Just a few months ago, criticism was mounting in the U.K. around
the facial recognition technology being tested by London’s Metropolitan Police
to safeguard the city streets.
Then came COVID-19 and our focus and
priorities changed. But as many non-essential stores get ready to re-open in
mid-June, the general public is again facing the dilemma of adopting monitoring
tech.
Only this time is a more contested dilemma.
A recent Intu survey revealed that 60% of shoppers actively encourage stores to implement surveillance technologies that help make shopping safer. The proposed measures include temperature scans at entry points and CCTV to control crowds.
It’s not facial recognition. But we’re getting there. No wonder security experts are concerned that surveillance might be here to stay.
Switching focus to cyber viruses
One thing can’t be denied about the global
response to the pandemic: we weren’t ready for it although we had been told to
expect it.
To help avoid future catastrophic mistakes,
the World Economic Forum has issued a call to action for
businesses and institutions to prepare for the cyber pandemic we know will
come.
In today’s interconnected world, a global cyberattack with a behaviour similar to COVID-19 (highly infectious and with high rates of asymptomatic infections) could lead to major cyber outages costing $50 billion per day.
WannaCry and other large-scale breaches were the wake-up call, just like SARS and MERS foretold the current crisis. Let’s do something about it this time.
Building a solid AI foundation
Many are the companies looking to jump on the
bandwagon of the AI boom. Sometimes even too quickly.
Stephanie Overby at The Enterprisers Project shares some counterintuitive tips on how to implement artificial intelligence into business processes. Building a solid foundation is the crux of proper AI adoption.
Key points include taking time to evaluate current needs, as well as investing in talent and skills before tools.
Discover 5 Online Courses to Get You Up-To-Speed with AI
News from the frontlines…
This is what the tech world is doing to help
fight the pandemic:
Biotech entrepreneurs are proposing another
approach to mass testing: biosensors. Different sensor technologies currently
under development could be advantageous over existing
testing methods like the PCR test, providing faster and more
accurate results. At a privacy cost, of course.
Also, a new wristband helps
avoid blood clots in patients that remain immobilised for long periods of time
due to COVID-19.
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Finally, tech has always been about
connecting people. But how about connecting people and animals? Folks in Palo
Alto have created a website through which you can feed a flock of happy chickens in
real time.
And don’t worry –
it’s animal safe, solar-powered and you can even donate money to a pet rescue
organisation.