AI-powered scam calls are giving spooky season a run for its money as the scariest thing we’ve seen this month. Catch this week’s insights in a quick skim so you can get back to your day - scam-free.?
- The promise and perils of synthetic data
- As synthetic data becomes more popular due to the increasing difficulty of obtaining real-world data, companies like Anthropic, Meta, and OpenAI have started incorporating AI-generated data into their models. While synthetic data offers potential benefits, such as reducing the cost and biases associated with human-labeled data, it comes with risks. Over-reliance on synthetic data can degrade model diversity and quality, leading to biased and inaccurate outputs. Experts suggest that combining synthetic data with real-world data, careful curation, and rigorous oversight are necessary to maintain model integrity and avoid issues like hallucinations or "model collapse." Despite the potential, fully self-sustaining AI training on synthetic data alone remains a distant goal.
- New Gmail Security Alert For 2.5 Billion Users As AI Hack Confirmed
- A new AI-driven Gmail phishing scam has emerged, targeting Google's 2.5 billion users. Hackers are using sophisticated tactics, such as fake account recovery notifications and calls from fake Google support personnel, to trick even experienced users. One such case involved a Microsoft consultant who nearly fell victim to an AI-powered scam call. Hackers employ convincing strategies, including real-looking Google domains and recovery dialogs, making the attacks more difficult to detect. To counter these threats, Google has launched a Global Anti-Scam Alliance initiative and introduced advanced protection features, like passkey support, to safeguard high-risk accounts.
- Companies Had Fun Experimenting With AI. Now They Have to Show the Returns
- The Wall Street Journal article highlights that companies are moving beyond AI experimentation and now focusing on projects that deliver tangible business results. After two years of discretionary funding for generative AI experiments, leaders at the WSJ CIO Network Summit emphasized the need for AI initiatives to prove their ROI, especially through increased productivity or revenue within a year. Despite most AI projects still being stuck in testing phases, leaders believe that providing widespread access to corporate data and breaking down AI projects into smaller, manageable tasks can help them scale. While AI is seen as a powerful tool, it is not a quick fix, and companies are being more strategic about its implementation.
- Roli’s New Instrument Is Both an AI Piano Teacher and a Digital Theremin
- Business leaders are shifting from AI experimentation to focusing on projects that demonstrate clear returns on investment, as highlighted at the WSJ CIO Network Summit. After two years of testing generative AI, many initiatives remain in pilot stages, with leaders emphasizing the need for projects to improve productivity or generate revenue within 12 months. Access to corporate data and breaking down AI efforts into manageable tasks are seen as key strategies for scaling. While AI is acknowledged as a powerful tool, it is not a magic solution, and companies are now more strategic about integrating it into their operations.
- AMD launches AI chip to rival Nvidia's Blackwell
- AMD launched a new artificial-intelligence chip on Thursday that is taking direct aim at Nvidia's data center graphics processors, known as GPUs. The Instinct MI325X's rollout will pit it against Nvidia's upcoming Blackwell chips, which will start shipping in significant quantities early next year. If AMD's AI chips are seen by developers and cloud giants as a close substitute for Nvidia's products, it could put pricing pressure on Nvidia.
- Global chipmaker Nvidia launches first 'AI Tech Community’ in Pittsburgh
- Nvidia, the $3 trillion global chipmaker at the forefront of AI, is expanding its presence in Pittsburgh by establishing its first "AI Tech Community." This initiative includes partnerships with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and the University of Pittsburgh to create joint technology centers focused on robotics and health sciences. Nvidia will provide access to its latest AI software and frameworks, including the Isaac Lab for robotics, to accelerate innovation in AI applications. The company plans to engage with local startups, such as Lovelace AI and Skild AI, and collaborate with the Pittsburgh Robotics Network to foster AI and robotics expertise.
- Smartsheet and AWS Team Up to Accelerate AI-Powered Decision-Making With a Connector for Amazon Q Business
- Smartsheet announced a new partnership with AWS at its annual ENGAGE conference, launching a connector that integrates Smartsheet data with Amazon Q Business, a generative AI-powered assistant. This connector enables seamless synchronization of work management data, allowing Amazon Q Business users to query and retrieve project insights from Smartsheet. The integration eliminates data silos, providing a unified search experience across various enterprise systems such as Salesforce and Slack. This collaboration aims to enhance decision-making, productivity, and service efficiency through secure access to AI-driven insights. The connector is now available in public preview.
- How to Stop Your Data From Being Used to Train AI
- Tech companies have extensively scraped web content to gather data for generative AI development, often disregarding copyright, privacy, and content creators' rights. Companies with vast amounts of user data, such as Reddit, are now capitalizing on this AI boom by selling or licensing that information. Despite ongoing lawsuits and investigations, some companies have begun offering opt-out options for individuals and businesses, though the process is often convoluted. Many AI firms have already collected data, making it challenging to remove content. While some companies like Adobe and OpenAI provide clearer pathways to opt-out, the ability to stop future data use for AI training remains inconsistent, and many users are still automatically opted in.?
About Plainsight Technologies
Plainsight Technologies is the enterprise vision data company that makes cameras count. Through our pre-built Vision Intelligence Filters, containerized applications that solve business problems with accurate data from visual sources, we empower organizations to scale from concept to industry adoption while prioritizing privacy, security, and rapid innovation. Our mission is to "make your cameras count," extracting valuable insights from visual data to optimize processes in agriculture, marine biology, manufacturing, food service, and more. Headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, Plainsight Technologies operates as a distributed team, delivering cutting-edge solutions worldwide. To learn more, visit plainsight.ai
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