Daily Tech Digest - July 09, 2025


Quote for the day:

"Whenever you see a successful person you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them." -- Vaibhav Shah


Why CIOs see APIs as vital for agentic AI success

API access also goes beyond RAG. It allows agents and their underlying language models not just to retrieve information, but perform database mutations and trigger external actions. This shift allows agents to carry out complex, multi-step workflows that once required multiple human touchpoints. “AI-ready APIs paired with multi-agentic capabilities can unlock a broad range of use cases, which have enterprise workflows at their heart,” says Milind Naphade, SVP of technology and head of AI foundations at Capital One. In addition, APIs are an important bridge out of previously isolated AI systems. ... AI agents can make unprecedented optimizations on the fly using APIs. Gartner reports that PC manufacturer Lenovo uses a suite of autonomous agents to optimize marketing and boost conversions. With the oversight of a planning agent, these agents call APIs to access purchase history, product data, and customer profiles, and trigger downstream applications in the server configuration process. ... But the bigger wins will likely be increased operational efficiency and cost reduction. As Fox describes, this stems from a newfound best-of-breed business agility. “When agentic AI can dynamically reconfigure business processes, using just what’s needed from the best-value providers, you’ll see streamlined operations, reduced complexity, and better overall resource allocation,” she says.


What we can learn about AI from the ‘dead internet theory’

The ‘dead internet theory,’ or the idea that much of the web is now dominated by bots and AI-generated content, is largely speculative. However, the concern behind it is worth taking seriously. The internet is changing, and the content that once made it a valuable source of knowledge is increasingly diluted by duplication, misinformation, and synthetic material. For the development of artificial intelligence, especially large language models (LLMs), this shift presents an existential problem. ... One emerging model for collecting and maintaining this kind of data is Knowledge as a Service (KaaS). Rather than scraping static sources, KaaS creates a living, structured ecosystem of contributions from real users (often experts in their fields) who continuously validate and update content. This approach takes inspiration from open-source communities but remains focused on knowledge creation and maintenance rather than code. KaaS supports AI development with a sustainable, high-quality stream of data that reflects current thinking. It’s designed to scale with human input, rather than in spite of it. ... KaaS helps AI stay relevant by providing fresh, domain-specific input from real users. Unlike static datasets, KaaS adapts as conditions change. It also brings greater transparency, illustrating directly how contributors’ inputs are utilised. This level of attribution represents a step toward more ethical and accountable AI.


The Value of Threat Intelligence in Ensuring DORA Compliance

One of the biggest challenges for security teams today is securing visibility into third-party providers within their ecosystem due to their volume, diversity, and the constant monitoring required. Utilising a Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP) with advanced capabilities can enable a security team to address this gap by monitoring and triaging threats within third-party systems through automation. It can flag potential signs of compromise, vulnerabilities, and risky behaviour, enabling organisations to take pre-emptive action before risks escalate and impact their systems. ... A major aspect of DORA is implementing a robust risk management framework. However, to keep pace with global expansion and new threats and technologies, this framework must be responsive, flexible, and up-to-date. Sourcing, aggregating, and collating threat intelligence data to facilitate this is a time-exhaustive task, and unfeasible for many resource-stretched and siloed security teams. ... From tabletop scenarios to full-scale simulations, these exercises evaluate how well systems, processes, and people can withstand and respond to real-world cyber threats. With an advanced TIP, security teams can leverage customisable workflows to recreate specific operational stress scenarios. These scenarios can be further enhanced by feeding real-world data on attacker behaviours, tactics, and trends, ensuring that simulations reflect actual threats rather than outdated risks.


Why your security team feels stuck

The problem starts with complexity. Security stacks have grown dense, and tools like EDR, SIEM, SOAR, CASB, and DSPM don’t always integrate well. Analysts often need to jump between multiple dashboards just to confirm whether an alert matters. Tuning systems properly takes time and resources, which many teams don’t have. So alerts pile up, and analysts waste energy chasing ghosts. Then there’s process friction. In many organizations, security actions, especially the ones that affect production systems, require multiple levels of approval. On paper, that’s to reduce risk. But these delays can mean missing the window to contain an incident. When attackers move in minutes, security teams shouldn’t be stuck waiting for a sign-off. ... “Security culture is having a bit of a renaissance. Each member of the security team may be in a different place as we undertake this transformation, which can cause internal friction. In the past, security was often tasked with setting and enforcing rules in order to secure the perimeter and ensure folks weren’t doing risky things on their machines. While that’s still part of the job, security and privacy teams today also need to support business growth while protecting customer data and company assets. If business growth is the top priority, then security professionals need new tools and processes to secure those assets.”


Your data privacy is slipping away. Here's why, and what you can do about it

In 2024, the Identity Theft Resource Center reported that companies sent out 1.3 billion notifications to the victims of data breaches. That's more than triple the notices sent out the year before. It's clear that despite growing efforts, personal data breaches are not only continuing, but accelerating. What can you do about this situation? Many people think of the cybersecurity issue as a technical problem. They're right: Technical controls are an important part of protecting personal information, but they are not enough. ... Even the best technology falls short when people make mistakes. Human error played a role in 68% of 2024 data breaches, according to a Verizon report. Organizations can mitigate this risk through employee training, data minimization—meaning collecting only the information necessary for a task, then deleting it when it's no longer needed—and strict access controls. Policies, audits and incident response plans can help organizations prepare for a possible data breach so they can stem the damage, see who is responsible and learn from the experience. It's also important to guard against insider threats and physical intrusion using physical safeguards such as locking down server rooms. ... Despite years of discussion, the U.S. still has no comprehensive federal privacy law. Several proposals have been introduced in Congress, but none have made it across the finish line. 


How To Build Smarter Factories With Edge Computing

According to edge computing experts, these are essentially rugged versions of computers, of any size, purpose-built for their harsh environments. Forget standard form factors; industrial edge devices come in varied configurations specific to the application. This means a device shaped to fit precisely where it’s needed, whether tucked inside a machine or mounted on a factory wall. ... What makes these tough machines intelligent? It’s the software revolution happening on factory floors right now. Historically, industrial computing relied on software specially built to run on bare metal; custom code directly installed on specific machines. While this approach offered reliability and consistent, deterministic performance, it came with significant limitations: slow development cycles, difficult updates and vendor lock-in. ... Communication between smart devices presents unique challenges in industrial environments. Traditional networking approaches often fall short when dealing with thousands of sensors, robots and automated systems. Standard Wi-Fi faces significant constraints in factories where heavy machinery creates electromagnetic interference, and critical operations can’t tolerate wireless dropouts.


Fighting in a cloudy arena

“There are a few primary problems. Number one is that the hyperscalers leverage free credits to get digital startups to build their entire stack on their cloud services,” Cochrane says, adding that as the startups grow, the technical requirements from hyperscalers leave them tied to that provider. “The second thing is also in the relationship they have with enterprises. They say, ‘Hey, we project you will have a $250 million cloud bill, we are going to give you a discount.’ Then, because the enterprise has a contractual vehicle, there’s a mad rush to use as much of the hyperscalers compute as possible because you either lose it or use it. “At the end of the day, it’s like the roach motel. You can check in, but you can’t check out,” he sums up. ... "We are exploring our options to continue to fight against Microsoft’s anti competitive licensing in order to promote choice, innovation, and the growth of the digital economy in Europe." Mark Boost, CEO of UK cloud company Civo, said: ”However they position it, we cannot shy away from what this deal appears to be: a global powerful company paying for the silence of a trade body, and avoiding having to make fundamental changes to their software licensing practices on a global basis.” In the months that followed this decision, things got interesting.


How passkeys work: The complete guide to your inevitable passwordless future

Passkeys are often described as a passwordless technology. In order for passwords to work as a part of the authentication process, the website, app, or other service -- collectively referred to as the "relying party" -- must keep a record of that password in its end-user identity management system. This way, when you submit your password at login time, the relying party can check to see if the password you provided matches the one it has on record for you. The process is the same, whether or not the password on record is encrypted. In other words, with passwords, before you can establish a login, you must first share your secret with the relying party. From that point forward, every time you go to login, you must send your secret to the relying party again. In the world of cybersecurity, passwords are considered shared secrets, and no matter who you share your secret with, shared secrets are considered risky. ... Many of the largest and most damaging data breaches in history might not have happened had a malicious actor not discovered a shared password. In contrast, passkeys also involve a secret, but that secret is never shared with a relying party. Passkeys are a form of Zero Knowledge Authentication (ZKA). The relying party has zero knowledge of your secret, and in order to sign in to a relying party, all you have to do is prove to the relying party that you have the secret in your possession.


Crafting a compelling and realistic product roadmap

The most challenging aspect of roadmap creation is often prioritization. Given finite resources, not everything can be built at once. Effective prioritization requires a clear framework. Common methods include scoring features based on business value versus effort, using frameworks like RICE, or focusing on initiatives that directly address key strategic objectives. Be prepared to say “no” to good ideas that don’t align with current priorities. Transparency in this process is vital. Communicate why certain items are prioritized over others to stakeholders, fostering understanding and buy-in, even when their preferred feature isn’t immediately on the roadmap. ... A product roadmap is a living document, not a static contract. The B2B software landscape is constantly evolving, with new technologies emerging, customer needs shifting, and competitive pressures mounting. A realistic roadmap acknowledges this dynamism. While it provides a clear direction, it should also be adaptable. Plan for regular reviews and updates – quarterly or even monthly – to adjust based on new insights, validated learnings, and changes in the market or business environment. Embrace iterative development and be prepared to pivot or adjust priorities as new information comes to light. 


Are software professionals ready for the AI tsunami?

Modern AI assistants can translate plain-English prompts into runnable project skeletons or even multi-file apps aligned with existing style guides (e.g., Replit). This capability accelerates experimentation and learning, especially when teams are exploring unfamiliar technology stacks. A notable example is MagicSchool.com, a real-world educational platform created using AI-assisted coding workflows, showcasing how AI can powerfully convert conceptual prompts into usable products. These tools enable rapid MVP development that can be tested directly with customers. Once validated, the MVP can then be scaled into a full-fledged product. Rapid code generation can lead to fragile or opaque implementations if teams skip proper reviews, testing, and documentation. Without guardrails, it risks technical debt and poor maintainability. To stay reliable, agile teams must pair AI-generated code with sprint reviews, CI pipelines, automated testing, and strategies to handle evolving features and business needs. Recognising the importance of this shift, tech giants like Amazon (CodeWhisperer) and Google (AlphaCode) are making significant investments in AI development tools, signaling just how central this approach is becoming to the future of software engineering.

No comments:

Post a Comment