Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (10 December 2024)

TOP OF THE DAY

 

Governance and Legislation

 

Staying Current with Emerging Technology Trends: Using Big Data to Inform Planning

 

(Emelia Probasco, Christian Schoeberl – Center for Security and Emerging Technology – December 2024) Decision-makers today are pressed to stay ahead of the tsunami of new science and technology research. Many hope that big data and artificial intelligence will help identify research evolutions and revolutions in real time, or even before they happen. Data alone cannot predict scientific revolutions. Examining data to stay current with, or slightly ahead of, new technologies, however, is still valuable. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/staying-current-with-emerging-technology-trends-using-big-data-to-inform-planning/

 

Global South Countries Have No Choice but to Care About Advanced AI

 

(Cecil Abungu, Marie Iradukunda, Raqda Sayidali, Aquila Hassan, Duncan Cass-Beggs – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 9 December 2024) When Myanmar re-entered global life in 2011 following decades of isolation under military rule, less than one percent of its population had access to the internet. By 2020 this figure had surged to nearly half. The country had experienced a “leapfrog effect” — jumping from minimal to widespread internet access and use within a decade. This introduced a range of complex consequences, both beneficial and detrimental. Among the positive effects, it provided access to information and new economic opportunities. However, it also led to the expansion of platforms such as Facebook, which had benign uses but were also terribly exploited to spread hate speech and disinformation, exacerbating ethnic tensions and violence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to have an even more profound global impact than the introduction of the internet. – https://www.cigionline.org/articles/global-south-countries-have-no-choice-but-to-care-about-advanced-ai/

 

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Law Threatening US TikTok Ban

 

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 9 December 2024) A federal appeals court has upheld a law that could see TikTok banned across the US unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests its ownership. The decision was issued by a three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday, marking a significant setback for the video-sharing platform as it battles to remain operational in the United States. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/federal-court-upholds-tiktok-ban/

Making Tech Work for Global Criminal Justice

(Keith Hiatt – Just Security – 6 December 2024) The downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in the early months of Russia’s 2014 invasion marked a turning point for technology’s role in accountability for violations of international law and human rights. A decentralized, international movement of volunteer online investigators drew attention to the potential of digital open-source information– specifically, material available on websites and social media – to help determine who was responsible for the incident, which killed all 298 people on board. The combined efforts of these investigators, alongside formal law enforcement agencies, inspired new ideas about what might be possible in a digital world. The proliferation of mobile devices, growing availability of high-speed internet access, and popularity of social media platforms made serious crimes increasingly difficult to hide. – https://www.justsecurity.org/105215/tech-global-criminal-justice/

 

Industry sees potential in Trump AI czar pick

 

(Alexandra Kelley – NextGov – 6 December 2024) President-elect Donald Trump announced that he has chosen venture capitalist David Sacks to serve as the White House Artificial Intelligence and Crypto Czar — a new position that will operate as a special government employee, per Bloomberg — in his coming administration and will be tasked with focusing on maintaining U.S. leadership in AI innovation. Announced in two posts on Trump’s Truth Social network, Sacks’s selection follows a deep technology background, including working as PayPal’s chief operating officer and creating software-as-a-service company Yammer, which he ultimately sold to Microsoft for $1.2 billion. He currently works as a founding partner of Craft Ventures. – https://www.nextgov.com/people/2024/12/industry-sees-potential-trump-ai-czar-pick/401508/?oref=ng-homepage-river

National Standard of the People’s Republic of China: Cybersecurity Technology – Basic Safety Requirements for Generative Artificial Intelligence Services (Draft for Feedback)

(Center for Security and Emerging Technology – 5 December 2024) The draft Chinese national standard is designed to improve the safety and security of generative AI services. The standard addresses some cybersecurity concerns associated with generative AI, but primarily focuses on preventing AI systems from generating content the Communist Party finds objectionable, such as pornography, bullying, hate speech, defamation, copyright infringement, and criticism of the Party’s monopoly on power. – https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china-gen-ai-safety-standard-draft/

India Can Be a Pivotal Player in Stronger Cybersecurity

(Deepak Maheshwari – Centre for International Governance Innovation – 4 December 2024) India — now the world’s most populous country, as well as its fifth-largest economy — is a significant voice in evolving cyber norms, not least thanks to a predominantly young and tech-savvy population and rapid digitalization across every aspect of governance, the economy and society. However, without a contemporaneous cybersecurity strategy, it seems to be punching far below its weight. Indeed, since assuming office as the prime minister of India in 2014, Narendra Modi has been vocal about cybersecurity, even as he underlines the pivotal role of “Digital India,” a flagship program of his government, for achieving the goal of “Viksit Bharat” — that is, to transform the country into a developed economy by 2047, independent India’s centenary year. – https://www.cigionline.org/articles/india-can-be-a-pivotal-player-in-stonger-cybersecurity/

Cybersecurity

Public Reprimands, an Effective Deterrent Against Data Breaches

(Beth Maundrill – Infosecurity Magazine – 9 December 2024) The publication of reprimands following data leaks has been cited as an “effective” deterrent for public authorities. This follows a two-year trial led by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which sought to work proactively with the public sector to encourage data protection compliance. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/public-reprimands-deterrent-data/

Unmasking Termite, the Ransomware Gang Claiming the Blue Yonder Attack

(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine – 9 December 2024) The November ransomware attack on supplier Blue Yonder that affected large companies like Starbucks, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons has been claimed by the Termite ransomware group. On its data leak site, the group claims to have stolen 680GB of data, including more than 16,000 email lists that it plans to use for future attacks, and more than 200,000 insurance documents. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/termite-ransomware-blue-yonder/

Anna Jacques Hospital Ransomware Breach Hits 316K Patients

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 9 December 2024) One of Massachusetts’ leading hospitals has revealed the extent of a serious ransomware breach that took place almost a year ago. Anna Jacques Hospital is a non-profit, 119-bed community hospital based in Newburyport, serving the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and Seacoast region. According to a new data breach notification letter published on its website, the non-profit discovered the incident on around Christmas Day (December 25) 2023. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/anna-jacques-hospital-ransomware/

When Should Enterprises Use Application Security or Application Security Posture Management?

(Seemant Sehgal – Infosecurity Magazine – 9 December 2024) Protecting applications from potential cyber threats has become a critical security priority for businesses of all sizes. However, the approaches to securing applications can vary significantly depending on the tools and methodologies used. Two commonly discussed concepts are Application Security (AppSec) and Application Security Posture Management (ASPM). – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/blogs/when-should-enterprises-use-appsec/

 

Defense, Intelligence, and War

FY2025 NDAA angles to enhance DOD’s AI and quantum sciences capabilities

(Alexandra Kelley – NextGov – 9 December 2024) Both artificial intelligence and quantum information sciences feature in the newly-released 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, with the bill authorizing $143.8 billion in broad science and technology research and development. Released on Saturday by the House Armed Services Committee, the FY25 NDAA prioritizes leveraging emerging technologies for Defense operations, particularly for cybersecurity purposes. The legislation would, for example, establish a working group within the Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network under U.S. Cyber Command to develop and coordinate AI initiatives with ally nations. – https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2024/12/fy2025-ndaa-angles-enhance-dods-ai-and-quantum-sciences-capabilities/401545/?oref=ng-homepage-river

Frontiers

Digital Twins: Transforming Government Operations with Interoperability

(Greg Porter – NextGov – 6 December 2024) Over the past decade, the prevalence of digital twins has skyrocketed within government. As defined by the Digital Twin Consortium, a digital twin is a virtual representation of real-world entities and processes, synchronized at a specified frequency and fidelity. Powered by domain knowledge and real time data, digital twins provide a holistic, end-to-end view of data across an entire organization. – https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2024/12/digital-twins-transforming-government-operations-interoperability/401504/?oref=ng-homepage-river

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