Hashtag Trending Oct.4-U.S government braces for cyberthreats aimed at its AI tools; FCC cracks down on space littering; Meta to charge for ad-free Instagram and Facebook?

The U.S. government prepares for attacks on AI models and tools. The FCC hands out fines for space littering. And Meta tests the idea of charging for subscriptions in response to the EUs regulation of personalized advertising.

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I’m your host Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and Tech News Day in the US.

The U.S. is bracing for potential cyber threats aimed at its artificial intelligence (AI) models and tools. The National Security Agency (NSA) is establishing a new AI Security Center to safeguard AI systems from hacks, intellectual property theft, and other security threats, as stated by Gen. Paul Nakasone, the agency’s outgoing head. The center will amalgamate the NSA’s existing work on security and AI, promoting collaboration with various sectors including the Defense Department and the tech industry. The initiative reflects the U.S.’s growing concerns about foreign adversaries enhancing their capabilities to breach AI operators’ systems, manipulate models, or steal intellectual property. The NSA’s new center will also focus on how the intelligence community and defense contractors can securely utilize AI and prevent their tools from being hacked.

Source include: Axios 

The ever increasing number of satellites being put into orbit are causing a multitude of problems from astronomers claiming that these objects are so bright they interfere with telescopes to increasing worries about the amount of debris in orbit around the earth and how that can interfere with space flight and other activities.  So it was only a matter of time before regulators felt the need to take action.

DISH, a U.S. television provider, is the first to face a penalty from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – a fine of $150,000 because of a mishap involving one of its satellites, EchoStar-7, being placed into an incorrect orbit. Launched in 2002 and operational for nearly two decades, EchoStar-7 was supposed to be sent into a graveyard orbit 300km above its geostationary orbit  in accordance with the 2012 orbital debris mitigation plan. However, in February 2022, it was discovered that insufficient propellant was available, resulting in the satellite being placed only 122 km above the geostationary arc. The FCC has enforced the penalty due to potential “orbital debris concerns,” marking a firmer stance on space debris management, even though DISH emphasized its adherence to safe satellite operation practices.  

Source include: The Register 

Meta is contemplating introducing subscription-based, ad-free versions of Instagram and Facebook in Europe, as per a report by The Wall Street Journal. This move comes in response to the European Union’s stringent new ad privacy regulations. Users who opt not to allow Meta to utilize their data for ad purposes might be charged up to $14 a month. The proposed monthly fee is approximately €10 ($10.50) for desktop versions and around $14 for mobile accounts, allowing for commissions from Apple and Google’s app stores. While this subscription model is aimed at adhering to the EU’s restrictions on personalized advertising, it is still uncertain whether it will be deemed compliant with EU laws.

Source include: Business Insider 

Induced AI, an innovative startup founded by two teenagers Aryan Sharma and Ayush Pathak, has garnered a $2.3 million seed funding round, with notable investors including Sam Altman from OpenAI. The company aims to assist businesses in automating various workflows in novel ways by allowing them to input workflows in plain English, which are then converted into pseudo-code for numerous repetitive tasks. Induced AI’s platform utilizes Chromium-based browser instances to read on-screen content and control browsers similarly to a human, enabling interaction with websites even without an API. 

The startup, which has recently onboarded a few small to mid-sized customers, is exploring new use cases and is distinguished by its ability to run multiple tasks simultaneously and its fully remote operation.

This new startup is by no means the only company operating in this space, larger companies like Zapier are also working on ways to make it easy to automate and integrate AI applications and enhance the power of AI solutions as it moves into the area of robotic process automation. 

And it’s a further example of the democratization of AI and the ability of entrepreneurs to innovate in this space which is dominated by a few large players.

Source include: Tech Crunch 

That’s the top tech news stories for today. For more fast reads on top stories, check us out at TechNewsDay.com or ITWorldCanada.com on the homepage.

Hashtag Trending goes to air 5 days a week with a special weekend interview show we call “the Weekend Edition.”

You can get us anywhere you get audio podcasts and there is a copy of the show notes at itworldcanada.com/podcasts 

I’m your host, Jim Love. Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada
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