Featured: AI News’ list of innovative companies to watch in 2021

Companies around the world have ramped up their AI deployments over the past year. As with any emerging technology, AI has brought significant opportunities but also its fair share of challenges.

In this feature, AI News takes a look at some of the most innovative companies leading the way in maximising the opportunities while minimising the challenges of artificial intelligence deployments. In alphabetical order:

Affectiva

Affectiva is an MIT Media Lab spin-off...

3 March 2021 | Big Data

British intelligence agency GCHQ publishes ‘Ethics of AI’ report

The intelligence agency’s first-ever public report details how AI can be used “ethically” for cyber operations.

GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is tasked with providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom and its allies.

Jeremy Fleming, Director of GCHQ, said:

“We need honest, mature conversations about the impact that new technologies could have on society.

This...

25 February 2021 | Ethics

Boeing-SparkCognition joint venture SkyGrid deploys AI to protect drones

SkyGrid, a Boeing-SparkCognition joint venture, has launched the world’s first AI-powered security for drones.

Drones are being used for increasingly critical purposes, including carrying vital medical supplies. Security is paramount to build the trust necessary to unlock the full potential of the emerging industry.

Amir Husain, CEO and founder of SparkCognition and SkyGrid, said:

“In the near future, we’ll essentially have a network of flying computers...

20 January 2021 | Drones

World’s oldest defence think tank concludes British spies need AI

The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) says in an intelligence report that British spies will need to use AI to counter threats.

Based in Westminster, the RUSI is the world’s oldest think tank on international defence and security. Founded in 1831 by the first Duke of Wellington, Sir Arthur Wellesley, the RUSI remains a highly respected institution that’s as relevant today as ever.

AI is rapidly advancing the capabilities of adversaries. In its report, the RUSI...

28 April 2020 | Adoption

F-Secure details nature-inspired AI project harnessing ‘swarm intelligence’

fsecure project blackfin ai autonomous agents artificial intelligence cybersecurity infosec

Cybersecurity giant F-Secure has detailed Project Blackfin, an AI initiative which harnesses nature-inspired “swarm intelligence” techniques.

The concept sounds similar to Fetch.ai in that decentralised autonomous AI agents will collaborate in order to achieve common goals.

Cambridge-based Fetch.ai is focusing its efforts on the use of autonomous AI agents for IoT purposes. Naturally, F-Secure is currently seeking to use such agents to further improve the company’s...

21 November 2019 | Security

AI – To infinity and beyond? Let’s focus on wireless networks and cybersecurity first

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is deemed to be one of the biggest technological innovations of this decade. However, like with all innovations, we must focus on fundamental applications first before we quite literally reach for the stars. AI has huge potential for wireless networks and for the people that must protect them, as well as those who try and attack them. So how will AI come into play this year and how will it shape the future?

The reality is AI can or will — at least...

17 May 2019 | Security

McAfee: Keep an eye on the humans pulling the levers, not the AIs

Security firm McAfee has warned that it’s more likely humans will use AI for malicious purposes rather than it going rogue itself.

It’s become a cliché metaphor, but people are still concerned a self-thinking killer AI like SkyNet from the film Terminator will be created.

McAfee CTO Steve Grobman spoke at this year’s RSA conference in San Francisco and warned the wrong humans in control of powerful AIs are his company’s primary concern.

To provide an...

6 March 2019 | Security

Comcast acquires AI-powered cybersecurity technology developer BluVector

Comcast has announced the acquisition of BluVector, a company making use of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide cybersecurity protection to companies and government agencies.

With the help of a proprietary machine-learning engine, BluVector detects, analyses, and contains a wide range of sophisticated cyber-threats including “fileless malware,” zero-day malware and ransomware. Both companies will work together to grow BluVector’s existing...

6 March 2019 | Security

Trump speech ‘DeepFake’ shows a present AI threat

A so-called ‘DeepFake’ video of a Trump speech was broadcast on a Fox-owned Seattle TV network, showing a very present AI threat.

The station, Q13, broadcasted a doctored Trump speech in which he somehow appeared even more orange and pulled amusing faces.

You can see a side-by-side comparison with the original below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZLs11uSg-A&feature=youtu.be

Following the broadcast, a Q13 employee was sacked. It’s unclear if...

14 January 2019 | Deep Learning

Avast: AI, IoT, and fake apps top 2019 cybersecurity threats

According to Avast’s annual Threat Landscape Report, the biggest cybersecurity threats in 2019 will be AI, IoT, and fake apps.

Those who follow cybersecurity will likely be unsurprised at the list, but Avast goes into the specifics of each threat.

“This year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web. Fast forward thirty years and the threat landscape is exponentially more complex, and the available attack surface is growing faster than it has at any...

4 January 2019 | Security