BERKELEY, Calif. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo Technology , a mental health technology innovation company, is announcing its participation in Batch 19 of the prestigious UC Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for startup acceleration. The company's HereHear AI therapist solution will be the key focus of the program, driven by the vision of revolutionizing mental health with AI-powered virtual solutions. To learn more about HereHear, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngU32WgiWf4 "HereHear is here in the US, and I am truly grateful to the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for recognizing its potential," noted Lynia Huang , Bamboo Technology's CEO. "As important as mental health has become in recent years, there is a shortage of mental health providers and access to support is low — and HereHear is paving the way for AI to bridge that gap as a first line of defense." A growing case for incorporating AI into mental healthcare With data showing that the US is in a mental health crisis, the CDC recently noted a dire need for public health initiatives that create environments centered around mental health. Specific to the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management's Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of US employees feel burned out at work. The combination of a shortage of mental health providers in the US with the flourishing capabilities of AI builds a strong case for the technology to be deployed in the form of human-guided mental health solutions. HereHear's YangYang: A personalized 3D virtual therapist As organizations seek out ways to empower team members to take better care of their mental health, AI is increasingly emerging as a solution for on-demand, personalized support. Offering a more engaging interaction than chatbots, HereHear's 3D virtual therapist YangYang was launched in January 2024 and offers: YangYang has already been implemented in several therapy clinics and has helped 70% of users improve stress and depression levels by 25% within 3 months. Taking the form of a sheep further distinguishes her — this functions both to provide a 'cute' aspect lending to the warm, healing emotional support she provides, while also helping users who are struggling emotionally to keep in perspective that their interactions are ultimately not with a human. Bringing success in Taiwan to the US market Bamboo Technology's acceptance into the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program is a major accomplishment as the platform seeks to enter the US market. Batch 19 has only 117 startups out of around 2300 applications, and the program will support HereHear to develop, pilot and launch, as well as to pitch for funding. The company aims to target the app in the human resources space—as a tool for companies to offer staff for on-demand, privacy-first mental health support. Back in Taiwan , the app already has hospitals, mental health clinics, universities, publicly listed companies, and government agencies that use it, similarly spurred by a shortage of mental health workers. About Bamboo Technology Established in November 2018 , the Taipei -based Bamboo Technology is a mental health technology innovation company that focuses on improving public mental health with voice emotion analysis technology. It embraces a belief that a universal, objective, and scientific mental health system can effectively solve the problem of deteriorating mental health in today's society — a core tenet upheld by its many psychologists; social workers; and information management, AI and big data experts. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bamboo-technologys-herehear-virtual-ai-therapist-joins-berkeley-skydeck-ipp-program-302325187.html SOURCE BAMBOO TECHNOLOGY LTD.
Former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, one of the biggest names in artificial intelligence, had a prediction to make on Friday: reasoning capabilities will make technology far less predictable. Accepting a "Test Of Time" award for his 2014 paper with Google's GOOGL.O Oriol Vinyals and Quoc Le, Sutskever said a major change was on AI's horizon. An idea that his team had explored a decade ago, that scaling up data to "pre-train" AI systems would send them to new heights, was starting to reach its limits, he said. More data and computing power had resulted in ChatGPT that OpenAI launched in 2022, to the world's acclaim. "But pre-training as we know it will unquestionably end," Sutskever declared before thousands of attendees at the NeurIPS conference in Vancouver. "While compute is growing," he said, "the data is not growing, because we have but one internet." Sutskever offered some ways to push the frontier despite this conundrum. He said technology itself could generate new data, or AI models could evaluate multiple answers before settling on the best response for a user, to improve accuracy. Other scientists have set sights on real-world data. But his talk culminated in a prediction for a future of superintelligent machines that he said "obviously" await, a point with which some disagree. Sutskever this year co-founded Safe Superintelligence Inc in the aftermath of his role in Sam Altman's short-lived ouster from OpenAI, which he said within days he regretted. Long-in-the-works AI agents, he said, will come to fruition in that future age, have deeper understanding and be self-aware. He said AI will reason through problems like humans can. There's a catch. "The more it reasons, the more unpredictable it becomes," he said. Reasoning through millions of options could make any outcome non-obvious. By way of example, AlphaGo, a system built by Alphabet's DeepMind, surprised experts of the highly complex board game with its inscrutable 37th move, on a path to defeating Lee Sedol in a match in 2016. Sutskever said similarly, "the chess AIs, the really good ones, are unpredictable to the best human chess players." AI as we know it, he said, will be "radically different." Former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, one of the biggest names in artificial intelligence, had a prediction to make on Friday: reasoning capabilities will make technology far less predictable. Accepting a "Test Of Time" award for his 2014 paper with Google's GOOGL.O Oriol Vinyals and Quoc Le, Sutskever said a major change was on AI's horizon. An idea that his team had explored a decade ago, that scaling up data to "pre-train" AI systems would send them to new heights, was starting to reach its limits, he said. More data and computing power had resulted in ChatGPT that OpenAI launched in 2022, to the world's acclaim. "But pre-training as we know it will unquestionably end," Sutskever declared before thousands of attendees at the NeurIPS conference in Vancouver. "While compute is growing," he said, "the data is not growing, because we have but one internet." Sutskever offered some ways to push the frontier despite this conundrum. He said technology itself could generate new data, or AI models could evaluate multiple answers before settling on the best response for a user, to improve accuracy. Other scientists have set sights on real-world data. But his talk culminated in a prediction for a future of superintelligent machines that he said "obviously" await, a point with which some disagree. Sutskever this year co-founded Safe Superintelligence Inc in the aftermath of his role in Sam Altman's short-lived ouster from OpenAI, which he said within days he regretted. Long-in-the-works AI agents, he said, will come to fruition in that future age, have deeper understanding and be self-aware. He said AI will reason through problems like humans can. There's a catch. "The more it reasons, the more unpredictable it becomes," he said. Reasoning through millions of options could make any outcome non-obvious. By way of example, AlphaGo, a system built by Alphabet's DeepMind, surprised experts of the highly complex board game with its inscrutable 37th move, on a path to defeating Lee Sedol in a match in 2016. Sutskever said similarly, "the chess AIs, the really good ones, are unpredictable to the best human chess players." AI as we know it, he said, will be "radically different."
‘Sharks’ vet pitches from entrepreneurs at FAU. See who scored a dealBERKELEY, Calif. , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bamboo Technology , a mental health technology innovation company, is announcing its participation in Batch 19 of the prestigious UC Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for startup acceleration. The company's HereHear AI therapist solution will be the key focus of the program, driven by the vision of revolutionizing mental health with AI-powered virtual solutions. To learn more about HereHear, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngU32WgiWf4 "HereHear is here in the US, and I am truly grateful to the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program for recognizing its potential," noted Lynia Huang , Bamboo Technology's CEO. "As important as mental health has become in recent years, there is a shortage of mental health providers and access to support is low — and HereHear is paving the way for AI to bridge that gap as a first line of defense." A growing case for incorporating AI into mental healthcare With data showing that the US is in a mental health crisis, the CDC recently noted a dire need for public health initiatives that create environments centered around mental health. Specific to the workplace, the Society for Human Resource Management's Employee Mental Health in 2024 Research Series found that 44% of US employees feel burned out at work. The combination of a shortage of mental health providers in the US with the flourishing capabilities of AI builds a strong case for the technology to be deployed in the form of human-guided mental health solutions. HereHear's YangYang: A personalized 3D virtual therapist As organizations seek out ways to empower team members to take better care of their mental health, AI is increasingly emerging as a solution for on-demand, personalized support. Offering a more engaging interaction than chatbots, HereHear's 3D virtual therapist YangYang was launched in January 2024 and offers: YangYang has already been implemented in several therapy clinics and has helped 70% of users improve stress and depression levels by 25% within 3 months. Taking the form of a sheep further distinguishes her — this functions both to provide a 'cute' aspect lending to the warm, healing emotional support she provides, while also helping users who are struggling emotionally to keep in perspective that their interactions are ultimately not with a human. Bringing success in Taiwan to the US market Bamboo Technology's acceptance into the Berkeley Skydeck IPP Program is a major accomplishment as the platform seeks to enter the US market. Batch 19 has only 117 startups out of around 2300 applications, and the program will support HereHear to develop, pilot and launch, as well as to pitch for funding. The company aims to target the app in the human resources space—as a tool for companies to offer staff for on-demand, privacy-first mental health support. Back in Taiwan , the app already has hospitals, mental health clinics, universities, publicly listed companies, and government agencies that use it, similarly spurred by a shortage of mental health workers. About Bamboo Technology Established in November 2018 , the Taipei -based Bamboo Technology is a mental health technology innovation company that focuses on improving public mental health with voice emotion analysis technology. It embraces a belief that a universal, objective, and scientific mental health system can effectively solve the problem of deteriorating mental health in today's society — a core tenet upheld by its many psychologists; social workers; and information management, AI and big data experts. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bamboo-technologys-herehear-virtual-ai-therapist-joins-berkeley-skydeck-ipp-program-302325187.html SOURCE BAMBOO TECHNOLOGY LTD.
TV icon Oprah Winfrey left her longtime best friend Gayle King flabbergasted after surprising her with a huge 70th birthday bash. The big reveal was captured on camera and posted to Winfrey’s Instagram. King, her mouth agape, clutches her chest and freezes—completely astonished. The camera pans to show a room filled to the brim with King’s loved ones. “My bestie of 50 years is turning 70 so we gathered everyone that loved her to celebrate,” Winfrey captioned the post . “Hard thing to surprise her, O the stories we have made up, the lies we have told to keep this a secret. Happy birthday @gayleking, sorry we almost gave you a heart attack.” Winfrey and King, both successful media personalities, have been dear friends since they met as young journalists at Baltimore’s WJZ television station. When Winfrey celebrated her own 70th birthday a year earlier, she said , “No day is promised to any of us. So to reach this major milestone feels like grace in action.” A post shared by Oprah (@oprah) Paula Abdul has reached a settlement with American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe following a year-long sexual assault legal battle. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. “I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can now put behind me...,” Abdul said in a statement. “I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.” Lythgoe continued to dispute Abdul’s accusations, claiming, “We live in a troubling time where a person is now automatically assumed to be guilty until proven innocent, a process that can take years,” in a statement. Abdul accused Lythgoe of groping her in an elevator nearly 20 years ago when she was a judge on American Idol. A decade later, when she was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance , she alleged Lythgoe invited her to his home and then attempted to forced himself on her. Lythgoe stepped down as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance in January after a second suit was filed accusing him of sexually assaulting two contestants on a different show. A third lawsuit was filed in March, accusing Lythgoe of sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2018. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Consuming cannabis as an adult feels very different than doing so as a fresh-faced 21-year-old—so why should your smoking habits make your space feel like a disheveled college dorm room? NWTN Home’s collection of chic smoking essentials offers a more elevated way to enjoy cannabis in the comfort of your home. NWTN Home is a smokeware brand bringing craftsmanship to the cannabis industry by designing what they call “homeware for the high-minded.” Its weed-associated products are built to double as elegant and functional houseware items , helping you upgrade your home into a full smoking sanctuary. Plus, they make the perfect holiday gifts for your favorite creative cannabis connoisseur! This hand-poured, marbled ashtray rests atop a sleek melamine rolling tray and includes a helpful brass tool that can assist in your rolling process, making it the perfect blend of form and function. This standout stackable flower pot ashtray set is a surefire solution to keep your space clean—and your houseguests impressed. No cannabis collection is complete without something to smoke out of! These avant-garde gravity bongs are inspired by vintage housewares and designed to seamlessly blend into your barware and greenware set-ups. It’s been some 26 years since Jennifer Love Hewitt’s ‘final girl’ faced off with a vengeful killer fisherman in the I Know What You Did Last Summe r series. (That was in the film’s sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer ; a third film is not considered canon by horror fans, while a related TV series aired in 2021.) But with filming on an official threequel—set for release, wait for it, next summer—currently underway, Hewitt confirmed Friday that she’ll be reprising her original role. “It’s never too late to go back,” Hewitt wrote in an Instagram caption confirming the casting news. Hewitt joins her former co-star Freddie Prinze Jr. in the forthcoming film, alongside a lineup of young Hollywood talent who will near inevitably end up as roadkill . Perhaps unsurprisingly, Prinze Jr.‘s wife Sarah Michelle Gellar —who also starred in the first IKWYDLS movie—had previously confirmed she won’t be returning, because her character died . Fair enough! That hasn’t stopped the Internet from wondering if she didn’t really want to see Love Hewitt back either, with commenters reading deeply into an apparently shady red carpet moment . A post shared by Jennifer Love Hewitt (@jenniferlovehewitt) BBC reported that Apple’s new AI notification system sent a message from the outlet that falsely claimed Luigi Mangione shot himself. The new technology aims to group together notifications; however, it falsely wrote that the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s Manhattan slaying had shot himself. The BBC sent a message to Apple in regards to the notification, but the company declined to comment. A BBC spokesperson said, “It is essential to us that our audiences can trust any information or journalism published in our name and that includes notifications.” The notification included other news stories, which were described correctly. The message read: “Luigi Mangione shoots himself; Syrian mother hopes Assad pays the price; South Korea police raid Yoon Suk Yeol’s office.” The BBC also reported that it’s seemingly not the only news organization dealing with the misleading summarizations. A screenshot allegedly showed that a New York Times grouped notification read that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arrested. The screenshot could not be independently verified by the BBC, and the New York Times declined to comment. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. 2025 is quickly approaching, and there’s no better way to celebrate the new year than with 2024’s cocktail du jour—the espresso martini. It’s the perfect way to toast 2025 with sophistication, flavor, and an energy boost. Think you can’t make the buzzy beverage at home because you’re not a bartender? Think again. You can create this beloved cocktail effortlessly with just a cocktail shaker, fresh espresso, vodka, coffee beans, and Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur . It all starts in the land Down Under—Australia. Mr Black sources its ingredients, including 100 percent specialty-grade Arabica coffee, from local farmers and cooperatives. The liqueur is then slowly brewed with purified cold water to preserve its delicate, complex flavors. The result? A bittersweet masterpiece with bold flavor, balanced sweetness, and a lasting coffee kick. Its rich, coffee-forward taste is a crowd-pleaser, and the sleek bottle design adds a touch of elegance to any bar cart. Making an espresso martini is simple. Combine Mr Black , vodka, and freshly brewed espresso in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously until cold. Then, strain the mixture into a martini glass and finish with three coffee beans as a garnish. Skip the champagne toast this year and ensure you stay awake for the countdown to 2025 with a Mr Black espresso martini. The NFL wished Taylor Swift a Happy Birthday with a TikTok of her and Travis Kelce’s most memorable moments—on and off the field. Kelce’s employer posted the video of the singer and his relationship, which already has racked up over 1 million views. The caption read, “Karma is the guy on the @Chiefs saying happy bday to me.” The clips showed Kelce and Swift celebrating his wins at games, the pair at her concerts, and her glitzed out in Chiefs gear. “If you told me 2 years ago I would be following the NFL on tiktok and not falling asleep everytime a game is on TV... never would’ve believed it,” wrote one commenter. “Happy birthday Taylor. Thank you for uniting the Swifties and the Football Fans together in the name of art and sport,” another wrote. Swift has been seen at many Chiefs games since the beginning of her relationship with the tight end, with him visiting her at some of her tour dates. karma is the guy on the @Chiefs saying happy bday to me 🎶 #taylorswift #traviskelce #nfl #kansascitychiefs Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson , known best to some for his past relationships with Kim Kardashian , Ariana Grande , Kate Beckinsale , and more famous women, now says he doesn’t want to be known as “this f---ing loser who just dates people,” in a new interview for W Magazine . to promote his new role as creative director for colorful sock brand Doublesoul, Davidson told the outlet his feeling that he was one of “a handful of celebs every couple of years” that the media “destroys,” after multiple run-ins with tabloids over his famous exes. “For some reason, I’m one of the people they chose to go after,” he said. But, he added, “It’s actually, in a way, a blessing, because it allowed me to take a step back and evaluate things. What do you want to be? Who are you?” Davidson said he only wants to be seen publicly “when it’s movie, stand-up, charity, or business ventures” and to focus on his stand-up career. “I’m someone who is from Staten Island, wanted to do stand-up, and if I got to do anything else because of stand-up, it was a miracle.” The iconic sitcom Malcolm in the Middle will hit screens for the first time in 18 years, with a limited run of four episodes set to premiere on Disney+ . Frankie Muniz, who will reprise his role as Malcolm, announced the reboot Friday, along with Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek, who play his parents. The original creator of the show will also return as a writer. The new series follows Malcolm returning home with his daughter for his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary, according to Deadline . Christopher Kennedy Masterson, who played the eldest brother Francis, and Justin Berfield, who played the middle child Reese, are likely to be asked to reprise their roles. Though it’s unlikely that Erik Per Sullivan, who plays the youngest brother Dewey, will make an appearance. He quit acting in 2010 and has not appeared at any reunions. Malcolm in the Middle first premiered on Fox in 2000 and ran for seven seasons. Its success as a family comedy is credited with paving the way for other single-camera sitcoms. Legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers is finally opening up about his strained relationship with his family. In his new documentary, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma , Rodgers explained that he has “stunted emotional intelligence” because of the lack of open emotion in his home growing up. “I think I saw my dad cry when my grandfather passed. And that might have been it,” Rodgers shared. “There wasn’t space for emotion.” Rodgers’ brother, Jordan, first opened up about the family’s rift during his time on The Bachelorette in 2016. During a hometown date with his now-wife JoJo Fletcher, the family explained that while they “miss” Rodgers, they no longer have a relationship with him. In a 2017 profile with The New York Times , Rodgers’ father, Ed, confirmed that he hadn’t spoken to his son in three years. “Fame can change things,” he said. At the time, Rodgers said he didn’t want to talk about his family publicly. In the doc, Rodgers spoke about his family while participating in an ayahuasca ceremony. The quarterback said the psychedelic drug allows users to “model a new way of thinking about masculinity, or what it means to be a man.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Apparently, boosting prostate health can actually be pleasurable—at least, that’s what premium sexual wellness brand MysteryVibe says. The Molto, an ultra-slim and bendable prostate vibrator designed by a doctor, is engineered to be the same size and width as a doctor’s finger and to mimic similar motions to that performed during an exam, allowing for not only intense prostate (the prostate is often hailed as the male ‘G-spot’) and anal stimulation but also a release of prostatic fluids. According to the brand, some studies have found that excess prostatic fluid can lead to inflammation and pressure, so not only is this a sex toy , but it’s also possibly an investment in your prostate health. Think of it almost like a lymphatic massage for your prostate—except one that can give you intense orgasms, too. Made with body-safe silicone, the multifunctional and gender-fluid vibrator is powered by one “anatomically-placed” motor that delivers potent yet precise vibration to the anus and prostate without feeling bulky or inflexible. It’s a great sex toy for those new to anal play or who are looking for an ultra-sleek vibrator with possible health-boosting benefits. The prostate vibrator is equipped with 16 vibration settings and eight pre-set vibration patterns, allowing for superior control and customization. Plus, the device comes with access to a catalog of vibration patterns with the free MysteryVibe smartphone app. Best of all? Because the Molto vibrator is an FDA-registered class II medical device, it’s also FSA/HSA eligible. Released bodycam footage shows Paris Hilton’s ex-fiancé, Chris Zylka, in a chaotic brawl with police after a failed carjacking. Police in a Cleveland suburb first responded to reports of a shirtless, barefoot man walking in traffic in freezing temperatures on Dec. 4, local outlet WKBN first reported. Zylka was found in the middle of an intersection, where he allegedly tried to break into a woman’s car. He pointed a cell phone at the cops and began foaming at the mouth, leading officers to believe he was under the influence of drugs, according to the police report. Footage shows Zylka struggling with police officers and resisting arrest even after being tasered in the leg twice. He was then put in an ambulance by paramedics. The actor is now facing felony charges of assault and attempt to commit an offense, as well as misdemeanor disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and aggravated menacing. Hilton and Zylka started dating in 2017 after being friends for years. He proposed in early 2018 during a ski trip in Aspen, Colorado, but they called off their engagement in November that same year. Vanderpump Rules alum James Kennedy is refusing to apologize for his domestic violence arrest . “We are in the process of conducting our own investigation into the allegations levied by the Burbank Police Department against James,” Kennedy’s attorneys said in a statement to the Daily Mail . “We understand that there were no injuries and we are hoping that, after careful review, the city’s attorneys will decide not to file formal charges.” Police were called to Kennedy’s home on Tuesday because of an argument between Kennedy and a woman. That night, Kennedy attended Kathy Hilton’s Christmas party with girlfriend Ally Lewber, though it’s unknown if she is the victim. Police told People that after an investigation, they arrested the reality star for misdemeanor domestic violence. He later posted $20,000 bail. A source at the Christmas party told People that Kennedy was acting “super aggressive.” “He was acting so erratic, running back and forth to the bar and body-checking people along the way,” the source alleged. “He appeared inebriated. Spent the evening mostly alone but when he did speak to people, he appeared irritated and rude.”MIT Pioneers AI-Related BCI Tech
It’s becoming increasingly clear that AI can bring superpowers to people in many roles and will change how they work. Soon, all software that companies build and buy will become AI software , which will be more flexible and adaptive than today’s rule-based systems. This will shrink time from opportunity discovery to action. Integration will get easier as agents dynamically bridge systems so that fragmented business processes come together in interconnected flows. The shift will unlock immense value for enterprises of all kinds, enhancing velocity, productivity, and innovation. But to get there, trust is critical. Stakeholder expectations are rising as perceived risks also rise, and that’s leading to rapid experimentation with new regulation. But the regulatory patterns and postures around the world are far from settled. And while compliance is essential, building AI trust goes well beyond compliance. The companies that derive the most value from AI will be those that create trust with their customers, employees, and stakeholders. Fundamentally, people must trust AI enough to hand over tasks. Enhanced evaluations, transparency, and explainability can all contribute—as well as flexible governance that puts principles into practice while encouraging innovation. Organizations can start with a principled approach to deciding not just what they can build but what they should build. These ethical decisions must be rooted in the values unique to each organization and the values of a society that places humans at the center of the AI ecosystem. This approach to building trust is responsible AI, or RAI. And when implemented well, RAI leads to real ROI. Our research has found that the majority of large companies (72 percent) are implementing AI today in at least one business process, but just 18 percent have an RAI council with decision authority. Making AI governance work requires bringing people together who can offer complementary cross-functional perspectives. Getting RAI right means implementing guidelines for all and operationalizing formal AI trust policies. This can create a psychologically safe environment where employees feel empowered to innovate boldly. But organizations also need technical guardrails to ensure their AI systems can be driven fast but safely. Across industries, we have repeatedly seen how the right AI guardrails can accelerate innovation, not impede it. Trusted data is also key to AI innovation. AI builders should constantly ask themselves: “How do we create the right metadata to track the provenance of data sets, how they were collected, and how they therefore can be used?” Deploying a data operating guide ensures that AI builders have well-curated and documented data for responsible innovation. “The majority of large companies are implementing AI today in at least one business process, but just 18 percent have a responsible AI council with decision authority.” In parallel with strengthening data governance and guardrails, leaders must tackle the hard work of building and implementing trusted AI deployment processes. I often advise leaders to take three steps to move fast. First, educate the enterprise. Create a clear communication plan about what AI trust means for the entire organization and why everyone should be committed to it. Define how executives should lead in an AI era—and then roll out structured reskilling and upskilling programs. Even top technologists can be new to many aspects of RAI and will need to learn new human-centered AI engineering practices. Second, invest in AI trust. Allocating the right resources requires treating it as an asset that is built up and not a cost of compliance to be “managed down” in the presence of regulatory scrutiny. This means creating a multiquarter road map for enhancing RAI maturity that embraces people, processes, and technology in a well-orchestrated action plan. Third, engage cross-functional teams to deploy a strong governance platform, including registries for the software and the data resources that must be built or bought, as well as end-to-end workflows to ensure the right controls are in place. In addition, at the model and product level, AI tools should be continuously monitored by machine learning operations, or MLOps, for performance, quality, and risk. These “engine room” technologies are critical to ensuring that leaders “on the bridge” can make confident decisions. Getting AI trust right is a shared responsibility between the organizations deploying AI and the platform providers, governments, international organizations, and standards bodies aiming to ensure that AI is safe and reliable. In this dynamic environment, academic researchers, open-source communities, and developers also play a big role in building AI that is more trustworthy, transparent, and explainable. CEOs and chief technology officers can do their part by getting their data houses in order, empowering their teams to innovate safely, and monitoring all their AI deployments for signs of bias or misinformation. By Roger Roberts
NEWS BRIEF The Russian government has set a new precedent for itself by officially designating Recorded Future, the cyber threat intelligence (CTI) company, as "undesirable." It's a development that the company's CEO sees as a badge of honor. The term is the country's official parlance for sanctioning, and it means that Recorded Future won't be able to operate within Russia or interact with any Russian companies or individuals. It's a status that was first introduced in 2015 as a way to cut off Russian citizens from the influence of nongovernmental organizations (NGO), media organizations, and other members of civil society that call out human rights abuses and other concerns about Vladimir Putin's regime, which is widely characterized as repressive and authoritarian. Recorded Future is the first infosec organization and one of very few businesses to "earn" the designation, though the Russia Federation's Office of the Prosecutor General incorrectly labeled it as an NGO in its Dec. 18 announcement about the "undesirable" labeling. Among the company's supposed crimes against the state: being funded by American businesses; providing services for searching, processing, and analyzing data including on the Dark Web; "specializing in cyber threats"; and actively interacting with the CIA and other foreign intelligence forces. The Prosecutor General also called out the company, which incidentally is being acquired by Mastercard for $2.65 billion , for spreading "propaganda" and engaging in "offensive information campaigns" regarding its war with Ukraine, tracking Russian Army activities, and feeding intelligence to the Ukrainian authorities. For his part, Recorded Future CEO Christopher Ahlberg took the news better than in stride, posting on X , "Some things in life are rare compliments. This being one." Tara Seals has 20+ years of experience as a journalist, analyst and editor in the cybersecurity, communications and technology space. Prior to Dark Reading, Tara was Editor in Chief at Threatpost, and prior to that, the North American news lead for Infosecurity Magazine. She also spent 13 years working for Informa (formerly Virgo Publishing), as executive editor and editor-in-chief at publications focused on both the service provider and the enterprise arenas. A Texas native, she holds a B.A. from Columbia University, lives in Western Massachusetts with her family and is on a never-ending quest for good Mexican food in the Northeast.Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel gets 5-year contract extension
NFL ends sex assault investigation of Browns' Deshaun Watson
Nationally prominent investors from television's “Shark Tank” vetted pitches from local entrepreneurs based at Florida Atlantic University in a live competition for financial backing at the school's Boca Raton campus.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan gave athletic director Warde Manuel a five-year contract extension Thursday on the heels of the Wolverines' upset over rival Ohio State and a strong start to the basketball season. Manuel, who has held the position since 2016, signed through June 30, 2030, the school announced. Manuel is also chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee. “During Warde’s tenure as director, Athletics has put a structure in place where our student-athletes compete for Big Ten and national championships, excel in the classroom, and proudly graduate with their University of Michigan degrees,” university President Santa J. Ono said in the announcement. Michigan had a disappointing football season, finishing 7-5 (5-4 Big Ten), but a 13-10 win over then-No. 2 Ohio State took some pressure off of the program. The Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread for the rivalry since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The Wolverines won the national championship last year in their final season led by coach Jim Harbaugh, whose tenure at the school involved multiple NCAA investigations for recruiting and sign-stealing allegations. Manuel supported Harbaugh through those processes. In basketball, the women's team made its season debut (No. 23) in the AP Top 25 this week. The men are 7-1 a season after firing coach Juwan Howard, who lost a school-record 24 games in 2023-24 as Michigan plummeted to a last-place finish in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967. Michigan has won 52 Big Ten championships since 2020. “Every day, I am thankful to work at this great institution and to represent Michigan Athletics," Manuel said in a statement. "I especially want to thank the student-athletes, coaches and staff who compete for each of our teams and who have helped us achieve unparalleled success athletically and academically. I am excited to continue giving back to a university that has provided me with so much over my career.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballNorth Carolina has interviewed former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick for its head coaching position, two people with knowledge of the situation said Thursday. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn’t commenting publicly on its search. Belichick’s interview, first reported by Inside Carolina, comes a week after the school fired its winningest coach in College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown. The school announced Nov. 26 that Brown in his second stint at the school, with Brown to N.C. State. Former Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens is working as the interim coach for an upcoming bowl game as UNC conducts it search. Moving on from the 73-year-old Brown to hire the 72-year-old Belichick would mean UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level, yet had incredible NFL success alongside quarterback Tom Brady throughout most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots . In the time since, he , notably the Atlanta Falcons in January. UNC’s opening comes at a time of rapid changes in college athletics with free player movement through the transfer portal and players able to cash in on their athletic fame with endorsement opportunities. There’s also the impending arrival of revenue sharing, part of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement proposal that by a judge in October. “I think it’s a great time for me to get out,” Brown said after Saturday’s loss to the Wolfpack. “This isn’t the game that I signed up for. It’s changed so much.” In an earlier this week, athletic director Bubba Cunningham said all the coaches the school is talking with about its job “are playing,” with college football having reached its conference title games before unveiling the 12-team College Football Playoff and bowl assignments. Cunningham said then that “fit” was the most important thing in finding Brown’s successor. “There’s a certain person that’s best suited at the right time, at the right place,” he said. “And right now, that’s we’re looking for: Where are we today, who can lead us in the next three, five, 10 years?” ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: and