AI NEWS & TRENDS

• Generative AI Could Add Up to $4.4 Trillion Annually to Global Economy
• Microsoft Launches Free AI Training as Enterprises Grapple with Skills Shortage
• 7 Advanced ChatGPT Prompt-Writing Tips You Need to Know
• AWS Pledges $100M to Launch Generative AI Innovation Center
• Congress Wants to Regulate AI; Big Tech is Eager to Help
• FTC's Biggest AI Enforcement Tool: Forcing Companies to Delete Their Algorithms
• Generative AI & No-Code Development May Be Converging, But Producing Code with AI Is Not for Novices

WORKFORCE NEWS

• Google Backs $20M Effort to Train Students for Key Cybersecurity Jobs
• The Big Stay: Why Workers Are Opting to Stay Put Rather than Quit

MORE NEWS & TRENDS

• Companies Look to Pay Tech Vendors Based on Business Outcomes, Not Usage
• California Bill Requiring Big Tech to Pay for News Placed On Hold Until 2024
• AirPods as Hearing Aids? Apple Says Yes. MEANWHILE, FeverPhone App is First to Create Smartphone Thermometer Without Added Hardware
• Two Lines on One Smartphone? Yes & Here's How You Do It

California LightWorks announced another successful deployment of its MegaDrive lighting technology at Nourse Farms in Whately, MA, a large producer of starter plants for a wide variety of berries. California LightWorks CEO George Mekhtarian said they custom-tailored MegaDrive to deliver consistent growth even in the middle of winter when sunlight levels are at a minimum in Massachusetts. "MegaDrive's high-intensity light levels and two-channel spectrum control allow the farm to maintain even production across all seasons with the least amount of energy usage. Compared to other greenhouse lighting solutions, MegaDrive has proven less expensive to install, offers better controls, and runs more efficiently," George said. (LA)

Eckert & Ziegler (EZ), via its subsidiaries EZ Eurotope GmbH and PentixaPharm GmbH, and PMB Alcen, a French technology company focusing on solutions for radionuclide and radiopharmaceutical production, have announced the signing of a Letter of Intent: the three companies will combine their expertise in different fields to jointly develop and commercialize a robust, GMP-compliant solution for the scalable synthesis of radiotherapeutic agents. Following promising results obtained using iMiDEV's microfluidic technology, the partnership aims to address the growing demand for advanced radiopharmaceuticals used in the treatment of various types of cancers. (LA)

Parasoft will present a webcast on July 18 - Pros & Cons of Generative AI in Software Testing, which will cover the pros and cons of usage AI at its current stage; mitigation of risks by incorporating generative AI in software testing solutions; and current and future use cases for applying AI to testing. (LA)

Project Insight (PI) is currently presenting a multi-part webinar series on 5 Keys to Managing Successful Projects, with upcoming sessions on July 19; and August 16. The July session will discuss how to keep tabs on project status and when to schedule project meetings, and August will address Risks and Issues.
ALSO, PI is included in a recent US Venture News article - A Comprehensive Guide to the Top Time Tracking Software in 2023: Your Path to Efficiency and Profitability. (OC)

The Joy Factory recently shared a news article about Taiwan's large enterprise service and ADAT Technology Co jointly launching the "5G AI Inspection GO" smart manufacturing solution, combined with Taiwan's large ultra-high-speed, low-latency 5G network, with AI detection and interpretation software, and equipped with a The Joy Factory military certification drop protection grade protective case, so that front-line inspectors can easily operate the software with one hand, follow the instructions to successfully complete the inspection operation, and can also detect abnormal warnings in real time, record and query inspection data at any time, and more. (LA & OC)

Marshall Toplansky and Joel Kotkin's article was recently published in the Los Angeles Times - Opinion: Looking for the next California tech boom? You'll find it in our farmlands - which examines the future of Ag-Tech as an economic driver of California. Marshall says this sector is crucial for the state maintaining its leadership status and needs to be nurtured in a cogent, intentional, strategic way by state policy makers. ALSO, recent episodes of Marshall's and Joel's Feudal Future Podcast include: Collusion: Disinformation & Artificial Intelligence with Jacob Siegel and The Future of Work with Michael Lind. (OC)

In IT Monitoring Tool Sprawl Hurts Business Operations, Alvaka explains that IT monitoring tool sprawl refers to the proliferation of multiple monitoring tools within an organization's IT infrastructure. While monitoring tools are essential for maintaining the performance, availability, and security of IT systems, their excessive use can have negative impacts on business operations. With tool sprawl, each tool has the potential to cause a data silo, which requires frequent data translation between utilities, causing bottlenecks and other obstacles to development. Alvaka then details some ways in which infrastructure monitoring tool sprawl can affect businesses. (LA)

In Can you guess 10 tests for your success?, Dave says that your success must be based upon data that is solid and sometimes flexible enough to pass several critical tests if it is to guide a business enterprise to greatness. In brief, he provides ten such tests: "Try these on for size, and test yourself for attractiveness to the marketplace, to investors and to history."
MEANWHILE, in So, what's the plan?, Dave delves into business plans - a "concise map for your enterprise," AND in You're the general. So, make your strategic plan!, Dave continues his business plan discussion, including objective, strategies, and tactics. (LA)

Mark Parinas, CEO of CuraeSoft, recently conducted a poll on LinkedIn; see the results at the link: How do you encourage employee engagement? Respondents chose among team-building events, office lunches, training resources, and more. Mark also discusses the topic and suggests that the surest ways to help every member of your team feel involved and valued is to: Make sure they have the training/certifications they need to do their job well; Provide an easy way for them to communicate with and stay connected to their team; and Encourage work/life balance! (LA)

Jason Ciment, CEO of Get Visible, was recently spotlighted on The Inventive Journey video podcast, in an episode entitled, "Living with Intention: Plan and Execute." Jason shares his experience as an entrepreneur, his best and worst business decisions, and his #1 piece of advice to entrepreneurs.
MEANWHILE, Jason continues to offer useful tools and resources, including:
> AI agent to do tasks for you like a personal assistant.
> Tool to turn text into videos.
> 15 ways to respond to people who reject your sales pitches. (LA)

In a recent post, Kenneth Shen of Half Past Nine says for everyone dealing with GA4 issues right now, here are your options: Set up GA4 tracking and Preserve your Google Analytics Universal Analytics data. He goes on to explain how to take these steps.
AND, in another post, Kenneth elaborates on the two main things a successful CEO needs to do. (LA)

Instil has made its webinar available to watch on-demand: Donor Communications in the Digital Age - Ways to Use Technology and Social Media to Build Donor Relationships. PLUS, Instil's recent blog post, How to Build A Donor Journey Map, describes how to shepherd new supporters through your stewardship process to help them build meaningful relationships with your nonprofit. (LA)

Ali Payani, CEO of LookinLA, has published an article in Forbes - Embracing The Future: How AI Is Revolutionizing Marketing And Sales, in which he elaborates on how the rise of AI tools, marketing and sales departments are able to streamline processes, automate tasks and make data-driven decisions.
AND, a new ebook from LookinLA - Mastering the Art of Sales Prospecting - provides detailed definitions to help you better understand prospecting and complete steps to take to enhance your sales techniques and fully utilize prospecting to convert leads into clients and customers. (LA)

In How to Create Process Documentation, which is a 5:22-minute video, ProProfs describes how organizational efficiency suffers when business processes are not documented and followed the right way. Process documentation is a centralized hub where all your business processes are explained and demonstrated using a stellar mix of written text, flowcharts, diagrams, and how-to videos. ProProfs' video details six simple steps that can help you launch your process documentation.
ALSO, read recent articles from ProProfs: 12 Advantages & Disadvantages of Questionnaires and Chatbot Scripts: What it is & How to Make Your Scripts [+Examples]. (LA)

Biospectal announced that global health study results have been published in Nature's NPJ Digital Medicine, covering the first independent research and validation study to use Biospectal's mobile blood pressure monitoring app, OptiBP, in low-resource urban and rural settings. Collected from hundreds of general population and pregnant population participants, the results reinforce OptiBP's enormous promise as an easy-to-use, accessible, connected, clinical-grade blood pressure monitoring platform with the potential to transform the global network of smartphones into a connected, clinical-grade blood pressure monitoring platform. (BA)

Eitan Medical has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Drug Management Solution Providers of 2023 by Medhealth Outlook Magazine. AND, Eitan has successfully completed the sale and transition of its wearable injectors business to LTS, a leading pharmaceutical technology company. The divestment aligns with Eitan's focus to further enhance product offerings in its core infusion therapy portfolio. (OC)

El Camino Health (ECH) has launched a healthcare innovation fund, which will enable the health system to stay at the forefront of new healthcare technology and continue to adopt the latest and best practices to improve patient care. Called the Taft Innovation Fund, it will address emerging needs in five key categories: clinical care, medical technology, clinical research, compassionate care services, and other emerging areas. ALSO, ECH has again been named a five ribbon hospital, receiving top honors on Newsweek's 2023 list of America's Best Maternity Hospitals. (BA)

Health Leaders Media has published an article - New Nursing Technology Replicates "the Best Preceptor You Ever Had," which spotlights Singing River Health System's successful implementation of Elemeno Health's workforce empowerment app. (BA)

In its article, 5 Pivotal Moments - and 5 Lessons Learned - from Innovation Lab's First 10 Years, The Innovation Institute reports that the journey from concept to commercialization is never simple or straightforward. Innovation, by its very nature, requires space and time to experiment, make mistakes, backtrack and try again. The article shares a few of the things they discovered in the process. (OC)

LigoLab's recent webinar is now available to watch on-demand: Healthcare Disruptors & Transition Strategies for Success.
AND, recent articles from LigoLab include: How to Turn Your Mid-Sized Medical Laboratory into a Thriving Large-Scale Operation and The Top Five KPIs: Driving Successful Lab Revenue Cycle Management. (BA)

The Consumer Technology Association is spotlighting MedWand in CES Success Story: MedWand, which details MedWand's experience as a 2023 CES Innovation Award honoree as well as the company's FDA-approved device and software platform. (OC)

Wipfli has been named one of Accounting Today's 2023 Best Firms for Technology, an annual list which highlights firms with the most cutting-edge practices across the country. AND, download Wipfli's ebook, How to calculate ROI on your tech investment. (BA)

Zymo Research has teamed with Burst Diagnostics, a pioneer in the rapid diagnostics industry, to launch a first-in-class diagnostic platform. The platform is based on a novel microfluidic cartridge capable of miniaturizing and integrating all the classic steps typically performed in the clinical laboratory setting in a simple, robust, and power-free hand-held device. AND, Zymo is collaborating with Opentrons Labworks, a leader in lab automation and robotics, to transform microbiome and metagenome analysis by fully automating comprehensive, end-to-end workflows from sample collection through library preparation on the Opentrons Flex. (OC)

The latest report from McKinsey on the economic potential impact of generative AI points to what may be the next productivity frontier. The report studied 16 business functions, examining 63 use cases in which the technology can address specific business challenges in ways that produce one or more measurable outcomes. McKinsey's latest research estimates that generative AI could add the equivalent of $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually across the 63 use cases analyzed - by comparison, the United Kingdom's entire GDP in 2021 was $3.1 trillion. This would increase the impact of all AI by 15% to 40%. About 75% of the value that generative AI use cases could deliver falls across four areas: Customer operations, marketing and sales, software engineering, and R&D. Banking, high tech, and life sciences are among the industries that could see the biggest impact as a percentage of their revenues from generative AI. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/generative-ai-could-add-up-to-4-4-trillion-annually-to-global-economy/)

Microsoft recently launched a new AI training initiative aimed at expanding access to AI skills through free coursework. Developed in partnership with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn, the coursework will be offered through LinkedIn's training platform. The coursework will cover introductory concepts of AI and responsible AI frameworks. Following completion of the course, participants will receive a Career Essentials certificate. For those interested in teaching courses, a trainer toolkit, including an AI course built for educators, will be available at a later date. The guide is aimed at educators in schools as well as trainers within organizations, a spokesperson said. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/Microsoft-AI-skills-upskilling-certification-generative/654212/)

In a recent article, ZDNet looks at more advanced AI prompting techniques, offering seven very interesting approaches that will give you a much better handle on how to communicate with ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. In summary, they involve: Specify output format; Tell it to format in HTML; Iterate with multiple attempts; Don't be afraid to use long prompts or sets of prompts; Provide explicit constraints to a response; Tell it number of words, sentences, characters; and Give the AI the opportunity to evaluate its answers. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/7-advanced-chatgpt-prompt-writing-tips-you-need-to-know/)

Amazon Web Services, Inc. recently announced the AWS Generative AI Innovation Center, a new program to help customers successfully build and deploy generative artificial intelligence solutions. AWS is investing $100 million in the program, which will connect AWS AI and machine learning experts with customers around the globe to help them envision, design, and launch new generative AI products, services, and processes. The AWS Generative AI Innovation Center team of strategists, data scientists, engineers, and solutions architects will work step-by-step with customers to build bespoke solutions that harness the power of generative AI. Through no cost workshops, engagements, and training, AWS will help customers imagine and scope the use cases that will create the greatest value for their businesses, based on best practices and industry expertise. (https://press.aboutamazon.com/2023/6/aws-announces-generative-ai-innovation-center)

Members of Congress want to regulate artificial intelligence, and Big Tech is watching - and lobbying. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) launched a major push on AI regulation late last month, promising his colleagues hearings and a series of "AI insight forums" that will bring top AI experts to Washington and eventually lead to the creation of draft legislation. Over the next several months, members of Congress - only a few of whom have any technical expertise - will have to choose whether to embrace a strict regulatory framework for AI or a system that defers more to tech interests. Democratic and Republican lawmakers will have to grapple with the daunting task of learning about rapidly developing technology, and with the fact that even experts disagree about what AI regulations should look like.

Technology interests, especially OpenAI, have gone on the offensive in Washington, arguing for regulations that will prevent the technology from posing an existential threat to humanity. They've engaged in a lobbying spree: According to an analysis by OpenSecrets, which tracks money in politics, 123 companies, universities and trade associations spent a collective $94 million lobbying the federal government on issues including AI in the first quarter of 2023. (https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-07-05/ai-congress-regulation-lobbying?utm_id=103770&sfmc_id=486066)

While lawmakers in Congress and policymakers around the world debate how they should establish guardrails for a rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry, the FTC already has a powerful enforcement tool in place: algorithm disgorgement. Also referred to as model deletion, the enforcement strategy requires companies to delete products built on data they shouldn't have used in the first place. For instance, if the commission finds that a company trained a large language model on improperly obtained data, then it will have to delete all the information along with the products developed from the ill-gotten data. So far, the FTC has used this tool in five cases against tech companies dating back to 2019. (https://cyberscoop.com/ftc-algorithm-disgorgement-ai-regulation/)

Are generative AI and no-code development becoming synonymous? Both provide ways to quickly generate code specifying certain routines. But there are distinct differences as well - namely, generative AI assists professional developers, while no and low-code is more targeted at non-developers. Non-developers likely won't be ready to fuss with AI-generated code any time soon, according to a recent article: https://www.zdnet.com/article/generative-ai-or-no-code-development-converging-but-with-caveats/

Google is committing $20 million to help train thousands of students in the information security field in collaboration with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics. The funding will be used to develop clinics at 20 higher education centers across the U.S. The clinics will help train students from diverse backgrounds in cybersecurity with the intent that they, in turn, can provide security to under-resourced organizations in local communities. Starting in October, Google will begin to accept applications from higher education centers looking to establish local clinics. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/google-20m-students-cybersecurity-jobs/653941/)

Labor experienced a once-in-a-lifetime shakeup during the COVID 19 pandemic. Not only did people find different ways to work through work-from-home and hybrid arrangements, but they found new work, too, with so many people quitting jobs that "The Great Resignation" and "The Big Quit" became part of popular lexicon. Between June 2021 and December 2022, more than 4 million Americans quit their jobs each month, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But the workers jumping ship seems to have abated. In March 2023, the quit rate was 2.5%, down from 2.9% the year before, according to the BLS. Monthly job postings are down too, according to the ADP Research Institute. There were 9.6 million job openings posted in March of this year, which is still high, but openings have gone down about 20% from more than 12 million in March 2022. (https://www.hrdive.com/news/workers-no-longer-jumping-ship/653904/)

A growing number of technology providers are pricing their products and services based on a promised outcome rather than charging customers set subscription fees or on a per-user basis. While still far from the norm, the uptick in such pricing models has put pressure vendors to offer more flexible pricing options to attract and retain increasingly budget-conscious customers, analysts say. Outcome-based pricing models charge customers some percent of reaching a business goal like increased revenue or cost savings. Value-based models, which can overlap with outcome-based models, are also becoming more widely adopted as alternate pricing systems. They include things like growth in registered customers or the amount of data for artificial intelligence. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-look-to-pay-tech-vendors-based-on-business-outcomes-not-usage-4c0bd5cb)

A California bill that would force tech companies such as Facebook and Google to pay publishers for news content has been put on hold in the Legislature until 2024. The California Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, sponsored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), would direct digital advertising giants to pay news outlets a "journalism usage fee" when they sell advertising alongside news content. The bill would require publishers to invest 70% of those funds in preserving journalism jobs in California. The bill passed in the Assembly with bipartisan support June 1 and moved on to the state Senate. A hearing was initially scheduled for July 11, but Wicks' office announced Friday that it would be rescheduled for 2024, picking back up at the same point in the legislative process. The bill has received strong support from news advocacy groups, but vehemently opposed by various tech industry trade groups. Facebook parent company Meta has gone as far as to threaten to remove all news content from Facebook and Instagram if the bill passes. (https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-07-07/california-journalism-bill-on-hold-until-2024?utm_id=104415&sfmc_id=486066)

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is working on new health features for its line of audio products. The first of those would allow your AirPods to conduct a hearing test. Gurman also writes Apple is exploring how to position and market the AirPods Pro as a hearing aid after the FDA made it easier for Americans to buy over-the-counter options last year. He reports the company recently hired engineers with experience working on traditional hearing aids as part of that initiative. The other new AirPods feature Apple is working on is a way for the earbuds to measure your body temperature. (https://www.engadget.com/apples-next-airpods-pro-could-feature-a-built-in-temperature-sensor-162531033.html)

MEANWHILE, an app called FeverPhone is the first ever to transform a smartphone into a personal thermometer without adding new hardware to the device, according to its developers from the University of Washington. The app uses the phone's touchscreen and repurposes existing battery heat sensors to gather data and estimate a person's core body temperature, researchers report. FeverPhone needs more training data to be widely used, but the technology holds great potential for helping people track their health, the researchers said. (https://consumer.healthday.com/medical-technology-2661702472.html)

Dual-SIM smartphones, which enable two separate cell services on one device, have been popular overseas for years. They're now gaining traction in the U.S. because of phones such as the iPhone 14. Instead of putting another physical carrier-issued SIM card in your device, you activate a virtual "embedded" SIM - an eSIM - using software. For now, the main reason Americans seek out additional eSIMs is for cheap internet access when traveling internationally. With these plans, you get prepaid data that helps you avoid your U.S. carrier's roaming fees. You usually don't get a local number. There are other reasons to add a secondary plan via an eSIM. Having two lines means you can carry just one phone for both personal and work calls. If your own plan hits its data cap, you can shop around for inexpensive data to carry you to the end of the month. And if you regularly visit areas with poor cell coverage, you can add another carrier that might have more towers. In this article, The Wall Street Journal provides some tips if you're debating getting another line. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/your-smartphone-can-have-two-lines-heres-why-youd-want-that-e811c035)

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