Displaying items by tag: technology

This year’s London Tech Week focused on the need for artificial intelligence (AI) to be trustworthy and responsive to the needs of society. UK Research and Innovation has funded £50 million to create secure AI to help solve major challenges by bringing experts from different fields together. Professor Gregory O’Hare said, ‘AI offers profound opportunities, but could also be used for sinister means with financial or political implications, like boundary incursions and even wars. Will it always be used for good purpose, or is there a significant chance it will be used for Machiavellian purposes? AI is developing at a faster pace than laws can be drafted in response.’ The Irish Congress of Trade Unions said they should be involved at an early stage when addressing AI concerns as the EU AI Act is not suitable and is more than disappointing from workers’ point of view. It offers some comfort but ‘doesn’t go far enough’.

Russia-aligned hackers are seeking to disrupt or destroy Britain's critical infrastructure, says cabinet office minister Oliver Dowden. He warned that groups have started to focus on the UK in recent months, and unveiled new measures to support businesses ‘on the front line of our cyber defences’. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will issue an official threat alert to critical businesses. Officials are recommending that organisations, such as those behind the UK's energy and water supplies, act now to protect themselves against the emerging cyber threat. The hacking groups are often sympathetic to Russia's invasion in Ukraine and are ideologically motivated. ‘They are also less predictable because they are not subject to state control. Some want to achieve more disruptive and destructive impacts against western critical national infrastructures, including the UK’, said the NCSC. These groups will look for opportunities to create an impact, particularly if systems are poorly protected. See also the Europe article, ‘EU: growing cyber threats’.

When Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a second, less visible battle in cyberspace got under way. The conflict has blurred the lines between those working for the military and the unofficial activist hackers. Oleksandr, one of the most prominent hackers in the vigilante group, the 200,000-strong IT Army of Ukraine, has helped to temporarily disable hundreds of Russian websites, disrupted services at dozens of banks and defaced websites. For over a year, he has devoted himself to causing as much chaos in Russia as possible. He recently joined a team of hackers called One Fist, to hijack Russian radio stations and broadcast the sound of fake air raid sirens and an alert message telling citizens to take shelter. ‘We feel ourselves like the military’, says Oleksandr. ‘When my country calls me to pick up a rifle I am ready, but hacking Russia now, I feel that I am helpful.’

The European Commission has announced plans to shield itself against cyber-attacks, as threats in this sector continue to grow. The defence system will be based on the prevention and detection of cyber-attacks, thanks to a pan-European ‘cyber-shield’ made up of public and private centres. This will mean entrusting part of the bloc's defence to private companies and forcing member states to cooperate, which Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the EC, says is necessary. ‘No one can solve this alone. You cannot have sufficient resources ready because you don't know when you will have an all-out cyberattack,’ Vestager said. ‘We have seen cyberattacks on the Irish health system. We have seen attacks giving access to foreign ministries go undiscovered for months. The proposals, costing €1.1 billion, will have to be reviewed by member states and the European parliament before being implemented.

Less than 2% of deaf people follow Jesus. A new form of sign language technology can now transform presenting Scripture to a deaf person. ‘Chameleon’ features a digital avatar, or animated character, signing the Bible to the viewer. Chameleon technology offered by Wycliffe Bible Translators and global partners transcends race and culture. ‘As a white man, if I sign the Bible to another culture, I don't want that culture to think the Scripture is merely “the white man's beliefs”.’ The avatar can be converted to the local nationality, making the translator's appearance anonymous. Filming someone signing the gospel in one of these countries can be dangerous. The avatar allows Christian sign language to be presented in countries unfriendly to the Bible while protecting the person responsible for the translation. A win for the deaf community, taking Bible translation to the next level.

Sean Dunn has brought one million young people to Christ through Groundwire by meeting young people through technology and opening their eyes to the Gospel message. Some youths look at their phones 100+ times a day. Encountering them where they gather is incredibly effective: using short video pieces that grab their interest, then using sites like JesusCares.com to point them toward Christ. Only a small percentage of this generation will regularly attend church, but the majority will not put down their phones. Sean said, ‘God gave us a strategy to use messaging that captures their attention and prompts them to ask the questions that will lead them in the right direction.’

Polish video game company PlayWay SA has announced it will launch the first instalment of the world’s first game that allows players to simulate the life of Jesus, including performing miracles and battling Satan. The prologue, I Am Jesus Christ, is a stand-alone game which serves as an introduction; it will be available from 1 December. The full version, which will be published in the second quarter of next year, will allow players to walk in the footsteps of Jesus ‘from birth to resurrection’, recreating key events from his life, such as the Last Supper. Players will be able to perform miracles and carry out quests, including a fight with Satan in the desert. Along the way, players discover Jesus’s story from his perspective and will be able to cure the sick, help the needy and interact with over sixty characters, including Christ’s disciples.

The White House has stated that there is evolving intelligence of Russia exploring options for cyberattacks. The US administration has prioritised strengthening, modernising and improving the security of widely-used technology. The President launched action plans to shore up the cybersecurity of the electricity, pipeline, and water sectors and has urged departments and agencies to mandate new cybersecurity and network defence measures, stating, ‘We will do everything in our power to defend the nation and respond to cyberattacks. But much of our infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector and they must act to protect the critical services on which all Americans rely.’ Pray for American commerce and industry to successfully authorise authentication on all systems to make it harder for attackers to enter. Pray for cybersecurity professionals as they patch, protect and employ multi-factor passwords and authentication.

The Government is failing to tackle an alarming growth in fraud nationwide. An updated draft of the Online Safety Bill will address laws covering harmful user-generated posts, adverts, and promotions. Images of celebrities are regularly used to advertise fraudulent scams, and a consultation is being launched over rules for online advertising to end the increase of consumer harm; there could be a new online advertising regulator to block and ban advertisers that repeatedly break the rules. The Government will leave it to Ofcom to decide whether the systems and processes are proportionate. Search engines may have to pay compensation to people duped by scams advertised through their platforms.

The pandemic, and lockdown, made Adam Ellison want to help other people. Before coronavirus, he was content with his job in marketing and his own social bubble. But that changed when millions faced hardship due to disruption caused by the pandemic. ‘I've become more conscious of everybody else,’ he says. In October, he became a volunteer on Olio, an app that allows people to share edible food waste with others. Every Saturday he goes to Tesco at 7 am to collect unsold produce. He adds the items to the app and people living nearby request them for pickup. The food goes within a day. Olio will soon branch out with ‘Borrow’ - lending items that are only used occasionally. The big question now is whether the broader surge of app-mediated compassion will continue. Mr Ellison said, ‘If everybody did something small but meaningful, we'd live in a much better society. I think Covid's been a catalyst for that.’