European Commission Failing to Tackle Spyware, Lawmakers Say
As that deadline looms, lawmakers accused the European Commission of failing to
act. On Thursday, they passed a resolution that attempts to force the European
Commission to present the legislative changes recommended in May by the PEGA
Committee. At a plenary session in Strasbourg, EU lawmakers said that the
European Commission's inaction had facilitated an uptick in recent spyware
cases. Such cases have included the alleged targeting of exiled Russian
journalist Galina Timchenko using Pegasus when she was based in Germany, as well
as the Greek government's attempt to thwart investigations into spyware abuse by
its ministers. In contrast to the EU approach, lawmakers highlighted the U.S.
government's blacklisting in July of European spyware firms Intellexa and Cytrox
and the Biden administration's citing of the companies' risk to U.S. national
security and foreign policy. Speaking at the Thursday plenary, EU Justice
Commissioner Didier Reynders condemned using spyware to illegally intercept
personal communications, adding that member states cannot use "national
security" as a legal basis to circumvent existing laws and indiscriminately
target their citizens.
Mastering the art of differentiation: Vital competencies for thriving in the age of artificial intelligence
With AI designed to make decisions using algorithms grounded in data and
patterns, these algorithms are only as dependable as the data they are trained
on and can be influenced by the assumptions and biases of their creators.
Consequently, it is imperative to employ critical thinking skills to assess AI
decisions and guarantee that they align with our values and objectives.
Moreover, critical thinking is essential for resolving complex issues that may
exceed AI’s capabilities. Developing critical thinking skills involves
cultivating the ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information to make
informed decisions. ... In this rapidly evolving modern landscape, heavily
influenced by digital technologies, cultivating a high LQ is indispensable for
the long-term success and sustainability of both employees and organizations. In
the business world, change is constant, making continuous learning and
development essential at every level of the organization to ensure we
consistently make the right decisions. High LQ empowers employees to foster
innovation and creativity, cultivate resilience, and position themselves more
effectively to future-proof their careers.
Digital advocacy group criticizes current scope of the EU AI Act
The group’s core argument is that the AI Act now goes beyond its original
intended scope, and should instead remain focused on high-risk use cases, rather
than being directed at specific technologies. Digital Europe also warned that
the financial burden the Act could place on companies wanting to bring
AI-enabled products to market could make operating out of the EU unstainable for
smaller organizations. “For Europe to become a global digital powerhouse, we
need companies that can lead on AI innovation also using foundation models and
GPAI (general-purpose AI),” the statement read. “As European digital industry
representatives, we see a huge opportunity in foundation models, and new
innovative players emerging in this space, many of them born here in Europe.
Let’s not regulate them out of existence before they get a chance to scale, or
force them to leave.” The letter was signed by 32 members of Digital Europe and
outlined four recommendations that signatories believe would allow the Act to
strike the necessary balance between regulation and innovation.
HR Leaders unleashing retention success through employee well-being
“The pandemic brought the discourse on mental health to the forefront and
normalised talk about stress and mental health in all forums. Accordingly, a
formalised framework to address the mental health of employees has been put in
place. Wellness webinars on these topics are delivered through tie-ups with
service providers and in-house subject matter experts. Webinars on mental health
are regularly organised with an aim to destigmatise mental health through
increasing awareness on topics such as mental health awareness, digital &
screen detox and, stress management, etc. We continuously work on instituting
policies that are customised as per the individual and life-stage needs of the
employees. An employee assistance program, in tie-up with a service provider, is
in place to facilitate mental health conversations with qualified professionals.
In addition, the employees are nudged to incorporate habits that help take care
of their mental well-being as an unconscious part of their lives. Initiatives
such as the 'Mental Health Bingo’ card and ‘I De-stress myself by __’ campaigns
are launched.
How generative AI changes the data journey
We see generative AI used in the observability space throughout many industries,
especially regarding compliance. Let’s look at healthcare, an industry where you
must comply with HIPAA. You are dealing with sensitive information, generating
tons of data from multiple servers, and you must annotate the data with
compliance tags. An IT team might see a tag that says, “X is impacting 10.5.34
from GDPR…” The IT team may not even know what 10.5.34 means. This is a
knowledge gap—something that can very quickly be fulfilled by having generative
AI right there to quickly tell you, “X event happened, and the GDPR compliance
that you’re trying to meet by detecting this event is Y…” Now, the previously
unknown data has turned into something that is human readable. Another use case
is transportation. Imagine you’re running an application that’s gathering
information about flights coming into an airport. A machine-generated view of
that will include flight codes and airport codes. Now let’s say you want to
understand what a flight code means or what an airport code means.
Traditionally, you would use a search engine to inquire about specific flight or
airport codes.
Banks May Be Ready for Digital Innovation: Many of the Staff Aren’t
A major roadblock to training workers is that many don’t actually bank with
their employer. This makes training critical, especially for frontline staff
members, says John Findlay, chief executive and founder of digital learning
company LemonadeLXP, based in Ontario, Canada. “If their staff doesn’t bank with
them, they don’t use the technologies on offer and it’s pretty difficult for
them to promote them to customers,” he says. It’s also difficult for them to
answer customer questions. Brian McNutt, U.S. vice president of product
management at Dutch engagement platform Backbase, says banks should incentivize
their staff to actually use their services as much as possible. One approach is
to offer special rates or deals to employees, he says. “I think that really the
most important thing is that they are customers themselves. There’s really no
replacement for that. For somebody to really be able to empathize or understand
customers, they have to experience the products themselves.”
The Future of Software Engineering: Transformation With Generative AI
The application of Generative AI in software engineering is not just a
technical enhancement but a fundamental change in how software is
conceptualized, developed, and maintained. This section delves into the key
themes that underline this transformative integration, elucidating the diverse
ways in which Generative AI is reshaping the field. Generative AI is
revolutionizing the way code is written and maintained. AI models can now
understand programming queries in natural language and translate them into
efficient code, significantly reducing the time and effort required from human
developers. This has several implications:Enhanced productivity: Developers
can focus on complex problem-solving rather than spending time on routine
coding tasks. Learning and development: AI models can suggest best coding
practices and offer real-time guidance, acting as a learning tool for novice
programmers. Code quality improvement: With AI's ability to analyze vast
codebases, it can recommend optimizations and improvements, leading to higher
quality and more maintainable code.
Reports: China’s Alibaba Shuts Down Quantum Lab
DoNews reported this week that Alibaba’s DAMO Academy –Academy for Discovery,
Adventure, Momentum and Outlook — has closed down its quantum laboratory due
to budget and profitability reasons. The budget ax claimed more than 30 people
— possible among China’s brightest quantum researchers — lost their positions,
according to the news outlet’s internal sources. For further claims of proof,
DoNews reports that the official website of DAMO Academy has also removed the
introduction page of the quantum laboratory. According to the story,
translated into English: “Insiders claimed that Alibaba’s DAMO Academy Quantum
Laboratory had undergone significant layoffs, but it was not clear at that
time whether the entire quantum computing team had been disbanded.” Media
further suggest that many of the DAMO Academy quantum team members who were
laid off have begun to send their resumes to other companies. According to The
Quantum Insider’s China’s Quantum Computing Market brief, Alibaba is a diverse
tech conglomerate that has been active in quantum since 2015. The company’s
Quantum Lab Academy teaching employees and students about the prospects of
quantum computing.
It’s time the industry opts for collaborative manufacturing
The transition from an analogue factory to a digital one underscores the
necessity of a coherent and efficient digital infrastructure. This
transformation extends beyond the primary tasks of manufacturing, adding
efficiency at every stage, including the cutting room. Investments in
IoT-enabled machinery, though costly, can lead to significant improvements in
output and efficiency. ... The technology underlines the importance of
integrated planning software, which aids in production planning, order flow
management and the efficient consumption of raw materials.” As technology
continues to evolve and digitisation gains ground, an important question
emerges while making the roadmap: What are the social implications of this
technological revolution? In a city like Bengaluru and its surrounding
manufacturing hubs, more than 3.5 million women toil in the garment industry,
forming the majority of the workforce. Their livelihoods hinge on operating
sewing machines, a vocation they might continue for the next two
decades.
The Digital Revolution in Banking: Exploring the Future of Finance
As banks continue to close their physical branches, it becomes crucial to
balance the convenience of digital banking and the personalized service that
customers crave. While online banking has become increasingly popular, some
still prefer the in-person experience of visiting their local branch and
interacting with staff. This is especially important when it comes to
welcoming new customers. To address this, emerging technologies, such as
augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), may offer a solution to
bridge the gap between digital convenience and personalized service. Imagine
you are a banking executive looking for ways to improve your customer
experience. You know that digital banking is the future, but you also
understand that some customers still crave the personalized service of
visiting a physical branch. This is where augmented reality (AR) and virtual
reality (VR) come in. By incorporating AR into your mobile app, you can
enhance the interface and provide customers with more information in an
immersive way.
Quote for the day:
"Success is the sum of small efforts,
repeated day-in and day-out." -- Robert Collier
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