction with People Matters, Teh talks about the diversity gap within the tech industry and how companies can address the gender imbalance.
What are the major reasons for fewer women in tech even when the tech industry is booming? How has it changed in recent years?
When it comes to entering the tech business, women encounter several challenges. There are structural and cultural barriers, as well as a perceived high learning curve, lack of visible women role models, and difficulty determining where to begin when considering IT career paths.
Studies indicate that the number of women entering STEM-related fields is on par with men, but at managerial positions and higher, this gender representation becomes more disparate. Today, women make up 34% of the IT workforce in India, with a 50:50 gender parity rate in STEM graduates according to 451 Research.
However, while women make up 51% of entry-level recruits, only 25% are in managerial positions, with less than 1% in the C-Suite. This lack of women representation at higher levels makes the tech industry seem male dominated, resulting in less women pursuing a career in the industry.
In recent years, however, companies are consciously hiring women talent and are focusing on building an inclusive work environment to improve women’s representation in senior roles. It is necessary to implement initiatives at all levels of the organization, from leadership to human resources. Business leaders can initiate mentoring programs and assist in preparing women for board roles.
Continue reading: https://www.peoplematters.in/article/diversity/tech-sector-needs-womens-problem-solving-ability-inclusion-culture-will-attract-more-sandra-teh-32964

Joanne Wong, Vice President, International Markets, LogRhythm, tells Intelligent CIO about the challenges of being a working mother in the male-dominated IT industry.
 
You never planned to be a technology leader so how did it happen?
Indeed, I was trained as a lawyer and spent the first years of my career working at a law firm.
My big break in my tech career happened when I joined Business Software Alliance – a non-profit organization – back in 1998, as an anti-piracy and marketing manager.
This built a strong foundation for my next role at Microsoft, where I oversaw IP compliance and anti-piracy programs, before expanding into various business growth roles within the company.
A six-year stint in various marketing roles at SAP followed, and today, I go to work as the Vice President of International Markets at LogRhythm, where I oversee the overall marketing, as well as media and analyst relation efforts in APAC and EMEA.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in technology and a working mother in a male-dominated industry?
When I first became a new mother, I was very conscious of what my male counterparts might think: would they judge me for being less of a team player and for not pulling my weight?
This anxiety led me to cut short my paid maternity leave to resume work. Looking back, I realized that my actions may have subconsciously pressured other women to do the same.
My experience has made me empathize with women who continue to feel an unspoken burden and judgement for their choices – even if they are well within their rights.
That said: I believe that we are seeing positive changes within the industry, as more women come on board to take on roles within the IT industry. Organizations increasingly recognize the need to make diversity and inclusion central to their talent management strategy, with many stepping up efforts to support and empower women to excel in the workplace.
This is a good start, but beyond one-off initiatives, the industry will need to commit to a cultural shift in the long-haul to be able to effect lasting change in the workplace.
Continue reading: https://www.intelligentcio.com/apac/2022/02/28/success-in-the-tech-sector-is-within-reach-for-women/