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AI NEWS
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The "Death of Spreadsheets" - AI Will Soon Be the Dominant Business Reporting Tool |
In a recent article, ZDNet predicts that, by 2027, AI will replace spreadsheets as the dominant method for utilization reporting and revenue forecasting - and it might happen faster. ZDNet offers a variety of reasons why; in summary they include:
> AI brings insights - spreadsheets tell you what happened. AI tells you why it happened and what's likely to happen next.
> Utilization reporting - by consuming real-time timesheet entries, project pipeline changes, and historical patterns, AI models can predict utilization before it drops, at a regional, practice, group, or even individual level.
> Forecasting services revenue isn't just about multiplying hours by rates, it's about understanding project win rates, client behavior, resource availability, and market conditions simultaneously. AI thrives in this probabilistic arena.
> Services teams don't have time - manual reporting processes combined with the time and difficulty of bringing data together were cited as three of the top four challenges for professional services organizations.
> Spreadsheets are a compliance risk - spreadsheets are notoriously hard to audit, easy to manipulate, and susceptible to version drift and "walking out the door" in the hands of disgruntled employees. AI-based platforms, in contrast, offer full data lineage, audit trails, and permissioned access, which is crucial for public companies concerned about data leakage or firms managing regulated engagements. (https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-death-of-spreadsheets-6-reasons-why-ai-will-be-the-dominant-business-reporting-tool/)
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As AI Use Grows, So Do CIO Concerns About Cybersecurity |
IT leaders say their organization's investment in AI has increased its vulnerability, according to a recent Flexential survey of 350+ technology leaders. More than 50% said they're storing and processing more sensitive data than before. They also expressed concerns about where sensitive data is being stored, such as closer to the edge of a network. 25% said the increase in employees involved in AI management has led to more vulnerabilities. Other concerns include the complexity of AI applications, which creates a larger attack surface. More than 40% of IT leaders said their cybersecurity team doesn't understand how to protect AI applications, while 47% reported staffing gaps related to AI and cybersecurity. (https://www.ciodive.com/news/AI-usage-enterprise-cybersecurity-vulnerabilities-threat-surface-Flexential/747730/)
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US Tech Giants Ink Saudi AI Deals |
Nvidia, Amazon and AMD announced deals with Saudi Arabian company Humain to help develop AI infrastructure and data centers in the Middle Eastern nation. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang touted his company's pact on Tuesday at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum - an event attended by President Trump and a host of other U.S. business leaders. Humain, which is financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, aims to construct an "AI Zone" that includes Amazon's AWS servers and networks. (https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/us-tech-giants-ink-saudi-ai-deals-6397572/)
What's Humain? (per ChatGPT): Humain is a newly launched artificial intelligence (AI) company in Saudi Arabia, established under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and backed by the country's sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The company aims to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for AI innovation, aligning with the nation's Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil dependency.
Humain's Key Objectives and Initiatives:
AI Infrastructure Development: Humain plans to build advanced data centers and AI infrastructure within Saudi Arabia. This includes the development of a 500-megawatt AI data center project, which will be powered by several hundred thousand of NVIDIA's most advanced GPUs over the next five years.
Multimodal Arabic Large Language Model: A significant focus is on creating one of the world's most powerful multimodal Arabic large language models (LLMs), aiming to serve users within Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East.
Strategic Partnerships:
NVIDIA: Humain has partnered with NVIDIA to leverage its advanced GPU and cloud computing platforms, facilitating the development of AI factories and infrastructure.
Amazon Web Services (AWS): A collaboration with AWS involves a joint investment exceeding $5 billion to establish an "AI Zone" in Saudi Arabia. This initiative includes dedicated AWS AI infrastructure, services like Amazon SageMaker and Bedrock, and aims to accelerate AI adoption both locally and globally.
AMD: Humain and AMD have announced a strategic collaboration involving up to $10 billion investment to deploy 500 megawatts of AI compute capacity over the next five years. This partnership aims to build a scalable and cost-efficient AI infrastructure.
Leadership: The company is led by CEO Tareq Amin, former CEO of Aramco Digital and a former executive at Rakuten.
Humain's establishment reflects Saudi Arabia's commitment to becoming a leader in AI and digital transformation, fostering innovation, and attracting foreign investment to build a diversified and knowledge-based economy.
Sources:
Financial Times+14AiNews.com;
The Economic Times;
Reuters+3Gulf Business+3NVIDIA Newsroom+3;
Wamda+2Reuters+2Middle East AI News+2;
About Amazon+7Reuters+7NVIDIA Newsroom+7;
Gulf Business+5About Amazon+5;
Reuters+4; Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.+4NVIDIA Newsroom+4; Investors+5;
AiNews.com+5Reuters+5
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OpenAI CEO, Other Tech Leaders Testify to Congress on AI Competition with China |
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and executives from Microsoft and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices testified on Capitol Hill about the biggest opportunities, risks and needs facing an industry which lawmakers and technologists agree could fundamentally transform global business, culture and geopolitics. The hearing comes as the race to control the future of AI is heating up between companies and countries. "I believe this will be at least as big as the internet, maybe bigger," Altman said in his opening remarks about AI's potential to transform society. "For that to happen, investment in infrastructure is critical." Altman urged senators to help usher in the "dual revolutions" of artificial intelligence and energy production that "will change the world we live in, I think, in incredibly positive ways."
The hearing spanned topics ranging from industry debates over chip performance, jobs, human relationships and power generation to grander questions about the global competition with China and the European Union. Senators were broadly sober in their questioning and united in their concern that the U.S. maintain its dominance in AI. Lawmakers from both parties also raised concerns over cybersecurity, data privacy and AI's ability to create content that could confuse or mislead people. Altman drew a direct connection between the US's ability to attract global talent and ability to sell its products globally to national security and its international influence. (https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/openai-ceo-sam-altman-us-tech-leaders-testify-121610005)
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GOVERNMENT & BUSINESS
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US, China Agree to Reduce Tariff Rates for 90 Days |
The U.S. and China reached an agreement over the weekend [May 10-11] to decrease escalating tariff rates the two countries had placed upon each other in recent months, according to a White House briefing. As part of the agreement, the U.S. will pause for 90 days the 34% tariff on imports from China that President Trump first announced April 2. The U.S. will also lift additional duties it subsequently levied that raised the combined tariff burden on goods from China to at least 145%. During the pause, the U.S. will instead charge a 10% tariff on imports from China while maintaining duties it installed prior to April 2, including those enacted under Section 301, Section 232 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In return, China will also pause a matching 34% tariff on U.S. goods for 90 days in favor of a 10% duty while rescinding all other levies it has enacted on the U.S. since April 2. Both countries would reportedly implement the pause and other agreed-upon actions by May 14. During the 90-day pause, the two countries will engage in further economic and trade discussions, per the White House. (https://www.supplychaindive.com/news/us-china-trade-agreement-tariff-pause/747721/)
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Fake Job Seekers Are Flooding U.S. Companies That Are Hiring for Remote Positions, Tech CEOs & DOJ Say |
Companies are facing a new threat: Job seekers who aren't who they say they are, using AI tools to fabricate photo IDs, generate employment histories and provide answers during interviews. The rise of AI-generated profiles means that by 2028 globally 1 in 4 job candidates will be fake, according to research and advisory firm Gartner. Once hired, an impostor can install malware to demand a ransom from a company, or steal its customer data, trade secrets or funds. In many cases, the deceitful employees are simply collecting a salary that they wouldn't otherwise be able to.
And the issue isn't confined to the tech industry. More than 300 U.S. firms inadvertently hired impostors with ties to North Korea for IT work, including a major national television network, a defense manufacturer, an automaker, and other Fortune 500 companies, the Justice Department alleged in 2024. The workers used stolen American identities to apply for remote jobs and deployed remote networks and other techniques to mask their true locations, the DOJ said. They ultimately sent millions of dollars in wages to North Korea to help fund the nation's weapons program, the Justice Department alleged. That case, involving a ring of alleged enablers including an American citizen, exposed a small part of what U.S. authorities have said is a sprawling overseas network of thousands of IT workers with North Korean ties. The DOJ has since filed more cases involving North Korean IT workers. The fake employee industry has broadened beyond North Koreans in recent years to include criminal groups located in Russia, China, Malaysia and South Korea, according to Roger Grimes, a veteran computer security consultant. (https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/08/fake-job-seekers-use-ai-to-interview-for-remote-jobs-tech-ceos-say.html)
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FTC Hits Pause on 'Click to Cancel' Rule |
The U.S. FTC is delaying implementation of a rule, which was set to take effect May 14, that would require businesses to make it as easy to cancel subscriptions and memberships as it is to sign up, to give companies more time to comply, the agency announced. The rule has drawn cheers from consumer groups but a lawsuit from business associations. The FTC will now begin enforcing it on July 14, according to the announcement. It requires businesses to get consumers' consent for subscriptions, auto-renewals and free trials that convert to paid memberships. The cancellation method must be "at least as easy to use" as the sign-up process, it says. It also prohibits requiring consumers who signed up through an app or a website to go through a chatbot or agent to cancel. For in-person sign-ups, companies must provide means to cancel by phone or online. (https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/ftc-hits-pause-click-cancel-rule-2025-05-09/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
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FUTURE TECH
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New EV In Pipeline With 745 Miles of Range |
After taking a back seat on EV implementation over the last decade with only one EV in its lineup, Toyota is fixing to close the gap with Tesla by launching its new industry-busting solid-state battery technology in an expanding lineup of EVs. Breaking current EV range records, Toyota asserts that it plans to introduce an all-new battery that can deliver up to 745 miles (1200 km) of range on a single charge. The current record-holder is the Ford Mustang Mach-E, which was driven 570 miles by a British team through England on a single change. As an integral part of its decarbonization strategy, Toyota says that its new solid-state batteries could be offered in its next-gen EVs as early as 2027. Toyota claims that its cutting-edge batteries can be recharged in 10 minutes or less, which would do wonders to make EVs more practical and convenient for everyday use. Another major plus - solid-state batteries can last far longer than conventional lithium-ion batteries, potentially lasting for 8,000 to 10,000 charge cycles, compared to 1,500 to 2,000 cycles for the current lithium-ion batteries. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2025/05/07/the-ev-holy-grail-a-battery-that-can-travel-745-miles-on-one-charge/)
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Apple to Support Brain-Implant Control of Its Devices |
Apple is embracing the world of brain computer interfaces, unveiling a new technology that one day could revolutionize how humans interact with their devices. The company is taking early steps to enable people to control their iPhones with neural signals captured by a new generation of brain implants. It could make Apple devices more accessible to tens of thousands of people who can't use their hands because of severe spinal cord injuries or diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The new capability means Apple devices won't need to see the user make specific movements, the devices can detect user intentions from decoded brain signals. Apple has worked on the new standard with Synchron, which makes a stent-like device that is implanted in a vein atop the brain's motor cortex. The device called the Stentrode has electrodes that read brain signals. Apple will release the new standard later this year for other developers. (https://www.wsj.com/tech/apple-brain-computer-interface-9ec69919?mod=hp_lead_pos8)
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