From deepfakes to digital candidates: AI’s political play
Deepfake technology uses AI to create or manipulate still images, video and
audio content, making it possible to convincingly swap faces, synthesize speech,
fabricate or alter actions in videos. This technology mixes and edits data from
real images and videos to produce realistic-looking and-sounding creations that
are increasingly difficult to distinguish from authentic content. While there
are legitimate educational and entertainment uses for these technologies, they
are increasingly being used for less sanguine purposes. Worries abound about the
potential of AI-generated deepfakes that impersonate known figures to manipulate
public opinion and potentially alter elections. ... Techniques like those used
in deepfake technology produce highly realistic and interactive digital
representations of fictional or real-life characters. These developments make it
technologically possible to simulate conversations with historical figures or
create realistic digital personas based on their public records, speeches and
writings. One possible new application is that someone (or some group), will put
forward an AI-created digital persona for public office.
How data governance must evolve to meet the generative AI challenge
“With generative AI bringing more data complexity, organizations must have good
data governance and privacy policies in place to manage and secure the content
used to train these models,” says Kris Lahiri, co-founder and chief security
officer of Egnyte. “Organizations must pay extra attention to what data is used
with these AI tools, whether third parties like OpenAI, PaLM, or an internal LLM
that the company may use in-house.” Review genAI policies around privacy,
data protection, and acceptable use. Many organizations require submitting
requests and approvals from data owners before using data sets for genAI use
cases. Consult with risk, compliance, and legal functions before using data sets
that must meet GDPR, CCPA, PCI, HIPAA, or other data compliance standards. Data
policies must also consider the data supply chain and responsibilities when
working with third-party data sources. “Should a security incident occur
involving data that is protected within a certain region, vendors need to be
clear on both theirs and their customers’ responsibilities to properly mitigate
it, especially if this data is meant to be used in AI/ML platforms” says Jozef
de Vries, chief product engineering officer of EDB.
Will AI Replace Consultants? Here’s What Business Owners Say.
“Most consultants aren’t actually that smart," said Michael Greenberg of Modern
Industrialists. “They’re just smarter than the average person.” But he reckons
the average machine is much smarter. “Consultants generally do non-creative
tasks based around systematic analysis, which is yet another thing machines are
normally better at than humans.” Greenberg believes some consultants, “doing
design or user experience, will survive,” but “the run of the mill accounting
degree turned business advisor will not.” Someone who has “replaced all of [her]
consultants with ChatGPT already, and experienced faster growth,” is Isabella
Bedoya, founder of MarketingPros.ai. However, she thinks because “most people
don't know how to use AI, savvy consultants need to leverage it to become even
more powerful, effective and efficient for their clients” and stay ahead of
their game. Heather Murray, director at Beesting Digital, thinks the inevitable
replacement of consultants is down to quality. “There are so many poor quality
consultants that rely rigidly on working their clients through set frameworks,
regardless of the individual’s needs. AI could do that easily.”
Effective Code Documentation for Data Science Projects
The first step to effective code documentation is ensuring it’s clear and
concise. Remember, the goal here is to make your code understandable to others –
and that doesn’t just mean other data scientists or developers. Non-technical
stakeholders, project managers, and even clients may need to understand what
your code does and why it works the way it does. To achieve this, you should aim
to use plain language whenever possible. Avoid jargon and overly complex
sentences. Instead, focus on explaining what each part of your code does, why
you made the choices you did, and what the expected outcomes are. If there are
any assumptions, dependencies, or prerequisites for your code, these should be
clearly stated. Remember, brevity is just as important as clarity. ... Data
science projects are often dynamic, with models and data evolving over time.
This means that your code documentation needs to be equally dynamic. Keeping
your documentation up to date is critical to ensuring its usefulness and
accuracy. A good practice here is to treat your documentation as part of your
code, updating it as you modify or add to your code base.
Breaking down the language barrier: How to master the art of communication
Exactly how can cyber professionals go about improving their communication
skills? According to Shapely, many people prefer to take short online learning
courses. On-the-job coaching or mentorships are other popular upskilling
strategies, providing quick and cost-effective practical learning opportunities.
For those still early in their cybersecurity career, there is the option of
building communication skills as part of a university degree. According to
Kudrati, who teaches part-time at La Trobe University, many cybersecurity
students must complete one subject on professional skills as part of their
course. “This helps train students’ presentation skills, requiring them to
present in front of lecturers and classmates as if they’re customers or business
teams,” he says. Homing in on communication skills at university or early on in
a cybersecurity professional’s career is also encouraged by Pearlson. In a study
she conducted into the skills of cybersecurity professionals, she found that
while communication skills were in demand, they were lacking, particularly among
those in entry roles.
4 core AI principles that fuel transformation success
Around 86% of software development companies are agile, and with good reason.
Adopting an agile mindset and methodologies could give you an edge on your
competitors, with companies that do seeing an average 60% growth in revenue and
profit as a result. Our research has shown that agile companies are 43% more
likely to succeed in their digital projects. One reason implementing agile makes
such a difference is the ability to fail fast. The agile mindset allows teams to
push through setbacks and see failures as opportunities to learn, rather than
reasons to stop. Agile teams have a resilience that’s critical to success when
trying to build and implement AI solutions to problems. Leaders who display this
kind of perseverance are four times more likely to deliver their intended
outcomes. Developing the determination to regroup and push ahead within
leadership teams is considerably easier if they’re perceived as authentic in
their commitment to embed AI into the company. Leaders can begin to eliminate
roadblocks by listening to their teams and supporting them when issues or fears
arise. That means proactively adapting when changes occur, whether this involves
more delegation, bringing in external support, or reprioritizing resources.
Don’t Get Left Behind: How to Adopt Data-Driven Principles
Culture change remains the biggest hurdle to data-driven transformation. The
disruption inherent in this evolution can put off some key stakeholders, but a
few common-sense steps can guide your organization to tackle it successfully.
Read the room - Executive buy-in is crucial to building a data-driven culture.
Leadership must get behind the move so the rank-and-file will dedicate the time
and effort needed to make the pivot. Map the landscape - You can’t change what
you don’t know. Start by assessing the state of the organization: find the gaps
in the existing data infrastructure and forecast any future analytics needs so
you can plan for them. Evaluate your options - Building business intelligence
(BI) and artificial intelligence (AI) systems from scratch is labor- and
resource-intensive. ... However, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel; consider
leveraging managed services to deal with scale and adaptation issues and ask for
guidance from your provider’s data architects and scientists. Think
single-source - Fragmentation detracts from the usefulness of data and can mask
insights that would be available with better visibility. Implement integrated
platforms that provide secure and scalable data pipelines, storage, and insights
from end to end.
It’s time for security operations to ditch Excel
Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets are excellent for balancing books and managing
cybersecurity budgets. However, they’re less ideal for tackling actual security
issues, auditing, tracking, patching, and mapping asset inventories. Surely, our
crown jewels deserve better. And yet, security operation teams are drowning in
multi-tab tomes that require constant manual upkeep. Using these spreadsheets
requires security operations to chase down every team in their organization for
input on everything from the mapping of exceptions and end-of-life of machines
to tracking hardware and operating systems. This is the only way to gather the
information required on when, why and how certain security issues or tasks must
be addressed. It’s no wonder, then, that the column reserved for due dates is
usually mostly red. This is an industry-wide problem plaguing even multinational
enterprises with top CISOs. Even those large enough to have GRC teams still use
Excel for upcoming audits to verify remediations, delegate responsibilities and
keep track of compliance certifications.
How Leadership Missteps Can Derail Your Cloud Strategy
Cloud computing involves many moving parts working in unison; therefore,
leadership must be clear and concise regarding their cloud strategies. Yet often
they are not. The problems arise from not acknowledging the complexity inherent
in moving to the cloud. It's not a simple plug-and-play transition, but one that
requires modifications not only to technology but also to business processes and
organizational culture. For these reasons, the scope of the project is easily
underestimated. Underestimating the complexity of transitioning to cloud
computing can lead to significant pitfalls. Inadequate staff training, lax
security measures, and rushed vendor choices together are just the tip of the
iceberg. These oversights, seemingly minor at first, can snowball into
significant issues down the line. But there's another layer: the iceberg beneath
the surface. Focusing merely on the initial outlay while overlooking ongoing
operational costs is like ignoring the currents below, both can unexpectedly
steer your budget -- and your company -- off course. Acknowledging and managing
operational expenses is vital for a thorough and financially stable cloud
computing strategy.
The Art of Ethical Hacking: Securing Systems in the Digital Age
Stressing the obvious differences between malicious hacking and ethical hacking
is vital. Even though the strategies utilized could be comparative, ethical
hacking is carried out with permission and aims to strengthen security. On the
other hand, malicious hacking entails unlawful admittance to steal, disrupt, or
manipulate data without authorization. Operating within moral and legal bounds,
ethical hackers make sure that their acts advance cybersecurity measures as a
whole. Ethical hacking is the term used to describe a legitimate attempt to
obtain unauthorized access to a computer system, program, or information.
Ethical hacking includes imitating the methods and actions of vicious attackers.
By using this method, security vulnerabilities can be found and fixed before a
malicious attack can make use of them. ... As everybody and organizations keep
on depending on technology for everyday tasks and business operations, the role
of ethical hacking in strengthening cybersecurity will only become more crucial.
A safe digital environment can be the difference between one that is susceptible
to potentially catastrophic cyberattacks and one that embraces ethical hacking
as a proactive strategy.
Quote for the day:
"Things work out best for those who make
the best of how things work out." -- John Wooden
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