AI NEWS & TRENDS

• CEOs are Prioritizing Generative AI Investments: KPMG
• 8 Ways to Reduce ChatGPT Hallucinations
• Hollywood Execs Agree to Restriction in AI Use - May Serve as a Case Study for HR
• Cedars-Sinai Launches Virtual Care App with AI Chatbot
• New Jobs for Humans in the AI Era

LEADING A TECH COMPANY

• 20 Issues Tech Companies Are Facing Now & How to Address Them
• Where are Employers & Employees Not Seeing Eye to Eye?
• 4 Mistakes to Avoid When Calling Employees Back to the Office
• Relocation Concerns Slow the Hiring of New Tech Leaders

HIGH COST OF CYBER THREATS

• Threats in Cloud Top List of Executive Cyber Concerns, PwC Finds
• IT Outages Cost Companies Up to $1 Million per Hour: Report

TECHNOLOGY & GOVERNMENT

• Venture Capital Diversity Reporting Law Passes
• California First State to Enact Climate Reporting Legislation
• US to Tighten Curbs on China's Access to Advanced Chip Tech

MORE TECH NEWS & TRENDS

• Amazon Launches First Satellites in Bid to Challenge SpaceX's Starlink
• Apple Watch Now Tracks Time Spent in Daylight

Eckert & Ziegler AG (EZ) was recently awarded the Pankow 2023 Training Prize for outstanding training quality. AND, EZ has signed a reservation agreement for the supply of the therapeutic radioisotope Actinium-225, used as an active substance in cancer treatment, whereby PharmaLogic Holdings Corp will have access to EZ's high-purity, non-carrier-added Ac-225 for the labeling of radiopharmaceuticals for R&D work and commercial use.
PLUS, EZ signed an agreement with POINT Biopharma Global for the supply of carrier-free lutetium-177. POINT's pipeline has multiple lutetium 177-based clinical candidates including for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. (LA)

Jason Ciment, CEO of Get Visible, was a recent guest on the podcast, Masters in Marketing Agency. Jason shares his entrepreneurial journey, and discusses the future of marketing, focusing on the use of AI and potential acquisitions. They also talk about the importance of building intimate client relationships, creating unique and better content, and defining boundaries in marketing strategies.
MEANWHILE, in a recent post, Jason shares: "When it came time to define Get Visible's core values and mission statement, I didn't lock myself in a room with a pot of coffee and hammer it out old school. Oh no. I enlisted the help of a digital sidekick - ChatGPT. That's right - a robot helped me humanize my company. Let's dive into this man-machine mind meld." He then provides a rundown of his successful "collaboration." (LA)

Automotive News has published Spotlight: Ujj Nath, CEO of myKaarma, in which Ujj shares a variety of interesting details about his life and interests. MEANWHILE, in partnership with Mercedes-Benz, myKaarma has integrated with Affirm, a leading lending company in e-commerce, to offer FlexPay repair financing to dealers and their customers. (OC)

Parasoft has announced new advancements in its Continuous Quality Platform for functional solutions, which include Parasoft Virtualize, SOAtest, CTP, and DTP. The latest releases introduce capabilities which include GenAI integration for API testing; comprehensive microservices code coverage; web accessibility testing; and powerful learning mode for creating and updating virtual assets. These innovations are set to transform the landscape of software testing for enterprise application development and test teams. (LA)

Payani Group, which is admired for its multifaceted approach to nurturing and scaling businesses, has announced its strategic collaboration with Peachscore. Payani Group's mission is to expedite business growth by offering invaluable skills and resources focused on three essential services: investing for growth, guidance and strategy, and enhancing visibility. At Peachscore, they blend human expertise with cutting-edge technology to empower companies and drive their success in a dynamic market. Their intensive 10-week accelerator program offers two specialized tracks for founders seeking a transformative journey. As part of the collaboration, Ali Payani will serve as an advisor to Peachscore. (LA)

In Outsourcing Cybersecurity Infrastructure: Unlocking Growth and Security Potential for SMBs, Active Cypher says that small and medium-sized businesses must understand that selecting the right Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) partner can dramatically slash the total cost of ownership in IT expenditures, mitigate business risks, demystify potential threats, and empower business leaders to focus unwaveringly on strategic objectives. "MSSPs can be those digital custodians and strategic allies, empowering SMBs to flourish in the digital environment while continuously reaping substantial cost reductions. This translates into internal IT teams spearheading business-transformative efforts, secure in the knowledge that their digital realm remains vigilantly monitored." (OC)

In Impact of AI on Cybersecurity, Alvaka reports that AI is a double-edged sword in cybersecurity. While it provides powerful tools for defending against cyber threats, it also poses new challenges as cybercriminals adopt AI-driven techniques. In the article, Alvaka details some potential threats, including automated attacks, adversarial machine learning, deepfakes, evasion techniques, enhanced fishing, data poisoning, targeted attacks, weaponization of AI, amplified reconnaissance, and social engineering. (LA)

In A heartbreaking story about time and money, Dave explains that there is a relationship between time and money that is more complex than most managers think. Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the "burn rate" (monthly expenses) for most companies. Since this number is budgeted and pre-authorized, managers tend to focus upon other things such as sales, marketing and product development issues. But what most managers miss is that every month cut from the time it takes to bring a product to market cuts the cost by the value of a month's worth of fixed overhead. And that relationship between fixed overhead and production time is as critical as any other factor in the success of a young company.
AND, in Are you meeting your customer's expectations?, Dave declares that first customers are critical, and you need to greatly exceed their expectations at all costs, and goes on to illustrate how and why. (LA)

CuraeSoft CEO Mark Parinas recently conducted polls on LinkedIn, along with providing insights on the topics. In How often does your company review workforce management KPIs?, Mark discusses how companies that optimize workforce key performance indicators can often see significant revenue growth and productivity gains.
AND, in Does your business value work-life balance?, Mark shares that failure to achieve a healthy work-life balance is linked to issues such as lack of sleep and increased stress, and these factors directly impact productivity and job performance. Then when new people are brought on board to replace burnt-out employees, much of the project's time and budget go into training and getting them up to speed, which may result in missed deadlines and compromised work quality. (LA)

In Successful Mass Vaccination Programs: From Smallpox to COVID-19, GIDEON Informatics shares that the World Health Organization (WHO) has just approved a second vaccine to prevent malaria, an important milestone in the fight against this highly contagious disease. An effective mass vaccination campaign is desperately needed since there is no effective treatment for this disease. GIDEON notes that such programs helped us eradicate smallpox, significantly reduce polio cases, and lower the number of deaths, severe diseases, and hospitalizations from diphtheria, cholera, tetanus, influenza, rubella, measles, and more. GIDEON goes on to look at three notable mass immunization campaigns, starting with COVID-19.
MEANWHILE, GIDEON has announced that its ebook on infectious diseases in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza is now free for 30 days. This data can help frontline relief efforts. (LA)

In a recent post, Half Past Nine's Kenneth Shen shares his "collection of recent marketing thoughts, in no particular order."
PLUS, in another post, Kenneth discusses how modern performance marketing optimization is really a budgeting exercise at its core, including how to invest, ramp investment, minimize payback period, and maximize ROI. He expands on how one of the most fundamental budgeting exercises is the split between demand creation and demand capture. (LA)

In 6 Ways to Connect Donors to Their Impact, Instil suggests sharing stories, providing regular updates, using data, inviting donors to events, encouraging donors to volunteer, and expressing appreciation as means to keep donors engaged.
AND, in How to Write Effective Outreach and Follow-Up Emails to Donors, Instil provides six ways to craft compelling emails.
MEANWHILE, Clovers is providing an e-guide - Making the Leadership Case for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and has published an article - 8 Sample job postings to attract diverse applicants. (LA)

In How a Dealer Contact Management Solution Can Assist OEMs in the Ever-Growing EV Market, Optimum Info notes that managing field operations across multiple dealerships is already a complex endeavor. The challenges multiply when the business landscape undergoes dramatic change, such as the rapid rise of electric vehicles (EVs). Optimum examines the strategic steps OEMs must take to empower their dealership network for EV success. (OC)

In Qualitative Research Methods: Types, Examples, and Analysis, ProProfs says that in a universe swarming with data, numbers, and algorithms, lies a lesser-known realm where emotions, stories, and intimate revelations take center stage. When you want to get inside your customers' heads to understand their thoughts, feelings, perceptions, beliefs, and emotions, numbers are unlikely to provide a complete picture. This is where qualitative surveys come into play. ProProfs discusses the basics, including its types, methods, and examples. (OC)

Marshall recently co-authored an article - Blue-collar workers are our only hope; Automation will turn us all into serfs - published in UnHerd. Marshall and Joel Kotkin contend that the future of our society does not depend on AI; it depends on rebuilding a robust middle class, which can spread opportunity and prosperity more broadly.
AND, Marshall co-authored a report - Building the New America, in collaboration with the Urban Reform Institute, focused on the key factors driving unaffordable housing.
MEANWHILE, recent episodes of Marshall's podcast, the Feudal Future, include: Behind the Scenes of Global Labor: Asia and America and The Political Paradox of Marriage Decline.
PLUS, watch this 3:45-minute video from Chapman University: Meet Marshall Toplansky, MBA - the Argyros School's "Innovation Professor." (OC)

AlzWell has won the Society for Clinical Research Sites Global Summit Site Tank Award, sponsored by Pfizer, which recognizes innovative technology concepts that enhance clinical research operations. AlzWell is a powerful mobile application designed to provide exceptional support for caregivers of people with Alzheimer's. (LA)

Elemeno Health was selected from thousands of companies as a Quarterfinalist for The Digital Health Hub Foundation's Digital Health Awards 2023 for Best in Class - Patient Safety. This awards program recognizes the achievements of innovative tech companies in the digital health industry. (BA)

The Medical Futurist includes MedWand in its recent article, 10 Ways Technology is Changing Healthcare, which reports on 10 groundbreaking technologies that "will strongly determine how medicine will be practiced in the future." Article author Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD, director of The Medical Futurist Institute, says "our task is to turn to technologies with an open mind and to prepare for the changing world with as much knowledge as possible." (OC)

In The Rise of Online Cloud Faxing and its Role in HIPAA Compliance, WestFax explains how in the digital age of 2023, while many traditional technologies have faded into obscurity, faxing has not only survived but thrived, thanks to its evolution into online cloud faxing. This modern iteration of the classic fax machine offers numerous advantages, especially for sectors that prioritize data security, like healthcare.
ALSO, in Fax and Sustainability, WestFax details the positive environmental impact of its 25 years of converting healthcare organizations from paper fax machines to Secure Cloud Fax, and its partnership with the National Forest Foundation. (OC)

In its article, 6 ways technology is transforming care delivery for FQHCs, Wipfli states that digital solutions are central to how FQHCs can adapt, evolve and continue providing unmatched care in the face of challenges. Wipfli examines multiple ways an FQHC can use technology to innovate. (BA)

Nearly 3 in 4 CEOs say generative AI is a top spending priority, according to a KPMG survey of 1,300 CEOs at large companies globally, including 400 in the U.S. Executives expect the technology to bring increased profitability, new products, market growth opportunities, enhanced innovation and aid cybersecurity efforts, according to the report: https://info.kpmg.us/news-perspectives/industry-insights-research/kpmg-ceo-outlook-2023.html. Nearly two-thirds of CEOs say they expect to see a return on their investment in three to five years. Fewer - less than one-third - expect a faster ROI of one to three years, according to KPMG data. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/CEO-CIO-generative-AI-investment-priority/695899/)

One of the most troubling aspects of working with large language model chat AIs is their tendency to make stuff up, fabricate answers, and otherwise present as fact information that is completely wrong. That ChatGPT "hallucinates" is a known and common problem. A recent ZDNet article describes eight ways to reduce hallucinations, noting that it's all about how you ask your questions. In summary, avoid all of the following: ambiguity and vagueness; merging unrelated concepts; describing impossible scenarios; using fictional or fantastical entities; contradicting known facts; misusing scientific terms; blending different realities; and assigning uncharacteristic properties. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/8-ways-to-reduce-chatgpt-hallucinations/)

Hollywood execs and the Writers Guild Association (WGA) recently reached an agreement, which includes a clause around artificial intelligence. The agreement states that AI can't write or rewrite literary material and that anything written by AI cannot be considered source material. Additionally, while writers can use AI if a company consents to it, a company cannot require a writer to use AI software such as ChatGPT. Notably, WGA can assert that using a writers' material to train AI is a violation of the bargaining agreement. The agreement went into effect September 25, 2023 and will last through May 1, 2026. (https://www.hrdive.com/news/wga-deal-ai-policy/696477)

LA's Cedars-Sinai has launched a 24/7 virtual care app that uses artificial intelligence to evaluate patients. Cedars-Sinai Connect offers virtual urgent care around the clock and same-day primary care appointments. The health system developed the platform as a joint venture with digital health company K Health, which uses AI for clinical intake and data entry to speed up appointments. When patients log into Cedars-Sinai Connect, an AI chatbot collects health details and symptoms and then generates a summary for the virtual clinicians. The app, which is integrated with Cedars-Sinai's EHR, is available for California patients and accepts any insurance that the health system takes. (https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/digital-health/cedars-sinai-launches-virtual-care-app-with-ai-chatbot.html)

AI is already creating new opportunities, and a recent Wall Street Journal article explored a few of them. They include: In-House Large Language Model Developer; Reskiller; AI Psychotherapist; and Prompt Engineer. (https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/the-new-jobs-for-humans-in-the-ai-era-db7d8acd)

In a recent article, 20 members of Forbes Technology Council detail some of the issues tech companies are facing right now and how individuals and the industry as a whole can address them. In summary, they include: ; Harnessing AI's potential; Leveraging generative AI; Dealing with new and increasing cyberattacks; leveraging new technology for tangible business outcomes; Maximizing the capacity and capability of teams; Proving they have a unique selling proposition; Doing more with less; Recognizing hype cycles; Dealing with a shortage of ready talent; Managing technical debt and tool sprawl; Preparing for emerging financial pressure; Ensuring real-time execution and availability via the Cloud; Addressing poor user experiences; Adapting to changing customer behaviors; Optimizing data center operations; Balancing service quality with ethical AI use; Delivering high-quality employee experiences; Rethinking the collection and use of personal data; Finding new talent in an industry dominated by Big Tech; and Filtering out "data noise." (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/09/07/20-issues-tech-companies-are-facing-now-and-how-to-address-them/?sh=2a4a260757b2)

Owl Lab's latest "State of Hybrid Work Report" found that 66% of employers are requiring employees to be in the office full-time when, in actuality, only 22% of workers want to be. Also, 56% of workers said that their level of work-related stress has increased since last year; 46% of employees are currently working more than one job outside of their full-time gig; and 7 in 10 employees would take a 5% or more pay cut to wear whatever clothing they wanted in-office. Read the report: https://owllabs.com/state-of-hybrid-work/2023

The vast majority of companies in a recent Resume Builder survey said they would implement plans to get employees back to the office before the end of 2024, and most said they either currently track or plan to track in-person attendance. Whether they take a flexible or firm approach to RTO (return to office), employers still need to be aware of the confluence of economic reality and worker sentiment, according to Roselyn Feinsod, principal, people advisory services at EY. A recent HRDive article shares several mistakes companies should avoid; in summary they are: Taking an 'all or nothing' approach; Signaling you've lost trust in workers, managers; Thinking food, or premium office space, is enough; and Mimicking other companies' RTO plans. (https://www.hrdive.com/news/return-to-office-policy-hr-mistakes/695326/)

Companies hiring for CIO and CTO positions want boots on the ground at the corporate headquarters, eliminating some potential candidates and a slowing of the overall rate of tech executive hiring. For business technology executives, relocation can be the single biggest impediment to changing jobs, said Eric Sigurdson, who leads the CIO Practice at search firm Russell Reynolds Associates. For a time, that impediment disappeared, although now it is back, he said. "It's a question we're now having to ask that we'd haven't had to ask for three years which is: are you willing to relocate?" Sigurdson said "You might get the answer: I'm not interested." That tension is contributing to a slowdown in technology executive hiring. The turnover rate in 2023 is down 15% compared with 2022, according to executive search firm Leathwaite.

While there is some openness to CIOs who commute from other cities, it is less feasible if they are on different coasts or in different time zones, said Ash Athawale, a senior group managing director for Robert Half's Executive Search practice. However, there are cases where companies won't necessarily require relocation, but they will have a requirement for a certain number of days in the office, said Sigurdson. Executives are welcome to fly in from wherever they live, but the costs of flights and hotels would typically be on their own dime, he added. Organizations that have location flexibility maintain a recruiting advantage, said Paul Groce, partner at Leathwaite. But that needs to be balanced out with the efficiency and benefits of having the workforce together in person, he said. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/relocation-concerns-slow-hiring-of-new-tech-leaders-9a4f8522)

Cloud-related threats are the top cyber concern for organizations that have adopted the technology, according to a recent PwC report. The accounting and consulting firm surveyed 3,876 senior business and technology executives. Security concerns intensify for organizations with multiple clouds or hybrid infrastructures, the report found. More than half of respondents in this category cited cloud as their most pressing cyber concern and more than one-third said their organization prioritized cloud for security investments over the next year. Yet, nearly one-third of respondents had yet to address disaster recovery and backup with their cloud service provider and more than 2 in 5 pointed to in-house cloud skills gaps as a lingering risk factor. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/cloud-cybersecurity-threats-skills-gap-PwC/695506/)

The median cost of outages with high business impact was $7.75 million, according to recent New Relic's Observability Forecast report, reflecting interviews with 1,700 technology professionals.. More than 3 in 5 technologists said outages cost their organizations at least $100,000 per hour, while one-third said hourly costs ran up to $500,000. For 1 in 5, companies endure $1 million in hourly costs due to an outage. Outages causing high business impact take more than 30 minutes to resolve, according to 3 in 5 respondents. For one-third of companies, resolution can take an hour or more. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/IT-outage-cost-report-new-relic/696359/)

A new law has been signed into law by California Governor Newsom, which requires venture capital firms in California to report the diversity of the founders they are backing. The law - Senate Bill 54, goes into effect in 2025. The bill does not require any specific investing mix, only requires the collection and reporting of diversity information. (https://www.socaltech.com/fullstory/0083674.html)

California Governor Gavin Newson recently signed into law two expansive climate disclosure bills (SB 253 and SB 261), making California the first state in the U.S. to impose requirements on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions disclosure and mandate reporting on climate-related financial risks. The SB 253 legislation requires both public and private U.S. entities that conduct business in California and have total annual revenue in excess of $1 billion U.S. dollars, to report on their GHG emissions annually, and the SB 261 legislation requires entities that conduct business in California and earn at least $500 million U.S. dollars in revenue to report biennially on their climate-related financial risks. The California legislature's stated purpose in adopting this legislation is to address the impact of climate change on the state's residents and economy. If implemented as adopted, these bills are likely to result in significant costs for a broad swath of U.S. companies doing business in California. The State's intent is to ensure that the impact of this new legislation is as far-reaching as possible. (https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/california-first-state-to-enact-climate-7499591/)

The Biden administration will tighten sweeping measures announced last October to restrict China's access to advanced semiconductors and chipmaking gear, as the U.S. seeks to prevent its geopolitical rival from developing cutting-edge tech that could lend a military edge. The new rules aim to refine and close loopholes from last year's curbs, according to people familiar with the matter. The Biden administration will add Chinese chip design firms to a trade restriction list, forcing overseas manufacturers to gain a U.S. license to fill orders from those companies, as well as strengthen controls on selling advanced chipmaking equipment and graphics chips to Chinese firms, the people said. The administration will also impose additional checks on Chinese firms attempting to avoid country-specific restrictions by routing shipments and manufacturing elsewhere. Specifically, the rules will continue to restrict shipments of certain chips to Chinese companies' overseas subsidiaries and affiliates, and begin requiring a license to export prohibited technologies to countries that could be used as intermediaries. (https://www.havasunews.com/nation/us-will-tighten-curbs-on-china-s-access-to-advanced-chip-tech/article_69d3f292-6bbe-11ee-8516-c3872ea7f05f.html) (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-15/us-will-tighten-curbs-on-china-s-access-to-advanced-chip-tech#xj4y7vzkg)

Amazon.com's first satellites recently blasted into orbit, moving the e-commerce company closer to a satellite-internet business that could compete with SpaceX and other rivals. Amazon in 2019 unveiled plans for a satellite network called Project Kuiper and has said it would invest $10 billion to build it up. The company has permission from U.S. regulators to deploy more than 3,200 satellites over time. Like other operators of low-Earth-orbit constellations, as such satellite fleets are called in the industry, Kuiper aims to sell high-speed, low-latency broadband to subscribers. (https://www.wsj.com/tech/amazon-project-kuiper-satellite-launch-a0843bfc?mod=tech_more_article_pos22)

A new feature in Apple Watch Series 6 and later versions uses the device's ambient light sensor, GPS and motion sensors to track the amount of time the wearer spends outdoors. Too much exposure to the sun without protection is detrimental to human health, but too little sun exposure and time indoors is also detrimental, and Apple says the Time in Daylight feature can encourage people to spend more time outdoors. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/10/11/apple-watch-health-daylight-tracker/)

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