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GitHub Introduces the AI-powered Copilot X, which Uses OpenAI's GPT-4 Model

 

The open-source developer platform GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft, has revealed the debut of Copilot X, the company's perception of the future of AI-powered software development.

GitHub has adopted OpenAI's new GPT-4 model and added chat and voice support for Copilot, bringing Copilot to pull requests, the command line, and documentation to answer questions about developers' projects.

'From reading docs to writing code to submitting pull requests and beyond, we're working to personalize GitHub Copilot for every team, project, and repository it's used in, creating a radically improved software development lifecycle,' Thomas Dohmke, CEO at GitHub, said in a statement.

'At the same time, we will continue to innovate and update the heart of GitHub Copilot -- the AI pair programmer that started it all,' he added.

Copilot chat recognizes what code a developer has entered and what error messages are displayed, and it is deeply integrated into the IDE (Integrated Development Environment).

As stated by the company, Copilot chat will join GitHub's previously demoed voice-to-code AI technology extension, which it is now calling 'Copilot voice,' where developers can verbally give natural language prompts. Furthermore, developers can now sign up for a technical preview of the first AI-generated pull request descriptions on GitHub.

This new feature is powered by OpenAI's new GPT-4 model and adds support for AI-powered tags in pull request descriptions via a GitHub app that organization admins and individual repository owners can install.

As per the company, GitHub is also going to launch Copilot for docs, an experimental tool that uses a chat interface to provide users with AI-generated responses to documentation questions, including questions about the languages, frameworks, and technologies they are using.

Bill Gates Says AI is the Biggest Technological Advance in Decades

 


The business advisor Bill Gates, who co-founded Microsoft and has been a business advisor for decades, has claimed that artificial intelligence (AI) is the greatest technological advancement since the development of the internet. He made such a claim in an article he published on his blog earlier in the week. 

Microsoft's co-founder and technology industry thought leader, Bill Gates, has hailed the emergence of artificial intelligence as the most significant technological achievement in decades. Gates argues that AI might even outperform the human brain. Several important points were raised by Mr. Gates in his blog post dated Tuesday in which he made this critical assertion. He further considered AI to be an important component of the evolution of technology as advanced as computers, the internet, and the smartphone, a comparison that he makes with previous notable developments. 

He described it as being just as essential as the invention of microprocessors, the personal computer, the Internet, and mobile phones in a post on his blog on Tuesday. "It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other," he said. He wrote about the technology used by tools such as chatbots and ChatGPT. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot programmed to answer user questions using natural, human-like language. 

The team behind it in January 2023 received a multibillion-dollar investment from Microsoft - where Gates still serves as an advisor. But it was not the only AI-powered chatbot available, with Google recently introducing rival Bard. Gates said he had been meeting with OpenAI - the team behind artificial intelligence that powers chatbot ChatGPT - since 2016. 

This technology has endless potential. As more organizations explore and invest in AI solutions, we will likely see more extraordinary advancements in this field in the years to come. This will make it even more critical than ever! 

Artificial intelligence cannot be underestimated, and Bill Gates believes this. With such a heavy weight behind this technology, it's no wonder why so many companies are turning towards AI solutions for their businesses - and why it is widely considered one of our most significant technological advances. 

Recently, Bill Gates gave OpenAI the daunting task of creating an AI that could easily pass a college-level biology exam without specialized instruction. OpenAI nailed it. Not only did their successful project receive nearly flawless grades, but even Bill Gates acknowledged its potential as one of technology's most revolutionary breakthroughs since the graphical user interface, when it was asked to answer from a parent's perspective on how to help care for their unwell child (GUI). 

William Gates urged governments to collaborate with businesses to reduce the threats posed by AI technology. By assisting health professionals in being more productive while handling repetitive duties like note-taking, paperwork, and insurance claims, AIs are believed to be employed as an efficient instrument against global inequality and poverty through this focused approach. 

With the appropriate funding or policy adjustments, these benefits might be available to those who need them most; hence, government and philanthropy must collaborate to ensure their provision. Further, the authorities must have a clear understanding of AI's actual potential and its limitations. 

For those without a technical background, navigating the complexities of AI technology cannot be easy. Creating an accessible user interface (GUI) is essential for making AI applications available to everyone. Artificial intelligence solutions are projected to receive even greater attention and investment in the coming years as more companies explore and invest in this field. There will be even more of a need for it than ever before because of this factor! 

Despite Bill Gates' assertion to the contrary, artificial intelligence is not something to be underestimated. The technological advancement of AI is widely considered to be one of our greatest technological advancements because of the intensity with which it is backed, and because of the wide adoption of this technology, it's no wonder that there are so many companies moving towards AI solutions for their businesses. 

It came as no surprise to me that Bill Gates recently asked OpenAI to create artificial intelligence that was capable of passing a biology exam without any specialized instruction at a college level. 

It was an outstanding performance by OpenAI. In addition to receiving nearly perfect grades, they also acknowledged the potential of their successful project as one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in technology ever, since the graphical user interface was used when parents were asked to provide tips on how to help care for their unwell child (GUI), leading to its recognition as one of the most revolutionary achievements in modern technology. 

According to William Gates, governments must work with businesses to reduce Artificial Intelligence threats by collaborating with them. Through the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) as an instrument to combat global inequality and poverty in a targeted manner, AIs are believed to be used as a tool to help health professionals become more productive while handling repetitive tasks like note-taking, paperwork, and insurance claims. 

This group might be able to benefit from these benefits as a result of providing them with the appropriate funding or making policy adjustments; therefore, governments and philanthropies must work together to ensure they are provided to those who need them most. Authorities need to understand AI's actual potential and limitations. 

The complexity of artificial intelligence technology cannot be easily understood by individuals who do not have a technical background. AI applications need to be accessible to a large audience by developing a user interface designed to make them easily understandable.

GOBruteforcer: an Active Web Server Harvester

 


Known as Golang, the Go programming language is relatively new. It is one of the most popular malware programmers interested in creating malware. Capable of developing all kinds of malware, such as ransomware, stealers, or remote access Trojans (RATs), it has proven to be a versatile platform that can deal with all kinds of malware. Golang-based botnets appear particularly attractive to attackers to gain access to their networks. 

The GoBruteforcer botnet malware is the latest version of a type of malware written in Golang and targeting web servers. This is specifically for those running PHPMyAdmin, MySQL, FTP, and Postgres database software. 

How GoBruteforcer Works?

Palo Alto Network's GoBruteforcer is compatible with more than one processor architecture, such as x86, x64, and ARM architectures. 

During the actual execution of the malicious code, some special conditions need to be met, such as the use of specific arguments during the execution process. Additionally, it relies on the installation of targeted services with weak passwords, which are already installed on the system. Whenever these conditions are met, it executes only if it satisfies all of the requirements. 

  • With the help of weak passwords, this malware aspires to gain access to vulnerable Unix-like platforms (commonly known as UNIX). 
  • To begin the attack, a scan is conducted for possible targets that have MySQL, Postgres, FTP, or PHPMyAdmin running on their servers. 
Expansion of Networks 

The software's source code has been updated to include a multi-scan module that can scan and find a much greater set of potential targets than before.
  • A Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) block was used by GoBruteforcer at the time of the attack to scan the network for vulnerabilities. A CIDR is a format of IP address ranges contained in a single network containing multiple IP addresses. A single IP address does not provide a huge range of targets for infiltration, unlike a range of IP addresses that are used for intrusion.
  • The application detects a host by scanning the network for any ports that have become open over time belonging to the aforementioned services when it finds the host. A brute-force attack is used to attempt to gain access to that machine. 
Aspects of the Postinfection Period

  • When GoBruteforcer is successful in detecting the intrusion, it deploys an IRC bot that collects the URL of the attacker for further use. 
  • Then it communicates with the C2 server and waits for the attacker to send it any further directives. 
  • A cron job is used to store the registration information for the IRC bot, which is used as a means of persistence. 
Using GoBruteforcer's multiscan feature, operators can use the tool to scan a wide range of devices across different networks all at once. 

As long as default passwords are changed and a strong password policy is implemented including two-factor authentication, you can significantly reduce the risks of attacks caused by brute force method.

Threat actors have always been attracted to targeting web servers due to their lucrative nature. An organization's web servers are an integral part of its operations, so allowing weak passwords to be used could lead to serious security threats. Weak (or default) passwords are more likely to be exploited by malware including GoBruteforcer. 

The GoBruteforcer bot has the capability of scanning multiple targets at once, allowing it to get into a wide range of networks, and this is what helps it to be able to do the job. Furthermore, GoBruteforcer seems to be actively being developed. Therefore, attackers are likely to change their strategies soon if they hope to target web servers with this tool.

Google Announces Drone Delivery Network

 


Network of Wing Delivery Services 

Several companies worldwide have been developing drone technologies designed to improve last-mile delivery by integrating them with ground transportation. Wing's ultimate goal is to create an automated logistics system that moves millions of packages daily to deliver packages to people more efficiently and safely. 

Until now, the industry has been primarily focused on drones themselves. That means it has been designing, testing, and iterating on airplanes, rather than trying to find the best way to utilize an entire fleet to deliver efficiently. The company officials assure us that the way Wing delivers its services is not the same as the way other companies do it. 

According to Wing, the efficiency of drone operations will be improved by operating them as part of a network. As part of the testing of the technology, Wing will deliver up to 1,000 packages per day to Logan, Australia, where the company is testing the technology at scale. 

Additionally, the company has begun experimenting with the delivery of goods using drones in the suburb of Lusk in Dublin. As part of the discussions between the company and the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority, it said it and other companies were involved. These talks are about establishing regulations to enable goods delivery, using drones in the UK, and approving them.

"Starting with Grocery Delivery" 

In a statement, Woodworth said the delivery system would look more like the infrastructure of a modern data network than the architecture of conventional transportation. 

It started with a trial program where they delivered groceries and ready-to-eat food such as coffee in the first few weeks. For now, drone deliveries are not subject to an additional charge for consumers. 

There is no information about what the final cost of these services may be provided by the company. To remain financially viable, drone companies are expected to take on more deliveries than they are currently doing. 

In the Context of Big Data 

A member of the University of the West of England's management committee, Dr. Steve Wright said it was not surprising that Wing is among the companies trying to achieve this. In addition to working on the drones themselves, everyone is also thinking about the bigger picture. 

These drones will operate night and day for a considerable period, unlike anything that has ever been achieved.   

Regulatory issues are the first issue that is being debated at the moment. Nevertheless, there is a significant question to be addressed, how to manage and direct such a large number of robots. 

The fact that Wing and Amazon have one legacy in common - Big Data - is not just a coincidence in Dr. Steve's opinion, but rather one of a kind.

This Website Wants to Use AI to Make Models Redundant

 

Deep Agency is an AI photo studio and modelling agency founded by a Dutch developer. For $29 per month, you can get high-quality photos of yourself in a variety of settings, as well as images generated by AI models based on a given prompt. “Hire virtual models and create a virtual twin with an avatar that looks just like you. Elevate your photo game and say goodbye to traditional photo shoots,” the site reads. 

 According to the platform's creator, Danny Postma, the platform utilises the most recent text-to-image AI models, implying a model similar to DALL-E 2, and is available anywhere in the world. You can personalize your photo on the platform by selecting the model's pose and writing various definitions of what you want them to do. This website does the opposite of making models, photographers, and creatives obsolete.

Postma does state on Twitter that the site is "in open beta" and that "things will break," and using it does feel almost silly, like a glorified version of DALL-E 2 but only with female models. The site then reminds us of AI's limitations, showing how AI-generated images are not only stiff and easy to spot, but also biassed in a variety of ways.

So far, the prompt requires you to include "sks female" in it for the model to work, meaning the site only generates images of women unless you purchase a paid subscription, which unlocks three other models, one woman and two men, and allows you to upload your own images to create a "AI twin".

To create an image, you type a prompt, select a pose from the site's existing catalogue of images, and choose from a variety of settings such as "time & weather," "camera," "lens & aperture," "shutterspeed," and "lighting." Most generated images appear to be the same brightly lit female portrait, pictured in front of a very blurred background, indicating that none of those settings have been keyed in yet.
When you say "sks female," it generates an image of a blonde white woman, even if you chose an image of a woman of a different race or likeness from the catalogue. If you want to change the model's appearance, you must add additional words denoting race, age, and other demographic characteristics.

When Motherboard chose one of the site's pre-existing images and corresponding prompts of a person of colour wearing a religious headscarf to generate an image based on it, the result was a white woman wearing a fashion headscarf. The DALL-E 2 text-to-image generator from OpenAI has already been shown to have biases baked in. When asked to generate an image of "a flight attendant," for example, the generator only produces images of women, whereas when asked to generate an image of "a CEO," it mostly displays images of white men. 

Though examples like these are common, it has been difficult for OpenAI to determine the precise origins of the biases and fix them, despite the company's acknowledgement that it is working to improve its system. The deployment of a photo studio based on a biassed model will inevitably result in the same problems.

This AI model generator is being released at a time when the modelling industry is already under pressure to diversify its models. After massive public backlash, what was once a unique industry with a single body and image standard has now become more open to everyday models, including people cast from the street and platforms like Instagram and TikTok.  Though there is still a long way to go in the world of high fashion representation, people have taken to creating their own style-inclusive content on social media, proving that people prefer the more personable, casual "model"—in the form of influencers.

Simon Chambers, director at modelling agency Storm Management, told Motherboard in an email that “AI avatars could also be used instead of models but the caveat here is that compelling imagery needs creativity & emotion, so our take, in the near future, is that AI created talent would work best on basic imagery used for simple reference purposes, rather than for marketing or promoting where a relationship with the customer needs to be established.”

“That said, avatars also represent an opportunity as well-known talent will, at some point, be likely to have their own digital twins which operate in the metaverse or different metaverses. An agency such as Storm would expect to manage the commercial activities of both the real talent and their avatar. This is being actively discussed but at present, it feels like the metaverse sphere needs to develop further before it delivers true value to users and brands and becomes a widespread phenomenon,” he added. Chambers also said their use has implications under the GDPR, the European Union’s data protection law. 

It's difficult to predict what Deep Agency's AI-generated models will be used for, given that models cannot be generated to wear specific logos or hold branded products. When Motherboard attempted to generate an image of a woman eating a hotdog, the hotdog appeared on the woman's head, and she had her finger to her lips, looking ponderous.

An AI model has been in the works for several years. In 2020, model Sinead Bovell wrote in Vogue that she believes artificial intelligence will soon take over her job. She was referring to the rise of CGI models, rather than AI-generated models, such as Miquela Sousa, also known as Lil Miquela on Instagram, who has nearly 3 million followers. She has her own character story and has collaborated with brands like Prada and Samsung. Bovell stated that AI models that can walk, talk, and act are the next step after CGI models, citing a company called DataGrid, which created a number of models using generative AI in 2019.

Deep Agency's images, on the other hand, are significantly less three-dimensional, bringing us back to the issue of privacy in AI images. In its Terms and Conditions, Deep Agency claims to use an AI system trained on public datasets. As a result, these images are likely to resemble the likenesses of real women in existing photographs. As per Motherboard, the LAION-5B dataset, which was utilized by train systems such as DALL-E and Stable Diffusion, included many images of real people, ranging from headshots to medical images, without permission.

Lensa A.I., a viral app that used AI to generate images of people on different backgrounds, has since come under fire for a variety of privacy and copyright violations. Many artists pointed to the LAION-5B dataset, where they discovered their work was used without their knowledge or permission and claimed that the app, which used a model trained on LAION-5B, was thus infringing on their copyright. People complained that the app's images included mangled artist signatures and questioned the app's claims that the images were made from scratch. 

Deep Agency appears to be experiencing a similar issue, with muddled white text appearing in the bottom right corner of many of the images generated by Motherboard. The site claims that users can use the generated photos anywhere and for anything, which appears to be part of its value proposition of being an inexpensive way to create realistic images when many photography websites, such as Getty, charge hundreds of dollars for a single photo.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has repeatedly warned about the importance of carefully considering what AI is used for. Last month, Altman tweeted that  “although current-generation AI tools aren’t very scary, I think we are potentially not that far away from potentially scary ones. having time to understand what’s happening, how people want to use these tools, and how society can co-evolve is critical.”

In this case, it's interesting to see how an AI tool actually pushes us backwards and closer to a limited set of models.Deep Agency creator Danny Postma did not respond to Motherboard's request for comment.

AI Takes Center Stage: How Artificial Intelligence is Revolutionizing the Marketing Industry


Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a buzzword in the business world, and it's no surprise that it is transforming marketing in unprecedented ways. AI-driven marketing is revolutionizing the industry by providing marketers with the ability to analyze data and personalize customer experiences like never before. From chatbots to predictive analytics, AI is helping marketers to increase their efficiency, improve their decision-making and offer more personalized experiences.

Here are some of the ways that AI is revolutionizing the marketing industry:

Customer Segmentation

One of the significant advantages of AI is its ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns. With AI, marketers can segment customers based on their behavior, demographics, and interests. This allows them to tailor their marketing messages to specific customer groups and increase engagement. For instance, an AI-powered marketing campaign can analyze a customer's purchase history, social media behavior, and web browsing history to provide personalized recommendations, increasing the likelihood of a conversion.

Chatbots

Chatbots have become a ubiquitous feature on many websites, and they are powered by AI. These chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to customer queries. They can provide instant responses to customers, saving time and resources. Additionally, chatbots can analyze customer queries and provide insights into what customers are looking for. This can help businesses to optimize their marketing messages and provide better customer experiences.

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics is a data-driven approach that uses AI to identify patterns and predict future outcomes. In marketing, predictive analytics can help businesses to anticipate customer behavior, such as purchasing decisions and optimize their marketing campaigns accordingly. By analyzing past customer behavior, AI algorithms can identify trends and patterns, making it easier to target customers with personalized offers and recommendations.

Personalized Marketing

AI is transforming the way marketers approach personalization. Instead of using static segmentation, AI algorithms can analyze customer behavior in real time, providing real-time personalization. For instance, an e-commerce website can analyze a customer's browsing history and offer personalized product recommendations based on their preferences. This can significantly increase the chances of conversion, as customers are more likely to buy products that they are interested in.

Image and Video Recognition

AI is also revolutionizing image and video recognition in marketing. With AI-powered image recognition, marketers can analyze images and videos to identify objects and people, allowing them to target ads more effectively. For instance, an AI algorithm can analyze a customer's social media profile picture and determine their age, gender, and interests, allowing marketers to target them with personalized ads.

In conclusion, AI is revolutionizing the marketing industry by providing businesses with the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and personalize customer experiences. From customer segmentation to personalized marketing, AI is changing the way marketers approach their work. While some may fear that AI will replace human jobs, the truth is that AI is a tool that can help businesses to be more efficient, effective, and customer-focused. By leveraging AI in their marketing efforts, businesses can gain a competitive advantage and stay ahead of the curve.

Zoom Boss Greg Tomb Fired ‘Without Cause’

Zoom, the video conferencing platform that many people use to work from home, has terminated the contract of its President, Greg Tomb. Tomb was in charge of sales and had been involved in the company's financial calls. But, Zoom has confirmed that it will not hire anyone else for the position, and Tomb's exit was not because of anything he did wrong, the company said. 

Tomb reported directly to Zoom's CEO, Eric Yuan, who founded the company in 2011 and is credited with making Zoom so popular during the pandemic. Millions of people worldwide used Zoom to keep in touch while staying home. 

In April 2020, the company boasted 300 million daily participants on its video calls, including virtual weddings and funerals. However, Zoom has struggled to keep up its success, just like many other tech companies, and had to lay off over a thousand employees earlier this year. 

Despite tripling its workforce during the pandemic, the company cut 15% of its staff because of a decrease in demand. Yuan has admitted that the company did not have enough time to analyze its teams and decide if they were working towards its goals. 

As companies look to cut costs during the economic downturn, Zoom may lose out to other services such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. In response, Zoom is trying to diversify its offerings. 

It announced plans to add email and calendar features last year and launched a chatbot to help users with issues. Zoom is also developing Zoom Spots, which are virtual co-working spaces that allow hybrid teams to work together. 

In an email to employees, the CEO wrote, "As the CEO and founder of Zoom, I am accountable for these mistakes and the actions we take today. To that end, I am reducing my salary for the coming fiscal year by 98 percent and foregoing my FY23 corporate bonus. Members of my executive leadership team will reduce their base salaries by 20 percent for the coming fiscal year while also forfeiting their FY23 corporate bonuses." 

Zoom became famous because it helped people stay connected while working from home during the pandemic. However, it's been tough for Zoom to keep up with its success, and they had to lay off staff. They're also facing tough competition from other video conferencing services like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.

Zoom is trying to offer new services like email and calendar features and virtual co-working spaces to attract customers. It's still unclear if Zoom can compete in the crowded video conferencing market. 

AI Image Generators: A Novel Cybersecurity Risk

 

Our culture could be substantially changed by artificial intelligence (AI) and there is a lot to look forward to if the AI tools we already have are any indication of what is to come.

A number of things are also worrying us. AI is specifically being weaponized by cybercriminals and other threat actors. AI picture generators are not impervious to misuse, and this is not just a theoretical worry. We have covered the top 4 ways threat actors use AI image generators to their advantage in this article, which can pose a severe security risk. 

Social engineering

Social engineering, including making phoney social media profiles, is one clear way threat actors use AI image generators. A scammer might create fake social media profiles using some of these tools that produce incredibly realistic photos that exactly resemble real photographs of actual individuals. Unlike real people's photos, AI-generated photos cannot be located via reverse image search, and the cybercriminal need not rely on a small number of images to trick their target—by utilising AI, they may manufacture as many as they want, building a credible online identity from scratch. 

Charity fraud 

Millions of people all across the world gave clothing, food, and money to the victims of the deadly earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria in February 2023. 

A BBC investigation claims that scammers took advantage of this by utilising AI to produce convincing photos and request money. One con artist used AI to create images of ruins on TikTok Live and asked viewers for money. Another posted an AI-generated image of a Greek firefighter rescuing a hurt child from ruins and requested his followers to donate Bitcoin. 

Disinformation and deepfakes 

Governments, activist organisations, and think tanks have long issued warnings about deepfakes. AI picture producers add another element to this issue with how realistic their works are. Deep Fake Neighbour Wars is a comedy programme from the UK that pokes fun at strange celebrity pairings. 

This may have consequences in the real world, as it almost did in March 2022 when an internet hoax video purporting to be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered Ukrainians to surrender spread, according to NPR. But that's just one instance; there are innumerable other ways a threat actor may use AI to distribute fake news, advance a false narrative, or ruin someone's reputation. 

Advertising fraud 

In 2022, researchers at TrendMicro found that con artists were utilising AI-generated material to produce deceptive adverts and peddle dubious goods. They produced photos that implied well-known celebrities were using particular goods, and they then employed those photos in advertising campaigns. 

One advertisement for a "financial advicement opportunity," for instance, featured Tesla's creator and CEO, billionaire Elon Musk. The AI-generated footage featured made it appear as though Musk was endorsing the product, which is likely what convinced unwary viewers to click the ads. Of course, Musk never actually did. 

Looking forward

Government regulators and cybersecurity specialists will likely need to collaborate in the future to combat the threat of AI-powered crimes. But, how can we control AI and safeguard common people without impeding innovation and limiting online freedoms? For many years to come, that issue will be a major concern. 

Do all you can to safeguard yourself while you wait for a response, such as thoroughly checking any information you find online, avoiding dubious websites, using safe software, keeping your gadgets up to date, and learning how to make the most of artificial intelligence.

Tech Issues Persist at Minneapolis Public Schools

 


Students and staff from Minneapolis Public Schools returned to their school buildings this week. However, the ongoing issues resulting from a cyberattack that occurred in the district caused disruptions to continue for the remainder of the week. 

There was an update to the district's attendance and grades system on Tuesday, and the system was working without a hitch. There are still some teachers who have difficulty logging into the programs, said Greta Callahan, the teacher chapter president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. It was decided to cancel Monday's after-school activities because there was a problem that needed to be addressed. 

There have been a few email updates from district officials to parents regarding the "technical difficulties" that have occurred due to an "encryption event", but they have not explained what caused them to have these difficulties. So far, some of the district's information systems have been unavailable for a week as a result of these problems. 

The description of an "encryption event" may seem vague, but a ransomware attack could be what was happening, according to Matthew Wolfe, vice president of cybersecurity operations at Impero Software, a company that provides education software among other things. 

School districts have become more and more targeted in recent years as a result of terrorist attacks. As a result of the rapid transition to distance learning at the beginning of the pandemic, Wolfe believes districts became easier targets for the aforementioned disease. 

"With the increase in the number of devices, more areas are likely to be affected," Mr. Alexander explained, adding that because of the push to make e-learning accessible to all students at home, protection is often pushed to the back burner. 

The recent spate of cyberattacks has made headlines repeatedly in recent months: A cyberattack in January forced schools in the Des Moines area to cancel classes. Los Angeles Unified, the country's second-largest school district, has been attacked by ransomware, reportedly from Vice Society, in the wake of the alleged attack. The dark web has been crawled by about 2,000 students following that incident, with their psychological examinations being uploaded. 

There had not been any update from the Minneapolis district by the end of the school day Tuesday about what caused the incident and its cause. At a closed meeting held Tuesday night, a presentation on security issues related to IT would be made to the school board members. 

The Minneapolis district has released an update on its investigation into whether personal information was compromised, and it has found no evidence of this. 

However, the staff was tasked with resetting the passwords and guiding students through the procedure. 

On Monday, as a result of teacher frustration, Callahan reported that teachers were having difficulties resetting student passwords. As a result, teachers had to come up with creative ways to come up with a wide variety of workshops and activities for the students since printers were also down. 

There is a need for more transparency in the district's administration, according to Callahan. There does not seem to be anything else involved in this process other than just hoping everything works out by Monday. 

Parents have repeatedly been informed that district officials have worked with external IT specialists and school IT personnel "around the clock" to investigate the root cause of this attack and to understand what is transpiring on the computer systems as a result of it. 

When a cyberattack occurs at any time of day or night, school IT professionals are unavoidably overwhelmed and try to protect their schools constantly. "They're going through a really tough time right now for a district and it's going to be a long process," he said. 

Despite recent events that indicate Minneapolis schools may have been targeted, Wolfe said he believes it's likely that the schools have been targeted because of a 2020 incident that nearly caused the school district to incur a $50,000 loss. It is cyber fraud that occurs when payments are made to a fraudulent account to defraud a legitimate contractor. 

Minneapolis Public Schools said in a statement that the money had been safely returned to the district. They added that additional protocols had been implemented as a result. 

That incident was covered in a Fox 9 report that was published in February. In his testimony, Wolfe stated that a hacker engaged in a targeted attack is looking for vulnerabilities in a potential target. 

Several stories have been reported in the news about staffing shortages in Minneapolis. These include the district's financial outlook, as well as the absence of a permanent superintendent in the district, Wolfe said. As Wolfe pointed out, even the fact that the district is preparing to launch a new website to the public may garner hacker interest. 

"There is no doubt that this is an easy target to steal from because of all those digital footprints," Wolfe told.   

Future of the Cloud is Plagued by Security Issues

 

Several corporate procedures require the use of cloud services. Businesses may use cloud computing to cut expenses, speed up deployments, develop at scale, share information effortlessly, and collaborate effectively all without the need for a centralised site. 

But, malicious hackers are using these same services more and more inappropriately, and this trend is most likely to continue in the near future. Cloud services are a wonderful environment for eCrime since threat actors are now well aware of how important they are. The primary conclusions from CrowdStrike's research for 2022 are as follows. 

The public cloud lacks specified perimeters, in contrast to conventional on-premises architecture. The absence of distinct boundaries presents a number of cybersecurity concerns and challenges, particularly for more conventional approaches. These lines will continue to blur as more companies seek for mixed work cultures. 

Cloud vulnerability and security risks

Opportunistically exploiting known remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in server software is one of the main infiltration methods adversaries have been deploying. Without focusing on specific industries or geographical areas, this involves searching for weak servers. Threat actors use a range of tactics after gaining initial access to obtain sensitive data. 

One of the more common exploitation vectors employed by eCrime and targeted intrusion adversaries is credential-based assaults against cloud infrastructures. Criminals frequently host phoney authentication pages to collect real authentication credentials for cloud services or online webmail accounts.

These credentials are then used by actors to try and access accounts. As an illustration, the Russian cyberspy organisation Fancy Bear recently switched from using malware to using more credential-harvesting techniques. Analysts have discovered that they have been employing both extensive scanning methods and even victim-specific phishing websites that deceive users into believing a website is real. 

However, some adversaries are still using these services for command and control despite the decreased use of malware as an infiltration tactic. They accomplish this by distributing malware using trusted cloud services.

This strategy is useful because it enables attackers to avoid detection by signature-based methods. This is due to the fact that many network scanning services frequently trust cloud hosting service top-level domains. By blending into regular network traffic, enemies may be able to get around security restrictions by using legitimate cloud services (like chat).

Cloud services are being used against organisations by hackers

Using a cloud service provider to take advantage of provider trust connections and access other targets through lateral movement is another strategy employed by bad actors. The objective is to raise privileges to global administrator levels in order to take control of support accounts and modify client networks, opening up several options for vertical spread to numerous additional networks. 

Attacks on containers like Docker are levelled at a lower level. Criminals have discovered ways to take advantage of Docker containers that aren't set up properly. These images can then be used as the parent to another application or on their own to interact directly with a tool or service. 

This hierarchical model means that if malicious tooling is added to an image, every container generated from it will also be compromised. Once they have access, hostile actors can take advantage of these elevated privileges to perform lateral movement and eventually spread throughout the network. 

Prolonged detection and reaction

Extended detection and reaction is another fundamental and essential component of effective cloud security (XDR). A technology called XDR may gather security data from endpoints, cloud workloads, network email, and many other sources. With all of this threat data at their disposal, security teams can quickly and effectively identify and get rid of security threats across many domains thanks to XDR. 

Granular visibility is offered by XDR platforms across all networks and endpoints. Analysts and threat hunters can concentrate on high-priority threats because they also provide detections and investigations. This is due to XDR's ability to remove from the alert stream abnormalities that have been deemed to be unimportant. Last but not least, XDR systems should include thorough cross-domain threat data as well as information on everything from afflicted hosts and underlying causes to indicators and dates. The entire investigation and treatment procedure is guided by this data.

While threat vectors continue to change every day, security breaches in the cloud are getting more and more frequent. In order to safeguard workloads hosted in the cloud and to continuously advance the maturity of security processes, it is crucial for businesses to understand current cloud risks and use the appropriate technologies and best practises.

Meta Announces a New AI-powered Large Language Model


On Friday, Meta introduced its new AI-powered large language model (LLM) named LLaMA-13B that, in spite of being "10x smaller," can outperform OpenAI's GPT-3 model. Language assistants in the ChatGPT style could be run locally on devices like computers and smartphones, thanks to smaller AI models. It is a part of the brand-new group of language models known as "Large Language Model Meta AI," or LLAMA. 

The size of the language models in the LLaMA collection ranges from 7 billion to 65 billion parameters. In contrast, the GPT-3 model from OpenAI, which served as the basis for ChatGPT, has 175 billion parameters. 

Meta can potentially release its LLaMA model and its weights available as open source, since it has trained models through the openly available datasets like Common Crawl, Wkipedia, and C4. Thus, marking a breakthrough in a field where Big Tech competitors in the AI race have traditionally kept their most potent AI technology to themselves.   

In regards to the same, Project member Guillaume’s tweet read "Unlike Chinchilla, PaLM, or GPT-3, we only use datasets publicly available, making our work compatible with open-sourcing and reproducible, while most existing models rely on data which is either not publicly available or undocumented." 

Meta refers to its LLaMA models as "foundational models," which indicates that the company intends for the models to serve as the basis for future, more sophisticated AI models built off the technology, the same way OpenAI constructed ChatGPT on the base of GPT-3. The company anticipates using LLaMA to further applications like "question answering, natural language understanding or reading comprehension, understanding capabilities and limitations of present language models" and to aid in natural language research. 

While the top-of-the-line LLaMA model (LLaMA-65B, with 65 billion parameters) competes head-to-head with comparable products from rival AI labs DeepMind, Google, and OpenAI, arguably the most intriguing development comes from the LLaMA-13B model, which, as previously mentioned, can reportedly outperform GPT-3 while running on a single GPU when measured across eight common "common sense reasoning" benchmarks like BoolQ, PIQA LLaMA-13B opens the door for ChatGPT-like performance on consumer-level hardware in the near future, unlike the data center requirements for GPT-3 derivatives. 

In AI, parameter size is significant. A parameter is a variable that a machine-learning model employs in order to generate hypotheses or categorize data as input. The size of a language model's parameter set significantly affects how well it performs, with larger models typically able to handle more challenging tasks and generate output that is more coherent. However, more parameters take up more room and use more computing resources to function. A model is significantly more efficient if it can provide the same outcomes as another model with fewer parameters. 

"I'm now thinking that we will be running language models with a sizable portion of the capabilities of ChatGPT on our own (top of the range) mobile phones and laptops within a year or two," according to Simon Willison, an independent AI researcher in an Mastodon thread analyzing and monitoring the impact of Meta’s new AI models. 

Currently, a simplified version of LLaMA is being made available on GitHub. The whole code and weights (the "learned" training data in a neural network) can be obtained by filling out a form provided by Meta. A wider release of the model and weights has not yet been announced by Meta.  

Meta Verified: New Paid Verification Service Launched for Instagram and Facebook


Instagram and Facebook’s parent company Meta has recently announced that users will now have to pay in order to acquire a blue tick verification for their user IDs. 

Meta Verified will be costing $11.99 a month on the web, while $14.99 for iPhone users, and will be made available to users in Australia and New Zealand starting this week. 

According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, this act will aid to the security and authenticity on social networking sites and apps. This move comes right after Twitter announced its premium Twitter Blue subscription to its users, which was implemented from November 2022. 

Although Meta’s paid subscription is not yet made available for businesses, interested individuals can subscribe and pay for verification. 

All You Need to Know About the “Blue Ticks” 

Badges or “blue ticks” are offered as a verification tool to users who are high-profiled or signify their authenticity. According to a post on Meta's website: 

  • The subscription would grant paying users a blue badge, more visibility for their postings, protection from impersonators, and simpler access to customer service. 
  • This change would not affect accounts that have already been verified, but it will make some smaller users who utilize the paid function to become certified more visible.
  • According to Meta, users' Facebook and Instagram usernames must match those on a government-issued ID document in order to receive verification, and they must have a profile picture with their face in it. 

Many other platforms such as Reddit, YouTube and Discord possess similar subscription-based models. 

Although Mr. Zuckerberg stated in a post that it would happen "soon," Meta has not yet defined when the feature will be made available in other nations. 

"As part of this vision, we are evolving the meaning of the verified badge so we can expand access to verification and more people can trust the accounts they interact with are authentic," Meta's press release read. 

This announcement of Meta charging for verification was made following the loss faced by the company of more than $600 billion in market value last year. 

For the last three quarters in a row, the company has recorded year-over-year revenue declines, but the most recent report might indicate that circumstances are starting to change. 

This act will eventually aid Meta to meet its goal, which was to focus on “efficiency” to recover, since the company’s sudden fall in revenue made it to cut costs by laying off 13% of its workforce (11,000 employees) in November and consolidated office buildings.  

What Makes Helsinki the Mobile Gaming Capital?

 


While some of the world's most ambitious and successful game makers reside on the streets of this relatively quiet northern European capital, they are often covered with snow. This gives them a comfortable environment to thrive. 

Finland was the first to see the first screen of an iPad flicked across by an Angry Bird. Netflix has chosen to establish its first-ever internal gaming studio in Atlanta. The city is also home to major game studios, like Supercell, which makes the popular game Clash of Clans. A streamer has admitted that Helsinki has some of the highest-quality game talents in the world and that this is the reason that they chose this city. This is one of the reasons why many people consider the Finnish capital to be the capital of mobile gaming. According to estimates, the global economy depends heavily on this sector of the economy and is currently worth £120 billion. 

If we delve deep into some backdrop, during the 1980s and 1990s, Finland was not considered to be one of the richest countries in the world, but it has changed since then. 

In most parts of the world, majority of people rely on computers that are not even close to the most advanced computers on the market. In the early days of the digital revolution, some restrictions accompanied the use of the internet. These restrictions would help to fuel a phenomenon that became known as the "demoscene" - a subculture in which programmers created art presentations, music, and games that stretched the capabilities of the technologies of that time. Nokia came along at just the right time in Finland when Finns had become accustomed to doing a lot with a small number of resources. 

A significant reason behind the success of the games industry in Helsinki today is the foundation laid by Nokia; according to Sonja Asmeslevä, CEO of Phantom Gamelabs, an agency based in Helsinki, "The Nokia model showed us how to build something big from here up."

The Finnish games sector is intimately familiar to Sonja as she is a games maker, board member, and founder of an innovative development studio, who brings to the table a wealth of knowledge in this field. 

Nokia worked with young talented artists from the Finnish demoscene. These artists created a set of games that were designed to convince people they did not have to travel to purchase them. Instead, they could do it themselves, while there were few big games on the market at the time. 

There is generally a high level of awareness of the success of this city, which is roughly the same size as Glasgow in terms of its gaming industry. Whenever you visit a bar or coffee shop, you will find people talking about it happily. Politicians and officials are also obviously trying to take advantage of this area to enhance their positions and gain popularity. 

In any case, Sartita Runeberg, head of gaming at Reaktor, a technology infrastructure company, says in an interview that Finns have been tech geeks since time immemorial. Many gaming companies have started this way, where you can fail and try again. When you don't have to worry about failing, you can be braver. 

A successful game company needs the right infrastructure to be able to grow successfully. The Reaktor company offers several services to support the 200 game studios that operate here, from company governance to marketing and technological support. 

According to Runeberg, "there is no need to mortgage your house to start a gaming company because the social security system is there to support you, and the government is supporting gaming companies as much as they can." Getting grants to try out new ideas and funding to prove that something works in certain markets is easy, and you can easily get funding to prove concepts. 

To remain on top of the gaming space, Helsinki is making sure it attracts the world's leading game developers as part of its long-term goals. To accomplish that, Helsinki Partners works with a group of people who are committed to doing so. 

As the director of strategic initiatives at Helsinki Partners, Johanna Huurre, believes that all companies recruit from abroad when they have a specific need for expertise. This is because all of these companies are looking for certain talents who possess these skills. 

Several of them are from South America and Europe. It is much easier for them to migrate between those continents than it is in other parts of the world. Helsinki does not offer major tax incentives to companies and developers who wish to set up shop there; neither are salaries higher there by a significant margin. Those are just a few of the points Huurre says he wants to clarify. 

"Helsinki is a well-known city for its work-life balance, which makes it easy to live a full life here," says Ginni Gratton. Several employees from Helsinki said that they enjoyed their free time so much that they were able to be very efficient during their working hours. This is because they are very ambitious about their work. Meetings that are full of nonsense are few and far between. 

As a result of the pandemic, life is much easier in this community, and these soft values have become increasingly critical. People often say that they have fewer worries here because they have a strong support network. Parents here feel much freer than they would in other countries because they don't have to worry about schools or security. 

Despite Helsinki's history as a technology hub and government support, the combination of those factors is working and it has worked well. There was a net profit of £2.8 billion generated by games studios in Helsinki in 2022. 

As a matter of context, it is worth noting that in the same period, the UK's games market added £4.7bn to the British economy - even though the UK is 12 times larger than the UK on an international scale. 

The Helsinki gaming scene is one of the most successful in the world, and Supercell is one of the biggest success stories. According to media reports, the game maker was recently acquired by Tencent, a Chinese corporation with a market valuation of $11 billion (9.2 billion pounds) following its acquisition. 

He is also responsible for the famous mobile game Clash of Clans, which is known for its famous base-building gameplay. Stuart McGaw came to the studio from Scotland to work for the studio. The game Snake was a very popular game among many people growing up on mobile phones. He recalls playing it on a Nokia 3210 as a kid.  

As McGaw first started his career as a software designer at home, he realized that he could further his career in Finland. This is because the country's games development scene is well known. People in this country have heard so much about how many games companies have been successful, says Alberto. 

It would be unfair to say that local people have not yet become aware of the work of developers. This is because the industry is relatively unknown among locals even though it is one of the most valuable industries for the country's future.  

The expertise and heritage built by Nokia in the 1990s have not been replicated in other cities around the world, however. Despite this, there are some interesting lessons we can learn from this and we see that even small things can affect a lot of people.

Tesla Recalls 363,000 Cars with 'Full Self-Driving' Function Following Safety Concerns


Reportedly, Tesla is updating its self-driving software in response to the US safety officials who raised concerns that it would ultimately enable drivers to exceed speed limits or cross past intersections dangerously. 

In order to address the issue, Tesla recalls its [approx.] 363,000 vehicles with their “Full Self-Driving” feature to monitor and fix how it behaves around intersections and adhere to posted speed limits.  

The recall was initiated as part of a larger investigation into Tesla's automated driving systems by U.S. safety regulators. Regulators had expressed doubts about how Tesla's system responded in four locations along roadways. 

According to a document published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Thursday, Tesla will address the issues with an online software upgrade in the coming weeks. The document adds that although Tesla is doing the recall, it does not agree with the agency’s analysis of the issue. 

As per the NHTSA analysis, the system, being tested by around 400,000 Tesla owners on public roads, flags unsafe actions like driving straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, failing to stop completely at stop signs, and driving through an intersection during a yellow traffic light without taking proper precaution. 

Moreover, the document deems that the system does not satisfactorily respond to the transformation in speed limits or might not take into account the driver's adjustments to speed. "FSD beta software that allows a vehicle to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner increases the risk of a crash," the document says. 

A message was left Thursday urging a response from Tesla, which has shut down its media relations department. 

In addition to this, Tesla has received 18 warranty claims, supposedly caused by the software from May 2019 through September 12, 2022, pertaining to the issue. 

NHTSA said in a statement that it discovered the issue while conducting testing as part of an inquiry into "Full Self-Driving" and "Autopilot" software that performs some driving-related tasks. According to the NHTSA, "As required by law and after discussions with NHTSA, Tesla launched a recall to repair those defects." 

Despite the infamous claim by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that their “Full Self-Driving” vehicles do not require any human intervention in order to function, Tesla on its website, along with NHTSA confirms that the cars cannot drive themselves and that owners must always be prepared to intervene at all times.  

Web3, Blockchain, and Cryptocurrency: Here's All You Need to Know

 

Web3? Blockchain? Cryptocurrency? These modern technological terms can be very perplexing because they all seem to blend together. However, each of these terms differs from the other in a number of ways. What are the key distinctions between Web3, blockchain, and cryptocurrency? 

Web3 has undoubtedly become a buzzword in recent years. This refers to Web 3.0, the most recent version of the internet. Web3 can be difficult to grasp because it incorporates so many different concepts and technologies. However, we will reduce it to its most basic form. Web3 combines decentralization, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrency. This internet isn't entirely different from the one most of us use today, but Web3 has some key differences.

We can still use social media, buy products, read the news, and do anything else we want on the internet. However, some key features of Web3 distinguish it from previous iterations, beginning with decentralization.

Web3 is based on the idea of using decentralization to keep things distributed, fair, and transparent. Blockchain technology will be used in conjunction with decentralization. We'll go over blockchains in more detail later, but it's worth noting that they, too, use decentralization and allow organizations to store data in a secure setting.

Web3 is also closely associated with virtual reality, a technology that allows users to immerse themselves in a virtual, digital world by wearing a headset and using controllers.

Another important concept underlying Web3 is ownership. Ownership has long been a source of contestation in the online world, as large corporations (or "big tech") now own vast amounts of sensitive user information. Data breaches, data misuse, and unauthorized data collection have been common news topics over the last decade, prompting many to reconsider the ownership aspect of the internet. So, how does Web3 deal with this?

Web3 focuses on transferring ownership of platforms and data to users. It establishes a permissionless ecosystem in which all users are included in platform decision-making processes. Furthermore, these platforms will operate on a token-based system, with tokens being used for products, services, and community voting (or governance). In comparison to Web 2.0, this internet model provides more equity in control and participation, handing power to the majority rather than the minority.

Blockchain

Blockchains are not the easiest technology to grasp because they operate in a complex manner. On the surface, a blockchain appears to be nothing more than a chain of blocks.  Each block contains information and is chronologically connected to the next.

Each block in a typical blockchain that hosts a cryptocurrency stores transactional data as well as information about the block itself. A given block contains the block header, block size, transaction size, and timestamp, as well as the "magic number," hash of the hashPrevBlock, and hashMerklRoot.

Anyone can see the entire ledger of previous transactions on public blockchains. Most cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Litecoin, and others, exist on a public blockchain, though private blockchains have applications in certain industries.

Another advantage of blockchains is that they are difficult to hack. An attacker would need to control 51% of the overall power to successfully control a blockchain. Because blockchains are made up of hundreds or thousands of nodes, the attacker needs to compromise more than half of the active nodes in order to gain control. This gives blockchain technology an advantage over other methods of data storage and recording.

Blockchains also provide greater privacy to users than traditional financial services. Blockchains will display the sender and recipient's wallet addresses, but that's it. Your name, contact information, and other sensitive information will never be displayed on the blockchain, allowing you to remain anonymous. It should be noted that a skilled cybercriminal could learn someone's identity.

Cryptocurrency

In its most basic form, cryptocurrency is a virtual asset that exists on a blockchain. Consider cryptocurrency to be the groceries, and blockchains to be the conveyor belt.

Cryptography, as the name implies, is a key component of cryptocurrency. It is a coding process that protects data by converting it from plaintext to encrypted text. The encrypted text is random and unintelligible, making it much more difficult to exploit the stored data. This layer of security is what draws many people to cryptocurrency because it provides privacy and a higher level of protection against malware activity.

Cryptocurrencies have no physical representation because they are entirely virtual. In short, cryptocurrencies are nothing more than code. You may have seen images of gold Bitcoin coins, also known as Casascius coins, but these are only used to store virtual Bitcoins and have no inherent market value.

Cryptocurrencies have value and some are worth tens of thousands of dollars. However, the value of a cryptocurrency is almost always determined by demand. If demand for a cryptocurrency falls, the price will almost certainly fall with it. Because there is little regulation surrounding cryptocurrency, scams, fraud, and other crimes are common, with many perpetrators going unnoticed. Governments all over the world are attempting to solve the problem.

There's no shame in being perplexed by crypto, Web3, and blockchains. These technologies are extremely complex in many ways and have only recently entered mainstream discussions. But understanding crypto, Web3, and blockchains and how they differ is entirely possible.

Using ChatGPT by Employees Poses Some Risks

 


As of November, when ChatGPT became available for general use, employers have been asking questions regarding its use cases for more than two months. As part of this process, it is necessary to determine how the tool should be integrated into workplace policies and how compliance can be maintained.  

Aspects of competence 

Using artificial intelligence, ChatGPT is a language platform trained to respond automatically to human speech and interact with the user. The process by which AI is trained, such as ChatGPT. It is based on feeding large data sets to computer algorithms. Once a model has been developed, it is evaluated to see how well it can make predictions based on data that has not yet been observed.  

In the next step, an AI tool will be tested to determine if it can cope with large amounts of new data that it has never been exposed to before it is turned into an in-house tool. 

While Chat GPT can improve the efficiency of workplace processes and improve worker productivity as well, it also poses legal risks to employers who choose to use it. When employees use ChatGPT to perform their job duties, certain issues can potentially arise for employers as a result of AI's ability to learn and train. When employees use a source like ChatGPT to receive information related to their work, they may be concerned about the accuracy and bias of the information they are receiving. 

The Use of Artificial Intelligence and its Accuracy 

ChatGPT's capability to create an AI language model based on information is only able to be as good as what information it acquires during its training process. As much as ChatGPT is trained to apply vast swaths of online information to a range of tasks, there are still gaps in its knowledge base. 

As of the current version of ChatGPT, the only training available for the data sets through 2021 is for data sets. Also, the tool pulls data from the Internet, and the data can be inaccurate at times, so no guarantee can be made. As long as employees do not fact-check information they rely on in connection with their job and do not rely on ChatGPT for work-related information, then there can be problems and risks if employees do not watch out for where they send that information and how they use it. 

To ensure that employees are protected from the misuse of the information in ChatGPT in the context of their work, employers should set policies that detail how employees must handle the information they receive. 

The Existence of an Inherent Bias 

It is also pertinent to note that AI is subject to inherent biases by nature. As it relates to the employment discrimination laws that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is focused on this issue. Further, state and local legislators are proposing legislation that restricts the use of AI software by employers, and some of these laws have already been passed. 

There is a direct link between what artificial intelligence (AI) says and what information it receives from the people who determine what types of information the AI receives and what the AI will provide. As a result, ChatGPT could demonstrate some of this bias when it responds to questions presented through "conversation" with it by providing different types of responses. 

There is also the possibility that certain decisions made by ChatGPT may be construed as discriminatory if ChatGPT is consulted regarding employment decisions. There are also potential compliance issues if AI is used in employment decisions based on state and local laws in some states and municipalities. These laws require notice of the use of AI and/or audits when it is used. As a prerequisite for its use in certain employment contexts, this should be done first. 

Employers should include a prohibition on the use of artificial intelligence in connection with making employment decisions. This is because AI has the risk of causing bias in the employment process. The legal department does not have the authority to approve this action. 

Respecting Privacy and Confidentiality

Employers have to consider privacy concerns as well when it comes to using ChatGPT in the context of their work to be able to guarantee employee confidentiality. Employees should be aware that there is a potential that they will be sharing proprietary, confidential, or trade secret information when they interact with ChatGPT through "conversations." 

Even though ChatGPT claims it does not keep any information you give it during a conversation, it does process the conversation and incorporate what it's learned. As well, it is no secret that users send information to ChatGPT over the internet. Therefore, there can be no guarantee that any information sent over the internet will be secure. 

In the case that an employee discloses confidential employer information to ChatGPT, that information could be impacted. As part of employee confidentiality policies and agreements, employers should make sure that employees are prohibited from referring to or entering confidential, proprietary, or trade secret information into artificial intelligence chatbots or language models, such as ChatGPT, embedded in their AI. 

The theory that you would not necessarily be disclosing a trade secret if you gave the necessary information to an online chatbot can be made persuasive. However, having been trained on a wide swath of online information, ChatGPT may provide employees with information through the tool that is trademarked, copyrighted, or a group's intellectual property. This may expose employers to legal risks as they may receive and use information that is protected by third-party rights. 

Concerns of Employers, in General  

The employer should also take into consideration how much time and resources they are willing to devote to allowing employees to use ChatGPT in the course of their work. This is in addition to legal concerns.  

The use of ChatGPT by employers in their workplaces has reached a crossroads where employers are choosing whether to allow or restrict the use of this technology. As an employer, you should weigh the potential cost and efficiency of implementing ChatGPT as an alternative to employees performing such tasks as creating simple reports, writing routine letters and emails, and creating presentations, for instance, against the possibility of losing opportunities for employees to learn and grow by doing those things themselves. 

A redesigned and improved version of ChatGPT is scheduled to be released within the year, so ChatGPT will not be going away on its own. Employers will ultimately need to consider how to implement it. This is because a completely updated version upcoming shortly will be even better. 

While ChatGPT presents employers with several risks, it can also be used to maximize its benefits. As of right now, the discussion has just begun. As with ChatGPT, employers will have to learn about this and test it out for a short while before they can make use of it.