Following Apple’s recent announcement that it is partnering with OpenAI for its new AI system (which will see ChatGPT on Apple’s new phones), Elon Musk has threatened to ban Apple devices from his businesses.

Apple And OpenAI 

Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, announced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference that, as part of its new personalised AI system, “Apple Intelligence”, a partnership with OpenAI will see ChatGPT integrated across all platforms – within iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. This also means Apple’s new phones will have ChatGPT access and Apple’s Siri will also be able to “tap into ChatGPT”.

Musk’s Reaction 

The announcement, however, did not go down well with ‘X’/Twitter and SpaceX boss Elon Musk. His reaction was to take to his ‘X’ platform to say: “If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation”. 

In another comment, Musk said: “Visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage”. 

Fact Checked By Own Platform 

Other comments, however, such as Musk saying it’s “patently absurd” to think that Apple, which “isn’t smart enough to make their own AI” would be able to ensure OpenAI protected the security and privacy of its devices, and that Apple “has no clue what’s actually going on once they hand your data over to OpenAI” attracted the fact-checking of his own X platform over “misrepresenting what was actually announced”. 

Why? 

Musk’s objections are primarily focused around security and privacy issues. For example, Musk called the integration an “unacceptable security violation,” fearing it could compromise device security.

Offering another critical reason why Apple is partnering with OpenAI (a partnership he described as “extremely concerning”) to use its products, Musk said Apple “isn’t smart enough to make their own AI.” 

Some, however, may think that the real reasons why Musk is objecting so strongly to the OpenAI / Apple partnership have more to do with factors like:

– A history with OpenAI. Musk co-founded OpenAI but left due to disagreements over the company’s direction. He has since publicly criticised and even sued OpenAI, particularly targeting co-founder Sam Altman.

– Criticism of AI leaders. Elon Musk has had public disputes with notable AI figures, including Meta AI chief Yann LeCun, reflecting his contentious stance on AI development practices.

– Competitive interests. Mr Musk founded xAI, positioning its chatbot, Grok, as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, highlighting his interest in the AI market.

– Recent funding and valuation. For example, xAI’s recent $6 billion funding round, raising its valuation to $24 billion, may be an indicator of Musk’s serious investment in competing with OpenAI.

What Does Apple Say?

Apple had not (at the time of writing) replied to Musk’s comments. However, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, sees ‘Apple Intelligence’ as the company’s next big step, particularly given that it appears to have been slow in adopting AI. Tim Cook said: “Recent developments in generative intelligence and large language models offer powerful capabilities that provide the opportunity to take the experience of using Apple products to new heights”. 

It’s ‘all change’ for Apple recently anyway as it looks like Apple may need to open up its business practices CMA’s Digital Markets Unit (DMU) decides, later this year, it has a ‘Strategic Market Status’ (SMS) and decides that Apple has “substantial and entrenched market power” and a “position of strategic significance”. This could lead to measures for Apple like allowing third-party app stores, enabling app sideloading, unbundling WebKit from browsers, sharing data with competitors, and avoiding preferential treatment of its own services.

What Does OpenAI Say? 

Understandably, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (no stranger to criticism from Elon Musk) seems very happy about the prospect of its partnership with Apple, saying: “We’re excited to partner with Apple to bring ChatGPT to their users in a new way. Apple shares our commitment to safety and innovation, and this partnership aligns with OpenAI’s mission to make advanced AI accessible to everyone. Together with Apple, we’re making it easier for people to benefit from what AI can offer.” 

Altman may also be happy about the fact that Apple is reported to have also had talks with Google about perhaps using Gemini but has opted for OpenAI.  OpenAI also works in partnership with Microsoft and this business relationship has attracted attention over possible antitrust concerns.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

The partnership between Apple and OpenAI could represent a significant shift in the tech landscape, particularly for businesses relying on Apple products. For Apple, this collaboration enhances its AI capabilities, integrating ChatGPT into its ecosystem, which could greatly improve user experience and operational efficiency. This move looks like positioning Apple as a major player in the AI field, potentially attracting more customers and boosting its competitive edge.

For OpenAI, aligning with Apple will extend its reach and influence, embedding its technology into widely used consumer devices. This partnership could, therefore, lead to broader adoption of OpenAI’s technologies, fostering innovation and expanding its market presence. However, this could also mean increased scrutiny and the need to ensure robust security and privacy measures to maintain user trust.

Elon Musk’s reaction is a sign of the competitive tensions in the AI industry. His threat to ban Apple devices from his companies highlights concerns over data security and privacy, which are actually critical for businesses to consider. Musk’s stance, however, may also be influenced by his competitive interests, given his involvement with xAI and its chatbot Grok. This rivalry could intensify as companies vie for dominance in the AI market.

For the AI market, this partnership could be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it may accelerate AI integration and innovation, offering businesses advanced tools for efficiency and productivity. On the other hand, it raises concerns about data security, market monopolies, and the ethical implications of widespread AI use. Businesses must weigh these factors when adopting AI solutions, ensuring they align with their security policies and ethical standards.

For business users of Apple products, the integration of ChatGPT means access to powerful AI capabilities that can streamline operations, enhance customer interactions, and drive innovation. However, it also necessitates a reassessment of data security practices to protect sensitive information against potential breaches. As AI continues to evolve, businesses must stay informed and adaptable, leveraging new technologies while safeguarding their interests.

A recent ransomware cyber-attack on a provider of lab services to the NHS led to so much disruption in several major hospitals that an urgent appeal for donations of O-type blood was issued.

What Happened? 

On Monday 3 June, Synnovis, a provider of lab services, was the victim of a ransomware cyber-attack. The attack on the provider then impacted several major hospitals in London, including King’s College Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’, the Royal Brompton, and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, and primary care services in southeast London. The attack is thought to be the work of Qilin, a Russian group of cyber criminals.

The Effects

Several of the London hospitals affected declared it a critical incident. The effects of the ransomware attack included the cancellation of operations, diverting patients to other trusts, and disruption in key areas such as transplant surgeries and blood transfusions.

Urgent Appeal For Blood Donations 

The attack meant that the affected hospitals couldn’t match patients’ blood as quickly as usual. This, and the fact that blood only has a shelf life of 35 days (so stocks need to be continually replenished), and operations have been cancelled (creating a backlog) because of the cyber-attack led to an appeal. On 10 June, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) issued the appeal for O-positive and O-negative blood donors to urgently book appointments to donate in one of the 25 town and city centre NHS Blood Donor Centres in England, to boost stocks of O-type blood.

This is due to the fact that when hospitals do not know a patient’s blood type or cannot match their blood, it is safe to use O-type blood. O-negative blood type (8 per cent of the population have it) for example, can be given to anyone and is often known as the “universal blood type”, while O-positive, the most common blood type (35 per cent of donors have it) can be given to anybody with any positive blood type.

Following the disruption caused by the ransomware attack, more units of these types of blood than usual will be required over the coming weeks to support frontline staff to keep services running safely for local patients.

The Motivation? 

It’s been reported that seeking to extort money was not the primary motivation for this attack despite ransomware being used, rather the attack appears to have been carried out just to disable the system.

It’s also been reported that NHS London said shortly after the incident that it had launched a cyber response team. That said, just days before the cyber-attack, reports indicate that NHS England had spent £3m on two contracts (with KPMG and Deloitte) to provide “cyber incident response” services for the next two years.

Why Are Hospitals Targeted So Often By Cyber Criminals? 

Hospitals are often targeted by cyber criminals because they hold critical and sensitive data, often operate with outdated systems, and cannot afford prolonged downtimes, making them more likely to pay ransoms. Additionally, the widespread use of networked medical devices and historical underinvestment in cybersecurity measures make hospitals attractive targets for ransomware and other cyber-attacks.

Many may remember that the last major cyber-attack on UK hospitals was carried out by the notorious ransomware strain “WannaCry” in May 2020. The attack affected numerous NHS trusts across England, causing widespread disruption to services and leading to the cancellation of thousands of appointments and surgeries. That attack exploited a vulnerability in outdated Windows systems, highlighting significant cybersecurity weaknesses in the NHS’s infrastructure.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

The ransomware attack on Synnovis and its widespread impact on major London hospitals illustrates the critical importance of cybersecurity for businesses and organisations across all sectors. For UK businesses, this is a stark reminder that cyber threats are an ever-present risk that can have far-reaching consequences. The attack on Synnovis was not an isolated event but is part of a broader trend of increasing cyber-criminal activity targeting critical infrastructure and services.

The disruption to healthcare services highlights the vulnerabilities that many organisations face, particularly those that handle sensitive data and rely on complex, interconnected IT systems. For businesses, this means that ensuring robust cybersecurity measures is not just a technical requirement but a fundamental aspect of operational resilience. Regularly updating software, conducting security audits, and training staff on cybersecurity best practices, for example, are essential steps to mitigate the risk of such attacks.

The financial and reputational damage caused by cyber-attacks can also be devastating. For businesses, a cyber-attack can result in significant downtime, loss of customer trust, and potential legal ramifications if sensitive data is compromised. Investing in cybersecurity is, therefore, not just a defensive measure but a proactive investment in the continuity and sustainability of your business.

The NHS’s swift response in this case, including the deployment of a cyber incident response team (and the recent investment in cybersecurity services), illustrates the importance of having a well-prepared response plan. Businesses should develop and regularly update their incident response plans to ensure they can quickly and effectively respond to any cyber threats. This includes having clear communication strategies in place to keep stakeholders informed during and after an incident.

Also, the urgent appeal for blood donations in the wake of the cyber-attack serves as a poignant reminder of the interconnectedness of our modern world. Disruptions in one sector can have cascading effects across others, emphasising the importance of collaboration and support within and between industries. For businesses, this means building strong partnerships and networks to enhance collective cybersecurity resilience.

The Synnovis cyber-attack which led to so many critical UK healthcare services being severely affected is yet another wake-up call for businesses and organisations of all kinds to prioritise cybersecurity. By taking proactive measures to protect their IT infrastructure, investing in robust security solutions, and preparing comprehensive response plans, businesses can better safeguard against the growing threat of cyber-attacks and ensure their long-term viability in an increasingly digital world.

Consumer association Which? has warned that scammers are posing as airline customer service representatives on social media to steal sensitive data.

Which? says that scammers are crawling social media (often using bots) to find customers contacting airlines, and then contacting them or infiltrating their existing conversations with an airline via fake ‘X’ (Twitter) accounts.

Which? reports that it has “found examples of bogus X accounts impersonating every major airline operating in the UK, including British Airways, EasyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Tui, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air” and that some have even paid for a blue tick in order to appear genuine. Also, Which? claims that the scammers are often faster at responding than the real airlines!

Tactics scammers have been using to steal data for use in identity fraud or to sell to other criminals include sending victims legitimate looking DMs, directing victims to phishing websites (to harvest card details), and using claims of compensation entitlement to trick victims into downloading a payment (money transfer) app such as Remitly, Skrill and WorldRemit.

The advice is this : before engaging with a company on social media, to check the official website for links to its social media profiles, check when an account joined X, and to check how many followers it has to help reveal whether it is genuine.

With the world facing challenges like tackling overfishing while trying to support those in local communities who rely on fishing for a living, a South Africa-based company has developed apps to address both issues and more.

What Are The Issues? 

Today’s ocean and coastal communities are now threatened by rising temperatures, overfishing and biodiversity loss. Add to this a huge rise in global demand for fish supply and you get overfishing. In fact, with 30 per cent of fisheries are currently overexploited and 60 per cent are fully utilised, the scale and nature of some serious issues around fishing soon become painfully clear.

However, to fully understand the scope of the problem so that it can be effectively tackled, governments and marine scientists first need access to current, accurate, critical data about the origin of fish catches. To help tackle the overfishing problem and restore fish populations, they also require the support of local communities who depend on fishing for their livelihoods.

ABALOBI 

ABALOBI is a hybrid social enterprise, public non-profit technology initiative with ideas and technology to tackle these issues. ABALOBI’s technology is designed specifically to support sustainable fishing practices, empower small-scale fishers, and ensure traceability and transparency within the seafood supply chain. Its platform (designed around 3 apps) has been developed to benefit coastal communities by enhancing their livelihoods for social, economic, and ecological sustainability as well as preserving marine ecosystems (from the threat of overfishing). The apps also help ensure traceability and transparency within the seafood supply chain.

What Are The Three Apps & How Do They Help? 

The 3 apps that feed into the ABALOBI’s fishing sustainability platform are:

1. ABALOBI Fisher. This app is designed for small-scale fishers to log catches and manage their activities, such as recording catch data, tracking efforts, managing finances, and getting weather updates. This helps with resource management, operational efficiency, and safety. This app has been designed to enhance sustainability through accurate data logging, empower fishermen with better management tools, and to improves safety at sea.

2. ABALOBI Marketplace. Among its many features, this app essentially enables direct sales of seafood between fishermen and buyers. For example, fishermen can list catches for direct sale, manage orders, and access market prices. It also ensures full traceability from catch to consumer.

In terms of benefits, this marketplace app provides market access and fair pricing for fishermen, enhances transparency and trust in the supply chain, and can support fair compensation and improved livelihoods for fishers.

3. ABALOBI Monitor. This app provides a means for data collection by researchers and fisheries managers. For example, it collects data on fish stocks and socio-economic conditions, conducts surveys, and offers analytical tools for generating reports.

Being able to access this valuable and accurate data could help support sustainable resource management, inform research and policy decisions, and engage communities to address their needs and promote resilience.

Collectively therefore, these apps and the platform can empower small-scale fishermen, promote sustainable practices, and ensure supply chain transparency.

Well Received 

ABALOBI’s technology has been well received and the company was a finalist for last year’s Earthshot Prize, the global environmental award designed to incentivise solutions to the planet’s greatest environmental challenges.

At the time, Serge Raemaekers, Co-Founder and Managing Director of ABALOBI, said of his company’s technology: “Coastal communities are instrumental in the fight to preserve the health of our oceans. Our technology, developed in partnership with fishing communities, is both easy to use and can be adopted at scale, meaning responsible small-scale fishers across the globe can be appreciated as stewards of the ocean”. 

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation?

The development of technology like ABALOBI’s apps shows how innovative tech-based solutions can address significant global challenges and offer benefits across many industries. For UK businesses, this highlights the potential of apps to gather substantial amounts of accurate data and facilitate connections between diverse stakeholders, such as buyers and sellers or scientists and policymakers.

In ABALOBI’s case, its apparent success in developing technology to promote sustainable fishing practices and enhance the livelihoods of coastal communities illustrates how technology can drive sustainability and transparency, and improve lives. Similar approaches can be applied in different sectors, enabling businesses to optimise resource management, improve operational efficiency, and meet consumer demands for ethical practices.

Also, the ability of ABALOBI’s apps to provide real-time data and insights highlights the importance of accurate information in making informed decisions. Businesses can leverage such data to enhance their supply chains, ensure fair pricing, and build trust with customers and partners.

While technology can play a vital role in tackling tough challenges, it’s often not a standalone solution. Addressing complex issues like overfishing, for example, requires a multifaceted approach, including regulatory support, community engagement, and educational initiatives. For example, enforcing sustainable practices, raising awareness about environmental impacts, and supporting local communities are essential complementary measures.

ABALOBI appears to have developed a technology-based solution to help tackle a very real and pressing global food sustainability issue. For businesses generally, however, it provides an example of how the targeted incorporation of technology into a business strategy can help find workable solutions to problems, improve transparency, and foster resilience. Although ABALOBI is a non-profit initiative, it still serves as an example to other businesses and organisations of how technology can contribute to global sustainability efforts while enhancing their own operations and reputation.

This video-update explains how to change your Facebook (Meta) name and user name, which is less obvious than it sounds …

Pinning frequently used websites to your taskbar using Microsoft Edge allows you to access them quickly, just like any other app, enhancing your workflow efficiency. Here’s how to do it:

– Launch Microsoft Edge from the Start menu or taskbar.

– Navigate to the Website you want to pin to the taskbar.

– Click on the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner of Edge.

– Select ‘More tools’, then click ‘Pin to taskbar’.

– The website will now appear as an icon on your taskbar for quick access.