China’s "Salt Typhoon" hackers have breached U.S. telecoms, raising cyber tensions. Experts warn of the threat to international stability, emphasizing the need for collaborative strategies to prevent escalation amid ongoing economic competition.
The EU’s ESMA calls for mandatory crypto cybersecurity audits as threats grow, while the U.S. expands AI in defense with a focus on responsible use. Both moves underscore the need for stricter tech policies to safeguard assets and uphold ethical standards in evolving digital realms.
Tech giants Meta, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla are propelling the S&P 500's bull market ahead of the U.S. elections. Robust earnings from these companies have boosted investor confidence, driving gains despite election uncertainties and global tensions impacting the outlook.
Quality Versus Quantity - The Ramifications Of Unchecked AI Usage And Automation
It’s no secret that businesses around the world are adopting AI and automation, with a study from IBM showing roughly 30% of IT professionals already relying on new AI and automation tools.
But is anyone really surprised? Studies already show that AI can boost worker productivity by as much as 14%. So why don’t we all just stop while it’s still a fair fight and let AI take over everything?
Almost one-in-four companies are adopting AI because of labor or skills shortages, and 30% of global IT professionals say employees at their organization are already saving time with new AI and automation software/tools. - IBM
Well some companies have taken that line of thinking to heart. An entertaining article by The Verge was published recently, and shows what seems to be a seller on Amazon forgetting to check an automated ChatGPT plugin before publishing it’s ‘work’:
Amazon responded to The Verge saying:
We work hard to provide a trustworthy shopping experience for customers, including requiring third-party sellers to provide accurate, informative product listings. We have removed the listings in question and are further enhancing our systems. - Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti
This isn't just a one-time thing; it seems like there's a trend of AI-created content causing problems on online marketplaces, and also X (formerly Twitter):
Amazon And Twitter Might Not Be The Only Ones Affected By Poor Automation - Speculation With Bethesda’s Reviews
Despite the removal of the products, this mishap highlights the risks of using AI and automation unchecked. It’s unfortunate that Bethesda Game Studios couldn’t read this article before replying to lots of negative reviews on their latest game ‘Starfield’.
Customer feedback and interaction is often considered essential in business, and gathering feedback from your audience can serve invaluable to improving the product. However, many have speculated that Bethesda may have used a bot to respond to the massive amount of negative reviews they got on steam, with a Youtuber even attempting to recreate the review responses with his own prompts.
And it’s not hard to see why. Below are two different responses from Bethesda:
Review And Response 1
Four paragraphs elicit a large response from Bethesda.
Review And Response 2
A single word labelled as a bad review gets an almost identical response as above.
Whilst not impossible to be human written, it’s hard to believe the same team would apply such a similar amount of effort in replying to a 4 paragraph review (review and response 1) as they would with one that simply says “midfield” (review and response 2) (a play on the name starfield). If Bethesda wanted to damage their reputation they certainly picked the right method.
Should Companies Use AI And Automation To Replace Human Generated Content?
So, a couple of companies got it wrong, but that still doesn’t make AI boosted productivity any less tempting - just make sure your customers don’t know. Unless you should? A recent study at MIT discovered that sometimes AI generated content is in fact received better than human generated content.
So, should companies keep it under wraps or should they take artificial intelligence and automation in their stride and embrace it fully and publicly? Well, the verdict’s still out but stay tuned as I’m sure we’ll see more example of companies getting it wrong, AND right in the not so distant future.
Amazon, Microsoft, and Google are turning to nuclear energy for AI data centers. Amazon invested in X-energy, Google partnered with Kairos Power, and Microsoft aims to revive the Three Mile Island plant, highlighting a shift toward nuclear power.
TSMC leads the AI chip race, thriving on surging demand, while Samsung struggles with a 13% profit drop and ASML casts doubt on AI chip sustainability. Chinese tech giants adapt to U.S. trade limits with homegrown solutions, keeping the global competition fierce in the AI-driven market.
Cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors exploit social media for espionage and disinformation. Telegram is under fire for sharing data with Russia’s FSB, prompting Ukraine to restrict it. OpenAI's Ben Nimmo fights AI-driven disinformation targeting U.S. and European elections.
This week’s Cyber Pulse Mid-Week Briefings cover Australia’s new Cyber Security Bill, rising ransomware claims, Zscaler's AI-driven platform growth, and cyber threats from East Asia, including Chinese influence operations, North Korean tech theft, and costly global data breach claims.