Only a month after its launch, Google has paused its text-to-image AI tool following “inaccuracies” in some of the historical depictions of people produced by the model.

‘Woke’ … Overcorrecting For Diversity? 

An example of the inaccuracy issue (as highlighted by X user Patrick Ganley recently, after asking Google Gemini to generate images of the Founding Fathers of the US), was when it returned images of a black George Washington. Also, in another reported test, when asked to generate images of a 1943 German (Nazi) soldier, Google’s Gemini image generator returned pictures of people of clearly diverse nationalities in Nazi uniforms.

The inaccuracies have been described by some as examples of the model subverting the gender and racial stereotypes found in generative AI, a reluctance to depict ‘white people’ and / or conforming to ‘woke’ ideas, i.e. the model trying to remove its own bias and improve diversity yet ending up simply being inaccurate to the point of being comical.

For example, on LinkedIn, Venture Capitalist Michael Jackson said the inaccuracies were a “byproduct of Google’s ideological echo chamber” and that for the “countless millions of dollars that Google spent on Gemini, it’s only managed to turn its AI into a nonsensical DEI parody.” 

China Restrictions Too? 

Another issue (reported by Al Jazeera), noted by a former software engineer at Stripe on X, was that Gemini would not show the image of a man in 1989 Tiananmen Square due to its safety policy and the “sensitive and complex” nature of the event. This, and similar issues have prompted criticism from some that Gemini may also have some kind of restrictions related to China.

What Does Google Say? 

Google posted on X to say about the inaccurate images: “We’re working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately. Gemini’s AI image generation does generate a wide range of people. And that’s generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it’s missing the mark here.” 

Google has, therefore, announced that: ”We’re already working to address recent issues with Gemini’s image generation feature. While we do this, we’re going to pause the image generation of people and will re-release an improved version soon.” 

Bias and Stereotyping 

Bias and stereotyping have long been issues in the output of generative AI tools. Bias and stereotyping in generative AI outputs exist primarily because AI models learn from vast amounts of data collected from human languages and behaviours, which inherently contain biases and stereotypes. As models mimic patterns found in their training data, they can replicate and amplify existing societal biases and stereotypes.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Google has only just announced the combining of Bard with its new Gemini models to create its ‘Gemini Advanced’ subscription service, so this discovery is likely to be particularly unwelcome. The anti-woke backlash and ridicule are certainly something Google could do without about now, but the issue has highlighted the complications of generative AI, how it is trained, and the complexities of how models interpret the data and instructions they’re given. It also shows how AI models may be advanced, but they don’t actually ‘think’ (as a human would), they can’t perform ‘reality checks’ as humans can because they don’t ‘live’ in the ‘real world.’ Also, this story shows how early we still are in the generative AI journey.

Google’s explanation has shed some light on the thinking behind the issue and at least it’s admitted to being wide of the mark in terms of historical accuracy – which is clear from some of the examples. It’s all likely to be an embarrassment and a hassle for Google in its competition with Microsoft and its partner OpenAI, nevertheless, Google seems to think that with a pause plus a few changes, it can tackle the problem and move forward.

Apple says it’s rolling out an update to its iMessage texting platform that can defend against future encryption-breaking technologies such as decryption by quantum computers.

Apple says its PQ3 “groundbreaking post-quantum cryptographic protocol” offers Level 3 security, i.e. it provides protocol protections that surpass those in all other widely deployed messaging apps. Apple says PQ3 (post-quantum cryptography 3) has the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world and that it has “rebuilt the iMessage cryptographic protocol from the ground up to advance the state of the art in end-to-end encryption”.

Although Apple acknowledges that quantum computers with the capability to crack classical public key cryptography algorithms don’t exist yet, it says its PQ3 update offers “the strongest protection against quantum attacks” in the future and is “the only widely available messaging service to reach Level 3 security”.

Just days after it was announced that the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), the FBI, and Europol had taken down the Russian LockBit ransomware gang’s website, it’s been reported that LockBit ransomware is still being deployed via flaws in a popular remote access tool.

Researchers at cybersecurity companies Huntress and Sophos have highlighted how two bugs in the ConnectWise ScreenConnect remote access IT support tool, usually used by IT technicians, are being exploited to launch LockBit attacks.

ConnectWise has issued an alert urging IT administrators to take quick action to patch the two critical vulnerabilities. Details are available here.

The ‘gasification’ of waste tea prunings is being used to both provide free energy for factories in Kenya and to decarbonise the tea sector.

Gasification 

UK-based waste-to-energy company Compact Syngas Solutions (CSS) has developed a ‘gasification’ process which can convert biomass and other feedstocks into synthesis gas (syngas), which can be used to generate heat and power.

Challenges 

In Kenya, where half of the tea drunk in the UK originates from, the tea industry faces challenges including:

– An unreliable and expensive electricity grid. This grid cuts out for an hour a day on average, meaning that tea producers must rely on diesel generators for power and wood for heat. As well as being disruptive, it is not environmentally friendly.

– Fertile soils are needed for tea, yet using fertilisers at scale can be expensive and can also be environmentally unfriendly.

How ‘Gasification’ Technology Can Help 

The ‘Micro-Hub’ modular gasification system from CSS can provide the following solutions to the above-mentioned challenges in the tea industry by:

– Being able to run 24/7, thereby addressing the outages that cause the disruption and the need for diesel generators, and matching the peak demand of tea factories.

– Generating energy from waste products, such as biomass like waste wood, tea cuttings, and other selected non-recyclable materials. Also, the power and hydrogen produced from biogenic feedstock has lower CO2 emission which, coupled with CSS carbon capture technology, means the Micro-Hub is carbon neutral. This can make tea production greener and help with the decarbonisation of the tea industry.

– Economic benefits/cost savings, i.e. the payback for a Micro-Hub can be as low as 2.7 years.

– Scalability and the ability to tailor to the user’s energy requirements, e.g. as and when demand grows, more modular plants (Micro-Hubs) can be added.

– Transportation and fertiliser production opportunities resulting from the green hydrogen from syngas production (syngas is a mix of hydrogen, methane and carbon dioxide and monoxide).

– Increased tea yields (up to 23 per cent), increased fertiliser use efficiency, and better drought resilience.

Job Creation Too 

The 500kWh plant Micro-Hubs that produce the green energy will also reportedly create jobs for up to 10 skilled technical and operational workers. This could add up to 300 new jobs in Kenya within the first five years.

Plans To Expand 

Plans are already in place (pending proven success in Kenya) to expand the green energy Micro-Hubs to Malawi, Uganda, South Africa and, perhaps, across the world.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

For tea producers in Kenya, a major challenge is the unreliable power grid. Also, the industry needs to decarbonise. Having a mini, modular, 24/7 power/energy generator on hand that runs on tea plant cuttings (and other biomaterials) can, therefore, meet these challenges and provide many other benefits.

For example, essentially free green energy that meets tea factory demand will help to decarbonise the tea industry and improve efficiency and productivity. The mini power hubs may also provide the added benefit of new job creation in an exciting new field. This story is an example of how technology can be used in a way that benefits an industry, a country, and the world in terms of carbon emission reduction, economic advancement, and the scalability of this system and its benefits.

You may not know that Microsoft Word doesn’t spellcheck uppercase words by default so, if you’d like to make sure your entire document (even your uppercase words) is fully spellchecked, here’s how:

In Word, click on ‘File’.

Click on ‘Options’.

Click on ‘Proofing’.

Un-check ‘Ignore words in UPPERCASE’ and click ‘Save’.

After the Amazon-owned ‘Ring’ video doorbell company’s recent major subscription price hike across its range caused anger and made the news, we look at what customers have said and if there’s a way to beat the price hike.

Ouch! 

Ring has angered customers and received some negative publicity after announcing that starting on 11 March this year, its subscription price for its basic plan customers will rise by an eye-watering 43 per cent, from £34.99 to £49.99 per device, per year.

This will mean that the basic plan price has doubled since 2022 when it was priced at £24.99 per year for each device.

Also, those who pay monthly will see a price increase from £3.49 to £4.99 a month.

Angry 

The announcement of the price increase prompted angry reactions from customers including many taking to Reddit to complain, saying they’d already cancelled their subscription, and suggesting ways to object and force a U-turn. For example, one very popular threat in the Ring sub-Reddit is called “Cancel your Ring subscription.” At the head of the thread in Reddit, for example, the ‘Discussion’ summary reads: “Even if you plan on paying for it with the new price, just cancel it now and select price as the reason why” and “it just increased not long ago and now they are trying to introduce an even bigger increase. If everyone cancelled, the increase would be called back immediately.” 

Other points that angry customers have made include:

– They’ve just bought a Ring doorbell or been given one for Christmas but won’t use it because the subscription price is now too high.

– Not wanting to invest heavily in hardware for a company that has gained a reputation for subscription price hikes.

– Highlighting how the company’s increase in per-device price for a capability that may not be used anyway (the ability to save, review and share video recordings) amounts to Ring damaging its reputation unnecessarily.

Others, however, who can accept the price rise, are not willing to cancel or switch (they still perceive value outweighing the price). For example, one Reddit user wrote: “It sucks, but who’s going to switch over 10 dollars a year? I’m not going to uninstall it and change to another one. I live in a neighbourhood with a lot of people and the past recordings are insurance in case anything happens.” 

What Does Ring Say? 

As yet no specific statement in answer to the threat of mass subscription cancellations has been released by Ring and there’s only a price update page on the website explaining what happens if customers cancel their subscriptions.

Suggestion About How To Freeze Price – Martin Lewis 

Consumer financial champion and broadcaster Martin Lewis, however, took to the ‘X’ platform to suggest a way that users can beat the 43 per cent price hike. Mr Lewis suggested: “Cancel now and get a pro-rata refund (you may lose saved files though) – Sign up again at the current price which then locks it in for the next year.” 

Mr Lewis also said he will be sending out a “Full checked out update to come via MSE News” i.e., Money Saving Expert news.

Alternatives 

In what is a growing video doorbell market, there are alternative/competing products, although Ring is the market leader in the UK (up until now), and competitors are unlikely to have the backing of a company with the market power and wealth of Amazon.

Some examples of competing products include Nest Hello, Arlo Video Doorbell, August View, Eufy, and Tapo. Nest Hello, for example, is known for its high video and audio quality, sleek design, and advanced features like activity zones and familiar face alerts. Arlo Video Doorbell is reported to offer excellent video quality, a wide field of view, two-way talk functionality, and smart notifications that can differentiate between people, vehicles, and animals. August View is known for characteristics like its user-friendliness and day-to-day use.

Other Concerns 

Beyond price issues, there are other concerns around the use of video doorbells not least of which is privacy. For example, back in October 2021 in the UK, a judge ruled that video images and audio files that a Ring doorbell and cameras captured of the neighbour of an Oxfordshire plumber were her personal data and that the video doorbell and the use of the doorbell of this case was a kind of harassment and had been in breach of the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. Consequently, the owner of the Ring doorbell (the plumber) was fined a substantial sum. Following this Fairhurst v Woodard case, Amazon, the parent company of Ring LLC, issued a warning to its Ring Doorbell owners saying, “We strongly encourage our customers to respect their neighbours’ privacy and comply with any applicable laws when using their Ring product.”

The case doesn’t mean that any usage of Ring doorbells is illegal as the prosecution mainly centred around the doorbell’s audio recording capabilities (the range at which it was capturing audio) being too much for crime prevention and home protection purposes. Also, it was found that the doorbell’s owner hadn’t been transparent about how and when his camera was operating. That said, it does highlight how there is a real risk if video doorbell owners don’t adhere to data privacy and other relevant laws.

In addition to privacy concerns, other risks that owners of video doorbells may need to consider include:

– Security risks (i.e. a risk of hacking) where unauthorised individuals could gain access to your video feed or personal data.

– Not understanding where and how video data is stored, who has access to it, and how long it is retained (and the potential legal implications thereof).

– Network requirements. This is because video doorbells require a stable and strong Wi-Fi connection. Weak signals can affect performance.

– As illustrated by this Ring price hike, beyond the initial purchase, buyers need to carefully consider subscription fees for additional features, like cloud storage or enhanced security measures.

– For wireless video doorbell models, battery life can vary, and replacing or charging batteries can be a hassle.

– It’s possible, depending on the sensitivity and technology used, owners may receive false alerts from passing cars, animals, or other non-human movements, which can be annoying and disruptive.

– Whether or not the doorbell can operate well in the weather conditions common to your area.

– Compatibility with existing smart home devices and ecosystems can vary, impacting your overall smart home experience.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

Even though Amazon’s Ring doorbell company announced a couple of years ago that there would be a price increase, the sheer scale of it has been met with anger as well as many threats and claims of cancellations. The fact that customers appear not to be able to see any additional value or extra benefit to justify such a large price increase (and perhaps a lack of further communication about it) alongside the availability of some quality alternatives appears to have considerably lowered the barrier to exit and created a PR disaster for Ring.

Having Amazon as a very powerful and wealthy owner may have been a key reason why Ring has become the market leader, but this makes it all the more surprising that a price rise has been handled in this way. For Ring customers who’ve only recently purchased or been gifted the hardware, this is a blow that may cause them to cut their losses and try a competitor. For video doorbell competitors, therefore, it’s the best opportunity they’ve had in years to gain share and chip away at Ring’s market position.

For Ring, however, if the ‘customer rebellion’ continues, it could put pressure on them to go for a climbdown or to announce some kind of additional benefit(s) to pacify and retain customers. Price sensitivity and changing market conditions, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis, are something that all B2C companies (especially) need to take seriously in their pricing strategies.