Hydropanels are an innovative and sustainable way to extract clean, reliable drinking water from the air off-grid.

How Hydropanels Work 

Hydropanels (such as those made by Arizona-based SOURCE®) work by using a solar panel to power fans that pull pure water vapour out of the air and the warmed air inside the panel turns the water vapour into liquid water. The pure collected water is then mineralized by the system for health and taste and the self-contained system circulates the water and keeps it clean. The water gathered by the hydropanels can be plumbed directly into a home to create a sustainable water supply.

How Much Water Do They Produce? 

SOURCE®’s figures say that each of its R3 Hydropanels can produce the equivalent of approximately 180 standard bottles of water per month (with at least one panel for every two people living in the home recommended) and its systems can be configured to meet any water volume demand, e.g. from a single-family household to whole communities and everything in between. In addition to the R3 hydropanel, the company also makes a commercial version for worksites, schools, and hospitality, including hotels, venues, and restaurants.

Helping To Reduce Plastic 

SOURCE® says that its system can help to reduce plastic waste because the water produced by a single hydropanel can eliminate the need for 54,000 single-use plastic water bottles over its 15-year lifespan.

Anywhere 

One of advantages of hydropanels is that they can provide an inexhaustible supply of water anywhere, such as for communities (or businesses) in remote areas not connected to municipal water. An example on the SOURCE® website highlights how colonias (the unincorporated communities mostly in border counties in Texas) could be helped by the use of hydropanels.

Backed By Bill Gates and Blackrock 

In March 2022, it was reported that Bill Gates and investment management company Blackrock were some of the high-profile investors supplying funding to SOURCE® global.

What Does This Mean For Your Organisation? 

These hydropanels are an example of how existing green energy ideas and new technology can be combined in a way that can help solve one of the world’s challenges – getting drinking water supplies to areas that don’t have it (such as 800,000 villages in India). The fact that the system is able to provide a potentially endless supply of pure water in any volume simply from the air, with no need to be connected to any large water infrastructure (pipe networks, cleaning, and pumping stations) makes it sustainable, green, and a very efficient way to solve a major problem. This could provide benefits around the world for communities and businesses.

Desalination plants and other similar ideas are tied to coastal areas yet the hydropanel system can be deployed anywhere, giving it much wider global scope. The fact that it can save on plastic waste by eliminating the need for bottled water is another big bonus at a time when plastic waste and microplastics are polluting existing water sources around the world. It’s also worth noting, therefore, that water produced from the air should also be free of microplastics making it purer than most of the water the developed world drinks at the moment.

How Bright Is Your Toothpaste?

The Oppenheimer blockbuster launched with an IMDB rating of 9.0, so it appears lots of people liked it.

Whilst the film made mention of many of the pioneers in physics who helped during the Manhattan project, it could perhaps have made more than at least a passing reference to Marie Curie. After all, her contribution towards nuclear physics literally killed her and she died in the month of July, way back in 1934, as a result of radioactive exposure. This was hardly a surprise given what little people knew about the effects of radiation at the turn of the last century. In fact it was her that literally coined the phrase “radioactivity”.

Obviously, it’s a bad idea to handle radium. Yet people did in those days and with gusto, because it glows in the dark. In fact people used it from everything to wristwatch-dials to brushing their teeth with it, with devastating results! As an aside, Marie’s notebooks are still too contaminated to be considered safe to handle even now.

Not only was she the first woman ever to get a Nobel prize, she was the first person to get it twice and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields and the first woman to become a professor at the lauded Sorbonne in Paris – simply unheard of in those days.

To get an idea of the kinds of lengths she went to, she used to manually process pitchblende (the ore where radium comes from). There’s about 1 gram of radium for every seven tons of the ore and the cost of radium went from circa £400 per gram in 1903 to circa £20,000 per gram in 1918 when people believed it cured cancer (rather than causing it).

Nuclear physics has come along a long way since people cheerfully drank radium-laced cocktails and hopefully we’ll shortly see the advent of scalable clean energy coming from fusion reactors being developed – there’s a lot of investment and excitement in this space right now. With luck, the power requirements for the burgeoning tech industry could be met (alongside those of other sectors) because with AI and everything else, data-requirements are definitely exploding right now, even if the reactors don’t.

Just a few clicks and changes in the task manager can save you time by making your Windows PC startup faster. Here’s how:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to bring up the task manager.

Click on the ‘Startup’ tab.

Click on ‘Startup Impact’ to see which apps are slowing things the most.

Right click and select ‘disable’ for anything you went to prevent for starting every time you start up your PC. Make sure it’s nothing important first though!

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the US actors’ union with 160,000 members has gone on strike mainly over fears that AI will reduce earnings and damage their profession.

New Agreement Needed 

One of the Union’s main roles is negotiating terms between actors and the studios, and the last agreement expired on 30 June (and was extended to 12 July), meaning negotiations were needed which have led to a disagreement and the strike. This is the first time the actors and writers have been on strike at the same time since 1960, when Ronald Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Reasons 

In addition to negotiating ‘residuals’, the payments performers receive for repeat showings of films or TV shows (which has been complicated by streaming), who owns their likeness if reproduced by AI has now become a serious issue and a major sticking point.

The Screen Actors Guild union’s membership isn’t only actors in film and TV shows, it’s also made up video game performers, radio presenters, models,  YouTube influencers, and more, and although the union is in the US, its reach, influence, and acts of solidarity with its members are global, meaning the strike is causing major disruption to the whole industry.

How Could AI Negatively Affect Actors And The Profession? 

A recent proposal by The AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers), which represents studio bosses reportedly suggested that background performers could simply be scanned and paid one day’s pay, while their scanned image is then owned by film companies who can use the person’s image or likeness (reproduced with AI) for unlimited projects in the future without the performer’s consent and without compensation. It has been noted that this proposal resembles the plot of an episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror (a Netflix Sci-Fi series). As the SAG-AFTRA union president Fran Drescher said in a recent press conference, the fear from performers is, “We are all going to be in jeopardy of being replaced by machines.”

Stars Out 

The SAG-AFTRA union has many well-known celebrities, many of whom have come out very publicly in support of the strike, for example, Meryl Streep, Charlize Theron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Olivia Wilde, Ewan McGregor, and George Clooney who said that change was required for “our industry to survive”. The fact that SAG-AFTRA has some very famous members is a source of power and leverage in the argument.

Equity In The UK 

Comments by Liam Budd, of UK acting union Equity, have shed more light on the extent to which AI could threaten the pay and jobs of actors and performers. Mr Budd recently outlined how AI is being used for automated audiobooks, synthesised voiceover work, digital avatars for corporate videos, and how AI deepfakes are being used in films, all which have led to “fear circulating” amongst the Equity members.

Writers’ Concerns 

The trade union representing writers for TV, film, theatre, books and video games in the UK, The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has also expressed concerns about the encroachment of AI, such as:

– AI developers using writers’ work without permission, infringing writers’ copyright.

– AI tools don’t clearly show where AI has been used to create content.

– Increased AI will reduce the number of job opportunities for writers and reduce the level of writers’ pay.

– The contributions made by the creative industry to the UK economy and national identity could be diluted by AI.

That said, on the point about whether AI could replace writers, the WGGB says “AI systems are not yet sophisticated enough to produce works which accurately mimic the standard of writing produced by professional writers” and “the WGGB does not believe that AI will be able to replicate the originality, authenticity, enthusiasm and humanity that professional writers put into their storytelling.” The union does, however, accept that AI systems could be able to mimic writes’ work in the future.

What have The Studios Said?

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ union (AMPTP), which represents the studios and their interests, issued a statement highlighting the positive aspects of its proposal such as “historic pay and residual increases, substantially higher caps on pension and health contribution” and saying that “A strike is certainly not the outcome we hoped for as studios cannot operate without the performers that bring our TV shows and films to life.” 

With regards to AI and using images and likeness of actors, the AMPTP has said that it has proposed measures to protect actors’ digital likenesses which include securing an actor’s consent to create and use a digital likeness or to digitally alter their performance, and that the use of digital replicas will be restricted to the specific motion picture for which the actor is employed. Also, it says any additional use would require that actor’s consent and further negotiation.

What Does The Strike Mean For The Entertainment Industry? 

In summary, the results of calling the strike means:

– All production under the SAG-AFTRA TV and film contract being halted immediately, thereby bringing projects to a standstill both in the U.S. and around the globe.

– In the UK, with solidarity from the Equity union (and those who have joint cards), many members will stop work and be reluctant to accept work that would have been offered to striking colleagues. Also, co-productions of films and TV shows (US/UK) will be put on hold.

– Actors will no longer be able to promote shows and films they have already made, and this will extend to use of social media for promotion.

– Chat shows may be short of high-profile celebrities for the time being.

Ownership of Likeness 

Ways in which famous actors normally protect their image in likeness, in addition to protection offered by union deals, can include:

– Right of Publicity – the main legal doctrine that celebrities use to control the commercial use of their name, image, voice, or persona.

– Trademark Law – registering their name, image, or signature as trademarks.

– Contract Law – when entering contracts with studios or other entities, actors may have contracts often include detailed provisions about how and when their image can be used.

– Copyright Law – to protect creative works that feature a person’s image.

– Defamation Law – to stop someone falsely uses a celebrity’s image in a way that harms their reputation.

– Privacy Law – used (in some jurisdictions) to protect against intrusive or misleading uses of a person’s image.

However, the rapid evolution of AI and AI tools has led to a blurring of the lines around ownership. For example, when an AI image generator like DALL-E has a likeness added to it to make an image, the new image is in public domain, free to use by anyone, and not protected by copyright law.

This, and the many arguments of the acting and writers’ unions point to the need for new regulations that address these many evolving issues.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The actors argue that AI gives studios the chance to slash costs and are clearly afraid that AI could be used replace them and their skills, could reduce pay, could lead to fewer acting jobs and job losses, could damage their industry, and devalue their profession and status. They also argue that there are serious issues to be addressed around the use of image and likeness and over matters of consent for the use of these and ownership. For the studios, film and program makers, plus their customers, the strike is likely to be costly, disruptive and damaging. Unfortunately, although AI can be used to help enhance film and programme making, the nature of the business lends itself well to automation. For example, actors images, voices and places can all be easily copied by AI tools (although still not perfectly), and generative AI tools can even be used to write scripts (albeit poorly according to Charlie Brooker, writer of Black Mirror). Of course, this is all part of negotiation between unions and studios that also covers other matters, e.g. the effects of streaming. However, it highlights much of the fear around AI and what many see as the alarming pace of development and the need for new regulation to keep up, how automation by AI could destroy jobs and for some, and even how AI could pose a threat to humanity itself.

It also highlights how generative AI tools are blurring hitherto clearer legal boundaries and how quickly AI can disrupt businesses and industries creating both opportunities and threats for those in them. Many will watch with interest how the dispute unfolds and how similar issues will affect/are affecting related industries going forward e.g., music and art.

In this tech insight, we look at what ‘zero-day’ attacks are, then look at some recent high-profile examples and ultimately at what businesses can do to protect themselves from zero-day attacks.

Sophisticated Attacks That Highlight Vulnerabilities 

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital threats and cyber warfare, one term often sends chills down the spines of cybersecurity professionals: Zero-Day Attacks. These sophisticated and stealthy cyber-attacks represent a significant challenge in today’s interconnected business world. They symbolise not just the advancement of cybercriminals’ tactics but also highlight the vulnerabilities that exist within our most trusted digital infrastructures.

Exploiting Zero-Day Vulnerabilities 

Zero-day attacks are attacks by threat actors that exploit zero-day vulnerabilities. These are undisclosed software vulnerabilities (unknown to vendor or victims) that hackers can exploit to adversely affect computer programs, data, additional computers, or a network.

Vulnerabilities targeted in zero-day attacks can be found in operating systems, web browsers, Office applications, open-source components, hardware and firmware, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Why “Zero-Day”? 

The term “zero-day” comes from the fact that software developers and those in charge of digital security have zero days to fix the vulnerability because it is simply not known to them until the first attack. This means that attackers can exploit the vulnerabilities before developers become aware and are able to issue any patches or remediations.

How Big Is The Problem? 

Although zero-day vulnerabilities fell by almost a third in 2022, it was still the second highest year on record (Mandiant research) with 55 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited and products from the three largest vendors (Microsoft, Google, and Apple) were the most commonly exploited (for the third year in a row).

What Can Happen? 

Zero-day attacks commonly result in unauthorised data access, data theft, or service disruptions. These, in turn, can result in reputational damage, lost customers, fines (e.g. legal action by those affected an/or ICO fines), plus possibly the loss of the business itself if the attack is serious enough. Secondary attacks on the business and those affected by data theft could also come from the first attack,.e.g. malware, ransomware, phishing, social engineering attacks, and more.

Cybersecurity experts, therefore, continually work to discover these types of vulnerabilities before hackers do, to try and prevent potential attacks.

Vulnerabilities, Exploits, Then Attacks 

After threat actors have discovered a zero-day vulnerability, the next stage is ‘zero-day exploits’ – the blueprints that outline how these hidden flaws can be taken advantage of, often traded on the dark web. The zero-day attack itself is, therefore, the act of exploiting the flaw/vulnerability, using the guidance of the exploit, before a patch can be rolled out, leaving a digital system scrambling in the wake of the unforeseen breach.

Who? 

These under-the-radar strikes are often orchestrated by advanced cyber criminals, state-sponsored hacking groups, or unscrupulous entities with nefarious motives. The objectives are as varied as the threat actors themselves. For some, it’s about monetary gains whereas for others, it’s a tool for intellectual property theft, infiltrating state secrets, or merely sowing seeds of chaos. Corporate espionage and political machinations are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reasons behind these attacks.

Recent High-Profile Examples 

Some recent, high-profile examples of Zero-Day attacks include:

– In 2023, a critical vulnerability was uncovered in the secure managed file transfer (MFT) service provided by MOVEit, a transfer platform widely used by large companies in a variety of sectors including healthcare, government, finance, and aviation. The Russian-based Clop Ransomware group exploited the vulnerability and were able to steal data from eight UK organisations including BBC, British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Boots.

– In 2022 the CVE-2022-30190, a.k.a. Follina vulnerability in Microsoft Diagnostics Tool (MDST), was exploited and victims were persuaded to open Word documents which enabled attackers to execute arbitrary code. The government of the Philippines, business service providers in South Asia, and organisations in Belarus and Russia were all subject to the same zero-day attack.

– The notorious Microsoft Exchange Server hack in early 2021, widely believed to have been sponsored by a nation-state, exploited several previously unknown vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s email server software. The damage was widespread and profound, with tens of thousands of organisations worldwide left grappling with the aftermath before a security patch could be rolled out.

– Google’s Chrome suffered a series of zero-day threats in 2021, causing Chrome to issue updates. The vulnerability was a bug in the V8 JavaScript engine used in the web browser.

– A zero-day attack on video conferencing platform Zoom in 2020 where hackers accessed a user’s PC remotely if they were running an older version of Windows. The hackers targeted the administrator, allowing them to completely take over their machine and access all files.

– In 2020, the Apple iOS was attacked twice with zero-day vulnerabilities and one zero-day bug allowed attackers to compromise iPhones remotely.

How Businesses Can Protect Themselves 

So, how can businesses protect themselves against the threat of zero-day attacks? Given their nature, these attacks pose a formidable challenge, but protective measures that can be taken include:

– Regularly updating software updates and staying up to date with patching.

– Employing advanced threat detection tools that utilise behaviour-based detection techniques to pinpoint anomalies and unusual activity in network traffic (often the first sign of a zero-day attack).

– Conducting regular penetration tests and vulnerability assessments. These proactive practices can unearth previously unknown vulnerabilities within systems, allowing businesses to patch them before they are exploited. Following the principle of least privilege – limiting user access rights to the bare minimum needed for their work – can also help reduce the extent of potential damage should an attack occur.

– Beyond technological defences, investing in comprehensive cybersecurity awareness training for employees is crucial. An informed team acts as the human firewall against cyber threats, understanding the risks, recognising signs of possible attacks, and knowing how to respond swiftly and effectively.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

In the face of the ominous threat of zero-day attacks, businesses must adopt a proactive and comprehensive approach to digital security. A robust defence strategy isn’t a luxury but an absolute necessity in today’s digital age. It involves a constant balancing act of risk management, regular system updates, advanced threat detection, routine penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments, regular system audits, and maintaining a culture of security vigilance throughout the organisation.

A multi-layered security approach and a zero-trust model could, therefore, provide a solid foundation for defence although, because some vulnerabilities may still not be known until it’s too late, zero-day attacks remain an ever-present threat.

The potential devastation of zero-day attacks and their aftermath is unquestionable, but it is not an insurmountable challenge. By being as vigilant and proactive in defence measures as is realistically possible, businesses can steer through the murky waters of the cyber threat landscape, securing their digital assets, and upholding the trust of their customers and partners. The world of cybersecurity may be akin to a never-ending arms race, but with the right preparation and resilience, staying one step ahead must be an achievable goal.

London and San Francisco–based startup Stability AI has announced the launch of ‘Stable Doodle’, a sketch-to-image AI-based tool that converts a simple drawing into a dynamic image.

Creates An Image From A Simple Doodle and Text Description 

The new tool from Clipdrop by Stability AI, creates images from a simple doodle (sketched with a mouse) coupled with a text description and a choice of art style, all added through a user-friendly interface.

The 14 styles available in Stable Doodle range from realistic (photography) to cinematic to creative (fantasy art and origami).

How Does It Work?

Stable Doodle uses algorithms to analyse the outline of an image to help generate a coherent result.

The AI technology behind it is a combination of the advanced image-generating technology of Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion XL (an image generation model) with the T2I-Adapter, a condition control solution (by Tencent ARC) that gives more precise AI image generation. The addition of trainable parameters to existing large diffusion models, and the T2I-Adapter enabling inclusion of additional input conditions, such as sketches, segmentation maps, or key poses are what help to create the impressive and flexible image outputs of Stable Doodle.

Who? 

Stable Doodle is aimed at both professionals and novices, regardless of their familiarity with AI tools, and is available to try for free on the Clipdrop by Stability AI website here (https://clipdrop.co/stable-doodle) and as an app (iOS and Google Play). Users can begin experimenting with the tool without a login, subject to daily limits.

Benefits 

Stability AI says that Stable Doodle can enables designers, illustrators, and other professionals to free up valuable time and maximise efficiency. Also, ideas drawn as simple sketches (provided there’s a good accompanying description), can now be immediately implemented into works to create designs for clients, material for presentation decks and websites, or even create logos. This enables time and cost savings and gives those with few or no design skills and experience the ability to create professional visual results.

Not The Only AI Image Generator 

Stable Doodle is by no means the only AI image generator available. Others include DALL-E 2, Jasper, NightCafe, AutoDraw (a similar doodle to image setup), Midjourney, Designs.ai, and more.

What Does This Mean For Your Business? 

The big benefits of Stable Doodle appear to be its simplicity for the users – just a doodle and a description – and the scope and quality of the outputs due to power what the tool has under the bonnet (i.e. the Stable Diffusion XL model and T2I-Adapter). Also, it can be tried-out for free, while the Pro version is only £5 per month.

AI image generators (also known as GANs) like Stable Doodle offer many advantages to businesses. The ability to instantly create quality, designer-style images of any kind using just simple inputs like doodles and text descriptions enhances efficiency and time savings and allows any business with no in-house design skills to create tailored, quality images aligned with brand identity and/or customer preferences.

AI image generators thereby contribute to cost reduction by eliminating the need for hiring professional designers or photographers for routine or repetitive tasks. They also enable scalability without increasing workforce and can foster creativity and inspiration by producing novel and unique images that can serve as a source of ideas and exploration for designers and artists.

Businesses of all sizes and types, thanks to AI image generators, can now also ensure visual consistency across various marketing materials and branding efforts, aligning with established style guides or brand guidelines. AI image generators can also facilitate rapid prototyping and design iteration so businesses can iterate and refine designs efficiently.

All that said, at their present level, AI image generators should be seen as tools that complement human creativity and expertise, rather than as substitutes for them, plus very real concerns have been raised by artists whose work may have been used without their consent to train the models behind the image generators and could appear as styles and in outputs.